We are so glad you loved the 320, Nathan! This was such an incredibly creative and thorough review. This is definitely one of the most underrated channels on YT. Keep up the fantastic work! P.S. We heard the request in there 😉
Because of this channel, I bought the LS-208. Although, I don't really like it for what I bought it for - spoken words, I see the potential of the LS-208 style mic from your company. The LS-208 is a really really good version 1, I think of it as the SM5 before the SM7 and eventually the SM7B. Hope you guys invest more on creating the LS-208 style mic, perhaps use even bigger or your signature 38mm capsule. It's what makes your company unique. When redesigning the LS-208, do take into account how it would look on camera also. It's has so much potential, the shock mount is great, but the mic design especially with the windscreen, it's not alot to be desired. Continue creating great stuff.
@@Slipsch I didn’t like the end-address style at first. But the sound quality blew my mind from something like that. Totally. The LA-320, on the other hand, looks and sound just like I knew it would. I love them both and they both have their special place in my locker! Thanks for chiming in!
@@TheRecordist I prefer the sound of my Clarion and my Alantis on gentle mode more for spoken words applications. But they will look out of place in a podcast of 6. Wanted to get the 6 LS-208 for my podcast but it didn't quite fit the bill. It's good but requires a little bit more finessing especially on the flat mode. So I ended up getting 6 Earthworks Ethos instead. I still kept my LS-208 but not for spoken words application, I kept it for "SM57" applications kind of stuff. I think the LS-208 style of mic is something that Lauten should invest more time, effort and money on, they got something really good going on there, but it's not perfect yet. Once they perfected it, I foresee that it will take over the podcasting industry by storm. I just hope they will put their 38mm capsule on the LS-208 body, with gentle mode settings similar to the Alantis for sound signature and make the mic look less like a penis or dildo. They should also put thin film in front of the capsule to prevent plosive like the BCM 104 or KMS 105 dual layer internal filter. And I just hate how the mic looks with the windscreen, it looks out of proportion.
Incredibly talented. Classy production, engaging storytelling, and so much personality. I meant you, and the Lauten. Thanks for the super entertaining video!!
Went through a ton of reviews to decide between an *attainably priced tube condenser or a ribbon mic for saxophone, guitar cab, and vocals. It was the moment I heard you say “I could not love a human baby more than I love this mic” that I knew my search was over. 😂 Got a killer deal directly from Lauten Audio on a B-Stock of this mic and it’s on the way. Seriously cannot wait to record with it! Thanks for fully committing to the bit with this Kick-butt review video 👌🏼
Hahaha! What a great comment to read! Thanks, Louie! I see you understood the reference! I love when people get it! And congrats on your new baby! You absolutely MUST come back and tell me what you think! Oh and be sure to give it some burn-in time. Tubes. They’re what’s for dinner! Cheers!
Hahah. Thanks, Mark! Every time I get an idea it’s always a massive ordeal to friggin’ do it! Me and my bright ideas! Ugh. But I’m always glad I took the time. Haha. Thanks for watching, man!
It's officially your fault. :) I've come to love Mondays, which I usually disliked because of the start of a busy work week. But now every Monday I look forward to your new video, I make myself a good coffee and watch your videos with great pleasure. Thank you!
Hahaha. Well thank you very much! I’d rather re-record it with more time spent on it than a single take on each track. Haha. Or even better, have someone much better perform it! Haha. Thanks so much!
It sounds FANTASTIC. Wow. Though, I still can't see myself using tubes given my concerns for reliability. I just fear that I could one day be using it for something important and then there's some issue with the tube or power supply and that completely derails the session. No matter how reliable the tubes can be, in my head it's just one more thing in my circuit that could break.
Haha. I understand. As a guitarist, I’ve been using tubes since 1988. The power tubes often go bad, or microphonic, but preamp tubes are very long lasting. What’s more, is they’re cheap and easily swappable. But I totally get you. It’s weird. Thanks for watching!
Your videos are seriously entertaining and informal at the same time! You're doing a great job and we can really see and appreciate your enthusiasm. I am trying to find a Mic for recording vocals and would be able to spend about 700-900. That's a lot of money for me, so I want to make sure I get the best I can, fitting for my voice of course. Since I am going to use it for vocals only, i don't need any features like multiple polar patterns or pad switch or something. My voice is pretty high and can be sibilant sometimes. After extensive research i narrowed it down to Lauten LA-320 V2, Lewitt Pure Tube (Essential Kit) and the Vanguard V4 Gen2. I am really leaning towards Lewitt Pure Tube or the Lauten! It would be so perfect if I could see a Review on the Pure Tube from you! From everything I have seen, i can't go wrong with any of these, but just curious to hear some opinions.
