Electro-Harmonix C9

102
Shure Motiv MVi
Interface | £95
www.shure.co.uk
Shure’s new digital mics could easily
overshadow the MVi, their interface-
only option. However, this compact,
chunky, metal-cased unit includes a
combo XLR and 1/4-inch instrument
jack, and a mini jack headphone
output. The front panel is much like
the touch panel of the MV51, with
the same DSP options and level
control, but here holding down the
mic mute button activates the
phantom power. This provides +/-12V
when hooked up to iOS devices, and
+/-48V when connected via USB. So,
assuming your favourite capacitor mic
is fairly tolerant of lower phantom
voltages, you now have an elegant
means for recording directly into your
iOS device; and with onboard zero
latency monitoring, much like the
MV5 and MV51, overdubbing is also
straightforward. This simple flexibility
actually makes the MVi our favourite
of the Shure iOS devices, and £95 is
a fair price for an iOS compatible
peripheral. Jon Musgrave
9/10
Neat Beecaster | £229
http://neatmic.com
Neat Microphones’ Beecaster brings new sophistication to the
concept of desktop USB mic by having selectable polar patterns
delivered by an array of four large diameter condenser capsules
inside their large rectangular housing. You get mono recording
with a cardioid pattern, plus three types of stereo: normal (XY),
wide (Blumlein) and focused (M/S). Solidly-built with a heavy
base and adjustable metal arm that can position the business
end of the mic wherever you need it, plus monitoring neatly
sorted via a volume knob and mute switch, the Beecaster is the
most practical desktop USB mic we’ve seen, offering quality
sound capture for a wide range of sources. Trevor Curwen
9/10
Electro-Harmonix
C9 | £142
www.ehx.com
The C9 from Electro Harmonix is the latest organ
emulation pedal from the New York effects
wizards. Following on from the B9, this version
also includes nine preset classic organ tones, but
focuses on compact organs with some vintage
keys thrown in. Farfisa, Telstar and even a
Mellotron emulation are among the presets
available. The controls are the same as the B9,
so the Dry, Wet, Mod and Click knobs are all
retained. Mod and Click control different
parameters depending on the preset chosen; for
instance, if you have the Blimp (Led Zep-style
organ) preset engaged then Mod will control the
amount of Leslie speaker dialled in and Click the
amount of upper harmonics. For other presets
the Click may control the percussive sound level,
or even depth of vibrato.
The C9 comes in the standard rugged housing
we’ve come to expect from EHX. The sounds
generated in the C9 feel like an extension of
those from its alphabetically superior brother and
not just a replacement.
Like the B9, the tracking of the C9 isn’t
entirely perfect with some lower notes not
tracked as well in some presets. This is only a
tiny grumble, as is the slight latency, and neither
are at the detriment of usability. Simon Arblaster
8/10
FM
|
MINI REVIEWS
FMU299.rev_mini.indd 102 11/5/15 10:29 AM