Fat Head The Famous Short Ribbon Microphone. As a possible first foray into the warm, natural sound of ribbon mics, one could do a lot worse than the Fathead II. Thus, the build quality and quality control are very good, better than what one might expect at the price. The microphone was not mine, and when I moved away, I missed it dearly! Who's using Cascade Fathead II for drum overheads. As far as the Fathead, I used one recently recording a trumpet part. It's usually pretty low in the mix, but it does add some nice warmth. Keep your eye on the Cascade website for news about the forthcoming Fat Head with transformer “mod” — your choice of Lundahl or Jensen — for $299. For me, I liked the Fat Head best on vocals and acoustic guitars. The sound of the mic was open, yet warm and definitely natural. I didn't think I'd care for these mics on vocals, due to the frequency roll-off that starts around 7K (rolling off fairly gently). (That's 0.64 kg for you civilized folks.) This is ideal for using a pair in Blumlein configuration for stereo recording. and have a pretty nice (soft) top end. While I don’t consider the FAT HEAD to be in the same league as the Royer line of ribbons, I still think it is a fabulous mic and an amazing bargain. The last item: the case. And the low price is one of the selling points of this mic, along with the aforementioned generally good quality; as well as decent sound. On the Cascade website, the frequency response for the original ones looks better, but a better built mic would be useful as well. Nevertheless, it may be okay for studio-only use; and it's still far better than a cardboard box. They seemed matched quite nicely. These guys really can shine. The price is great for this quality, it's not an all-rounded mic for sure but a great mic to have in your sonic palette. There were several mics with bargain price tags, including their Fat Head ribbon microphone! I cannot tell if the hinges are also metal-coated plastic, or just thin, cheap metal, but they definitely lack heft. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. In a pinch, I'll bet one could tweak with E.Q. The purchase and delivery was easy, secure and fast. You have to purchase it online as no local store has it. I borrowed the Cascade Fat Head II from a friend before purchasing my own. Just bought a pair of Cascade Fathead II's. I had borrowed a stock Fathead I from a friend few years ago. Cascade Fathead Review – Al Unsworth, Freelance Engineer. Vocals were warm and full. It come in a steel case and the mic is placed in a wooden box. So did the bass, of course, thus the filter. Cascade Microphones Fat Head Bidirectional Ribbon Microphone . If you turn the mic around backwards, it's a little brighter. also, if anyone has any personal experience with these mics, I would like to hear what you think. At about 5 inches away (pop filter included for safety), the high end became much more prominent. My favorite so far is a Royer 122. With the mics side by side, the front of both facing me, I could not hear any difference between the two mics at all. I was introduced to the Cascade Fat Head mic over half a decade ago and since then I’ve been convinced that they hold the reins in the low-cost yet fine sounding ribbon mic market. These hinges are riveted to the case with small, chintsy rivets. I will have to buy a more rugged case, especially if I have to do any traveling with this mic. But generally I have found that there are much better sounding ribbon mics available, albeit usually more expensive. The price remains the same for the mic without the mod. The shock mounts: These seem fairly decently made. The somewhat amusingly named Fathead II is a ribbon mic assembled in the USA by Cascade Microphones of "off shore components". The upgraded one is a bit more cleaner and upfront. However, I have had good results using the Fatheads in a M-S array on jazz drums, and as a single overhead mic on "fiddle" (not violin), where it really, really took the edge off any potential stridency. I don't believe I've used the Cascade on vocals, but I do use ribbons for my (male) vocals a lot (I do have a bit of a boyish voice, and I do like the treble reduction). The one I borrowed was a standard FatHead II with no transformer upgrade. Cascade microphones are the best microphones on the market (for the price) I bought a matched stereo pair for 600 bucks. Cascade Fathead II ribbon microphone When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. In the end, I decided to buy a matched pair of the Fathead II, with the Lundahl transformer upgrade. With this in mind, I thought I’d check out Cascade’s website. After ordering, I emailed the company to see if I could get a PDF copy of the Fat Head owner’s manual. The words "rich texture" have become a cliche', but the description fits. They blew me away. For this price, we can all afford to go buy a decent case for these fine instruments. For those doubters, I challenge you to "play the game" on that shootout without cheating (looking at which mics are which), rating the sound of each from 1-10 on your own piece of paper. The walls of the case are metal, but thin, and I'm not sure what's behind them to keep it's shape. A low-ender, admittedly, but good value for the price. He suggested the basket did not change the sound. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Cascade Microphones FAT HEAD - Brown/Gold at Amazon.com. The rep also told me that I could email him with any further questions or concerns, which was nice. Besides the fact that in a blind test, they are nearly impossible to discern from much more expensive ribbons, I found that I preferred the Cascade in the "$60,000 Ribbon Microphone Shootout over many much more expensive microphones. It is truly a unique mic with a classic look. The sound is darker than all the mics I used to date, it got a creamy texture that adds a lot of character to a recording. The shockmount was sturdy, and the mic fit into it snugly and stayed put. Mine came with a blumlein bar that weighs roughly a little more than half what the mic weighs (I didn't actually weigh the bar), which also seems quite substantial. The proximity effect seems to affect both low and high freqs. It also comes with a nice padded wooden box, and a sturdy metal carrying case. ... Shure SM57 Dynamic Mic Review / Test - … Pro Audio Review. Buy Cascade Microphones FAT HEAD Ribbon Microphone (Brown Body and Gold Grill, Stock Transformer) featuring Stock Transformer, Figure-8 Polar Pattern, High Sensitivity & Detail. I can attest to that... on a few occasions. Fathead vs. Fathead II I guess if I had to choose now, I would get a pair of the normal fat heads. When I pulled it out and 3-4 ft away from the piano, it sounded beautiful; an attestment to the proximity effect ribbons are famous for. I think they are solid e guitar mics and would throw one up with the same confidence (maybe more) than a 57. It's really dark sounding, but I love blending it with an RE20 to find the perfect tone.