A fantastic re-creation of an iconic tube microphone
Their critically acclaimed vintage-inspired compressors, preamps and microphones have rocked the price/performance ratio of pro audio; so when Warm Audio set out to re-create the granddaddy of big-diaphragm tube condenser microphones, you knew it had to be good. And it is. With its discrete, transformer-balanced vacuum tube circuit and custom capsule, the WA-47 has the huge, bold sound of the beloved and revered '47 - a sound heard on countless iconic recordings.
Flash back to any top recording studio in the 1960s. You'll see the iconic '47 everywhere. It was Sinatra's favorite vocal mic and one of George Martin's go-to mics on Beatles sessions, and it now holds a high place in the pantheon of the best microphones ever made. It is this classic circuit design - which is more than half a century old - that Warm Audio has followed closely for the WA-47. But this is no mere clone, and innovations abound. Nine available polar patterns and a robust SPL handling of 140 dB translate into incredible versatility; there is literally no source that the WA-47 cannot refine with its inimitable seductive sound. Engineers who have worked with the iconic original are impressed. And you will be, too.
Nine polar patterns can go either way
The WA-47's nine polar patterns - cardioid, omni and figure-8; plus six intermediate patterns - give you amazing flexibility when exploring different recording techniques. Cardioid, with its moderate side-to-side and nearly complete rear rejection, is useful for just about any studio task. Omni is great for capturing the room atmosphere along with your source. Use a figure-8 technique to overdub a sax with natural slap, or record two singers with one microphone (just be careful of balance).
A '47 for "normal" man
What can you accomplish with the WA-47? Every studio needs at least one pair of high-quality large-diaphragm condenser microphones, and the Warm Audio WA-47 is designed after a legendary one. You can use the WA-47 on anything - with world-class results. It's simply stunning on vocals, acoustic guitars, double bass, electric guitar and bass cabs, piano, drums and percussion, strings, brass, woodwinds and any other source you care to use. In fact, you can microphone an entire symphony orchestra with nothing but three well-placed WA-47s set to omni.
Given its great price, it wouldn`t even be such a crazy idea to purchase two for recording tracks in stereo. You haven`t lived until you`ve heard a grand piano come to life when recorded with a pair of '47s. For drum room mics, use two WA-47s and break up the stereo signal with a fast compressor. Absolutely explosive!
Quality components make the Warm difference
How does Warm Audio do it? They order parts and build in bulk, which keeps costs down and provides amazing value, but they don't skimp on components. The WA-47 is built with high-quality, components, such as a JJ Slovak 5751 vacuum tube, Wima and Solen French capacitors, a TAB-Funkenwerk USA output transformer, and a custom reproduction of the capsule used in the vintage '47, designed with the same hole configuration and frequency response.
Much of the sound of any microphone is determined by its capsule. The complexity of the WA-47's k47 capsule requires a meticulous manufacturing process; such high quality is not usually found in affordable condenser microphones. For Warm Audio, first-class components and meticulous design yield a superior-sounding microphone - one that doesn't cost a fortune. Outstanding performance, premium parts and amazing value: that's the Warm Audio formula - and the WA-47 does it.
WA-47 Tube Specifications
- Warm Audio WA-47
- large diaphragm tube condenser microphone
- directional characteristic:
cardioid
omnidirectional
bidirectional / figure of eight - frequency range: 20 Hz - 20 KHz
- impedance: 200 ohms
- included:
power supply
Gotham 7 pin GAC-7 cable
power cable
shockmount
case - dimensions: 90 mm x 254 mm
- weight including power supply: 4 kg