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Saturday, August 18, 2007 11:22 AM   A few months ago a friend of mine (who has a habit of buying anything cheap just to see what it will do) purchased a pair of Cascade Fat Head II mics. Since I had no experience with ribbon mics at the time (and he was busy recording a live show) I picked them up to see what they sounded like.
The mic comes in an aluminum case that has inside a very good universal shock-mount, cleaning cloth and a very nice wooden box for the mic. The mic itself seems to be well made (and looks good to boot) - a great package especially for two hundred dollars! Like most ribbons, the Fat Head II is bidirectional (figure 8) and should not have phantom power applied to them (although the manufacturer now claims these mics are phantom-safe). Ribbon elements don't like wind blasts, so use a pop screen if you record vocals with it.
Unlike most ribbons, the Fat Head II has a max SPL of 165 db, so there's no problem with recording the guitar stack of doom here. Something else that seems to be unique to these mics compared to most ribbons nowadays is the fact that these guys use a completely symmetrical ribbon design, meaning that they sound identical from either side. Most ribbons now have a design that gives you a slightly brighter and darker front and back of the mic. The symmetrical design makes these mics a first choice for M/S or Blumlein miking.
Usage TestingSo now to the sound. I connected the mic to a Chameleon Labs 7602 mic-pre (eq bypassed) and placed it just off-center and six inches from a speaker on a Mesa Boogie cab with a Peavey Valve King head and started playing. The first thing I noticed was that it sounded like the amp, not a recording of the amp!  In the last few years I've been experimenting with multi-mic set ups (including some bass drum mics) in an attempt to recreate the sensation I get from the low-end chunk of the amp while standing in front of it. Well, mission accomplished!! It was freaky feeling that from the monitor in my control room. I called a couple of guitar player friends of mine and said "you gotta check this out!" In they came and a few minutes later everybody's grinning from ear to ear!
Now this was my first ribbon experience and I thought that if this 200.00 mic sounded like this what would a Royer or an AEA sound like? I called 2 fellow engineers who own these two mics (Hector Santiago who owns the R-121 and Jose Vila who has the AEA R-84) and did an informal shoot-out.
I connected all the mics to three 7602s (again no eq), placed the mics in pairs six inches and just off-center from adjacent speakers of the same Mesa cab (same position as the Fat Head) and recorded them in pairs to do some same-performance comparisons. We recorded several different sounds: first heavy distorted rhythm, then lead, clean and finally overdrive semi-distorted rhythm.
Here's what we found. Against the Royer, The Fat Head was big and smooth sounding with an articulate midrange and clear top that sounded really close to the amp in the room. The Royer sounded leaner with a mid boost somewhere between 1.5 and 3k - sounding more present but not quite as ballsy as the the Fat Head in the low end. This shocked EVERYONE in the room, especially Hector who owns the Royer. In fact the only application that we liked the Royer better was on the clean sounds because the mid boost on the mic brought out a nice shimmer to the sound.
Next up was the AEA and here the difference was the low end 'cause the AEA sounds HUGE, almost to the point where it was too much! The sound vs. the Fat Head had more girth in the mid low (increased distance from the speaker would have fixed this I suspect) making for a slightly congested lower-midrange - kinda "vintage" sounding (I hate the word but it describes what we all heard) but nevertheless a very cool sound.
Now here is the kicker: I've often read about how ribbons take eq really well so I started using the console eq on my Ghost to see if I could get the Fat Head to sound like the others. Lo and behold with some minor tweaks here and there they sounded so close that no one in the control room could tell them apart!
Now on this particular amp in this particular room these were the results we got. I'm not saying that the more expensive mics are not great, however, I strongly suggest that BEFORE you spend over a grand on these mics you rent them and try them all out in your environment head to head, because I really did not hear a quality difference between these mics, just a tone difference. I've since used them on drum over-heads and with some top end EQ they sound great in this application as well. I haven't got the chance of trying these mics in Blumlein but the company is now selling a stereo Fat Head II package that includes a Blumlein-stereo adaptor bar for 399.00, and judging from my experience I'm sure they'll work very well in this application.
The mic comes in two versions (the Fat Head and the Fat Head II) but according to Cascade owner Michael Chiriac, the mics are internally identical - the differences are cosmetic - so if you are on a budget get the regular Fat Head for 159.00. The company also provides an upgrade path for the mics by changing the stock transformer for a Lundhal adding 150 dollars to the price. Personally I've got zero issues with the stock tranny but I am curious as to what improvements these transformers can bring about.
