Groove Tubes GT-55

I've been making music for around ten years. I have a home studio consisting of an Akai MPC, Roland Fantom Workstation, Korg Keyboard, Roland Digital 8 track recorder, Boss Drum Machine, Roland Mixer board, 2 Stanton Turntables, a Fender Bass Guitar, a Martin acoustical guitar, a fender electric guitar... and so on. I record mostly to digital multitrack on the computer although sometimes I record to the Roland rack mount digital multitrack. I have a pair of AKG headphones, and some

This Groovetube is a condensor mic on a shockmount connected to a boom. I bought this a few years back (at least 3) and have had a history with Groove Tube mics.

The GT55 was the first condensor mic in the Groovetube series that I owned and I was really impressed when I first purchased it. I had great sound quality and clearly picked up planes flying overhead that I didn't hear until I played my recordings back! For the price, I was really impressed. Sound wise it compared with more expensive mics at the time. As time went on we all realized that the mic was slowly fading in performance. It was so gradual that it made it hard to recognize at first. This began to happen in the first year, which we later realized after doing some audio testing.

I bought an extended warranty but the customer service said that it was uneconimical to fix so they gave me my money back and let me keep the mic. I continued to use the mic, for non professional purposes (adding narration to home videos) until it eventually went all the way dead.

With the warranty money I put down a little more money and upgraded to the GT66 Groovetube mic. It sounded even better and once again it compared nicely to more expensive microphones. I was very happy. Then, it happened again, the mic started losing it's quality within the first year slowly as time went on. I still have the GT66 and now it has replaced my GT55 for my non professional audio recording but have moved on from Groovetube.

They sounded too great to be true when I first purchased them and obviously it was. Perhaps, this is a fluke but I am making this review 3 or 4 years after purchase and not a month when I was really excited about it.

Note: I did use the mic on a daily basis. It was in a smokefree room with no moisture in optimal settings.

I have been recording music for 20 years and own my own recording studio. I record on a Pro tools system with Apogee converters and Clock. I use a Yamaha NS-10 and Dynaudio monitors.

The Groove tubes GT55 is a large diaphram condenser mic with a unidiretional polar pattern. I have use this mic on numerous soundsources, including: vocals, acoustic guitar, drums, grand piano, cello, and as a room mic. I can't find a application where this mic is actually useful. I liked it best as a room mic, but perhaps that's because it's less of a detailed sound and more of a vibe. This mic has no exciting character. it's a very boring. chinese sounding mic. it's got a good deal of high end (too much for my taste) and did I mention NO CHARACTER? I would recommend this mic for someone who is looking for a fairly neutral sound and doesn't have a lot of cash. all said, I believe this mic to be of good quality. It's manufacture is quite impressive for a budget mic. it certainly looks and feels expensive. I feel it is a decent mic for it's price but it only costs $150.

Home recording for 7 years. Been in bands my whole life, interned at big studios, studied music production in school (still studying, actually).

This is actually a Sterling Audio ST-55, which is the same mic as the GT-55. It's stuck on a hypercardioid pattern, I'm pretty sure, but I have yet to check that out for sure.
I was stuck between the AT4040, the Rode NT1-a and this mic. My friends told me to go for the AT4040, but when I was faced with paying 100 bucks more I started to reconsider (i'm a poor college student). I have a friend at Guitar Center (no B.S., tells it like it is, good guy) who claimed that he thought it was the best mic he'd heard under $500 and would choose the ST-55 over the AT4040 any day. He said if I didn't like it after I bought it I could bring it back in (it's good to have friends). So I got it on his word.
I use it on vocals only, and, I must say, this mic is extraordinarily flattering on my voice. But that's just because the natural tone of my vocals jive with the patterns of this mic, it might not sound as good on yours. I did a test track with it just after I bought it and I was actually laughing at how good it sounded. I've sung through U87s and my voice didn't sound as good (again, just my voice. Different voices need different mics).
I'm surprised that I got my favorite vocal tone out of a $200 mic (and happy, too).
I, however, wouldn't recommend this mic to everyone. It seems like a colourful mic, which is what some people look for, and what others despise. I personally love colourful gear, I like transparency only in certain things.
Downside: Doesn't come with a shockmount.