Hey thanks so much for you kind words! I’m not sure I’m the guy to recommend the best mic out of those three because I’ve never tried the Vandguard V4 and have limited experience with the Lewitt Pure Tube. I WILL say that the Lauten LA-320 is one of my favorite mics ever. I love that mic. Everything I record with it sounds amazing. I recently recorded a song with it for an upcoming video and everything I threw at it sounded phenomenal with almost no post processing (maybe a couple of dBs added at 7.2kHz and 12kHz for vocals to get that sparkle). I’m not a fan of Lewitt. Those mics are often brittle and harsh sounding, in my opinion. But that’s my own experience and preferences. Everyone is different. No one is right or wrong. As I said, I have no experience with Vanguard, so I can’t honestly recommend them or not. I can also say that Lauten Audio, as a company, is one of (if not THE) best companies I’ve ever worked with. They genuinely care about their customers and products. I’m biased that way because they’re great people. I would go for the LA-320 all day long, if it were me. But then again, I’m just some guy. Haha. With any tube mic you go with, it’s important to turn it on and let leave it for a couple of days so the tube can burn in and get all comfy. Also, it’s good practice to always hang tube mics upside down so any potential heat from the tube doesn’t rise up to bake the capsule. These days it’s not that big of a problem but it’s something I always observe since the days of old when I worked in a big studio back in the 1900s. Haha. I hope this has been at least somewhat helpful! Do come back and let me know what you think of whatever you end up going with!
@@TheRecordist Wow Thanks for the detailed answer! I'm surprised to hear that you don't like Lewitt Mics that much, since there is a lot of Hype around the 440 pure for example. But I have to say I find the FET Microphones from Lewitt a bit too bright and i think it would accentuate the sibilance in my voice. However, from everything i have seen, the Pure Tube seems to bring that brightness down a bit and most reviews and comments also seem very positive. So how was your experience with the Pure Tube was ist still too bright in comparison? And one thing i am a bit worried about with the Lauten LA320 is actually the self noise, because I tend to stack my vocals very much (up to 30 stacks). In your experience is that an issue, or is the difference so minimal, that i don't have to think about that? Also thanks for the heads up with the tube mics!
@@benolakshman863 it’s not just the brightness of the Lewitts (and they’re artificially bright), it’s that Lewitt seems to be really into marketing and less into making actually great products. The tube inside the Lewitt tube mics aren’t replaceable, as far as I know. You would need to send the mic to Lewitt. There’s no reason for this. I just am not a fan of them. The noise level of the LA-320 is 17dB-A, which is the exact same as the Neumann U67 ($8000 mic) - and that has been used for decades on all kinds of albums. I’ve never had a problem with the noise on the LA-320 and I stack dozens of vocals together all the time. At the end of the day, you should do what you feel in your heart you should do. There is no wrong answer. Only personal preference. There are plenty of Lewitt fans around and they love their mics. My mileage may vary. Haha.
I have a friend who owns this mic which he uses for his vocal recording, and I am always impressed with his sound quality. I have been researching what mic to upgrade from my Shure KSM32 which is a great mic for the price in its own right. I was strongly considering the WA-87 from Warm Audio but just not certain about the bright top end in the demos. I have settled on the LA-320. Thanks for your review here. I have subscribed and will look forward to following along with your videos.
Hey thanks! The LA-320 is a fabulous mic. It’s different than the other you mentioned. The tune changes everything. I adore this mic! I think you’ll be very happy with it. Just be sure to switch it on when you first get it, and leave it running for a day or two to burn in the new tube. Cheers!
From what I understand, the V2 is a massive upgrade. It’s more of an open sound. A new headbasket design allows for a more airy sound (not brighter). It’s also upgraded from the Chinese Sino 12ax7 tube to the Slovakian JJ Electronic ECC83. The capsule has been upgraded to be smoother - especially on sibilant frequencies. The V2 has more clarity and bigness. And as you can hear on you voiceover at the beginning of the video, it sounds rich and full. Hope this helps!