ConclusionsWhen I started this little experiment I was fully expecting this mic to get its ass handed to it by the more expensive ones - but in the end it ended up as the overall favorite! I've since sent the shoot-out recording to the manufacturer and it has been placed (with my permission) on their web site. I was not commissioned to do this, but it ended up being something that all of us on a budget (which is pretty much almost everybody) should know about, so I sent it to them. Up until this point I had no affiliation whatsoever with Cascade but I firmly believe that these things are bargain number one. For the money they are stupid good and the proof is in the pudding.
Hector and Jose both ended up buying the mics for themselves. After the tests were done and I sent the CD to Cascade I found out some interesting things about this company. Yes, they are assembled in China, but Cascade owner Michael Chiriac makes sure that every mic that his costumers get is in perfect condition both cosmetically and operationally. The man is passionate about his products and will go the extra mile to make sure you are happy with your mic. Their product line has a wide range of mics to choose from (both ribbon and condenser) and I now own 2 Fat Head IIs, an X-15 stereo ribbon (basically 2 Fat Heads), a Vinjet long ribbon (review forthcoming) and a DR-2 dual ribbon mic. Don't take my word for it, try them out yourself. I bet you won't be disappointed. Check out Cascade at http://www.cascademicrophones.com. Tags:30 comment(s) so far...
I purchased the Fat Head II "Stereo Pair" package with the stereo mic bar just recently...and will be testing them out the next couple of days.
I received them a few days ago and only had a chance to look at them...and man, they are some beautiful Mic's! Very hefty in size and weight, and the stereo bar looks like it could support 10 lb. mics!
I got the ones with the black body...and they look killer!
I'll post back after I try 'em out...but I'm glad to hear the stood toe-to-toe with the Royer and AEA mics! By miroslav on
Sunday, August 19, 2007 8:36 AM
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Oh...I aksed Cascade about the tranny options...
They said the Lundhal was "cleaner" and the Cinemag was "creamier" compared to the stock one.
I got mine the sotck trannies, as I wanted more low-end color rather than a clean sound...and I can already get creaminess with preamp choices.
OK...I'm heading into my studio now to try out the Fat Head II mics! By miroslav on
Sunday, August 19, 2007 8:58 AM
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Why won't the line breaks show up...and instead I get the
...???? By miroslav on
Sunday, August 19, 2007 9:00 AM
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the line breaks were broken in the latest release of the software that operates this site and should be fixed in the next release By editor on
Sunday, August 19, 2007 12:19 PM
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Yeah I was actually VERY surprised at the build quality. It looked every bit as well built as the other mics. By Leo Alvarez on
Sunday, August 19, 2007 1:10 PM
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Thanks for this review, Leo. I learned of this mic from my brother a while back and was interested. A shootout like this is very helpful. The Fathead is definitely on my short list.
Paul By Paul G on
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:17 AM
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So I got to try it out...
I put it up against my go-to guitar cab mic, a GT Electronics AM62 tube mic.
BOY...they sure do sound different!
The most obvious difference to me was the pronounced lower mids of the Fat Head...or maybe the lack of high-end crispness. The AM62 seems to be much more broad range, but then, it IS meant for vocals and more critical, recording.
Of course...next to the Fat Head...it didn't seem quite as "interesting".
Now...I've tried a few mics for guitar cabs (SM57, e609...etc)...and they always sounded too dull, which is why I opted for the AM62, as it gave me more range on the guitar cab.
But the Fat Head has this tone...it's those low mids…and it makes the guitar really stick up front in the mix….though it also seemed to accentuate the string pluck a lot more. You can really hear the string attack pop through.
I’m not sure if the Fat Head will work for everything….I didn’t try it on clean, strummed guitar only some cranked tones…but I can see it will get a lot of action from me for electric guitar leads!
If I don’t use my trusted AM62…it will be the Fat Head from now on!
Next I’m going to try the pair of Fat Heads on some acoustic guitar and see how well they work in a Blumlein crossed figure-of-8 configuration…
By miroslav on
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:52 AM
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To Paul G , glad to be of help I'm glad you enjoyed it.
To Miroslav, Something wonderful about this mic is how well it takes eq. Don't be afraid to pile it on, it just sounds like the source only more of whatever you put on it! Right now(with some 12kshelving eq) it has become my drum over- head mic of choice replacing a pair of Earthworks SR-78 in this application. (These have since moved to hi-hat and ride where they just kill! ) Even if they sound a bit dull when you eq them it just sounds natural not EQd . Try it out with ANY halfway decent eq.
Good luck By Leo Alvarez on
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:39 PM
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To Miroslav, I'd love to hear a clip of this mic on an acoustic. I'm looking for something to make my Taylor 614CE sound just right. Thanks.
Paul By Paul G on
Thursday, August 23, 2007 6:56 AM
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Hey Paul
If you are looking for a ribbon mic for acoustic try the the Vinjet. It costs about the same as the FH but has a more open top end that would suit acoustic guitar well. I'm doing some gtr recordings with it this weekend, I'll let you know how it went.
