Resource: Audio Test Kitchen
In preparation for my Music Tech class at Montclair State University on microphones, mixers and live sound, I came across an absolutely INCREDIBLE website called Audio Test Kitchen that allows you to hear how hundreds of microphones sound when used in a recording. WOW. This free website is a MUST for anyone thinking of purchasing a microphone and for anyone who teaches the basics of recording and microphones. Almost every brand and model of microphone is represented and the ability to hear them all side by side is a HUGE advantage when you’re thinking of purchasing a microphone for a specific situation. Here’s how it works…
The creators of this site, with support from Sound On Sound and Produce Like a Pro, uploaded a number of different songs to the site and on each song, they recorded EVERY instrument with the same microphone. They then did the same thing with 308 different microphones! You can choose the song that you would like to test out some microphones with and then find the microphone you want to test from the “Cupboard” and drag it to one of the six slots at the top of the screen (see above). To hear the song using that specific microphone on every track, simply click the microphone. It’s that easy.
From the drop down menu you can select one of 5 songs, and in each song, you can isolate a specific track to get a real-life test of the specific microphone you’re interested in. For example, in the picture above I selected the “L. A. Song” and then I selected the Piano track to hear how the Universal Audio UA Sphere DLX OW-K45 sounded. I can then switch to any other microphone in one of the 6 slots to compare and contrast. To the non-trained ear, it is a little difficult to hear - especially through laptop speakers, but if you put on some decent headphones you’ll definitely hear it. It’s pretty impressive and SO cool to be able to try out any microphone - especially high end ones!
I happen to love the C414 from AKG. When I clicked on it, I had the option of seeing it full screen and there is also the option of spinning it around 360-style to see the entire microphone. Each microphone also has a YouTube video from the manufacturer as well as the specs.
One extremely useful features is the Blind Mode which means you can’t see the microphone that is being used - you can only hear it. VERY cool and a great way to find the sound that you are looking for. As you know, microphones come in all price points and just because they are reassuringly expensive doesn’t mean that you’ll like the way they sound.
Finally, there is a very cool visual image of the frequency response of the various microphones you’ve chosen so that you can compare how they react to the various frequencies from low to high.
Whether you are in the market to purchase a new microphone OR you just need a great resource to help teach your students about the many different brands of microphones available on the market, Audio Test Kitchen is definitely a site that you should bookmark today! Enjoy!