Two Gefell Mics Take the Tozzoli Test

The tagline that Gefell places under every logo is "The original handmade German microphone." With that said, when you hold one of these precision products in your hand, you can literally feel the care that goes into each and every one. Recently, I was able to use a couple of these gems on some studio sessions. Working up the Clubhouse in beautiful Rhinebeck, NY with engineer Paul Antonell, we opened up two attractive boxes containing matched pairs M930’s. These large-diaphragm, transformerless mics have an amazingly small footprint, perfect for complex placements or video shoots. Each has 1-inch M9 gold capsule with an optically isolated amp, yielding a ridiculously low self-noise. The optical isolation is important because with such a small capsule, the circuitry sits dangerously close to the element. The mic also has an innovative circular PC board that houses the electronic impedance converter.

Above: Gefell M930.

The M930 In Use We were recording a full world/percussion kit in the studios generous live room, so we placed the first pair in front using the supplied stereo bar for X/Y applications (also perfect for ORTF). This unique mount let us easily place the capsules atop eachother, and the machined clips thoughtfully provide degree markings for easy setup. We then placed the next pair behind the kit about 6 feet apart, since we were capturing for multichannel reproduction. The mics were fed into Neve 8058 MK II with the 31102 mic preamps and straight to Pro Tools at 24-bit/44.1kHz resolution. I ended up using the mics on every track, as they added a clean, clear and more importantly - warm dimension to the sound. It’s hard to believe that much sound comes out of such a small microphone – without a bulky power supply. Again, that mount let us record a perfect X/Y track, and the reproduction was top-notch. Antonell liked the mics so much, he will be using a special array of five on his next project, capturing the Moravian 60-piece orchestra with Kip Wilborn in Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Above: The awesome UM900. Its beauty is matched only by its performance.

A House Call from the UM900 Next, back at my home studio, I was able to put a UM900 through its paces. Using both a Groove Tubes ViPRE (analog) and Focusrite ISA 428 (digital) straight to Pro Tools, I tested it on female vocals, acoustic guitar and live percussion. This multi-pattern mic runs on 48-volt phantom power, yet it has what’s’ called a "hearing-aid" audio tube inside. The award winning design is stunning, and its quite heavy (as you might expect). It features an M7 dual membrane 1-inch gold capsule with a large 75mm head grill and is mounted on a triangulated pedestal. This design helps deflect unwanted sounds away from the capsule, and according to Gefell, is part of what makes the mic sound like it does. Speaking of sound, wow, this thing is a monster. I first ran it in omni mode using one of the three on-board control switches used to select patterns (omni, wide-cardioid, cardioid, hypercardoid and figure-8). My old Guild jumbo was just that - jumbo, with crisp clean top and a wide yet smooth bottom. I then put it into figure 8 mode and recorded two shakers in stereo. It properly and accurately captured the sharp transients, with no capsule overload at all. Very nice indeed. Then I put it into cardioid mode, running the Focusrite on high impedance, and recorded a female vocalist with a broadway-esque voice. Here’s where the included "half moon swivel adapter" came in handy, letting me angle the mic downwards to achieve optimal positioning (I also used a pop screen). It was a huge warm sound, and when I clicked on the +4dB setting on the mic, it was literally gigantic. Note that aside of the +4dB switch, users can select –10 or 0 dB. Overall, both of these mics, the UM900 and the stereo pairs of M930’s, delivered exactly as advertised, and more. I had always heard the street buzz on these mics, but had never used them in session. Come on, do I really have to send them back? [Editor's Note: Yes, Rich, you do!]