Michael Wagener
producer, recording engineer
RECORDING MICROPHONES
15
Peter Wolf
producer, songwriter, composer and
recording engineer
What is the secret of AKG’s large-
diaphragm technology?
The heart of any studio condenser microphone is
the transducer capsule. The specific sound of a
condenser microphone depends on the way the trans-
ducer diaphragm is made and installed. The special
design of the diaphragm provides the frequency
response typical of AKG microphones including a
dip in sensitivity between 2 kHz and 3 kHz that is
wide enough to remove any harshness or aggres-
siveness from the voice sound.
For over fifty years, AKG has been making large-
diaphragm condenser microphones with a vibrating
diaphragm diameter of one inch (25 mm). Electrical
contact is established by the clamping ring so the
entire diaphragm can vibrate freely. This capsule
design typical of AKG microphones is the basis of the
reputation of our large-diaphragm microphones such
as the C 12 that achieves prices of over US$ 8,000 on
the second-hand market all over the world. In addi-
tion, some microphones provide a response rise
between 4 kHz to 15 kHz. This high-frequency
emphasis places the signal up front in any mix.
It is for all of these reasons that AKG studio micro-
phones have been extremely popular worldwide. They
will cut through any mix naturally and place the sig-
nal up front even at low levels.
The typical “warm” AKG large-
diaphragm sound is the result of a
response dip between 2 kHz and
3 kHz.
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