Nice video to show how the mic sounds. However, the recording technique you used for acoustic didn't capture how I would have recorded it. I would prefer a more full bodied sound to see how the mic handled the low mids on the guitar.
Hey. Sorry about that. Also. The guitar I was using is a cheap piece of shart. I’m ordering a new Martin soon, but that’s what happens when you spend all your money on mics. Haha. I generally put the mic about 6-8 inches away from the 12th fret and aim at the shoulder.
Always a fan, but I hope you don't mind some constructive criticism. I wish you would be a little more direct with your viewers on your opinions to help us out. So I'm left scratching my head about the Lauten-320; good mic, bad mic? Hard to tell.
Very cool! Did you have any recordings from when you first turned it on/before and after your 48 hour burn in and then after further use to see if you could hear the difference? Btw you should make a patreon
Hey Jimi! Yes indeed. I recorded many times through the burn-in period. But the video was getting really long. I thought about a Patreon but what would I even offer? Cheers!
Hey there. Well, a tube mic is generally not going to be the most crisp, but keeping both the switches in the flat position will give you the best starting point. You might want to boost 10kHz or 12kHz by a few dB in post. Hope this helps!
@@iamstacs yes. As long as the upper highs are left flat (without a high cut/low pass on), you should be good. You can take the lord out in post or whatever you want. I have no experience with the V1 of this mic, but they upgraded it for a reason. Most of their other mics only have one version. If you want to check out a mic that blew my socks off, the Lauten Audio FC-387 Atlantis review video is coming Monday. It’s the best mic I’ve ever used.
That thing is sssssssexy. I wonder what Lauten Audio recommends for warm-up time? I looked at their page for this mic but they don't touch on that. The price is incredibly reasonable.
It really is! The warm up time is kind of an old thing we always did. I will ask them and let you know! And yes, very reasonable price! I love this thing.
Hey there. Well, it’s more of an open sound. A new headbasket design allows for a more airy sound (not brighter). It’s also upgraded from the Chinese Sino 12ax7 tube to the Slovakian JJ Electronic ECC83. The capsule has been upgraded to be smoother - especially on sibilant frequencies. The V2 has more clarity and bigness. Hope this helps!
Lovely microphone, for sure. However, this ridiculous and outright refusal of most mic manufacturers to make an integrated pop-filter makes me not want to buy the products. Really? Lewitt is the ONLY manufacturer that will do it? It's insanity, I tell you. Insanity!
Hahaha. I get what you’re saying, however, I’d much prefer to use my own pop filters, as the ones that come with certain mics aren’t the greatest. Investing in a superior pop filter is key to great vocal/VO recording. I use Stedman ProScreens because not only are they fabulous, but the company is wonderful and they’re hand made in the USA. In the case of Lauten Audio, the price of the LA-320 is already incredibly low for a high-end vacuum tube microphone. Mics like these are usually in the thousands - and they take great care in crafting them. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather a superior mic that doesn’t come with a pop screen over a subpar mic that does. But everyone has different wants, needs, and preferences. It’s all very subjective. If a mic that comes with a pop screen takes priority for you, then absolutely, go with a company that does that like Lewitt. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters! It’s YOUR money after all! Thanks so much for the comment!
@@TheRecordist thank you for the thoughtful reply. I knew you would. My point is just that it wouldn't be all that difficult to have a good quality Tube mic AND some kind of tidy, integrated pop filter system. Feels like a dumb oversight.
@@mainsailsound983 oh I totally understand. I feel you. It’s funny, though. Like most products in the world, the more high-end a thing is, the less it comes with. Haha. Like, I half expected the LA-320 to come in a ziplock bag. If you buy a Neumann TLM-103 ($1100) you have to purchase the shockmount separately - or at least buy the version that comes with it for $100 extra. Insane in the membrane!
Well, it’s a preamp tube and not a power tube. It’ll last years and years of use. But even if it did eventually die, you can pick up replacement tubes for peanuts. $30 and you’ve got a new mic again. In fact, people like swapping the tubes out for different sounds all the time. Very easy to do as well. Here is a quick search on Amazon (of all places) for replacement tubes: amzn.to/3XFur0P Power tubes, on the other hand, are much more expensive and go bad much faster. Cheers!
After hours of research, this was my choice to replace my old EV RE20. $600 with a free pop filter. I bet some deals will pop on dec 26th, keep your eyes open and grab this beast.
