Throughout September, Soyuz will shine a light on the wonderful world of FET microphones. We’ll cover how we handcraft our FET condensers, the benefits of using these mics in the studio and how they differ from their tube counterparts.
If you’re new to the concept of FET technology, we’ve got you covered! Brush up on your condenser microphone history here and allow us to explain the basics:
How Condenser Microphones Work
A condenser microphone features a capsule with a thin, electrically conductive diaphragm between two metal plates. As sound travels through the diaphragm, it begins to move and creates an electrical signal. This signal isn’t strong enough on it own to reach its destination of your microphone preamp. Thus, an impedance converter helps the signal on its way.
What Does FET Mean?
FET stands for field-effect transistors. This is one type of impedance converter used in a condenser microphone. The other popular option is a tube. Soyuz makes TUBE and FET versions of our 017 Series and 013 Series microphones.
How Are FET Microphones Different From Tube Microphones
While there can be exceptions to the rules, there are some basic characteristics for classifying FET and tube mics. FETs are known for accuracy, fast transient response, and less self-noise. Tube microphones deliver more warmth and character.
Compare and contrast the sounds of this vocal take recorded with an 017 FET and 017 TUBE.
Soyuz 017 FET Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
When designing the 017, we wanted to deliver the same rich character, no matter the microphone’s impedance converter. Both versions share identical capsules, form factors, and sonic signatures.
The 017 captures sound sources with stunning depth, warmth, and silky transparency, especially in the upper frequencies. These sonic characteristics allow the mic to complement the subtle nuances of vocals and strings while accurately capturing the most complex instruments.
As previously stated, there are always exceptions to the rules regarding the sounds of microphones. The 017 FET proves that FET mics can deliver the perfect amount of warmth while capturing transients quickly and offering a tight response.
Check out our Listening Library playlist to hear the 017 FET:
Soyuz 023 FET Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
The 023 Bomblet is a FET microphone packed with loads of color and character. Its forgiving top-end, smooth midrange, and thick lows will tame brighter instruments while accentuating bass-heavy sources like kick drums.
When comparing the 017 FET to the 023 Bomblet, listeners will notice a sonic difference despite the similar form factor. The 023 Bomblet employs our custom S23 capsule, a reimagined version of the famed AKG CK12 capsule and LOMO’s triple back plate variation. Engineers at Soyuz spent years studying these capsules and brought together the best of both worlds to build our own unique version.
Check out our Listening Library playlist to hear the 023 Bomblet:
Soyuz 013 FET Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
The 013 Series is our small diaphragm condenser microphone offering. It’s the perfect option for capturing instruments with extreme accuracy while getting the benefit of transformer color. Expect a smooth top end, warm midrange, and balanced low-end.
Check out our Listening Library playlist to hear the 013 Series:
Stay tuned for more FET microphone blogs as September rolls on!
