Within a few years, sE Electronics has attracted the attention of the public thanks to the excellent quality-price ratio of its products. The agreement, a few months ago, with Rupert Neve has further increased the curiosity towards the products of this brand which has centered its production above all in the construction of microphones: the objects of this test are, in fact, the sE2200a and sE4400a models.
Silence! … And the recording began
The microphone, as everyone knows, is the first link in the audio chain and allows us to capture sound. An electro-mechanical element, it plays the very important role of transducing, or transforming the sound waves (variation in air pressure) into electrical signals which will then be subsequently processed. The importance of this element is fundamental for the correct success of the registration. If the sound capture is correct, the sound itself can be subsequently worked and processed according to our tastes and the needs of the piece, but if during the sound capture there are essential alterations of the same or, worse still, information will be lost (due to inability of the microphone to capture them), then it will be very difficult to get a good final result. I also like to remember that we are talking about microphones, i.e. electro-mechanical elements which, in the current state of technical progress, are unable to simultaneously satisfy all the laws of physics (frequency extension, dynamic response, resistance to sound pressure, directivity, etc. ): we can "be satisfied" with finding different models on the market that differ in type of operation (dynamic, condenser, ...) or in polar diagram (omnidirectional, cardioid, hypercardioid, ...), or for other factors: each of them will emphasize, to according to the context of use, some characteristic aspects of the transduction.
Polar diagram
The polar diagram, as the name implies, is a diagram that expresses the ability of the microphone to respond (sensitivity in picking up the sound) as a function of the angle of the source. The angle is measured in degrees: “0” degrees is the point exactly in front of the diaphragm, while “180” degrees indicates the opposite position, ie behind the microphone. Each concentric crown, starting from the outermost one, indicates a loss of 5 dB, while externally we find the angle of the source indicated in degrees.
The microphone in relation to its polar pattern can be divided into:
Omnidirectional (circular):
the microphone is equally sensitive in all directions of space (Figure 8: the microphone best picks up the sounds coming from both the rear and the front, but is not very sensitive to sounds coming from the lateral directions);
Cardioid:
the name comes from the heart-shaped line of the diagram. In this case, the sounds coming from behind the microphone are drastically attenuated;
Super cardioid:
it results like the cardioid diagram, but with accentuated directionality characteristics. A small posterior lobe appears which indicates a certain sensitivity to sounds coming from 180 °;
Hyper cardioid:
it's like the super cardioid but with even more marked directionality. Even the rear sensitivity, in this case, is even greater. In Figures 1 and 2 you will find the graphs of the polar diagrams and of the frequency response respectively ofSE 2200a and SE 4400a.
Models under consideration
The two microphones under test from sE Electronics are large diaphragm condenser models. The construction of sE Electronics microphones takes place in China, trying to reconcile high quality and low cost. sE (Sound Engineering) is a well-known brand in the studio microphone sector, with an expanding reputation: just think that in its short history it has already become the best-selling brand in Great Britain and with the fastest increase in diffusion in Europe. Also used by numerous professionals, sE transducers have established themselves in recent years for a good combination of quality and cost-effectiveness. It should be noted that the sE microphones are made with an artisanal production cycle: the capsules are entirely built by hand and every single microphone, before leaving the factory, is subjected to a specific test to verify its correct functioning. It should also be noted that a collaboration between Rupert Neve and sE Electronics for the creation of a new range of “Rupert Neve Signature” microphones.
The microphone has a cylindrical shape (Fig 3) with a height of about 20 cm and a diameter of 5. The sE 2200a is a Class A cardiode condenser microphone with a gold-plated “1” diaphragm (you can see it in transparency) and a 10dB pad.
