It has the most consistent presence in rig run downs throughout this blog. It records drums, guitars, and podcasts. Ahead of recording vocals, here’s a more considered look at the sE Electronics 2200a – the mic that does it all.
It’s also the mic that I use use in the header image, and anywhere else I need a generic image. I’ve had it a while, and I bought it used, so it has a good road-worn aesthetic, without paying for it!
Background
I touched on this before, but we worked with Dave at Muthers Studio in Brum, and he used this for everything. In 2013, the cost of recording in a studio kept going up, but the number of songs we needed to record wasn’t going down. This was an affordable mic for getting things underway – £120 from eBay.
The 2200a has been upgraded since. You can get the newer models on Amazon. If you’re on a budget, you can still find this exact model on Reverb or eBay.
As it was when I first encountered the 2200a at Muthers, I use this microphone for pretty much everything.
sE Electronics 2200a: specs
| Diaphragm | Large (1″) gold-plated |
| Polar pattern | Fixed cardioid |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz to 20 kHz |
| Sensitivity | 16 mV/Pa |
| Impedance | 200 Ohm |
| Equivalent Noise Level | 17 dB |
| THD | <0.5% (at 125 dB SPL) |
| Dynamic range | 108 dB |
| Dimensions | 2″ (50 mm) x 7.5″ (190 mm) |
| Weight | 1.3 lbs / 0.6 kg |
Full disclosure: as a non-sound engineer, I don’t really know what most of those numbers mean!
You can accept that I have it because it does what I need.
This model also came with a shockmount, in a hard case. Some refer to the case as a flight case, but I think that’s generous. I wouldn’t check it in. It would have originally come with a foam insert to stop things rattling around, but that was gone by the time it came into my possession.
In use
As noted, I can’t speak to the science of the numbers outlined in the spec list.
However, I’m happy with everything the 2200a has done for me. I think that’s good. I know some high end sound engineers would absolutely sneer at it though. But, for light audio recording, I think it’s the one mic to do it all. I hope your can hear that in Alroight Bab.
Shove it in front of a Hummingbird? No problem! Will it capture the full cajones of a Dean Z? Piece of cake! How do vocals sound? Well, we’ll see next week.
In the good old days, when I wasn’t as restricted, I think I used it for picking up the overheads of the drumkit. Now it does the whole kit. And in my lack of being a sound engineer, it sounds just as bad, which is all I could hope for really.
Conclusion
I love this microphone. It has served me well. When it eventually dies, I’ll happily check out the newer models.
As noted in the September podcast, newer, fancier versions of the 2200a, come with variations on the cardioid pattern, and other bells and whistles. I look forward to at least trying them someday.
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