Audio-Technica

T
his new addition to
Audio-Technica’s well
established Artist
microphone series is a
dynamic mic with
hypercardioid pickup
pattern, built for
high-SPL situations. Although the
ATM230 could potentially be used
for miking any loud instrument, it’s
primarily designed for close-miking
drum kit toms and possibly snares.
The mic’s compact and stubby
design (just over 8cm long) makes it
suitably discreet for live use. It’s
pretty weighty given the size, and the
all-metal construction includes an
integrated clip arm and reinforced
metal grille, which should cope well
with any bumps and knocks.
On the inside they’ve used a rare-
earth magnet for improved output
and transient response. Like most
dynamics, impedance is reasonably
low (600 ohms), and at 1.9mV/Pa,
the sensitivity isn’t amazing but
reasonable for a mic of this type. The
ATM230 package includes a standard
soft pouch and also the space-saving
AT8665 drum mount, so you can
clip the mic to the drum rim.
The ATM230 has a tailored and
slightly crazy-looking frequency
response, with a lift in the midrange
(peaking at around 3.5kHz), a lift in
the high frequencies between 6kHz
and 8kHz, and a pretty fast tail off
from 10kHz upwards. Amongst this
there’s also a pretty obvious notch
just above 4kHz, and a very subtle
lift in the low frequencies. However,
fi gures are quoted at a distance of
12 inches, so once positioned just
above the drum rim I’d expect things
to change a bit, particularly for the
low frequencies.
In terms of off-axis response the
polar pattern narrows in the high
frequencies pretty quickly as you
move away from right on-axis, and
rear rejection is good (-10dB or
better), so the ATM230 should help
curtail cymbal bleed.
Closer to the skin
If you usually mic your toms with a
general purpose dynamic
(Sennheiser’s MD421, for example)
or even a bespoke instrument mics
such as the ElectroVoice N/D408,
then function-specifi c designs like
this may seem odd. However I have
to say, straight out of the box this
mic is just right. The toms sound
punchy with a nice fat attack, and as
you’re after a tom miking kit, the
three-pack at £299 is no brainer.
Overall, an excellently made mic that
makes capturing toms a doddle.
suspected, the added proximity
delivers plenty of round bottom
end… but without excess boominess.
The specs don’t indicate a
maximum SPL, but a quick zoom in
on the recorded waveform reveals no
obvious overloading. As expected, high
frequencies are considerably reduced
off-axis, and coupled with the on-axis
high-frequency tail off, for the most
part, you’re getting what you want,
which is just the tom attack and body.
On the snare, the high-frequency
tail-off is more obvious. Even so, the
snare body sounds pretty good, and
with a few dB high-shelf boost, the
ATM230 could easily be used as a
top snare mic if required.
At its £140 list price, the
ATM230 offers fair value, but if
THE PROS & CONS
+
Compact robust
design with strong
integrated clip
Tailored frequency
response ideal
for close-miking
drum kit toms
Good off-axis
rejection
Excellent value
as a three-pack
Drum rim mounting
clamp included
-
Its tailored design
isn’t particularly
suited to other
instruments
FM VERDICT
9.2
Audio-Technica have picked
up the task-specifi c baton
and delivered a quality
design that makes tom
miking incredibly simple
his new addition to
Audio-Technica’s well
established Artist
microphone series is a
dynamic mic with
hypercardioid pickup
pattern, built for
high-SPL situations. Although the
ATM230 could potentially be used
for miking any loud instrument, it’s
primarily designed for close-miking
drum kit toms and possibly snares.
The mic’s compact and stubby
design (just over 8cm long) makes it
suitably discreet for live use. It’s
pretty weighty given the size, and the
all-metal construction includes an
integrated clip arm and reinforced
integrated clip arm and reinforced
metal grille, which should cope well
On the inside they’ve used a rare-
earth magnet for improved output
and transient response. Like most
dynamics, impedance is reasonably
low (600 ohms), and at 1.9mV/Pa,
the sensitivity isn’t amazing but
reasonable for a mic of this type. The
ATM230 package includes a standard
soft pouch and also the space-saving
AT8665 drum mount, so you can
microphone series is a
pretty weighty given the size, and the
reasonable for a mic of this type. The
ATM230 package includes a standard
The toms sound punchy
with a nice fat attack, and
the added proximity delivers
plenty of round bottom end
Audio-Technica ATM230 | Reviews
89
FMU318.rev_audiotechnica.indd 89 13/04/2017 15:00