Fig. 3 - SE 2200A
The sales package includes a beautiful aluminum suitcase, excellently finished and padded, and a special skockmount (more commonly known as "spider") (Fig 4). The shape of the sE 4400a (Fig.5) is very reminiscent of another historical microphone: the AKG 414. Among the main features we find the 10 and 20 dB Pad, 2 Low Cut filters and 4 polar patterns (Cardioid, Hypercardioid, Omni and Figure 8). Similarly to what is supplied with its "younger" brother, the 4400a is also sold in a beautiful aluminum case and a dedicated skockmount (Fig 6). The 4400a model is the latest addition to the sE house and its design starts as an evolution of the 2200a model, trying to improve its flexibility as much as possible. Hence, the 1 "capsules become two allowing, in this way, to be able to configure it in one of the 4 polar patterns: as indicated in the technical characteristics they are precisely Cardioid, Hypercardioid, Omni and Figure 8. On the microphone body, in addition, we find the micro switch of the high pass filter (HPF) with two cuts in 60Hz o 120Hz and the micro-switch dedicated to the attenuation pad with 10dB or 20dB reduction selector. 
Field test
Home Studio
One of the tests was conducted in my Home studio (S. Aversano), already known to my most faithful readers. As is the practice for my tests, I tried to influence the captured sound as little as possible, creating a signal path as short as possible. Therefore, the microphone signal, through Reference cables, enters directly into the Mic input of my RME Fireface 400 and, therefore, is recorded on a PC Based DAW using the Cubase software, with total absence of intermediate processing.
Professional study
For this test, the two microphones were connected, using a Mogami cable, first to the microphone preamplifier of the Fireface 800 sound card - to make some reference takes - and then to a stereo tube pre - ideal for obtaining, in the opinion of the writer, a very enveloping sound typical of the 70s -, precisely the LA 610 MK2 from Universal Audio, to finally pass to the RME Fireface 800. The recording was made with a resolution of 24 bit / 96 KHz. The monitors used were the PMC TB2S-A, for standard listening from a close position, and the Dynaudio Bm5 Compact, very useful, in my opinion, to listen to the final product in a radio version or transformed into the horrible, but widespread and comfortable, format mp3. In the "road test" both microphones, of course, were subjected to a series of tests carried out both on vocals and on various string and percussion instruments. You will be able to listen to the various audio files to realize the characteristics of both SEs. A necessary premise is that the positioning techniques used for the 2200a were the same also for the 4400a (… and for the AKG 414 compared with the previous one).
SE 2200a
For this microphone we used different types of guitars: from classical to acoustic, from classical to rock. The feeling you get when listening to the general tone of the shot is that it seems to have to do with a microphone with the prerogative of wanting to add something to the sound. This feeling was especially felt when the RME sound card was used as the preamp stage. In the recording of the classical guitar the result was not among the best, as the signal being picked up was quite distorted in the low frequencies. In particular, there was the sensation of having a sort of compressor between microphone and sound card. For the recovery of the acoustic guitar the bi-microphone technique was also used with two sE 2200a, positioned in a standard way, one to the right and the other to the left of the instrument. A stereophonic opening was immediately noticed but with some shaded areas. The guitar sound in general was very rich, with a slight difficulty in managing transients in rhythmic and arpeggios performances. Unlike the classic one, in the resumption of the acoustic guitar the ES 2200a returned that sharp and sometimes bad attack, typical of Shure SM57 style dynamic microphones. The high frequencies are mediocre, quite linear mids, even more precise than the Rode NT2, very rich and deep bass. The sound slightly lacks airiness and ambiance. The proximity effect is not well managed: I recommend, in this regard, to record at a not excessive distance from the microphone, according to an ideal position that can be found simply with use. When the microphone was recorded with the PRE section of the UAD, the sound became sweeter and more blended, always very present.
