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| AKG D7 Mic |
FEATURES
- Supercardioid polar pattern
- Rugged wire mesh cap with internal protective wiremesh cap
- Die-cast metal body
Generally speaking, this microphone is clearer sounding then SM58, less mud, more depth and more highs. However, this doesn't always means that it's better in the mix for vocals. It's excels as an instrument microphone.
I used it in untreated venues, doing mostly jazz, vocal, acoustic, fusion and some rock.
Grand piano - if feedback is a problem, this is a great mic to use if you want the natural sound of the open lid. I can put these not so far from the lid's edge (a bit inside the piano and below) and get reasonable feedback rejection (=reasonable EQ compensation) in dense rock mixes. Just use another mic below the piano for monitoring. I like the tone, not too dark, not too bright.
Makes a Steinway sound a bit more nasal, perhaps aggressive- then it actually is, but that's sometime what's needed.
I appreciate a dynamic microphone that is able to pick the sound of a grand from that distance. With a sm58, I have to use more EQ to get proper sound (but hardly the same results) and more EQ for feedback compensation.
Electric guitar - clear, deep tone, cuts through better, not harsh. Not a new league above shure but preferable.
Vibraphone - this is a great mic for this application, because the miking for this instrument needs to be set up quite high above it, to get all the sounds in a balanced, natural way. I put two D7 about 50cm above the vibraphone as a spaced pair and get usable (but not really loud) monitor levels. Just low cut and add a bit of high mid to cut through the mix. Easy.
Kajon - this mic is great inside of the kajon, a poor man's Beta-91a. Gets both the lows reasonably well (it's no bassdrum mic) and the highs without much box resonance.
Vocals - on some vocals, the highs are not easily treated by EQ. It sounds bigger and better then sm58 when I tune the loudspeakers, and leads to less GEQ cuts.. But it's is less versatile, so it didn't establish itself as my "to go" mic. The fullness of tone does not always work for my style of mixing. The sm58 is a more "laid back" microphone and thus blends more easily into my mix. On cheaper speakers with more limited frequency range, like vocal amps, the D7 will be preferable just for its clarity.
Overheads - Like with the piano, it's able to pick up depth of tone from afar. The sound is quite usable for rock, but still don't get the highs right - quantity or quality. You can't EQ that too much either. The toms do sound killer. If I can describe the sound of this mic as overhead, I would say "hard". Really different then the condenser "airy" sound. The sm58 sounds dull and useless in this application.
Hi Hat - this is a GREAT hi hat microphone, and my favourite. All it needs is HPF set quite high (but I do it with all mics) and some eq only if the hat has some annoying resonance. If positioned correctly, it rejects other drums much better then a condenser, and can be compressed to even out. Not looking back!
The AKG Acoustics D 7 is AKG’s current high end entry into the world of hand held vocal microphones. This particular microphone shares many of the same qualities with its more ubiquitous friend the D 5, however, there are certain key differences that must be noted, that account for the almost doubling of the price. The AKG D 7 is a dynamic microphone designed for hand held vocal use, and it was designed with an incredible focus on well balanced sound. The first thing to note about the D 7 is its Laminated Varimotion diaphragm, which means that the diaphragm of the D 7 has a thickness that varies across it. It is not a new idea, but AKG has implemented it at such a low cost that it is worth mentioning. This is apparently meant to enhance clarity. The D 7 has a supercardioid pickup pattern, which allows it to reject other things and reduce bleed. This was a very deliberate choice by AKG to not use a cardioid pattern microphone. At any rate, this, along with its built in high pass filter which rolls off the low end underneath about 80 Hz, allows the AKG D 7 to be an idea vocal microphone with a built in cleanliness to it. The AKG D 7 has a frequency response that begins at 70 Hz and continues up to 20,000 Hz, although starting around 15,000 Hz, there is a very aggressive roll off. There are a couple of peaks, notably in the low end and in the early mids, and a bit of a shelf boost around 5,000 Hz with a bit of a dip.
AKG's new reference dynamic microphone delivers high end performance and noble sound in every studio and on every stage. The D7 creates that subtle and opened sound in all frequency ranges condenser mics are famous for, but it also has the powerful resonance of a dynamic microphone.
"Before hooking up the mic to a PA system, I checked it by doing some voice recording in the studio, just to see what its real tonality and susceptibility to popping was like. I was recorded flat with no additional low-cut filters and managed a pretty natural sound with an open, but not aggressive high end and a surprisingly good resistance to popping. The sound warms up if you get right on the mic grille, due to the proximity effect, but not excessively so. Predictably, the high end wasn't as 'airy' as with a capacitor model, but for a dynamic mic it actually performed rather well, so I was keen to try it in a live situation".
"We often have problems with getting adequate level without feedback, and when we use a system with subs, popping is sometimes a significant issue with our existing mics. Fortunately, the D7 behaved well in both respects, delivering an adequate level of clear and well-balanced sound with no significant popping problems. If used hand-held, the handling noise is also adequately low...We'll definitely be buying this one for the band!"
The mic’s capsule is shockmounted to reduce handling noise. Also, a high-pass filter, which rolls off low-end sound below 80Hz, is built into the output circuit.
D7 Varimotion CapsuleThe capsule design is called “Varimotion;” it employs a diaphragm of variable thickness. The use of varying thicknesses is not new or original nor, as far as we can tell, covered by AKG’s patent on this capsule. Rather, the patent covers the manufacturing process that yields a varying-thickness membrane at low cost.
OVERALL OPINION
The AKG D 7 is a fantastic microphone, I have found, and it did produce a rather clear, neutral sound. It is nothing spectacular or revolutionary, but the microphone is certainly a fantastically viable choice for many singers who want to confidently assert themselves with style.
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