Whether you’re a podcaster or any type of audio recorder, enter the H&A AC60. This is a large diaphragm dynamic microphone with a hypercardioid pickup pattern. As a newcomer to a popular field, this mic is a studio broadcast microphone. It’s ideal for close-proximity vocal applications.
Who can deny that podcasts have come into vogue? Indeed, it took some time—consider that the format derives its name from the now-extinct iPod—but now in 2021, 28% of Americans are habitual weekly podcast listeners according to a study. If you’re one of the many beginning your foray into the field of podcast recording, or any of the many tangentially-related areas of voice recording (radio plays, instructional videos, gaming, ASMR), you’ve no doubt peered down the rabbit hole of cost-effective, large diaphragm vocal microphones. Such microphones aim to capture the voice with a pleasing amount of sonic sculpting to our vocal quality and dynamics. At the same time, they also reject undesired sounds.
Clean Recording From the Start
Particularly important with broadcast vocal microphones is intelligibility to ensure our vocals are recorded in a way that is easily understandable and translates well between different systems. That ensures a well-balanced frequency response and sharp focus, as well as the ability to handle plosives and sibilant sounds. Many new podcasters won’t have the tools, methods, or time with which to treat their sound recordings. It is then imperative to get a clean sound upfront, and not have to worry about fixing it afterwards.
The H&A AC60 features a frequency response graphed quite flat from 20Hz through 1kHz, a broad +3dB presence peak from 1kHz through 8kHz, and a very sharp boost at 16kHz. The presence peak is normal for such microphones as a way to brighten the voice. However, the 16kHz is much less conventional, existing above even sibilant vocal sounds.
Perfect for At-Home Podcasters
Additionally, it features two optional filters, a low cut and a mid-boost. Both separate switches on the microphone body, the low cut appears to roll off very low vocal energy. Meanwhile the mid boost increases response in upper harmonics of the voice as well as sibilants. All of this can further assist intelligibility.
Its hypercardioid pickup pattern means it excels at rejecting off-axis noise. This is a great pick for podcasters recording from home. After all, we’ve all been making recordings from home amid a global pandemic. Now, narrow pickup patterns like hypercardioid can minimize extraneous noise.
What Else You Need to Know
The microphone comes with a shock mount, windscreen, and zippered pouch. The windscreen performs admirably and allows me to get all the way up on the microphone while still managing to mitigate otherwise obtrusive plosive noises. Most shock mounts feature some elastic element such as rubber or nylon. This mount is entirely hard plastic, with three thumbscrews that clamp onto the microphone body. The thumbscrews have rubber feet that hold the microphone in place,. However, I’m still able to detect handling noise that would travel up the body of a microphone stand. This shouldn’t be problematic for most. But, I could imagine that when mounted to a short stand on a resonant table, it could pick up some handling noise (the low-cut switch might help with that).
The H&A AC60 is priced at , and has a sound that is tightly focused, thanks no doubt to the hypercardioid pickup pattern. The H&A AC60 is extremely tight when used in close proximity to the voice. Background noise is extremely low, if not completely unnoticeable.
The H&A AC60 gets a low-end that is further accentuated by proximity effect because of its pickup pattern, and a light lift in the upper vocal palate. Depending on context, the slightly-sculpted sound of the H&A AC60 could very well be even more desirable higher-priced alternatives.
Putting it all together, the H&A AC60 strikes me as a high-quality vocal microphone that punches well above its price point in the correct applications. It’s going to function best capturing voices at extremely close distances.
This powerhouse microphone is a go-to for podcasting. I could even see this to mic a guitar amp and maybe even try it on a kick drum. At this price point, it provides much of the same functionality and characteristics as competitors, with excellent noise rejection for home studios.
Buy the H&A AC60 at Adorama now for .
