Guitar Gear Forum

So I was looking through the local Craig's List and happened to see someone selling a KEL Song Sparrow condenser mic for $100... I didn't even think about it, haha... Sent the guy a message and this afternoon snagged that sucker! I want to say that this mic sold for $350 brand new, when KEL mics were still being made. I wanted this primarily for vocals, as I am trying my hand at them when I play acoustic stuff. I need tons of practice, as I have never had a lesson in my life, but I figured this would be a good way to get over that fear of staring at a mic and singing

Anyway here is a pic:


...and a clip of my acoustic guitar:
https://soundcloud.com/col-justesen/iycos

I really wanted a KEL HM-2D, but am now late to that showing (unless one shows up used), so I couldn't hesitate on this mic I am glad that I got it!

Cole

Nice! Never heard of them but the clip sounds good! HNMD!

Thanks Ruiner They were pretty popular mics back in the day (a few years ago). They were a company out of Canada that produced very nice products for a low price (considering there are $$$$ mics to be had) and gained a quick following for their quality (both build and sound) and their economic price.

I really like how it sounds on my guitar... This particular mic adds a sort of airy quality to the sound that works great for instruments and vocals.

Cole

colejustesen wrote:Thanks Ruiner They were pretty popular mics back in the day (a few years ago). They were a company out of Canada that produced very nice products for a low price (considering there are $$$$ mics to be had) and gained a quick following for their quality (both build and sound) and their economic price.

I really like how it sounds on my guitar... This particular mic adds a sort of airy quality to the sound that works great for instruments and vocals.

Cole

From the past tense i'm assuming they went out of business? Why? Did they make their price point too low compared to the profit?

Ruiner wrote:

colejustesen wrote:Thanks Ruiner They were pretty popular mics back in the day (a few years ago). They were a company out of Canada that produced very nice products for a low price (considering there are $$$$ mics to be had) and gained a quick following for their quality (both build and sound) and their economic price.

I really like how it sounds on my guitar... This particular mic adds a sort of airy quality to the sound that works great for instruments and vocals.

Cole

From the past tense i'm assuming they went out of business? Why? Did they make their price point too low compared to the profit?

Nope, they went the other direction... Super high end mics under the name Vertical Microphones.
http://verticalmicrophones.com/

I haven't read a single review that dogged this brand. Every model was well received!

Cole

huh, that's pretty interesting and good to note for the future. Enjoy it!

Clip sounds great.

That mic looks shockingly similar to one of the MXL mics I've had. Like, paint the base color there blue and it'd be exactly the same.

Thanks NFA... I thought that KEL designed their own stuff, but I don't know if they machined their own hardware. Could be a generic casing, with the real magic inside

I know that there is a company that ripped off Song Sparrow design... The Recording Tools MC-900... Looks awfully similar too:

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachm ... -vocal.mp3

Cole

I was actually wondering if they didn't sell their designs after they closed up shop? Could be the generic casing thing though. I know tons of mics look alike on the outside.

nightflameauto wrote:I was actually wondering if they didn't sell their designs after they closed up shop? Could be the generic casing thing though. I know tons of mics look alike on the outside.

Hmmm... Makes sense; why not capitalize on the design still?

Cole

sweet- nice pull! i'dve done the same. that acoustic clip sounds pretty nice-- not too much top end and nothing super bright and glary. i like it!

congrats!

The clip sounded great, but I was waiting for some falalala's

newholland wrote:sweet- nice pull! i'dve done the same. that acoustic clip sounds pretty nice-- not too much top end and nothing super bright and glary. i like it!

congrats!

Thanks! Hell, I would have thought about it at $200! Thanks for listening! I appreciate when veteran recording guys give me insight and criticism.

Modest wrote:The clip sounded great, but I was waiting for some falalala's

Thanks Mike, I was trying my hand at some vocals, but decided to forgo rendering them. I am not an a cappella singer by any means. I think if I had thrown on some headphones and sang to my guitar track it would have been better results. I will try to show off my shitty falalala's at some point haha

Cole

So I sent an email trying to get some information regarding the specs on the mic and I got back a pretty personal email within an hour:

Kelly Dueck wrote:Glad you like it. I will send a copy of the cut sheet when I get home. But generally, impedance isn't much of an issue as the mic has a transformerless differential output. You won't hear a lot of difference from one input impedance to another on a professional pre, all else being equal.

Mic is a cardioid with a small lobe in back around 1200 Hz. Max null is around 135-degrees. Can't quite recall max input spl before audible distortion (but it's high. Circuit uses two FETs on the input.) Frequency response rises gently above 8.5k and below 70Hz. (Some people have told me it's a little like a solid state Sony c800g and that was somewhat the goal. Though it doesn't compress like the Sony.) You'll find it's flattest about about 12-inches from source. Try it on upright bass sometime about a foot straight out from the spot half way between bridge and end of fingerboard! (One of my favorite non-vocal uses for that mic) .

Kelly Dueck
Kel Audio / Vertical Microphones

That is pretty awesome considering they haven't been making these mics for quite some time. This makes the purchase that much better IMO.

Cole

Sweet , killer deal . Yeah it was sad to see Kel go , I was just about to score another one . I have a HM-2D and it's a killer mic . You got a sweet deal fo sho

fretless wrote:Sweet , killer deal . Yeah it was sad to see Kel go , I was just about to score another one . I have a HM-2D and it's a killer mic . You got a sweet deal fo sho

Thanks for coming and checking it out! I am going to keep my eye out for an HM-2D too. Hopefully I can find a killer deal on one of those as well.

Cole

it sounds great BTW !

fretless wrote:it sounds great BTW !

I have heard numerous good things about the HM-7U and the HM-2D...

Here is a little blurb about the Song Sparrow that I found:

The amplifier circuit is similar to that of the HM-7U, albeit without the filter or pad. Note that the HM-7U uses a K47-style capsule, whereas the Song Sparrow uses a CK12-style capsule.
Both mics use high-grade components, including Wima film capacitors.

Cole

That clip sounds fantastic.

I love that Tonic album too.

Markdude wrote:That clip sounds fantastic.

I love that Tonic album too.

I only know the one song off that album, maybe I should buy a used copy of it for a couple dollars. Thanks for listening!

Cole

was the hm7 the 'dark sounding' LDC that was supposed to be good on brass? i considered that mic about a million times for overhead use..

newholland wrote:was the hm7 the 'dark sounding' LDC that was supposed to be good on brass? i considered that mic about a million times for overhead use..

I can't remember if it was the HM-2D or the HM-7U.. The HM-3C and HM-1 are small diaphragms. I have a feeling it was the HM-7U.

Cole

That clip sounded great!

overdrivenel34s wrote:That clip sounded great!

Thanks for listening! I seriously love this mic! It has a fantastic character. I am going to keep an eye out for the other models from KEL

Cole