SE 4400a
The sE 4400a is one of the newest members of the sE Electronics family of microphones. According to the manufacturers, it is a microphone ideal for many applications, both in the studio and for broadcast and live solutions. Although the SE 4400a is aesthetically very reminiscent of the AKG 414 model, the product is in my opinion profoundly different from this one. In fact, I find that while the 414 is a more non-specific microphone that is better suited to the filming of different sound sources, the 4400a prefers (with excellent yield) some sources such as the recovery of acoustic basses and double basses, as well as useful for reinforcing male voices.
sE 4400a Voice Male and female
Compared to the 2200a I found the 4400a model much more interesting for voice recording. From the very first take you immediately notice a similar design to Rode or Joemeek, not for their sound paste, but for this prerogative of having a sound ready for use. I liked it a lot on the male voices, as even without using any professional PRE in combination, it still manages to reproduce the low and medium frequency section very well, returning a slightly colored sound paste, but not dirty or confused. The 4400a also responds well to female voices, but with some more problems especially on the high registers. If you connect the microphone directly to a preamp stage that is too neutral, such as an RME card, or a Millennia-style PRE, you must avoid that the singer on duty moves too much during her performance to avoid the proximity effect. Also, in the mid to high pitched register passages, the microphone sometimes seems to be unable to handle the signal consistently with a loss of airiness. As always, everything can be tried to remedy: in this case, in fact, it is providential to make the most of the proximity effect. Since the microphone in question is a large diaphragm model, you have to meticulously look for the vocal pickup point. I recommend, for voices with great energy on the high frequencies, to use a distance of about 15/20 cm. For newbies, I recommend switching the mic on both the attenuation pad and the HP filter on the microphone body; it is also a good idea to use an Antipop filter and above all to avoid bringing the recording signal to 0dB. Many employees will turn up their noses at this last statement, but personally I think it is important that, in a professional recording, keeping at about - 3 dB below 0 would allow in the mastering phase to have a good intervention threshold for sculpting - or better still balance - the sound.
Note 1: One thing that I noticed with pleasure about both microphones is that, unlike several of their "colleagues" for whom it is difficult to work on the EQ, you can work on them afterwards with peace of mind without deteriorating the signal and thus losing the sound. intelligibility of the sung. The greatest satisfaction I got when, with the 4400a, I recorded the male voice on a Universal Audio LA 610 MK2 channel. In this case, in fact, I was able to give a correct and fast color to the voices, which you can listen to in the files below, also perfectly controlling the problem of the proximity effect.
Note 2: Thanks to the simultaneous presence in the studio of the esE4400a and theAKG 414 I was naturally curious about a brief comparison between the two and in particular about the recovery of the male voice. The singer, Stefano Esposito (in the opening photo), has a voice with quite biting mids, like Kelly Jones of Stereophonics, or John Rzeznick. He was asked to sing songs that highlighted this characteristic. The same settings were made and the same distances were kept for both microphones and the result obtained by going directly into the RME's preamps was heard. The E 4400a is reproducing the sound in a more precise and coherent way, while the AKG was more pleasant: as it was more colorful, I personally liked it more. The same test was also done with a clean voice and the impression was, both for me and for the second engineer, that the AKG had a slightly higher thrust and that little bit of "sonority" that made it easier life to a sound engineer. Those who work professionally and have the ability to use machines of a certain caliber, of course, will have understood that there is always the downside, as it is true that in this test the AKG was more pleasant, but in the moment that the same test was done with channel strips with a fairly accentuated color, such as the Neve and SSL products, the 4400a microphone was easier to manage, allowing us to get the right coloration without working too hard.
sE 4400a Low
After having already closed and sent the article for the layout, it so happened that I went to visit my friend Fabrizio Piccolo while he was recording, in his studio, the bass of an American-style rock group: Hesitant Ballad. The bassist had a nice 5-string Music Man Ray and Fabrizio wanted to pick up the sound of his 4-cone Ampeg cabinet. Finding myself in a moment of pause in the session, I asked Fabrizio if we could kindly try to record the bass sound with different microphones. The available microphones were an sE 4400a, the 414 B-XL2 and a 421 Sennheiser. The 3 microphones were positioned at about 8/10 cm from the speaker so that each with its own diaphragm was perpendicular to a cone; a carpet was placed under the box to prevent unwanted frequencies from re-entering. The first 2 sE 4400a microphones and the AKG were switched to cardiode mode without needing to use their Attenuation Pad. The result was impressive: the 4400a returned the bass with truthfulness, very precise attack and a great tip of the sound. Of course, the 421 was the loser in this comparison. Below, therefore, the results obtained.
sE 4400a Snare spring
In the file that you find in the audio tests section of the site you can listen to the recording test of the snare spring, tilting the esE4400a in such a way as not to excessively pick up other drum sounds and, above all, not to pick up the sound of the skin, as it would happen. if the microphone had been positioned perpendicular to the snare drum. The result, you will agree with me, is excellent, even if in fact a little wasted to record the "spring": however we are still above the usual recording standards.
