Small-diaphragm Capacitor Microphone

Microphones / Miking

Published February 2025

Soyuz’s latest pencil mic is as easy on the ear as it is on the eye!

Although they’re competitively priced for hand‑built microphones, Soyuz’s flagship valve and solid‑state models nevertheless occupy a price range that is out of reach for many of us. Some of their newer releases, however, suggest a decision to offer more accessible options. The subject of this review is one such: a miniature mic to sit alongside their well‑regarded 013 series of small‑diaphragm valve and FET capacitor microphones.

Audio examples for the Soyuz 011 FET can be found here.

Out Of The Wood

A pair of 011 FET mics were sent to me for review and, as a long‑time SOS reviewer, I struggle to recall a more aesthetically pleasing package arriving at my studio. These are small but classy‑looking mics, and they come in a beautifully understated wooden case that houses the mics, ‑10dB pad attachments, and functional mic mounts. A case doesn’t matter that much, of course, but when you have other mics that are well over 50 years old, it feels reassuring when a modern company puts out a product with the same kind of longevity in mind.

The 011 ships in a wooden box, along with a mic clip and screw‑on ‑10dB pad attachment.

As I hinted at earlier, the 011 FET is somewhat related to the more upmarket 013 FET, but there are some significant differences that are worth a little investigation. Aficionados of pencil mics often lament the discontinuation of Neumann’s transformer‑balanced KM84 in favour of the transformerless KM184. Although the ‘vintage is better’ mantra can be tiresome, there’s no doubt that the 184 — whilst still being a very good mic — has a different character and can produce subjectively brighter, less forgiving results in some recording situations.

I mention this as the KM84 is often seen as a reference point for small‑diaphragm capacitor mics, and in one key way the 013 and the 011 reviewed here are analogous: one of the main differences between them is that the newer mic also represents a move to a transformerless design. The other major difference is capsule size, with the 011 featuring a 19mm capsule compared to the 25mm one found in the 013. The overall size of the 011 is also smaller; these are very compact little mics, and more than one client of mine referred to them as ‘cute’. Us serious recording engineers would never describe a mic in those terms, of course, but smaller mics can have some practical positioning advantages in tight spaces such as below a hi‑hat, and in circumstances where you need a very mobile or discreet recording setup.

The published specifications for the 011 FET are fairly typical of this type of mic. Sensitivity is a relatively generous 19mV/Pa, and self‑noise is quoted as 16dBA, which is very acceptable given the small dimensions of the capsule. The frequency response plot shows a series of gentle peaks and troughs from about 2kHz up, but is within ±2dB of flat from 30Hz to nearly 20kHz. The 011 is said to be able to accept SPLs of up to 130dB (presumably with the pad in place).

In Use

My first use for the 011s was as a pair of drum overheads for an enthusiastic young band I had in my studio for a day. It’s a job where I might typically favour a pair of large‑diaphragm mics — or ribbons — but I was keen to hear if the 011s had any of that unpleasant ‘tizzy’ harshness that certain mics can exhibit, especially on cymbals. I was ready to quickly swap the mics out if needed, but was immediately reassured when I returned to the control room for a quick listen. These diminutive mics had that ‘contained’ low end and bright, forward sound that I associate with pencil mics on drums, but there was a solidity and smoothness to the cymbals that worked well when combined with the spot mics. The ‑10dB pad was essential in this role, and the process of screwing and unscrewing the capsules to attach this was pleasingly smooth.

The 011s sounded wonderful... with a great sense of stereo imaging, while also sounding clean but not sterile.

Next up was piano, which was hands‑down my favourite source for the 011s during the review period. The upright piano at my studio is always well received by bands wanting that ‘darker’ Radiohead‑style piano sound, and if I’m in a hurry I normally just point a pair of mics straight at the exposed front strings and we’re good to go. The 011s sounded wonderful in this position, with a great sense of stereo imaging, while also sounding clean but not sterile. These also appeared to be very quiet mics, which can be one of the advantages of a transformerless design.

Recording acoustic guitar was another task the 011 seemed to excel at, and I tracked three or four different players over the review period with great results. In particular, the low end rarely seemed to be excessive, a feature that is often an advantage when recording acoustic instruments. I frequently find myself directing mics away from the sound hole on acoustic guitars to avoid excessive ‘boominess’ (something that is further exaggerated by the proximity effect), but I found with the 011s that I could stray a little closer to that area of the guitar if needed.

I mentioned using the ‑10dB pad attachment for drum overheads, but even with the pad employed, I’d be nervous to use these microphones as a top snare mic on a loud drummer. This is a shame as their smaller size makes them perfect to tuck under a hi‑hat — and they sounded great when I tried them out with myself playing lightly. I used them more than once as bottom snare mics, though, and they also sounded ideal as hi‑hat spot mics for providing a little extra detail and stereo placement in a mix.

Summing Up

As you can probably tell, I was impressed by these small‑diaphragm microphones. If you crave a vintage‑style mic — which many do, judging by the price of original Neumann KM84s now — these could be just what you’re looking for. And unlike a vintage mic, you won’t have to worry about it breaking down or going wrong. These small but serious little mics won’t flatter what you put in front of them, but they certainly won’t exaggerate any harsher aspects of a sound that you don’t want, as many newer pencil mics seem to do.

It would be wrong to describe a mic on the other side of £400 as ‘affordable’, but for a quality hand‑built microphone designed to last a lifetime, the Soyuz 011 should be considered a serious contender.