SM Pro Audio MC03: Valve Microphone - Manual (Page 5)

5 Introduction - Design Concept
1. INTRODUCTION
Valve microphone....retain your warmth!
With the advent of pristine digital studio recording facilities nowdays, more and more recording
engineers are wanting to retain as much warmth and roundness in their recordings as possible.
One way to achive this is to use valve or tube devices on your input stage (microphones, pre-
amps, etc).
The SM MC03 is a dedicated large diaphragm, gold sputtered, tube/valve condesnser micro-
phone. Perfect for capturing recordings with the full rich sound of a valve.
2. THE DESIGN CONCEPT
2.1 High quality components and design
The philosophy behind SM ProAudio products guarantees a no-compromise circuit design and
employs the best choice of components.
The MC03 components feature:
• Hand-tooled brass capsule with a 3-micron gold-sputtered mylar dual diaphragm (1 inch) for
maximum sensitivity, long life, subtle sonic detail and unsurpassed tone
• Tube preamplifier circuitry with vacuum tube (a classic 12Ax series valve)
• A specially developed output transformer designed for ultra transparency and natural warm
reproduction of sound
• Dedicated AC power supply with built in phantom power and balanced XLR output for connec-
tion to any mixing console
• Nine remotely selectable different polar patterns on power supply for outstanding versatility and
ease of operation: omnidirectional, cardioid, figure 8, and six intermediate stages
• Sturdy shockmount
2.2 Connections
All connection points on the microphone and power supply are secured firmly to the exterior
chassis housing. This ensures robust quality and confidence in performance under all conditions.
A special multi-pin microphone cable is provided for connection between the microphone and
dedicated power supply.