Throughout, the ST169 yielded a sound that was bright and present (particularly on the dobro). So, for fingerpicked or flat-picked single-note parts, it probably wouldn’t be my first choice. Please refresh the page and try again. The mic slides between suspended elastic elements and screws into a fastener at the bottom. Bath And depending on the sound source and mic placement, the ST170 will give you impressive results. ST170 $299 And as you would expect from a ribbon, it didn’t capture the sparkly high-end that you get with a condenser mic. Nonetheless, the SM5 holds the ST170 (and similarly sized mics) snugly. Thanks for the heads up. Sterling Audio ST69 (For use with Rap / Pop vocals) Gearslutz is part-supported by our visitors. It has an impressive SPL rating of 142 dB with the pad engaged, and 132 dB without. I compared them to my $800 AEAN22 and the differences were marginal. The Sterling ST170 Active Ribbon Microphone brings a highly detailed, vintage-style tone to any recording environment with an ideal voicing for electric and acoustic guitars, drums, vocals and overhead/room. By If you’re looking for an affordable, all-around studio mic, The ST155 a solid choice. I also tried it on the dobro, an instrument with a lot of midrange, and the ST170 excelled in the application. Sterling also suggests using the ST170 to record vocals and acoustic guitars, and as an overhead drum mic. Receive news and offers from our other brands? (emusician) 01 April 2020, Three new mics with pro features at an economical price. Also picks up the beater side of the kick and does wonders for the hi hat. I was particularly impressed with its transient response. It blends the rich, smooth tonal qualities of a ribbon with a modern voicing that will excel in many situations. sterlingaudio.net, Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. Sterling Audio mods? Consequently, it has a hotter output than a passive ribbon microphone and removes the issue of impedance matching, making the ST170 suitable for use with low-cost audio interfaces. It took a store manager, though. Consequently, it has a hotter output than a passive ribbon microphone and removes the issue of impedance matching, making the … I have seen that Brainworx used the Sterling Audio ribbon for some of impulse responses in their amp-plugins. (And unlike some shock mounts that require extreme dexterity to restring, the SM8 looks as if it would be relatively easy to repair.) And when I tried the ST170 on male vocals, I was pleased with how rich and full the recording was. Sterling doesn’t publish the frequency diagram for the mic, but I’m pretty sure it would show a distinct presence boost. I finally got to really use them last week. The mic did a great job of translating the banjo’s metallic tone and sounded better than some of my more expensive condensers in that application. I may try that Sterling mic out. The Sterling Audio ST-69 is a very warm and open tube condenser microphone. I subsequently tried it on several other acoustic guitar recordings with similar results. The ST169 comes with an external power supply that connects to the mic with the included 7-pin XLR cable (see Figure 2). I used a pair (in a Faulkner phased array) to record orchestra/choir on Wed. Then I used one on snare and one on sax (for live sound) on Thursday. ST170 has active circuitry, high output and greater preamp compatibility. It was also less full and clear in the bottom end. It's a super low priced ribbon microphone that is great for capturing room tones. The side-address ST155 is a Class A FET condenser with a fixed cardioid pattern, a -10 dB pad and a -12dB/octave highpass filter (see Figure 1). England and Wales company registration number 2008885. ST155 $199 On an acoustic guitar, it gave the recording a lot of body, making it useful for heavy strumming parts. BA1 1UA. Visit our corporate site. One reason the ST155 is so versatile is that it has a maximum SPL rating of 144 dB with the pad in, 134 dB without, in addition to its respectable frequency response and sensitivity specs. You will receive a verification email shortly. No need to worry about phase problems. It also did a solid job on the acoustic guitar. If the ST170 is like a normal ribbon, it's going to sounds the most natural at around 12" or so, where the N22 needs to be used at around 3-4". I really love the sound because it is very open yet not bright like my other FET microphones. The power supply has an XLR output that connects to your mic preamp or audio interface. Just added a second one. The ST169 provides plenty of distinctive tubemic warmth, though a little too much in some cases. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Yeah get on 'em. All rights reserved. MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Each model includes an aluminium flight-style case with plenty of padding on the inside, as well as a shock mount (which I’ll cover in more detail in a moment). CLA EchoSphere: Waves’ free Black Friday VST plugin is a slap delay and plate reverb from Chris Lord-Alge. But with three polar patterns available, as well as its pad and low-cut filter, the ST169 is a versatile mic and an affordable entry point into the world of tube microphones. Who is the best online guitar personality of 2020? Ok, I just recorded some voice, vocal, shakers and guitar with the Sterling and here's some thoughts: Cool. And like the ST155, it includes a -10dB pad and a low-cut filter with a -12dB/octave slope and a corner frequency of 75 Hz. Picks up top and bottom of the snare and combines them! If you wanna have some real fun with these, try using them on snare! I was particularly impressed with how well it translated low, single-note runs on the acoustic. I'm in the market for a SDC mic that is under $200. Would you be able to share the orchestra recording? In every case, it was connected to my DAW through the mic preamps on my RME Fireface 802 interface. When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Those notes can sound a little splatty through some mics, but the ST155’s transient response is quite good, resulting in notes that were clean and distinct. though it seems the issues with the 51 don't apply to the 55, since it appears the 55 has Th components and is indeed transformer coupled. Sterling even includes spare elastic pieces in case yours loosen up over time. The ST170 is a sleek-looking ribbon mic with a figure-8 pattern and active circuitry that requires +48V phantom power. Electronic Musician It has a pretty large dynamic range. You can see its dual 1" capsules through the rigid mesh screens on the front, back and top of the microphone. When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Totally digin this on sax right now, paired with great river ->AD16X ..sounds perfect nothing else on it (for now. On vocals, it was crisp, clear, and full, and its sound was bright but not shrill. Today I'm checking out the Sterling ST170 Active Ribbon Microphone. The only issue I had with the SM8 is that it can be difficult to unplug certain cables from it, because the metal ring that tightens the mic into the mount obstructs part of the cable’s release tab. I'll add one more thing...the N22 has a lot less self noise and seems to require more drive from the preamp to match the same rough output level as the St170. Because the ST170 is considerably smaller in diameter than the other two mics, it comes with a different shock mount, the SM5. My first session with the ST170 involved using it to record an electric guitar cabinet, one of the applications for which ribbon mics are typically chosen. Sure enough, the ST170 delivered a warm, round image of the sound of the guitar amp, which sat well in the track. Has anyone tried out the new Sterling ST170 Ribbon. Buyers' guides to all the best music gear, Arturia responds to Behringer’s KeyStep MIDI keyboard lookalike Swing: “This is not fair competition”, The 12 best audio interfaces 2020: top audio interfaces for music-making and production, Free music samples: download loops, hits and multis from SampleRadar, The best DAWs 2020: the best digital audio workstations for PC and Mac, Bidding starts at $1 million, as Eric Clapton's 1954 Fender Stratocaster ”Slowhand” is up for auction. FYI, these are on sale again. Just pulled the trigger. Using a three-way switch, you can choose one of three polar patterns, cardioid, omnidirectional and figure-8. I mainly use it on omni since all I record is classical piano and the occasional cardioid vocal. ST169 can sound a little crunchy. © ST169 $499 Rather than screwing into the mount like the SM8, this mic is held in place strictly from the pressure of its elastic bands.