Reviewed: Audio-Technica ATM230 Hypercardioid Dynamic Microphone
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Reviewed: Audio-Technica ATM230 Hypercardioid Dynamic Microphone

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Of course, I can’t help but pull any new microphone apart to see what’s going on under the hood. It seems to be a habit
 of mine that I cannot shake, and always gives away a few things right from the start. Removing the grille from around the capsule told me a lot about this Japanese made microphone. It’s impeccably assembled, with threading that’s perfect and seals tight, with no vibration in or around the capsule and housing. The elongated grille serves to protect the extended capsule form errant drum sticks quite well, enabling the capsule to be placed well in front of the electronics to achieve the desired pickup pattern.

 

It’s in this mounting of the capsule that gives the ATM230 its hypercardioid pickup pattern. There’s plenty of grille area behind the capsule to allow for phase cancellation and side rejection to ensure that this microphone only picks up the sound of the drum it’s being pointed at. That’s what it’s been designed to do, work in a tight space around a drum kit aimed at either the rack or floor toms. The compact size allows for this placement and the side rejection of the hypercardioid capsule gives you the sound of just one drum per microphone. Of course, you can place them right up near the skin and the ATM230 will capture the sound perfectly as it can handle very high SPLs without audible distortion or distress on the capsule.

 

The inbuilt stand attachment allows the microphone to be screwed directly onto most microphone stands or drum mic mounting hoops without the need of a separate microphone clip specifically shaped for this unit. The angle adjustment bushing is extremely secure so you can seat this microphone at any angle to achieve any target of sound and know that it will not sag or slip in any way. In all, it’s a solid unit that offers a clean and crisp sound from a source that’s only inches away. It’s a perfect accompaniment to any overhead microphone pair to give each drum around the kit that extra definition and punch.

 

For more details, head to audio-technica.com.au.