Audix SCX-25 Professional Microphone
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1. SCX 25s as drum overheads Here again the overall sound was pleasantly neutral with a touch of warmth to the high end but a progressive roll off at the upper reaches of its response that helped to soften some overly splashy cymbals Audix also claims that the microphone is not prone to proximity effect and here I d disagree somewhat There is a slight shift in tonality around the bass end when used very close to a sound source but it is nowhere near as noticeable as with some other microphones I d probably put this down to the fact the LF extension seems to have been rolled off much earlier so the proximity bump has less relative input to the overall response but it does preclude it s use to get those Jim Reeves style vocals But this can work to its advantage certainly when working with an acoustic guitar I was able to position the microphone much closer than I ordinarily would resulting in a sound that was very solid in the low mids but without sounding boomy or overblown The accompanying literature really sells the SCX 25 as an instrumental microphone particularly for pianos and in this application you can see why In situations where bleed needs to be limited being able to position the microphone inside the piano with the lid closed or partially closed helps The trade off here is that usually you are left with a slightly closed in sound with little in the way of air or space around it In this applic2. Audix SCX 25 review The latest mic offering from Audix scores well when it comes to giving consistent balanced sound to most sources And as JON THORNTON discovers its small footprint and good looks add to its appeal HE SCX 25 IS a fixed cardioid pattern large diaphragm studio capacitor microphone That literal description doesn t exactly make it stand out from the crowd Visually though the SCX 25 is very distinctive Looking rather like a high tech lollipop the 25mm diaphragm sits in its housing atop a slender tube housing the electronics The overall height of this assembly is only a shade under 15cm and the maximum width just over 5cm What the picture doesn t really show very well is that it is also very slim that diaphragm assembly is only just over 2cm deep in fact Audix claims that this microphone UK 507 VAT has the smallest footprint of any large diaphragm capacitor microphone to date Such a small package is obviously advantageous in terms of discreet miking on stage or in fitting into tight positions in the studio but this advantage would be wiped out should a bulky shockmount assembly be needed Hence the other distinctive aspect of this microphone a unique internal shockmounting arrangement whereby the capsule is completely isolated from the microphone body within a machined brass ring You can see some evidence of this by squinting down the side of the diaphragm asse
3. ation the unique attributes of the SCX 25 suddenly make a lot of sense The built in shock suppressions reduced proximity effect and an off axis response that while coloured to some degree is fairly smooth all result in some great sounding results In fact Audix produces an optional mic clip the D flex which can be clipped resolution onto the dividing bars on a grand piano and allow precise and close placement of the microphones while allowing the lid to be completely closed if necessary Although not having either of these clips or a grand piano at my disposal a pair of SCX 25s was put to use in an as live recording in a large hall positioned just inside the lid of an upright piano The size and particularly the height of this hall means that recording reasonably loud pop ensembles needs bleed to be addressed on some microphones and in this case I was able to use a heavy piano cover draped over the top of the upright The results were impressive a detailed but almost creamy piano sound with no hint of honkiness to it in the low mids Overall the SCX 25 is probably best summed up as a very forgiving microphone It doesn t stamp its personality all over a sound but instead gives a consistent balanced but still detailed sound to most sources The absolute limits of both its high and low frequency response might make it unsuitable for some applications but its size and unique shape together with its sound wil
4. l undoubtedly win it a lot of friends E Compact size internal shockmount understated but detailed sound lack of exaggerated proximity effect CONS Si Chalidma EEL R E may not be low enough for some applications EXTRAS RLA MPAA EELT prepolarised condenser mic that is very low profile and designed primarily for drums and percussion With a cardioid pattern it has an machined aluminum capsule integrated mic cable and a chrome plated steel clamping system with a flexible gooseneck Operation requires Phantom power of 9 52V and a phantom power adapter is included AUDIX US Website www audixusa com UK StirlingSyco 44 208 963 4790 November December 2004
5. mbly where some unusually large openings reveal the capsule and shockmount assembly Sounds great in theory but does it work This calls for another pseudo scientific test So the Audix microphone is set up using its supplied solid clip alongside a U87 in its shockmount With enough gain applied to each microphone to give equal level for a given sound source kicking the feet of the microphone stands showed that the SCX 25 did as good a job in suppression of the thump as the conventional shockmount on the U87 Seems to work then With all of that internal trickery and despite its appearance the SCX 25 is surprisingly sparse externally with no pad or filter options In fact it s so minimalist that it s easy to set up the wrong way round not helped by the fact that the metal grille is so dense that you can t see the diaphragm very well Audix claims a frequency response of 20Hz 20kHz although the response curves published in the two sided sheet that passes for a manual would seem to suggest that this rolls off at the 34 high and low ends quite early The first sonic test was the usual male vocal Here the SCX 25 performed well lending a slight presence to the sound around the 10kKHz area but succeeding in making this sound very gentle and not at all forced Low frequency extension seemed less impressive than the C414 used in comparison and this was confirmed when setting up a spaced pair of
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