Gear Review: Telefunken M82 Dynamic microphone

The Telefunken M82 is a microphone aimed most directly at people looking to get an "all-in-one" mic for tackling one of the most challenging sources in music recording.; the kick drum.

Why?

The Kick provides a number of challenges. First and foremost is the fact that it generates a lot of sound pressure; around the 106dB mark. The tone of the kick is also a contentious subject. Not only does it require the big bassy thud, it also has an attack sound in the upper mids from where the beater hits the skin, defining the two separate tones from a single mic has always been a challenge without having to apply masses of EQ or applying quite a lot of other post process effects which improve either the attack response or the bass content.

The M82 is a fairly rare breed among mic forms. It is a large diaphragm dynamic mic, which makes it similar in basic design genre to the Shure SM7B, a go to mic for hard rock vocals and also often deployed as an option for kick mic, usually in addition to another dedicated kick mic. In appearance however they couldn't look more different. Despite the appearance of the M82 (much like a large diaphragm condenser) it is infact an end address mic, as shown labelled on the side of the mic.

It also has two EQ switches on the side for switching it to "Kick EQ", which is effectively a mid cut to get rid of all the mud in the middle of the range and also a switch to kick in a high boost for additional attack.

I've also been made aware that the mic is also specified as a "broadcast mic". Suggesting that it would be great for getting that super clean radio DJ or voice over sound that we all love so much. Further to that it can also be deployed in a similar fashion to the SM7B as a hard rock vocal mic, its high SPL ability making it more than suitable for those screaming lead vocals.

How does all this work in practice, and more importantly how does it sound?

In my testing of the mic, used as the only mic for a drum recording for a heavy metal band, I found it to be absolutely superb. It gave me an instantly usable sound for monitoring on the day, and which required very little EQ in the mix process to get everything fitted around it. By far and away the easiest way of getting a great stage tone straight out of the box would be to use this mic and have it placed right inside the drum head. It gave every element that I wanted from the tone, with all the snap and power that a kick drum has when it's being played in front of you.

I sent the mic out with a rental package too, again for use on the kick drum, but as part of a more low key drum rig; with just a couple of overheads for company and a snare spot mic. The music was a more varied selection of pop, rock and jazz and I got glowing reports back from the sound team at that event, even from the drummer when he heard the recording back off the desk later on said he'd probably go out and buy one for his next session.

As a voice mic however I find it fell a little bit flat. For me it just doesn't have the cleanliness to properly be considered a broadcast mic. I'd much rather use a normal large diaphragm condenser or high end small diaphragm condenser for spoken voice work or even singing, where you might typically find yourself reaching for a dynamic mic too.

I used it on the aforementioned hard rock vocal, albeit a female voice, and found it over-emphasised the high frequencies in this particular voice. It may fare better on a male vocal timbre but I'll have to wait to get someone in the studio for that particular test to happen as I am no singer!

Overall

This is a fairly pricey mic for good reason. It's a multi tasker that can shine on the right source and for me it's the best kick drum mic I've ever heard. It doesn't mess about with being too much of one thing or another it just does a great job on kick and a passable job on anything else you care to try it on. Plus it does come with it's own mic stand mount, padded carry bag and right-angled at one end cable, so there's extra value right there!