Hmm... Sounds like I might sell my Neumann KM184s and have a nice chunk of money to spare, thats what I'm hearing... Not sure I dare take that leap though. The 184s are known for being a tad on the bright side, the Lewitts in this video didn't sound bright (in a bad way) at all. Oh choises... Damn you Lewitt :D
Many thanks for this amazing review, Warren! Happy to see you so enthused about the new mics! And good luck to everyone who'll enter the giveaway! Greetings from Vienna.
It was this video and the samples on Lewits website that helped me settle on getting the 040 Match Pair to cut some acoustic on a project I'm producing for someone at the moment, can't wait to get them next month!
@@Producelikeapro Hi Warren, do you still have those 040's? I am interested how they would perform as close mics on toms. I know that the low might not be as present as it would with other mics. But they are so small and light, I think it could be worth a try. Thanks ever so much :) Regards, Dennis
bit of a long post incoming, but it has to be said. I really wanna thank you for everything you do Warren. About a year and a half ago I started watching you and a few other producers on YT, and in a few weeks, I'm having my studio moved from my bedroom, to a company basement and it'll be an actual small commercial location. We just spoke to an acoustician today, and we're beginning the building next week! You've really inspired me to strive for excellence and to keep bettering myself and my craft. Without your work, I would not have started on this ridiculous journey and I truly owe you all of my gratitude! Thank you so much for sharing so much with us, we love you! Bless you! PS: since I'm looking to replace my cheapo behringer SDCs, I hope I get a shot at these amazing Lewitts! :)
Just bought two LCT 140s and I’m blown away. I was struggling to get the sound I wanted recording my acoustic guitars but these have changed the game. Took me ten minutes to set them up in stereo and no phase issues. Really pleased.
I just bought a 140 Air and tried on acoustic guitar today: sounds great! I did spread the word to my drummer and he's going to order a pair of 040 Match he will use as overhead. All because of this video basically, great job as always Warren!
Never saw that Acoustic Mic placement aimed towards the bottom of the body before, that sounds amazing, especially with that mic. You Lewitt vids have really sold me on them, extremely clean and detailed without losing body, impressive.
You know I love that saloon piano of yours. Those mics really bring it to life. I can hear the sounds of the Long Branch in Dodge City, complete with Festus and Doc arguing in the corner. 🤠
"Lewitt, you're messing with us" ... exactly. Sounded killer. I am actually about to start a series of acoustic Jazz recordings and I was looking at SDC microphones (I will have piano, double bass, sax and all sorts coming in...) I wasn't keen on paying the big bucks for the typical brands or vintage stuff (I don't have the tech support near to be able to have vintage stuff and not worry!) so I will definitely give these a look. Thanks for putting this together., Every video, chat, post and thing you publish always adds value for us people in the trenches and people learning. Thanks!
"I've owned 40 of these microphones" might already be all the selling point I need. :D No, seriously. Truly wonderful to see a low-noise, pretty linear, light all-rounder at that price! Love these insights, helps getting a better and better picture of what's on the market, what to look out for, what pros and cons play a role in everyday uses, and of course seeing recommendations validated time and time again helps choose. Loved them a lot, particularly on the piano!
My opinion - i bought sdc's, a pair of beeznees tube lulus. These are made with authentic parts and hand made capsule, built off the km54, u will be blown away with its quality, and i got a pair for 1400 aus. They are the warmest fattest detailed mic i have, and sound just as good as my royer 121. Have a look at this guys mics he does them himself. Nice guy too. Cheers warren love your demos!
4 года назад
they blow my mind ... they sound amazing ... where is the catch? i really want to buy it but i can believe how great they sound ... do they have something i should know ? high selfnoise ?
Lewitt mic - 149 dollars Seeing Warren like a kid on Christmas - priceless Great video, can't wait to add these to my 550 on acoustics and mandolins... maybe taped to a 57 on a snare...
I have a few students interested in recording and live streaming etc, I keep coming back to this video to forward as a reference for their benefit. Thank you as always for such great information!
These sound really good. Wish I would have known about them two weeks ago before I bought Sennheiser e614's, although I am happy with them, could have saved quite a few dollars.