I'm also going to make another set of recordings for Cascade before I go to AES (no shoot-out just testing of different models with info on the mics, signal path and mic position) and I'll see if I can make them available to you .
Regards By Leo Alvarez on
Friday, August 24, 2007 1:46 PM
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Thanks very much for that, Leo. I really appreciate it. I'll check out the Vinjet.
Paul By Paul G on
Saturday, August 25, 2007 7:54 PM
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May have spoken too soon! I tried recording a great sounding Taylor acoustic and the tone was too bassy with the Vinjet. Backing up the mic chopped the proximity effect but introduced way more room than was required on this particular track! Another problem was the amount of gain required ended up being a bit noisy. I'm going to try to use it on another guitar that sounds leaner ( a Carvin ) and will update you,
Later By Leo Avarez on
Wednesday, August 29, 2007 11:35 PM
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Thanks Leo. The 614 has a maple body so it has a brighter sound anyway. I'm looking to get that nice stringy sound you hear on many country songs.
Paul By Paul G on
Thursday, August 30, 2007 7:20 AM
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Thanks Leo. The 614 has a maple body so it has a brighter sound anyway. I'm looking to get that nice stringy sound you hear on many country songs.
Paul By Paul G on
Thursday, August 30, 2007 7:21 AM
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For that tone you need a condenser, on that same song I put up an old TLM 103 (for some reason it sounds very different from the new ones ) and the tone was perfect.
Oh well.
Leo By Leo Avarez on
Thursday, August 30, 2007 8:07 AM
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Condensers are good if you like a condensed sound for some reason. Ribbons give you a more ribbed sound. And dynamic mics give you a more dynamic sound. I like a dynamic sound, it's usually what sounds better I guess. Ribbed sound could be weird I dunno.. By MArius on
Thursday, August 30, 2007 8:32 AM
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..........? By Leo on
Thursday, August 30, 2007 8:39 AM
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And when the Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the sinners upon this earth, I shall be raised to the heavens above. By MArius on
Thursday, August 30, 2007 11:59 AM
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AMEN!!! By Leo on
Thursday, August 30, 2007 1:26 PM
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I bought a stereo pair about a month ago to record my heavy distorted guitar sounds. I'll say it simple. They're the best thing I've discovered yet, as well as the cheapest. Almost everything I've purchased for my home studio has been very expensive only to add a few degrees of better quality to my sounds. With the Fat Heads, everything just jumped to betterness! Also, BTW- F*ck SM57's! Get over it people, they suck, sorry. By gilbert26 on
Monday, September 17, 2007 3:40 PM
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Try combining it WITH the 57 . Between the 2 you can get some really cool sounds without any EQ By Leo on
Monday, September 17, 2007 5:52 PM
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I just bought a pair and in blumlein OH it's very nice!!!
and in front of a marshall bass serie 4x12 and a jcm800 it'd just perfect....
at that price i'm thinking to have another pair...OH + 2x gtrs....!!!
excellent!
By Patrick on
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 3:36 PM
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so what would you guys recomend for recording a 7 string guitar through a heavily distorted peavy 5150 By garrett Nelson on
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:09 AM
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Try the Fat Head about 6 to 8 inches away and dead center on the speaker mixed with a 57 right on the grill but pointing at the cone of the speaker NOT the center. The blend of the 2 mics will depend on the source, but those mics should give you a pretty broad range of sounds to play with.
P.S
You might have to play around with placement a bit to make sure the mics are in phase. Hope this helps By Leo on
Thursday, October 18, 2007 9:27 AM
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thanks ill give it a try By garrett nelson on
Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:51 PM
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What about other instruments? What about vocals, piano, orchestra or whatever? Has anyone used these on something other than guitar? By Kwik-E-Mart on
Saturday, November 10, 2007 12:49 PM
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I've had excellent results with them on drum over heads and recently tried them on acoustic guitar that sounded really great when you want a nice mellow sound. By leo on
Saturday, November 10, 2007 4:56 PM
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Anyone try these on horns yet? Specifically trumpet? By Les on
Thursday, January 31, 2008 1:00 PM
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Whoever said if you want a condensed sound, use a condenser. Where did you come from? and who taught you the art of microphones? because I would like to murder that person. By Not a pro but... on
Monday, February 04, 2008 2:19 PM
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Of course if you want an electric sound you use an electret mic, and if you want that "smoky" sound, reach for a carbon mic.
Powerful zooming music can be recorded with a PZM.
Radio Shack is the go-to source for all these exotic specialties. By Ole Pro on
Saturday, May 10, 2008 1:06 AM
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