Mixdown’s Picks: Hohm Microphones HR01
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Mixdown Magazine

Mixdown’s Picks: Hohm Microphones HR01

For this installment, we’re diving deep into the world of studio microphones, exploring the massive range of ribbon, condenser and dynamic options on the market for savvy producers, engineers and project studio enthusiasts. 

Hohm Microphones HR01 

Category: Ribbon (Passive) | Pattern: Figure of Eight

 

Key Features: Handmade with a little TLC in Victoria, Australia, local manufacturer Hohm are quickly developing a reputation for producing awesome sounding bespoke Microphones that more than outperform their modest, egalitarian price-point.

 

Designed from scratch by local musician/transducer designer Nelson Walkom, the HR01 stands on its own as a refreshingly modern take on the classic passive ribbon, pairing a hand-wound transformer with a massive N45 NdFeB magnet, resulting in the kind of high output characteristics rarely encountered in microphones of this type. This bears considerable fruit when you take into account the kind of preamps found on most modern, prosumer level interfaces, to which the HR01 serves as a perfect match.

 

Sonically speaking, customers are treated to the choice of either 2.5 or 4.0 micron ribbons, with 2.5 boasting a faster transient response, resulting in the illusion of more high frequency detail and a generally higher output. This option lends itself to more detail oriented, open-air sources like acoustic instruments or voice.

 

The 4.0 micron option on the other hand boasts a lower output impedance with increased durability and a higher max SPL, making them a go-to for electric guitar and other applications where HF roll off is desirable. 

 

Another particularly noteworthy feature of the HR01 is its asymmetrical, bi-directional design, meaning that technically, there is no ‘front’ or ‘back’ to the mic. Instead the HR01 offers two very distinct and usable sonic profiles housed in the same unit, which differ depending on point of incidence. This only further cements the HR01’s overall value as a versatile, multi-purpose ribbon option for the modern recording environment.

 

Mixdown Says: The opportunity for direct dialogue with the manufacturer also opens the door for all kinds one-of-a-kind builds and personalisation, with Hohm offering a number of etching, colourway and grille options on request.

 

It’s not just the aesthete’s who can benefit from this level of personalisation either. A smart engineer might order a sonically matched pair, with slight differences in colourway or badgework, in turn making for easy designation between Right and Left and allowing for perfect continuity from session to session. It’s this ability to collaboratively customise based on the needs of the client that really sets Hohm apart from so many of the bigger manufacturers out there.

 

Overall: A local, independently run company who produce high-quality handcrafted ribbon mics for the modern studio, all the while without breaking the bank – what’s not to like?

 

Find out more about the HR01 at Hohm Microphones.