I bought the 040 Match pair last summer and love them! Just did a drum session with a death metal band and the transparency is amazing; everybody is happy, even the metalheads! @Lewitt Thanks, @ProduceLikeAPro, awesome review, cheers.
Wow.. that Air setting. Even on my crappy phone speaker you can hear a beautiful difference. The pair sound wonderful on the kit and that A B config on the piano is nuts!!! Sorry Neumann.... your KM84 has been replaced!
thx for another great video Warren and for all the knowledge you share with the community on RU-vid, I am old enough to remember before you tube and this knowledge was difficult to obtain, I still have a pile of old audio productions/recording books etc
I’m finally getting around to getting more mics so I can record drums, and these 040s fit the bill perfectly for OHs - what a steal. I picked up a 140 for acoustic as well. Super thankful that these are so accessible, price-wise.
Would it be possible to do a series of tips on basic musical terminology and theory that is really helpful for the creative process in the studio environment? Maybe split them into things like; what basic theory and terminology a guitar player should know, what a drummer should know etc. Love the channel and all you do. Just a suggestion of something I feel a lot of people like myself may need help with.
Hey Warren, just a quick question: How are you panning the mics when you're doing the stereo-shots like in this video? Do you pan each microphone completely to one side, or maybe at like 60% to one side respectively for each mic? Btw lovely video as allways.
how about lct 140 air ,as a pair, on drums overheads??? i rly think it would give life to cymbals and i think additional controls make it perfect fit for overheads
for those who wonder : I have m5's, and got these recently. I'm keeping the M5's though, in case I need more than two sdc's. M5 are not all that bad and sound very neutral, which is usefull in many cases......I'll take the Lewitts first of course...
tested the 040 and 140, both were prone to catch digital noise from cell phones and radio (a slight humming noise, and yup I tested my other SDCs with the same cables and pres and everything, only the Lewitt had this issue).Well maybe not an issue for a great professional shielded studio, but in a semi pro home studio like mine this was a huge issue. So send them back. Too bad cause I REALLY liked the sound!
Now these kind of moments don’t come around very often.. These microphones sounded really really great even through the iPhone speakers (not ear buds, but speakers)!!! Wow!! Just amazing!
I just bought the 140 air. I going to try to use it as my hi hat mic. Hopefully it sounds good. I have a pair of Shure SM81s for overheads as well as everything else. I will do a comparison on acoustic guitar and put the lewitt up against the SM81 and the PG81.
@@benjaminkreibe1411 I'm going to do the comparison tomorrow or Saturday. But when I do I will comment on here so you can hear for yourself. I will do the test with a acoustic guitar first I will record a completely dry take between the mics then will do another with eq and other processing on them. I'm super excited to hear the difference.
I just recorded my Guild acoustic guitar into Cubase. I recorded the guitars for a mic shootout video. I have to say that I 100% endorse the Lewitt 140 Air. Compared to the Shure PG81 and SM81 the Lewitt has more gain out of the gate. I doubled the tracks for each Mic and the 140 air through my digital mixer into my computer completely dry sounds amazing. I can't say it sounds better then the SM81 but it is on the same level and its $200 cheaper.
I’ve bought a couple of years ago a CAD E70, which cost me $99. It’s a very cool SDC mic in a budget. For my surprise, I checked out the price today a it’s $300! I’ve been looking for other options and these Lewitt seems like a good alternative!
got a pair of lct040 recently, i have to say they pass the violin test realy well, i think i prefer them to oktava's mic. as soon as the virus thing calm down, im going to put them against neuman's km 184. i am expecting good results.
Holy cow! One thing I find difficult with inexpensive SDC as drum overheads, is they are just too damn bright... Now I wouldn't say these still dont sound bright by any means- but they aren't OVERLY bright whatsoever. But what's even more impressive is how FULL RANGE these sound. The low end in the guitar and piano you recorded is absolutely shocking! And with the drums THE WHOLE KIT sounds full. Im highly considering picking up a pair and trying them. How well do they do with noise/SPL's and all that?
