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Modeling Microphones Claim to Be as Good as Legendary Mic Brands – Is It True?

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We all know that owning the best microphones is expensive, which is why using modeling microphones is becoming a common practice among amateurs and professionals who are looking to save a couple of bucks. However, the question of whether modeling microphones can perform just as well as the microphone it is designed to be modeled or copied after is often thrown around.

The Sphere LX modeling microphone from Universal Audio is a recording device that claims to have the system that legendary mic brands like Neumann, Telefunken, AKG, and Sony can offer you for the price of $1,000. To be exact, the Sphere LX claims to be able to mimic 20 of some of the most sought mic brands rolled into one modeling mic. It certainly is a hefty claim but the dual-capsule setup of this condenser microphone seems to be able to make good on its promise to a certain extent.

Are Modeling Microphones Worth It?

With such a setup and design, the Sphere LX can “mimic” the sound of dynamic or ribbon mic, imitate environmental factors, and even blend two different virtual microphones. Albeit, you will need to understand and go through the setup to achieve all that, which will take a lot of effort and time from your end. You will also need to remove any processing your interface currently has applied or make a few tweaks in the settings or software, which you can read all about here.

Simply put, modeling microphones can do a great job and make good on its promise provided that you don’t mind going through all the steps and effort in hardware setup (with possible add-on purchases), tweaking interface settings, and purchasing the required software for the mic’s model.

If you also don’t have the classic microphone with you for comparison, then you can hardly tell the difference. Technically speaking, you are also still saving some money as legendary microphones like the Neumann TLM 103 and the AKG C414-XLX are way more expensive than the common price of any modeling mic.

However, if you are a purist and have keen ears, then you may want to just invest in the classic legendary microphones. They may be costly but it saves you from a complex setup and you can say that you have the real deal. At the end of the day, one can say that it’s all about preferences and how well users can utilize their microphones.

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Naomi Feller

Originally from the East Coast, Naomi started singing as young as 3 years old. In her early teens Naomi made some embarrassing YouTube videos before settling on a love for Podcast editing. When she's not pouring over endless amounts of audio, she lends her expertise to us here at Shout4Music with her crystal clear and finely tuned microphone reviews.

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