LD Systems D1102 Condenser Microphone

Great sounding insreument condenser mic. Designed for acoustic guitars and all stringed instruments, pianos, snare drum, hi-hats, drum overheads and percussion, at an absolute bargain price, with Two year Warranty

At The Noizeworks, we like nothing better than to check out new products in real world gigging situations, and we were able to put the D1102 through it's paces at a local gig. You can read about our findings below.

Description and Features:

The LD Systems D1102 is an instrument condenser microphone disigned primarily for live performance but also suitable for studio applications.

- Hi quality condenser capsule delivers extended frequency response up to 20khz. Great for capturing the nuances and harmonic overtones of more complex sounding instruments.
- Compact dimensions and discreet looks makes it ideal for stage use.
- Switchable, integral low cut filter make it ideal for high frequency type sources such as cymbals and hi-hats.
- Switchable level attenuation make it suitable for all types of mixing console gain setups.
- High sensitivity -39db, make it ideal for capturing quieter instruments such as acoustic guitars.
-Supplied complete with mic clip and windshield for outdoor applications.

Specifications:

Capsule Type: Condneser.
Pickup Pattern: Cardioid.
Frequency Response: 20hz - 20000hz.
Sensitivity: (dbv/pa): -39db (+/- 3db)
Rated Impedance: <200 ohms
Max SPL: 134db
Power requirements: 48V phantom power.
Supplied Accessories: Foam windshield, clip
Dimensions: 46mm x 175mm
Weight: 240g.

Applications:

Suitable for all most live instrument applications including acoustic guitars, violins and other stringed instruments. Pianos, hi-hats, drum overheads, snare drums, percussion, electric guitar amos and cabinets, and brass and woodwind instruments. We wouldn't recommend it for use on bass/kick drums, and it shape probably doesn't really make it a live vocal mic.

When the D1102 arrived we couldn't wait to check it out in a real gigging situation. We supply the house PA for a local rock venue, so we took one along to see how it performed. We also took along some very expensive condenser mics from our hire stock for comparison. Built by a famous Japanese manufacturer and costing about 5 times the price. So the results would be very interesting.
During sound checks we tested the D1102 as a hi-hat mic. With the low cut filter in the sound was crisp and clean with no distortion or bass 'rumble' undertone. It was actually slightly more sensitive than our reference mics, so we found it actually worked slightly better postitioned a little higher and further away from the hi-hats. During the actual gig it was employed as one of an overhead pair, one of our 'reference' mics on the other. Once again, with the low cut filter in it reproduced the top end of the drum kit with minimal spill from the rest of the stage and was at least a match for our reference condensers.