ROAD
TEST
Electro-Voice ND Series Microphone
Collection
By Jon Matthews
F
or me, the Electro-Voice brand is
synonymous with quality, history,
value, and performance. Their mi-
crophones first came to light in the
broadcast world; watch just about
any televised music performance or interview
from the ‘60s or ‘70s and you’re likely to spot
one. EV is also responsible for a bona fide clas-
sic in the venerable RE-20, a mainstay in radio
and recording studios around the world.
My own pair of EV 635as are frequently used
on drums in the studio or as a hanging amp mic
for live sound; therefore, I jumped at the chance
to explore the company’s ND Series of mics.
First Impressions
When I flipped open the flight case, I was greet-
ed by a very handsome family of microphones.
I was immediately struck by the satisfying
weight of each of the eight models – the hefty
die-cast zinc bodies seem reassuringly well
manufactured and the grilles look like they’d
stand up to some serious bumps. The black
polyurethane paint and grey accents make for
a sleek, professional look that shouldn’t stand
out onstage while exuding class up close. Off
to a good start...
In Use
There are four vocal mics: the ND76 and ND76S
(with on-off switch), ND86, and ND96. Like all
of the models in the series, each of these was
designed with a very specific use in mind. The
ND76 and ND76S are considered “general
purpose” – large-diaphragm dynamics with a
cardioid polar pattern. Moving up to the ND86,
you get a super-cardioid pattern designed for
further rejection of off-axis sounds and feed-
back. The ND96 boasts a hyper-cardioid pat-
tern that should prove useful on exception-
ally loud stages, as well as a frequency scoop
switch that further smooths out low-mid
boxiness. Cleverly, each of these mics has a
distinctly different grille design, making them
easy to identify at a glance, which speaks to the
attention to detail here.
I tested these live on both male and fe-
male voices on a small soft-seater show and
was very pleased with the results. Each offered
the shared characteristics of a smooth, detailed
top end, plenty of mid punch, and big, round
lows that sounded weighty without straying
into boomy territory. I was particularly fond of
20 • C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N
the ND86, which seemed especially flattering
to its male vocalist.
Moving on to the instrument microphones,
the ND44 and ND46 are both aimed at louder
tasks such as drums, guitar amps, and horns,
but different enough to stand apart from each
other both in looks and application.
The ND44 is the smaller unit, featuring
a pivoting head that makes placement on
drums a breeze, especially with the included
rim-mount clip. Its flat grille and diminutive
stature also make it a natural as a hanging
mic for guitar cabs. I used this mic on a jazz
guitarist and found it delivered a full, accurate
reproduction of his amplified tone. On toms, it
offers plenty of attack and more than enough
bottom, and with the pivoting head, it’s a no-
brainer for this particular assignment, either
live or in-studio.
The big brother ND46 cuts an impressive
figure, and I believe it’s one of the gems of the
ND line. Based on the rotating head design of
the older N/D468, the ND46 ups the game by
concealing the signal wire inside the yoke and
adding an ingenious locking mechanism, al-
lowing you to set the mic head in many posi-
tions, from straight to just past 90 degrees in
either direction. The locking mechanism feels
quite robust and can be released with one
finger, which makes the mic a joy to position.
The ND46’s larger diaphragm allows it to reach
down lower than the ND44 while offering a
slightly smoother tone, and I just loved it on
studio guitar cab and snare duties, where it
sounded rich, bright, and open with excellent
off-axis rejection of hi-hats. A real winner.
For bass instruments, there’s the ND68 su-
percardioid dynamic. As one might expect, the
sound on offer is somewhat tailored to kick
drums, with some low-mid scoop and high-
mid boost, but it’s not as “pre-EQ’d” as, say, the
Audix D6. I might be more inclined to use this
microphone on a jazz- or roots-style kick as op-
posed to rock, although with some sculpting,
I’m sure it would still deliver the goods as it’s
got more than enough thump. The ND68 also
excelled on floor tom and bass cab, delivering
a detailed, full-bodied fretless bass tone that
perfectly fit the mix.
Finally, we have what I consider to be an-
other star: the ND66 small diaphragm con-
denser. Before I even heard it in action, I was
impressed by its pivoting head, with a locking
mechanism similar to the ND46. It also features
a selectable -10dB or -20dB pad and a high
pass filter (75 Hz or 150 Hz). In a shootout, I
put this mic up against a Josephson C42 and
was shocked at how well it held up. On over-
head, the two mics sounded very close, both
providing a fast, sparkly, detailed mono rep-
resentation of the drums and cymbals with
tremendous attack and fullness. On acoustic
guitar, the differences became a little more ap-
parent, with the C42’s highs sounding perhaps
a little sweeter and the ND66 representing the
midrange more honestly. I’d actually be more
than happy to use either one, and considering
the ND66 is half the price and adds the high-pass
and pad features, it is truly a steal of a deal for
the recordist or live sound engineer on a budget.
Summary
In my estimation, elegant looks, top quality fit
and finish, big league performance, and down-
to-earth pricing should make Electro-Voice’s
new ND line a massive success, and I’m happy
to recommend them for live and recording use
at any level. Now, to crack the piggybank and
pick up some of these killer tools for myself…
Jon Matthews is an acclaimed producer
and studio and live sound engineer based in
Charlottetown, PE. He is the owner/operator of
The Sound Mill and is a 2017 East Coast Music
Award nominee for Producer, Studio Engineer,
and Live Sound Engineer of the Year. For more
information, visit www.thesoundmill.ca.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesoundmill
Twitter & Instagram: @redmudmusic or
@thesoundmill.