A lot of mics coming out of China carry the
same DNA and are variations of the same theme and so when we
unpacked the new flagship condenser mic from Austrian based
company Lewitt we were really pleasantly surprised to see their
take on what a new breed of mics should look like. The Lewitt
LCT 640 is a large diaphragm five pattern condenser mic with
3 roll off settings and 3 attenuation settings all changed by
a series of silent switching buttons on the front of the mic
plus a central button that locks your setup so that nothing
can be accidentaly changed if the mic gets moved or knocked
in the studio. A nice touch. Also after the raft of silver tubes
that we have had to look at for the last two years it's really
nice to see a distinctive and handsome mic design. ( I guess
it looks a bit like an AKG414 but that's about where the similarities
stop) The shock mount is fine and sturdy and lets you get the
mic in really close, which again is a bit of a beef with some
of the big valve shockmounts that look as if they were designed
by a Russian tractor company. Lewitt's strap line of "Emphasize
the Genuine in your sound" gives you a clue as to what
this mic sounds like and having used this mic now on a lot of
sessions it's certainly one of the quietest, most transparent
mics I've ever used. Lewitt have succeeded in producing an amazingly
clean microphone (Almost ultra clean) but in a really good way
and after our recent love affairs with the big valve mics by
AA and ADK the Lewitt comes as somewhat of a shock.
Recording
A
lot of mics have made their reputation by sculpting or enhancing
certain frequencies to flatter certain ranges or instruments
but Lewitt have gone down a different route with their concept
of what a good mic should be and if there is a downside with
any mic that is this clean and flat it's that it really exposes
some singers who need the help of a valve or ribbon mic to give them some support. However
if it's stunning clarity you're after then the Lewitt delivers
in spades
Over
the past 6 months I've used it on everything in the studio from
acoustic guitars, electric guitars, vocals and drums and there's
nothing it can't handle. It's been used on piano though unfortunately
we only have one so I can't say how it is on drum O/heads (though
I have set it up in omni in the room and it's great). On delicate
or quiet sources it's great as it is so quiet you never have
any noise issues
The first time I used this mic I was totally amazed at how clean
and transparent it was particularly after using valves
and ribbons for the last 18 months. I suppose it's like an 87
or a 414 but I can tell straight away that it's quieter than an 87
and has loads more gain. If I had to describe it, it's got what
I might call a big "Cinematic" sound. It's got a real depth on
something like an acoustic guitar and a different feel to the
valve mics and when you want something in 3D detail this is
your mic and it's great to have something like this in the studio.
In some ways it reminded me of the Soundfield which is obviously
a stunning mic but I quickly realised that I couldn't use it
on mediocre singers as it was too honest and just highlighted all
the problems that they had. The Lewitt LCT 640 isn't as “real"
as that but it borders on that feel in a way that none of the
other mics we have do. We all know that some mics are sculptured
and tweaked to flatter certain things but the Lewitt just sits
there and says "OK this is actually how it is".
.
It's old school in that it's flat, transparent and doesn’t
seem to put any hype onto the sound. It doesn’t flatter
like some cheaper mics which sound great in solo but suddenly
disappear in the mix.
I don’t know what the UK price of this mic is but it's
an incredibly useful studio mic with lockable, silent switching
between 5 patterns and various roll offs and if Keith (the studio
manager) said I'll buy you another U87 or a Lewitt LCT640, I'd
choose the Lewitt every time. There's a quote for you (laughs)
Ultimately, as with all mics, it comes down to a matter of taste
and if that’s the sound you want then there's nothing
quite like it and you really should try a mic like this out.
I also think that a pair in a location recording could be really
classy with the choice of either an omni or cardiod setting
to suite the occasion.
It's so hard these days to get excited about a new mic but
I think the Lewitt is a really brave move. It is manufactured
in a factory somewhere in China but it really has an air of
quality about it that helps it stand out in a crowded market
place and and I really hope Lewitt get the success they deserve
and bring us more microphones like this.
