sE Electronics DynaCaster

I
t’s the pricey, large-diaphragm
studio condenser mics that get
many of us drooling with lust,
but the fact is, most of us have
to make do with a less
expensive dynamic mic.
However, in many recording
scenarios, the lowly dynamic mic is
the better choice. It may not have the
broad frequency response or impart
quite the same level of clarity as a
condenser, but it’s more robust, way
better at rejecting unwanted room
noise and can brush off epic SPL
levels with impunity. Consequently,
dynamic mics like the DynaCaster are
perfect for recording voice and vocals
in untreated rooms (that’s most home
studios), screamers, guitar cabs,
drums and much, much more.
The only fl y in the ointment is that
the best dynamic mics devour clean
gain like there’s no tomorrow.
Until recently, the only solutions
were to buy a pro-level interface/
preamp or a Cloudlifter, but now the
preamp-equipped DynaCaster is a
truly nifty alternative that begs the
question: why aren’t all dynamic mics
built this way?
The DynaCaster is a dynamic
end-address cardioid broadcast-style
mic hiding a potent trick up its
sleeve. It’s a little stubbier than an
Electro-Voice RE-20 or a Shure
SM7B but its all-metal construction
and solid build gives it a reassuringly
weighty feel. Drop this thing and your
toes will come off worse.
The design is beautifully
executed. The engineers at sE have
invested a lot of time ensuring the
integrated swivel mount will attach to
virtually any mic stand or boom arm,
slightly differently, providing a fl at
setting plus two levels of boost.
Essentially, used in combination,
these controls enable you to fi ne-tune
the mic to its surroundings, your
talent or both. The inclusion of these
tone-shaping tools, the built-in
preamp and the DynaCaster’s
relatively compact size make it a
superb choice for producers on the
move, who are often tasked with
recording unknown talent in unseen
rooms using unfamiliar equipment.
Perhaps it’s our room, but the only
setting we didn’t warm to was the
high-level top boost, which sounded
too thin, too harsh and did little other
than emphasise sibilance. Still, this is
a very clever dynamic mic capable of
nailing the right sound, even in less
than perfect conditions when you’re
forced to use lower grade kit.
Calling it a broadcast mic is
selling it short. Whether you’re a
producer, vocalist, podcaster or
simply need to mic up some guitar
cabinets, the DynaCaster deserves
your attention.
making it a doddle to set up. It’s also
easy to clean the built-in, three-layer
removable pop-fi lter/windscreen.
Its custom aluminium voice
coil-equipped capsule, which is
suspended in an integrated shock
mount, is similar to the one you’ll fi nd
in sE’s well-respected V7 hand-held
mic but it’s been fettled to elevate the
DynaCaster up a notch or two.
Make no mistake, even in passive
mode the DynaCaster is a fantastic
dynamic mic that’s more than
capable of giving any high-end
competition a run for its money. Its
frequency response curve is almost
fl at, albeit slightly boosted, from
200Hz right up to 10kHz, with a
gentle low-end roll-off and more
pronounced high-end roll-off.
Sure enough, it’s an authentic mic
to record with, one that rejects
low-end rumble and doesn’t suffer
from undue top-end harshness. It’s
well suited to voice applications but
can handle pretty much anything.
The magic really happens when
you play with the three switches
around the back. Fire up phantom
power on your interface, activate the
centre switch and the DynaCaster’s
built in Dynamite preamp will deliver
an impressive +30dB of clean gain.
This amount of boost is more than
enough to get you noise-free
recordings, and we noticed that it
provided a slightly fuller sound too.
Either side of the boost switch are
two three-way tone shaping switches,
a low frequency trim and a high
frequency trim. The low end can be
left fl at, boosted to provide extra
warmth or cut to eliminate boominess
and rumble. The high-end trim works
THE PROS & CONS
+
Built-in preamp
provides a
considerable amount
of clean gain
F abulous tone
shaping tools and
very versatile
Small form factor
and built-in preamp,
great for travel
-
Less seductive if you
already own a
high-end interface
or preamp
FM VERDICT
9.6
Easy to fall in love with. The
addition of a quality preamp
is a masterstroke that makes
it a powerful solution for a
range of uses
sE Electronics DynaCaster | Reviews
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