M-AUDIO NOVA & SOLARIS
Sep 1, 2004 12:00 PM, BY DOUG EISENGREIN
M-Audio's Nova and Solaris are large-diaphragm multipurpose studio condenser microphones that, like much of the M-Audio product line, are geared toward the project-studio crowd. Both mics feature a 1.1-inch evaporated-gold diaphragm housed inside an all-brass capsule, as well as boast Class A FET electronics. The Nova purports a frequency response of 20 Hz to 18 kHz whereas the Solaris adds the extra 18 to 20 kHz. Both mics bear a sensitivity rating of 16 mV/Pa (-36 dBV) and a max SPL rating of 128 dB; 48V phantom power is required.
GET WITH THIS OR GET WITH THAT
Taking the Nova and the Solaris out of their respective boxes, I found both mics to be attractive and seemingly well-built. The Nova, the more basic and inexpensive of the two, sports smooth silver nickel plating and a shape typical of other large-diaphragm condensers. It comes with a soft carrying case and a custom bottom-screwing mount, as well as a short XLR cable. The mount appears to be well-constructed; it screws on and off the mic and the boom easily. The more feature-laden Solaris wears anything but a typical shape. It looks like a big metallic lollipop and sports silver plating. It includes a lightweight, foam-insulated, locking aluminum road case and an SM-4, M-Audio's spider shockmount. Unlike shocks that come with some other more expensive studio mics, the SM-4 is solid and quite nice for a microphone in this price range. Its all-metal construction holds the mic in place with a bottom-mounting screw instead of just suspending it with rubber bands. Furthermore, the suspension bands won't dry and crack like rubber, as they're made of miniature bungee-cord-like material.
Both mics are weighty (23 ounces, to be exact), which is often a good sign. The wire-mesh grilles of both mics are constructed of solid brass. Both models include a wider outer mesh grille and a finer inner one, with the Solaris sporting the finer of the two. The Nova is a fixed-cardioid model without the bells and whistles; however, a quick inspection of the Solaris reveals that it has the goods: a -10dB attenuation pad; a low-frequency rolloff switch rated at 6 dB per octave at 125 Hz; and a three-position polar switch that sets the Solaris to either cardioid, figure-8 or omni patterns. The overall craftsmanship features finer touches, as well — the Solaris' graphics are etched into the body as opposed to the Nova's silk-screened style.
The operation manuals are brief; in fact, the Solaris' specifications are provided, but no specific instructions are present for any of its switches. Neither of the two manuals provides a frequency-response graph, which would be a nice addition for discerning users. The manuals do point to the Solaris' strong area as capturing vocals, acoustic guitar and bass. The Nova is touted as a quality entry-level, all-purpose recording mic, and the manual specifically mentions vocals, acoustic instruments, guitar amps and room recordings as potential candidates. Because vocals are mentioned in both manuals (and because my next recording project, which included female-spoken poetry and a bit of male and female singing, was just getting underway), it seemed natural to begin by testing the mics with vocals and then move on to acoustic guitar, percussion and a few other applications.
HOT OR NOT
I fired up my Mindprint Envoices, a pair of nice tube channel strips, and plugged in the mics. I set everything to flat, and while running initial tests with just my own and the female vocalist's voices speaking through the mics, I could hear immediate differences in the sounds of the two. The Solaris was fuller, especially in the bottom end, and noticeably warmer-sounding. The frequency response of the Solaris eclipses the Nova's by only the top 2 kHz (18 to 20 kHz), yet the Nova provided an interesting counterpoint: It immediately seemed brighter in the higher octaves — a bit boosted, perhaps. Both I and a fellow engineer had identical first impressions: The Nova was sweeter due to the strong presence in the highs and high mids. But upon listening back to some of our first recordings, we both decided that we preferred the Solaris for its fullness and seemingly more unbiased sound. Perhaps the Nova is a bit excited in the higher octaves, but with no response chart, a user cannot tell. As we listened to and recorded more takes, the differences in the mics became clearer. Aside from the added controls, the Solaris captured a more even, natural tone, though the Nova was by no means a slouch. It also captured some good takes with nice lows, punchy midrange and very noticeable highs. Both mics seemed equally sensitive, easily capturing light finger snaps from 10 to 12 feet away.
I recorded several vocal takes straight to disk (without a pop screen to mask anything) through the Mindprint and then through a Vintech X73i, a gorgeous channel strip with extremely transparent circuits. The Nova and the Solaris sounded nice with both preamps, but the solid-state X73i made both mics shine. The vocals were upfront and clear, with all lip smacks and breathing noises intact, yet both mics produced minimal sibilance and only infrequent low-end popping on the loudest notes. On male vocals, the Nova and the Solaris were both pleasantly natural-sounding, and although I would not describe the Nova as brittle, the Solaris was definitely a bit warmer and clearly more full-bodied while appearing less boosted in the mids and highs. Again, it seems likely that the Nova has a slight bump in the upper mids.
