Warm Audio Re-creates Two Classic Microphones

Warm Audio has announced the WA-44 featuring vintage-matched ribbon and magnet together with a CineMag transformer to deliver the warm, vintage, sultry tones of the iconic RCA 44 ribbon mic. Warm Audio also introduced the WA-19, reviving a dynamic mic from the 1960s that combines the critical off-axis rejection, reduced proximity effect, and rugged metal construction of a dynamic with added clarity and richer detail similar to studio-worthy condenser tones. Additionally, Warm Audio released the Warm Lifter, a compact, inline active gain lifter for low-output ribbon and dynamic microphones.

“We’ve been working for a while to expand our mic lineup to include an iconic ribbon and dynamic microphone, so this is a very exciting launch for us. The WA-44 has long been a dream of ours to offer but it took time to source the right vintage-correct ribbon and magnet to be able to offer this classic sound at such an affordable price,” said Bryce Young, founder and President of Warm Audio. “The WA-19 revives a studio classic that may be lesser known but brings back a unique tone in the world of dynamic mics. The original was used to capture overheads, drums, and vocals for the Beatles, and we’ve been stunned at the rich top-end detail we’ve been able to capture with the WA-19 compared to the standard studio dynamic mics. And, of course,” Young continues, “we wanted to ensure that if you didn’t have a high-quality preamp, you could get powerfully clean gain when using a ribbon or low output dynamic mic, so we developed an inline lifter preamp with added pro features.”

WA-44

Delivering the tonal experience at the centre of recording and broadcast history, the WA-44 faithfully recreates the warm and vintage tones of the legendary RCA 44 ribbon mic of the 1930s. With a boutique-quality build design, the WA-44 is manufactured with exacting quality standards to match the most prized original vintage mics. The WA-44 pairs a full-length, 99.1% aluminium, custom-crafted Japanese ribbon with a heavy, true-to-size Neodymium magnet powered by a USA-made CineMag transformer to accurately deliver that classic ribbon tone with added durability. True to the original, the WA-44 captures powerful bass with a pronounced proximity effect, lush mids, and a tamed top end, reducing excessive high-end harshness.

Like its inspiration, the WA-44 excels on loud audio sources and removes side-address noise with the tight figure-8 polar pattern. A great choice for vocal recordings that benefit from a reduction in high-end frequencies, the WA-44 is also ideal for capturing haunting horn sections, resonant acoustic instruments, sultry strings, flat drum sounds, deep piano tones, and much more. Weighing in at over six pounds and including a Star-Quad shielded Gotham XLR cable connector and embroidered case, all of these components come together to revive a classic mic with a premium, vintage build.

WA-19

The WA-19 delivers a unique combination of dynamic mic functionality and condenser-like clarity, reviving one of the most favoured studio and live dynamics of the 1960s. Featuring a custom, hand-assembled dynamic cardioid humbucking capsule in a rugged metal design, the WA-19 blends the critical noise rejection and reduced proximity effect of a dynamic but with more clarity and richer top-end detail than most studio dynamics. The WA-19 includes a variable acoustic high-pass filter ring that cuts up to 10dB at 50 Hz, ideal for tightening up the tone and adding upper-midrange emphasis without any electronic phase shift often incurred from preamp high-pass filters.

The thin pencil-style body design of the WA-19 allows for easy mic placement in crowded studio or live performance situations where mics are on top of each other — like recording acoustic guitar and vocals simultaneously, tracking a whole band, or miking a full drum kit. The dynamic humbucking coil helps the mic deliver elite off-axis rejection, especially in the bass/lower midrange with minimal noise, making it easy to grab tight snare bottom tones without aggressive kick drum bleed.  Additionally, ventilated slots on the side of the WA-19 body reduce proximity effect, eliminating boomy bass associated with placing the mic closer to louder sources.

Warm Lifter

The Warm Lifter is an inline active microphone preamp designed for low output dynamic and ribbon mics, with added premium features for live and studio use. Offering 26dB of clean output gain, regardless of the mic that you choose, the Warm Lifter ensures optimal performance where additional gain is crucial for accurate detail and frequency response, especially when connected directly to interfaces. Most notably, the Warm Lifter has two key features including a selectable 100 Hz high-pass filter to remove unruly low-end frequencies for added clarity and detail, along with a selectable 3 kHz high-shelf boost to emphasize the upper-mids and highs for clarity and detail boosted on darker mics.

The Warm Lifter houses an ultra-low-noise JFET input with a fully balanced (ins/outs) signal path and operates on 48v phantom power. Unlike some inline preamps, signal boosters, and lifters, the circuit design of the Warm Lifter protects your recording from signal loss or phase issues by ensuring there is no “mismatching” of impedance between your mic of choice and the Warm Lifter. The incredibly durable build quality adds to the total package to deliver a critical piece of audio utility gear that you will want by your side at all times.

For more information, visit www.warmaudio.com