From analyst to manufacturer: As a veteran drummer who had done home recording for years, Matt McGlynn became fascinated with how microphones can enhance (or destroy!) the sound of an instrument. Launching RecordingHacks.com, a website he describes as “Wikipedia for mics,” he documented thousands of new and vintage products, and learned what sets premium mics apart. He began applying those lessons by upgrading and modifying commodity microphones. This led to starting a business to sell do-it-yourself microphone kits based on hot-rodded versions of vintage designs. Five years’ worth of microphone R&D later, McGlynn founded Roswell Pro Audio to sell unique, premium condenser microphones. The Sebastopol, CA-based company’s aesthetic is captured in its tagline, “Modern Performance, Vintage Tone.” Roswell Pro Audio's mics provide a distinctive sound and a performance level normally associated with far more expensive devices.
Their best-seller: In 2015, Roswell rolled out its first product, the Mini K47 Condenser Microphone, whose capsule design is based on the capsule in the most famous microphone of all time. It provides a full, balanced tone without any harshness in the upper frequencies. Although designed as a singer-songwriter mic, the Mini K47 also wins shootouts on guitar cab and drum overheads, and has been called a “secret weapon” on acoustic guitar. The mic employs a clean and transparent transformerless circuit, which lets the sound of the capsule pass through without alteration. Self-noise and distortion performance are on par with mics costing significantly more. The Mini K47 retails for $299.
A boutique vocal mic: Roswell rolled out its latest innovation, the Delphos, at the recent AES Convention. The Delphos is a large-diaphragm condenser, voiced like a vintage FET microphone. Its natural and extended frequency response delivers tons of tone for vocal and instrument recordings. Its high sensitivity and low self-noise allow capture of hi-fidelity tracks, even when paired with an inexpensive preamp. Famed Multiplatinum producer Greg Wells has said, “This mic blows me away,” and shot a video in which he wonders how Roswell can achieve this sound for the mic’s relatively low price point of $899.
For more information, visit RoswellProAudio.com.
