CAD E-300

How long have you been making music?
30+ years for a living most of that time, for the love of it always.
What kind of recording experience do you have?
Worked pro studios for many years. Now use Protools at home. Recording mostly multi-vocal soft rock and singer songwriter material.
Listening on KRK ST8's and various headgear Beyer DT250 as favs, also several models of Sennheiser and AKG.

Overall Rating 9

CAD E-300 is a LDC (1.06") 3 polar pattern, I use it mostly for vocals and voice-overs, but does well on acoustic guitar as well. Placement for vocal is around 6" slightly angled to disburse sibilance and pops. Favorite polar pattern is figure 8. The response is very full, detailed and not as accentuated at the top as Cardioid which is quite strident on this model. I tend to like a more even response so that the top doesn't become a problem if I layer vocals or add any bright ambience (reverb). The mic has a very "in the room accurate" sound which is good for some but not all apps. Great transients and slightly compressed sound, most likely because of the battery assisted power to the mic's head amp, it is not an open sounding mic. I never shut the power switch off so the battery is not a problem to think about, but recommend running power to it for a couple of hours before use if it has been out of use for a period of time, if the battery isn't fully charged it well sound noticeably thinner. With a full sounding tube ('55 NOS GE grey plate) at the mic pre this mic delivers a ribbon-like quality in the low-mids, really workable for a big sound in a bare essentials format. I did pull the grill and sprayed it to match the body (Hi-Temp flat black) as I could not handle looking at the gaudiness of the OEM yellow gold, it also evened out the top end response a little as I coated the inside of the grill as well as the outside, duller surface = less brightness sonically. I would definitely recommend this as a vocal mic especially for female vocals. Built like a tank and requires a sturdy stand as it's pretty hefty. This mic has a distinct sound very clean and full and it is widely useable.

30 years

RCA records, professional bassplayer / singer
extensive hours on the artist end of recording very familiar with the process

Home studio with Zoom MRS 1608 CD digital.

KRK V8

Overall Rating 10

e300 is a multipattern omni, cardioid, figure 8 dual large diaphragm condenser which I bought primarily for vocals. I saw an ad with a few serious endorsees, one of which I know personally, so got his opinion and bought the mic. Great full rich sound with 1.1 inch diaphram and large open architechture for a warmth without too much edge on the hi end in a digital environment. Way better than a $400 mic. Goes up against my $900 vocal mic no problem. The issue I have with some of the newer mid to lower priced studio condensers is that a lot of hi end in the frequency response is mistaken for good quality. I find I can add a little EQ on the e300 if needed without my ears bleeding ! Highly recommend for rich full pro vocal.