Classic-Style Microphones and Outboard Gear from Golden Age Projects

 

Sometimes the design of production equipment is perfected early on, and even several decades’ worth of advancements in technology does little to improve its overall quality. One area in which this is especially true is microphones. The engineers who designed the classic mics of fifty, sixty and seventy years ago simply nailed it. Golden Age Projects is a pro-audio manufacturer that’s new to B&H, focused on celebrating the classic designs of vintage microphones and outboard gear, and offering a fantastic price-to-performance ratio.

Dynamic Mics

The Golden Age Project D1 is a great example of what this company is all about. Styled after classic 1950s vocal microphones, the D1 is a useful dynamic microphone that sounds great on instruments and vocals. This mic is also a great prop to use on photo shoots. The D1 features a handy Off/On switch that can be locked in the On position, if necessary. Another dynamic mic choice from Golden Age Project is the D2, which acts as a traditional broadcast vocal microphone. Perfect for podcasting or voice-overs, the D2 features an internal windscreen and offers excellent resistance to popping and sibilant sounds without need for an external pop filter. The D2 has a characteristic sound that helps voices really stand out, and it offers three hardware switches to give you extended control over the shape of its sound. In addition to radio and broadcasting uses, the D2 will sound great on electric bass guitar and kick drums.

Ribbon Mics

Ribbon microphones are great tools for capturing very smooth-sounding recordings with a decidedly old-timey feel, and thus, Golden Age offers a nice selection of them. All of the Golden Age ribbon microphones feature figure-of-eight pickup patterns, and a 30 Hz – 18 kHz frequency response. The Golden Age R1 MKII is a straightforward ribbon microphone with a very classic design, and it will sound great on vocals, strings, horns and more. The R1 Active MKIII combines the ribbon warmth with a built-in F.E.T. buffer amplifier (for longer cable runs and phantom-power utilization). It delivers ribbon smoothness on voices and instruments as well, and features a high-pass filter and a -10dB pad. The R1 Tube Active combines a classic ribbon transducer, two transformers and a tube amplifier for the ultimate capture of warm and fat tones.

Condenser Mics

No tribute to classic microphone design would be complete without an assortment of condenser mics, and the Golden Age Project has them in spades. The FC 1 MKII is a traditional large diaphragm with a wide frequency response and a lot of dynamic range. The FC 2 ST is essentially a pair of FC 1 MKII microphones for stereo and overhead recording, and they include the addition of a -10dB pad and a high-pass filter. The Golden Age Project FC 3 is a large diaphragm condenser that gives you the option to switch the pick-up pattern between cardioid, omnidirectional and figure 8. If you need selectable polar patterns and fat tube warmth, you can opt for the TC1. You can round out your microphone collection with small diaphragm condensers like the FC 4, which features a low noise, transformerless design, a high-pass filter and a -10dB pad. Since two is always better than one, you can get the FC 4 ST, which is a matched pair of FC 4 pencil microphones. The Golden Age FC 4 MC is a small diaphragm condenser that includes interchangeable cardioid, hypercardioid and omni capsules.

Outboard Gear

The Golden Age Project manufactures a complete front-end solution, composed of microphones, preamps, EQ and dynamics. Inspired by the Neve 1073, the Golden Age PRE-73 MKII features a signal path made up of only discrete components such as resistors, capacitors and transistors (there are no integrated circuits), and offers a maximum gain of 80dB. It also features a Low-Z switch, DI mode and output control for tone shaping. The PRE-73DLX offers the same vintage-style signal path and features, and adds an adjustable high-pass filter and a variable pad to the mix. Also inspired by the Neve 1073 is the Golden Age EQ-73, which has class-A circuitry, stepped frequency controls, shelved low and high bands and a bell type mid-frequency band. There are separate bypass buttons for all three bands.

Accessories

You can create a custom channel strip or pairs of Golden Age preamps and rack-mount them in the separately available UNITE rack kit. It’s possible to power up to four Golden Age outboard units with the PSAC-4 power supply. The Golden Age Project also offers staple needs like the P1, a traditional nylon-style microphone pop filter with a gooseneck and a clamp and the SP1, which is a shock mount with integrated metal pop screen.

Thanks for checking out this B&H InDepth announcement. If you have any questions about the Golden Age Project microphones, preamps or other products, please feel free to submit a Comment, below.