A BRIGHT STAR
Next, I recorded my assistant engineer playing solo guitar with a nylon Ovation, which provided an interesting mixture of soft warmth from the strings with brightness from the synthetic rounded back and sides of the body. Using the Solaris, we did takes with the polar pattern set to cardioid and with the bass rolloff switched on and then off. Plenty of bass was audible on both settings, but you could certainly hear the difference. We agreed that with the rolloff disengaged, the Solaris produced a more natural overall tone, but we recorded everything flat on the preamp. A little EQ sculpting or perhaps a 60 or 80Hz highpass filter might be useful for recordings done in this setting, as the rolloff is set at 6 dB per octave at 125 Hz. Next, I recorded the guitar with the Nova, first at about 15 inches from the sound hole, followed by another take done closer, at about six to eight inches. At 15 inches, the sound of the room was quite present by comparison, and, of course, the closer miking produced much fuller bass due to proximity effect. We both agreed that we liked the fullness and detail of the closer recording, and although we definitely had more lows and low-mid rumble to deal with, it was still a pleasing and detailed recording.
For the next test, we switched back to the Solaris and popped it into figure-8 mode. The polar patterns of the Solaris are well-engineered. In figure-8 mode, both sides of the mic are equally live. I walked at an even circumference around the mic and performed a check, revealing that the rejection on the sides is quite good. Speaking at a normal volume and circling about a foot to a foot-and-a-half around, the levels on my preamp reported no signal at 90 and -90 degrees, unless I moved in very close. Switching it into omni mode produced similarly positive results: The Solaris was live all around, with what appeared to be a nice, even frequency response. I switched back to figure-8 with the bass rolloff disengaged, and we recorded a duet with my assistant on the Ovation and me on pandeiro. The pandeiro is like a hand-held drum set; it is a good percussion test for any mic, as it is simple yet capable of a wide range of sounds.
We both played farther away from the mic, each approximately two or two-and-a-half feet away. Even with the extra distance, the guitar punched through nicely, sounding more in the room, for sure, yet still warm and present. The fine details of the pandeiro, such as the slightest sound of finger rolls and every single cymbal jingle, came through, but the sound seemed overly bright, flat and a bit harsh. I wanted to give the mic the benefit of the doubt, as my pandeiro is rather bright, so after the duet, we recorded a few solo pandeiro takes, this time a little bit closer and in cardioid mode through the front of the Solaris.
Although these recordings sounded better, we performed a few more takes with the Nova, and to my surprised ears, the Nova sounded better by comparison. The recording was way more upfront; it caught all of the subtleties and didn't sound as brittle. For this instrument, perhaps the midrange boost I perceived earlier is indeed there and worked well. The recordings with the Solaris still translated more of the low end, but the brilliance of the pandeiro was brought to life with the Nova. We followed that recording by playing a small midpitched djembe drum through both mics, with similar results: The attack and snappiness translated especially well with the Nova while feeling slightly distant with the Solaris.
To test the brilliance and detail orientation of the mics, we next recorded metal wind chimes of two different sizes, one consisting of four extremely high-pitched notes and the other with notes that are more resonant and low-pitched with long decay times. Both the Solaris and the Nova performed really well on this test. Again, however, the Nova sounded better to my ears than the Solaris with both sets of chimes. With the Nova, the higher pitched of the two had a crystal shimmer and a clarity that was forward and dynamic, not dull. The lower-pitched chimes had strong attacks and lots of sustain, and the Nova captured tons of harmonics. My studio partner even commented that the lower chimes sounded like they had overtones of a synthesizer, and I had to agree that there was a resonance there that was enjoyable, indeed. The Solaris also fared well with the chimes, but there was evenness to the tones that, though clear and pleasant-sounding, lacked the precise shimmer and the dynamics that the Nova surprisingly caught.
THE VERDICT IS IN
M-Audio has done everyone a service with the release of the Nova and the Solaris. Both microphones are inexpensive yet provide great quality for the price. Although I think the company rightfully touts the Solaris as being good on acoustic instruments such as guitar, bass and vocals, I think it should add percussion to the Nova's list of attributes. The Solaris is definitely a more full-bodied and better all-around mic, but my experience concluded that the Nova was stronger with higher-pitched instruments, especially those with sharp, percussive attack.
Fans of a warm, classic sound may be pleasantly surprised by the naturalness of both, especially of the Solaris. In fact, even though I love my tubes, I preferred the sound of the Vintech preamp on both mics. The extra warmth of the Envoices overcolored what was already a good tone. Also, if a versatile yet inexpensive room mic is what you're after, then the Solaris may well be the ticket. The bass rolloff and the trio of polar patterns, with their intended rejection, are great, and the Solaris is definitely sensitive-enough for the job, even with conservative preamplification. In all of my testing, I had preamp gain to burn. The only complaint I have of both is that it would be nice to supplement the operation manuals with a frequency-response graph, especially with the Solaris, as M-Audio proudly states that “all Solaris microphones exhibit no more than ±1dB variation from each.” And for beginners who might not know exactly what a bass attenuator is, a basic description of each switch would also prove useful.
With that said, however, I definitely recommend both microphones. If you are an experienced folk-style singer-songwriter with a guitar or an MC who wants to lay down some vocals, look no further than the Solaris. For novice engineers or those who desire a good supplement for capturing color in the mix, such as triangles or bells, I suggest you take the Nova for a spin. In fact, try both. I think your recordings will be flattered, and you won't burn a hole in your pocket in the process.
Product Summary
M-AUDIO
NOVA > $129.95
SOLARIS > $349.95
Pros: Attractive price. Sensitive, classic and warm-sounding. Good-looking. Solid construction. Class A electronics. Comes with bag or road case and mounting hardware.
Cons: Slim operation manual. Nova a bit excited in upper mids.
Contact: tel. (626) 633-9050; e-mail info@m-audio.com; Web www.m-audio.com
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