Studio Projects

C1, C3 and T3
Condenser Microphones

by John Gatski

In the last few years, professional, microphones manufactured from the Far East have
proliferated by the score, showing up on our shores under a number of different monikers
including Marshall, Audix and ADK.

The Studio Projects line, distributed by PMI in the U.S., now offers a number of Chinese-
made, 1-inch diaphragm mic models for different budgets. The line includes the cardioid-only
C1 ($299), three-pattern C3 ($499) and the three-pattern, tube T3 ($799).

Features
The C1, C3 and T3 all share the same 1-inch 6 micron mylar capsule and same-size body,
but the price dictates the features. First, the C1 is a basic, phantom cardioid with the full-size
element. Its only internal feature is a -10 dB pad, and 150Hz 6 db per octave hi-pass
filter. The mic does include a nice aluminum carrying case and shock-mount. The C3 offers
up the same capsule and mounting options with a three-pattern selector switch (cardioid,
figure-eight, and omni), -10 dB pad and same high-pass filter.

The under-a-grand T3 is a three pattern tube mic with nine variations of the patterns
controlled from the dedicated power supply. It comes with mount, power supply and all
dedicated cables included.

The C1 is said to be ideal as a low-buck, full-size mic for close-miking guitar rigs, broadcast
voice-over and general vocal work. The C3’s pattern versatility is said to suit the mic for
overhead placement for strings, choirs, pianos and drums, miking of acoustic instrument, as
well as voice-over and general vocals.

The multi-pattern T3 is designed to impart tube warmness for vocals, acoustics and
other close-mic duties. The mic is designed with a Chinese-made 6072 dual triode tube. The
power supply provides the pattern switching and includes the mic-to-power supply cable.

In use
I have to admit that the Chinese-made microphones are getting better, with more consistency
from model to model. In the past, I have tried similar models that did not sound the same, and
had questionable build quality and reliability.

The Studio Projects line of Chinese-made microphones seems to be very consistent. I have
listened to a number of the same models, and they have sounded similar to the sample tested
here. If you have consistent quality, the low price makes them an attractive microphone
choice.
I used all three microphones with their included, elastic-band shock-mounts. The mics were
connected to either a Mackie 1402 VLZ Pro or my trusty Night Technologies PreQ3
microphone preamp. In each case, the connection to the preamp was made via an Alpha-Core
solid silver mic cable. I recorded acoustic guitar and voice samples with each mic on an
Alesis Masterlink at 24-bit, 88 kHz sampling. Playback was made through a Pass Labs X-150,
Legacy Classic speakers and Westlake 8.75 monitors, all wired with Alpha-Core
interconnects and speaker cable. I also listened, via Grado SR-325 headphones, to monitor the
self-noise a little more closely.

First, the C1: When recording my Martin D-35, which has strong bass and crisp highs, I
found the C1 to be a surprisingly accurate-for-the-money transducer. There was no harsh
midrange or peaky low treble, but a slightly warm, shall I dare say, “Neumannesque” quality.
Also, it did not have as much of a proximity effect as I would have predicted for recording the
bassy Martin.

On voice, the C1 sounded quite nice with just a hint of bottom-end warmness and not that
much breathiness. The mic sounded a little smoother and open using the Night Pro preamp
than it did through the Mackie board, but the dedicated pre cost quite a bit more than the
Mackie.

At $299 retail, the sound to dollar ratio makes the C1 one heck of a bargain. The mount is
not the best, but it serves the purpose. I should also note that my sample did not have a pad
switch, but the newer versions do — at the same price.

I next tried the C3 — with its three-pattern capability. In cardioid mode, it sounded exactly
like the C1 when recording the acoustic. But in the omni pattern I got a beautiful spacious
sound that really captured the D-35. Sonically speaking, this one quickly became my favorite
of the three. On voice, it, again, sounded similar to the C1 without any hyped edge.

I did have a bit of a mechanical problem with this particular C3; the polar pattern switch
kept hanging up and slipping from the figure-eight back to the omni position. The switch
cutout in the body was the problem. It did not align correctly with the switch, so I eventually
unscrewed the housing and realigned it by twisting and holding the body tightly and
retightening the screw.

Last, I tried the T3. Being a tube design, it sounded different from the others. Utilizing a
6072 Chinese-made dual-triode tube, the T3 was the darkest sounding of the Studio Projects
trio. In fact, in omni or cardioid, I found it too dark for the Martin without higher placement
up on the neck or moving further from the guitar. I eventually engaged the filter on the
NightPro to roll off some of the bass tubbiness.

This mic works better as a vocal mic or on other instruments with higher treble content.
With my vocal it definitely added fullness, and I liked the smooth mids and treble. The T3 has
a more vintage flavor and requires placement that helps offset its strong bottom end.
Summary
The Studio Projects C1, C3 and T3 are quality condensers that are bargains at their street
prices. The C1 and C3 are best buys (with my ultimate winner being the C3) and the T3 is a
vintage tone-tailored, three-pattern tube mic that gives a warm, full presentation. Other than
the C3’s switch alignment problem, I had no problem with any of the mics.

As with any audio product, especially microphones, go out and audition one before you buy.

For more information, contact PMI at 877-563-633, or visit the Web-site at

John Gatski is group publisher of Pro Audio Review, Audiomedia (U.S./U.K) and Realisa
Son (France).

Review Setup
NightPro PreQ 3 stereo microphone preamp; Mackie 1402 VLZ Pro mixer; Alpha-Core
Goertz solid silver interconnects; Grado SR-325 headphones; Legacy high-current monitor
preamp; Pass Labs X-150 FET stereo amplifier, Legacy Audio Classic II, Westlake 8.75
loudspeakers.