Published 7/5/04
AKG C414B XLS/XLII
There can’t be many musicians or engineers who haven’t used, or at least heard of, the AKG C414 microphone — you’ll find this large-diaphragm condenser in most of the world’s top studios.
Originally released in 1971, the first C414 had a silver livery, but by 1980 the recognisable black-bodied C414 was born. 1986 saw significant improvements in the circuit linearity with the launch of the C414B ULS, now the most popular mic in the family’s history. But now AKG have completely overhauled the mic again.
The internal capsule shockmount has been altered to give better isolation from external vibration, and the casing and circuitry have been made immune to the kinds of electrostatic and electromagnetic interference commonly found in modern computer-based studios. An extra sub-cardioid polar pattern has also been added, as have extra pad and high-pass filter settings.
The most important functional change, however, is the new switch design, which uses a rocker selector and a row of status LEDs. So they light up — what difference does that make? Well, for a start, the LEDs only light in the presence of phantom power, so a fault is immediately apparent, and the pattern-selector LEDs go red if there is an overload.
But most interestingly, the new switch design allows you to change the mic’s setting remotely using the separate R414 remote control unit, and control signals are sent using normal shielded two-core mic cable so there’s no need to rewire anything.
Two models of the new C414 are available, the C414B XLS and the C414B XLII, the latter incorporating a frequency boost at about 6kHz which some engineers find useful, especially for adding vocal presence.
The projected price for the XLS version is currently £799.99, while the XLII is set to retail at £849.99.
T Harman Pro UK +44 (0)1707 668222.