Hi Warren - bought the Lewitt 140 Air & positioned it in the lower bout.. its a lovely acoustic guitar sound.. for me messing about in my home studio.. cheers & i'm enjoying the content..
Ok man, you actually sold me half the Lewitt catalogue! :D :D Seriously speaking, these ones really seem to be a very good choice for a little inexpensive upgrade!
SOLD! That matched pair is just a killer deal! I actually like small diaphragms as tom mics, but I'd have a hard time not using them as overheads. My stereo Cascade ribbon might be seeing more room duty soon! And obviously for piano with that sound I just heard.
Hi big fan of the channel so after seeing this video due to looking for a mic I bought and just got the single air mic. By the way it was just delivered in a box within a box I was convinced was empty it was so light.. can't wait to try it out... thanks
I’m interested in the Blue isolation headphone your using in this video. I’m looking for a solid pair of isolation headphone to use in the studio for recording drums. A review on these would be fantastic and helpful! Cheers and keep up the great work!!
Love it. Isn't that the truth. The Lewitts just seem to give something so utterly good every time. Maybe I'll pick something my peluso 251 at times, but then I ask myself "does it really sound any better?" Not usually.
I usually use Shure sm81"s, but on this video it seems to put them on the back burner even though they are about $330 a piece. I also shared this video with a friend and he thanked me also saying he's purchasing them tomorrow and thanked me for telling him just in time for an important recording!! I also want to purchase them. Thank you very much for everything, you're cool as hell, and so is your advice!!
@@Producelikeapro There’s just something about buying microphones from Austrian and German companies. Huge shoutout to telefunken whose TF29 I (maybe slightly controversially) prefer to Neumanns U87 on vocals after significant use of both… I can’t wait to get these lewitt mics to use piano recording!!
top work as always Warren .. when David started playing your upright was sooo willing him to break into a Chas and Dave number . (non uk viewers google them and enjoy some virtuoso musicians who were rarely off uk t.v. in the late 70's /early 80's ..R.I.P. Chas Hodges.)
Great review Warren, I'd like to also suggest the Rode M5 Matched Pair SDC Microphones are also very good & excellent value for money. Approx $138 USD Made In Australia, & come with a 10 year Warranty if you register the purchase online.
Wowza! Impressive mics, with a multitude of possible uses not only in a studio but mobile recording - for some reason I'm thinking to try a pair on a choir in a nice space. One more thing ... I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who experiences a sagging boom.
Hi Warren, i have one pair of LCT140 and they are great, question, when will you give your kick pedal a drop of oil, it's squeaking in a lot of your video's ;).Thanks for all your info!
I’m a little late watching this video but wow!!! My favorite budget small diaphragm condensers have been the Rode M5s. $200 for a matched pair and they sound phenomenal. I’ll have to pick up a pair of these though!! 👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you for this introduction to these Livett mics. However, I read that the 040 have no or little interference rejection and so could only be used in a shielded recording room. Unfortunately I have a radio station as a close neighbour, and I am looking for a sensitive mic for a quiet instrument, but that I can use in my non shielded interference prone listening room. What would you think?
@@Producelikeapro Thank you for that! Do you mean that when the equipment is well earthed there’s no problem? I was perhaps wrongly imagining that the aluminium (as opposed to steel) in the casing could make a poor shield. That would have been a real pity as the sound quality seems so good. I was thinking of adopting Se80 mics, but these are even more reasonably priced for what appears good sound quality.
Well...guess I came late to the party as I'm only just now seeing this video. I'm majorly impressed with both of the Lewitt stuff! I'll be purchasing a set of the LCT040 Match's for drum overheads for my live sound business as I like them very much. AS for the piano at the end of this video, I would like to hear a combination of the spaced pair and an x-y pair and think that would be the MONEY sound for the piano! LOVE the sound of the LCT140 on the Acoustic Guitar...and I'm thinking of using that as an alternative to my Audix SCX 1C which frankly colors the HiHat way too much. I see this microphone at this price point being a much bigger advantage and for about as much as I spent on the SCX1, I can get enough LCT140's to under-mic the cymbals which is a VERY nice way to handle a live performance situation. Since I do a couple music festivals a year with multiple bands on the same stage, I'm leaning towards anything that keeps the mics movable and aim-able. I'm thinking of a pair of LCT040's in an x-y behind the drummer and over his head, and then a hi-hat and 3 under mics for the cymbals. Ultimate bleed rejection in the cymbal mics and a good representation of the kit in the x-y set...we'll see how it all works out this summer! THANKS Warren and Lewitt for the inspiration! Now to save up my pennies in time to make this happen!
