My time with the Universal Audio SC-1

Listen, I'm not a paid columnist or a serial reviewer, but from time to time, if I think it's valuable to someone else, I'll share my thoughts and experiences with pieces of gear or software. Today, after using it every day for a couple of months, I'd like to share my thoughts about the Universal Audio SC-1.  Full name apparently is THE UNIVERSAL AUDIO STANDARD CONDENSER MICROPHONE WITH HEMISPHERE MODELING... I'll go with just the SC-1 thank you.

Why should you listen to me? Well, if you are hip to the rest of my blog, you'll know that I record a lot of words daily, like on average 12,000 for a variety of clients, but mostly one... but that's not really important now.. AND, I've also been able to use, live with, and love/hate a variety of mics during my career and I'm keenly interested in how technology is advancing to improve the ease and quality of our finished product for decreasing investment all the time. Anyway, professionally, as a daily driver, I've used my lovable Aston Origin, a Shure SM7B, a Rode NTG5, my big Advanced Audio U67 clone from the 80's (tube mic), and for in-studio work, the pedestrian Rode NT1 and Audio Technica 2020. It's a pretty diverse range for someone like me who doesn't have a huge mic closet and isn't in the habit of collecting them. Anyway, what is the SC-1 and what makes it different? Is it any good? Is it worth 500 USD? Why is it a "modeling" mic and what does that mean? Why use it for VO (or why not)? In the following, I'll try to answer all this with a minimum of fluff or obscure references to new VO people.So, from the top, the SC-1 is the "entry" level LDC mic from Universal Audio that features a robust build, a snazzy light cream color, and access to the world of UA's Hemisphere Microphone Modeling technology. Without getting too geeky, the modeling part is pretty cool and it is supposed to make your mic (the SC-1) sound and act like a range of 8 of the most sought-after mics in history. They don't label them literally because of legal reasons I'm guessing, but many of the mics that this can sound like are some extremely expensive mics and it really does a great job at that.With the mic, you get a really cool rigid custom molded carrying case with a microphone mount. I know, it's not a shock mount, but whatever, the case is really cool and useful if you're like me and travel a lot. The mount is rock solid and for most VO people they don't actually NEED a shock mount if they are careful and live in a quiet place, but most of us use them regardless. (and they look really professional, and I don't have to be as careful with touching my shelf/desk or whatever). On the mic itself, there are zero switches, buttons, or controls, but just a glance through the windscreen and you'll see that whatever capsule is in there seriously looks like it means business.When you plug it in, if you don't have a UA account, you'll have to get one (it's free) and then you register your SC-1 as a new piece of hardware/mic. In the account-building process you'll also have to download UA connect and that's where that'll happen. Also in there is where, after registering your new mic, you will download the Hemisphere modeling software. The bigger brothers/sisters of the SC-1 sport two capsules, a 7-pin cable, two channels of input, and a huge array of modeling options, but the SC-1 is more modest, but I think more appropriate for my purposes in VO. Meaning that some seem to be "do-it-all" mics, are created and marketed as a viable option to collecting the world's most desirable mics in favor of ONE MIC TO RULE THEM ALL. That mic could be used for kick drum, acoustic guitar, vocals, elephant noises, figure 8 patterns, all kinds of things that you could ever think of, but we voice artists really don't need that. We need a mic that captures every nuance of our voice, sounds a tad better than "natural", and doesn't require a bunch of outboard gear to make it work. For that, the SC-1 really not only fits the bill, but I'm sold.A lot of people start out with the RODE NT1 or AT2020 and those are both about 200 USD. I did like 6 months of research on buying my first mic on a budget and ponied up the extra 50 for an Aston Origin ($250) because I'm a male with a natural baritone voice and according to the gazillion reviews I read it seemed appropriate. Took me the next 4 months of trial and error, but I wound up with a mic that studios even today ask "hey, what mic are you using, you sound great!" And then I tell them and we laugh and laugh... good times.

But after a while, we get restless and think, hmm, maybe I'd sound even better on a more expensive mic, but I don't know the difference and I don't have access to them. So we go to the forums and FB and Reddit and we have everyone tell us we need a TLM102 or a Sennheiser 416 (if your room is not treated properly) but those are both a bit over 1000 USD! Going from $200 - $1000 is like going from a Passat to a Porsche and you have the budget to go from your Mazda 3 to well, you know. Something cheaper than a Porsche, but noticeably better than the Mazda you've been driving. My point is, there is very little in the $300-$1000 price range that would appeal to VO people. Enter the SC-1.On its own, it really is a great mic. Crystal clear transparency, detailed, non-colored, rugged, small enough and light enough (actually, very light) but still a serious piece of kit. In fact, for a couple weeks I used it without the "Hemisphere" modeling software/plugin and just treated it like a normal mic (which, let's not forget, without the plugin... it is) then, and only then, I allowed myself to add the Hemisphere plugin to my chain and mess around with the models a bit. I tried them all out and funny enough wound up using a model of the Neumann U67. It's funny because my daily driver for the last 18 months has been my big tube mic that is a copy of a mix of a U67 and a C12 (built by an engineer in Philly and finished by Advanced Audio in Canada), anyway, I promised no obscure references. I apologize, I cannot be trusted. I digress. The point is, I'm keenly aware of how that mic sounds on my voice, how it reacts dynamically, how it works with my pre-amp and interface, and what my clients hear when I send them my finished file. Now, listen, I'm not an "A" list VO guy in L.A. or NYC, so, most of the studios I work for aren't as choosy, but I canvassed all of them saying hey! I changed mics, how is it? Can you hear a difference? Is it better or worse?The only comment I got back other than "no, you sound great, no difference, what are you using?" was "yeah, it sounds a bit more detailed, good though, keep it" (that was from a big studio in Poland that actually collects vintage and high-end microphones as a hobby).

Cool Chad, I get it, it sounds great...So, what's up with the Modeling? There, in the plug-in you can tell it which mic you are using (the SC-1) and then you choose one of eight classic (and very expensive) mics. 

There is a polarity selector, a proximity effect dial, a phase switch, a filter, and an output control. I'm not an audio engineer, but the phase switch I think is only if you have a pair and are using them together, you want them out of phase from each other. The filter is also mostly for live music applications in the studio where you want to filter out low frequencies like if you are micing cymbals or whatever. The first filter seems to be a low cut which is useful if you are doing VO and three houses down the street they are using a jackhammer or if you live in the city. The other two are only useful for VO if you are trying to sound like you're on the phone or using a megaphone, haha. The proximity is super cool because you can change how close "you could have been" to the mic after the recording is already done. Let me repeat that. You record your demo, script, or whatever and then after the fact you can hear what it would have sounded like if you were closer or further from the mic. WHAT??? What is this sorcery, seriously, that's an UPGRAYEDD worthy of some extra dough. And finally, the output. Very cool. You can actually make the mic output louder from this screen without messing with your gain controls on your preamp or interface, this I love as well because different interfaces react differently based on the output of the mic. Ok, I've gone on too long, so is it worth $500? Yes. If you have that in your budget, this thing punches way above its weight. And with the Hemisphere stuff, it really goes beyond. Is it good for VO? Yep, definitely, and doesn't have a lot of extra unnecessary stuff that you'll never use (unless, of course, you also own a studio that records acoustic instruments and stuff.) So, if you are thinking about upgrading from your "starter mic"... just sayin...