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The flagship of Lauten’s “Black” series fulfills their promise of two distinct mic characters in a single enclosure
First Impression
I’m sorry, but I’m a gear junkie – aren’t we all? The excitement and anticipation when hearing the UPS truck abruptly stop at the foot of my driveway. What could it be? Delivery for me? And then I remember – a Lauten mic is on the way.
Wow, this box is heavy! Can one microphone weigh this much? Securely cradled in bubble and cardboard is a product box that you would expect to see at the Apple store rather than GC. Upon opening the gloss UV on matte black box lid – after all this is the “black” series – you’re greeted by “welcome to the family” on the inside cover. I’m feeling warm already. The gorgeous matte black and chrome mic and all of its necessities are neatly tucked into their own protective compartments. With a presentation this sophisticated, I can’t wait to plug this sucker in.
What is the Lauten “Series Black” LA-320?
This is a large diaphragm (32mm/1.26″) tube microphone with trickle-down tech and construction from the Lauten Signature Series at a fraction of price. The LA-320 is built around a custom-made Lauten Audio capsule and hand-soldered tube circuit path. Warmth, character and a mild compression are created from the dual triode vacuum tube (ECC83) and Lauten hand-tuned 32mm transducer. High and low pass filters facilitate tone shaping within the mic. The low self-noise of the mic (17DB-A), high dynamic range (120DB Min), wide frequency response (20HZ – 20KHZ), and cardioid pickup pattern makes it useful for most studio recording applications.
What Was The First Tube (Valve) Condenser Microphone?
In 1928, Georg Neumann made microphone history (as he and his company, Neuman GmbH, often do) when they released the first-ever commercially available condenser microphone.
This microphone was the CMV3, better known as “The Bottle.” The CMV3 featured interchangeable capsules to achieve different polar patterns. It was designed with RE084 triode-based tube electronics.
This mic feels good in the hand – the shape, the weight, the smooth matte black barrel…
But How Does It Perform?
On Bass
When I unboxed the LA-320 I happened to be in the process of recording a bass line for my friend Douglas Blue Feather, award-winning Native American flutist. In recent years I have only recorded bass direct into the interface and thought I’d give the Lauten a try. Close miking a 10 speaker I tried several different positions and went with the edge of the cone. The low end bloomed with a depth and warmth that I’ve missed in the digital age. On mixdown, I combined the mic’d track with the direct for a sound that I was very pleased with. Both switches on the mic were in the flat position.
On Vocals
I used the LA-320 to capture myself speaking on several videos and it worked great. For this application I set the mic about two feet in front of me and plugged it directly into the camera. In this position I picked up my voice and the sound of a bass played through an amp that was at 45 degrees off-axis. Again, the roll-off switches were set flat.
…you can see the LA-320 poking up in the bottom of the frame in this video…
Next, I recorded myself singing and playing acoustic guitar. After testing several distances I settled on 6 inches from my lips to the screen at the front of the capsule. I sing softly, and at this distance with the low roll-off activated, I captured a warm, present, intimate sound with a full low end and airy highs.
Functionality
I had only one small issue with this mic, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
The switches for high and low pass were easy to operate, clearly marked and easy to see what position they were in. You can clearly hear the tonal difference in the different modes of operation. They really could call this a “quad-tone” microphone.
The build quality, aesthetic and fit and finish of the mic and the power supply were all at the high end of modern manufacturing capability. From the black matte finish, to the chrome grill housing and shape and uniformity of the grill – it was all beautiful.
The spider shock mount held the mic securely with an adequate amount of anti-shock and is designed with an open front to allow for close micing, but the thumb screw that holds the mic at your desired angle had a tendency to slip, causing the mic to go wherever gravity dictated. This was my one little issue that was solved by cranking that sucker down.
Who is it for?
Anyone who enjoys superb recording or podcast sound with added warmth and sparkle.
Vocals: Adds weight and warmth with or without the low pass. Extended air and sheen with high pass off. Turn high and low pass on for a more mid focused tone. Excellent for both singing and spoken word.
Bass guitar: Again, adds weight and warmth when miking a bass speaker with the ability to handle up to 130dB.
I would use this mic on anything – vocals, acoustic guitar, amps, drums, piano, podcasts, horns, strings…
Conclusion
In the world of large diaphragm condenser tube microphones the Lauten LA-320 (current street price $699) is at the lower end of the price spectrum, which makes it a great choice for your first – or second – tube mic. But it does not scrimp on quality of materials or construction and captures sounds in the most pleasing way.
Where to buy: 
Pros
- excellent sound
- premium build quality and components
- excellent specs
- affordable price
Cons
- that tighten down thingamajigy
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