8. Tube vs Solid State

Before transistors, microphones used valves (tubes) as part of their electaronics. Valve microphones tend too have a narrower frequency range and are less transparent (their frequency curves are not flat) than modern solid state designs, but are favored because of the character and warmth (pleasant harmonic distortion) they can add to a sound. Solid state microphones are also referred to as FET microphones.


An example within the studio are two large diaphragm condenser:


Neumann U87A - FET condenser

Neumann U87

Wunder Audio CM7 - tube condenser

(Neumann U47 recreation)

Wunder CM7