I really enjoy all the amazing knowledge that you share here. I own 1 Lewitt LCT-140-Air. I really needed an extra small diaphragm condenser mic for my Hi-Hats. I use a pair of Shure SM-81s for overheads. Buying the Lewiit mic really saved me some money because I certainly didn't want to spend another 350 dollars for another SM-81. Rock On man and keep up the great content.🤘By the way you need to lube up that kick pedal. Sounds like Bonham's Kick Pedal from Since I've Been Loving You. Lol.
Based on this demo for the 140's on the drums, I just bought them. Just beginning to record drums, have Sennheiser E602 II for the kick. Will add these and then go on to snare and tom mics as needed. Sound great. Any suggestions (beside SM57, as I know they are the go to for snares)?
I mean it's going through your gear and pultecs on your mix bus, whilst recording your drums in your room which is a great leg up to test them. They sound great though, for the price it's unfathomable but really - Your studio is adding spice right?
Amazing bargain and decent sound! Guitar sounded fantastic, drums sounded cool as well. Might want to tune the piano a bit but the recording quality was nice. What is the noise floor though? They are small diaphragm condenser mics after all. I noticed that a lot of companies that make small diaphragm condenser microphones tend to hide the specs when it comes to self noise which is a critical piece of information when it comes to recording quite sound sources.
What mics don't need a preamp? I'm running an sm57 on my scarlett 2i2 and it can't get enough gain to record properly. I thought about buying a preamp but they cost as much as a new mic so I thought I would just get a mic that doesn't need one.
Hi Warren, I think if I don't win these mics I will be seriously tempted to buy some! Wonderful, especially on your piano - wow! A question, perhaps you have this answered elsewhere, but like at 11:08 you have mentioned before your overhead distance of 46.5 inches from snare. Why do you use 46.5? Why not 46, or 47, or indeed any other measurement? I understand they are both the same for phase coherence, but why that exact number? Thanks!
Great review Warren, I could see that you were genuinely excited about those mics. I could even here the quality on my rubbish laptop speakers which is hard to believe but it is true. I would definitely use these on acoustic guitar. Just might have to get a pair of those. Great work as always. Cheers!
I am a singer and currently using SAMSON C01u USB Condenser Microphone and want to upgrade my home vocal recording setup. I am confused with the following microphones: 1. Lewitt LCT 240 PRO 2. Lewitt LCT 440 PURE Note : I don't have a treated room. Looking forward for your suggestion.
I'll look no further. I lost a pair of Rode NT5 and need a pair of small diaphragm mostly for drum room. So a pair of 040 or 140? The pad would be nice when using on drums. Also I have a pair of 414. I wonder which would be better for room or overheads?
The acoustic with the AIR sounds Perfect for pop/modern sparkly acoustic. Without the air immediately reminds me of that Chris Stapleton more folky sound. Both sound great
My wife was just chuckling about my watching yet another video of my 'RU-vid boyfriend' until you used the word 'nifty' and got her real attention lol. Now she gets it. Also, you've sold me on these mics. Along-side ribbons I have a sdc addiction and both of these models (as well as the Behringer C4s) will be in my locker very soon. When that piano began to embrace the spaced pair it went straight to my emotions... I believe that constitutes 'need' ;)
Warren, thank you so much for your continuous outflow of educational videos. When upgrading to track at higher sample rates (96, or even up to 192), what kind of upgrades to your hard drive or disk IO have you needed to make to keep up with the need to write more data in real time? Again, thanks so much and have a marvelous day!
brand0nprry I don’t think you’d need any updates, as long as you don’t have hundreds of audio tracks, any modern disk should do. No worries at all with ssd. Apart from that, there is no benefit in recording at 192, it only eats up resources.
