A 1.8 micron thin aluminium ribbon suspended in a strong magnetic field makes for an ultra-sensitive  microphone which makes for a super-natural sound (not supernatural as in ghost either). Added to the collection also today was a Rode NT3 super cardioid condenser for extra warmth and tone in vocal and interview recordings plus it's stereo brother the NT4 for wonderful tones on grand piano and acoustic guitar, not to mention the ability to capture natural ambiences in stereo.

It is nice to see the industry moving away from a "one mic fits all situations" approach. While the Sennheiser 416 is undoubtedly a great mic it has a specific niche in its uses.

Corey Burton has some definitive views on this from a performers perspective and I have to agree with him on a number of points that he raises. Back in the good old days of the early 80's we had an arsenal of microphones to experiment with depending on the application, then the 416 became the "standard" tool of the voice industry and since then everything has kind of sounded the same. If a U87 was dragged out and put in front of a voice you were considered kind of old fashioned. Now if you experiment with a few mics to see what sounds best you are either considered a time-waster or a bit loopy!

I am happy to be branded a bit loopy and spend 5 minutes experimenting to capture the right sound up front, it can save a whole lot of time "fixing it in the mix"  later. But then there is money to be made "fixing it in the mix" or perhaps I am just being cynical! An early mentor of mine, David Woodley-Page, was a great advocate of moving a mic around and listening for the best sound, he was also one to employ a range of microphones to get the right sound from the initial recording. This of course was back in the days of analogue when every additional process added noise and distortion along the way. Now in the days of digital it is more important than ever to capture the best sound possible.

I am looking forward to utilising my quiver of mics at my next recording and getting back some of the warmth that we have lost in recent years, it is just ironic that we are employing technology from the 1930's to improve our sound almost a century later!