Final houghts
SE 2200a: this type of microphone was excellent when used with PRE or a characterizing channel strip to enhance its slightly pop soul, even at the expense of the refinement and linearity of the sound. Completely not recommended if you want to obtain a sound as linear as possible, but we know that each product has its own market and musical position. Among the advantages of this microphone we certainly find the price, a very strong “personality” and a ready-to-use presentation. It will certainly appeal to all users who need a sound with a strong bass boost, even at the expense of a slight loss in linearity.
Note 3: … This was also the great fortune of the Shure SM58, an inaccurate microphone, but very manageable live enough to become a standard.
if 4400a: rcompared to the 2200a, the 4400a belongs to a different category, in terms of price and quality, and this is very evident when listening. In fact, hearing the shots taken with the 4400a you can see a good transparency and fidelity in the recovery of the sound source. Compared to the 2200a the attacks are well present and the lower part appears much better controlled. Even on the mids the microphone seems to have the right emphasis that leaves a good margin of intervention to the Eqs and therefore to one's taste. Wanting to find a mole, I think it is to underline a barely marked character of the ES 4400a, which perhaps makes it a little less neutral than its direct competitors such as the AKG 414 or the Audiotecnica AT 5050. The microphone, however, appears to be quite quiet. In the recording of the voice, in addition to using an anti-pop and moving the singer a few palms away, it was essential to use - not exactly light - the filter for the proximity effect on the palatal, otherwise annoying. It is not a 360-degree microphone that can be used on all occasions, but on reproductions of male voices and especially on bass and double bass I think it is far superior to more famous microphones. Probably this specificity is also its merit: better a good microphone that works well on some categories of instruments than one that is too generic, with an average performance on everything. For both please remember that they are handcrafted and that each microphone comes with its own diagram. This, for those looking for the uniqueness of the product, certainly represents a further and sure added value.
Technical features
SE 2200a - Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz - Sensitivity: 14.1mV / Pa -37 ± 1.5dB - Polar Pattern: Cardioid - Impedance: 200 Ohms - Equivalent Noise: 17dB (A-weighted)
SE 4400a - Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz - Sensitivity: 14.1mV / Pa -37 ± 1.5dB - Polar diagram: Cardioid, Figure 8, Omni, supercardioid - Impedance: ≤ 50 Ohms - Equivalent noise: 17dB (A-weighted) Max SPL for 0.5% THD @ 1000Hz: 130dB - Power supply: Phantom power 48V ± 4V Max SPL for 0.5% THD @ 1000Hz: 125dB - Power supply: Phantom power 48V ± 4V
Pro:
SE 2200a - Price, ready-to-use sound.
SE 4400a - linearity, naturalness.
Against:
SE 2200a - excessive coloring.
SE 4400a - price, management of peaks in transients.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Manufacturer: sE Electronics
Model: SE 2200a
Website: www.seelectronics.com
Distributor: Midiware
Price: 199,00 + VAT
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Producer: sE Electronics
Model: SE 4400a
Website: www.seelectronics.com
Distributor: Midiware
Price: 519,00 + VAT
Happy registration everyone!
Antonio Campeglia e Savio AversanoWithin some years, embora Electronics has established public attention, thanks to the excellent quality / price ratio of these products. Acordo, a few months later, Rupert Neve grows ever more curious about the products of this brand, which he focused on his production, mainly in the construction of the microphones: objects of these heads are in the sE2200a made of models and sE4400a.