Been recording and writing since early 80's. Amateur, Hobby.
Do all kinds of recordings, piano, acoustic guitar, vocals, hand claps for variety of music, folk, rock, funk, pop, rap, etc.
Started with a tape recorder, then 4 track in 89, 8 track in 2001, 16 digital in 2003 and now 24 digital. Use Presonus Blue Tube pre-amp for mics. Then T.C. Electronic's M-One for effects, sometimes before, sometimes after.
I use a variety of listening equiptment. I use Yamaha HS50M monitors, Sennheiser HD280 pro headphones, a Bose CD player (the triangle one), a Logitech computer 5.1, and the car stereo Pioneer with subwoofer.
I try to get a variety of listening sources.
My recording room is hard wood floor, square room and I usually record in the center for an even acoustic, but I try different things. Matters more how close you are to the mic though.

I've gone from mics I can't remember (cheapo) to Shure SM58 (not bad, but more for live sound), to SoundAddict Soundbite akin to the SM57 (same as SM's sound) to my first condenser AKG C1000S which is an amazing very cheap 1/2 inch condensor. Thought it was the bomb of cheap mics. Then to this Groove Tube.
This GT55 is very good. Things I like are the low end. The presence. The clarity. You hear everything, so you want to kill the birds scraping outside in the leaves kind of mic. An airplane sounds like it's in your room. You have to shut off your computer around this thing for the sound of the fans. Problems I've had are I don't have a shockmount, so I can get rumbles easily. I recommend a shockmount (gonna get one when I'm not lazy) The upper end clarity is very good. If I am recording and don't want my voice or guitar to have the low end, I go back to the AKG C1000S, or record with both and vary the mix of the two for a stereo effect. Or I split the signal chain it the M-One and do the same for just the GT55.
Another problem with the mic is you now have to really learn mic placement, how close you are, which direction it's facing (easy to get it backwards if you're not watching the mic). In other words, you gotta apply tested experience and knowledge of the pros with this mic.
I'd say this mic is a taste of the Pro mics for the Amateur studio. If you are a pro, you got the money for the Noy-mans. Truth is, with this mic, you are only gonna gripe if you are an acoustic instrument recorder like a violinist and want the VERY BEST if you can't my drift.
For the price, it's perfect. Factor in the cost of a shockmount. And you can't use just any shockmount. You gotta bring your mic and make sure it fits, there are a lot of different kinds and the one by Groove Tubes is way too expensive if you ask me.
I think this mic would be cheaper if offered by others. Instead it's offered exclusively through Guitar Center to rip you off a bit. Since I bought it, that has changed and they've come down, making them quite a steal.

I've playing music for about fifteen years, and recording on some level for about as long. I recently graduated with a degree in Audio Production from NEIA in Boston. I've interned at two different pro studios and use this mic at home with my digi 002. I have BX5s for monitors and as you can see I have a fairly remedial setup, yet it gets the job done for demo's and such.

The GT55 Groove Tubes cardiod condensor microphone is a decent buy. I don't have the greatest mic pre's so I didn't want to put the carriage in front of the horse buy overbuying. I got a great deal on this in the used section of Guitar Center (no box, no manual, but still had 30 days to return should there have been any issues). I use it mainly for vocals, acoustic guitar, and amps. I've yet to try it for overheads yet have heard that they work quite well. I wish the polar pattern was selectable but if that is what I wanted I should have bought the GT-57...

I've been recording music for about five years. I'm just finishing up a bachelor's degree in recording industry production and technologies. I mainly use protools HD and LE and little bit of Logic. Right now I have some Samson monitors at home, but I use Genelecs and Mackies in the studio.

The GT55 is a cardiod only FET condensor. I use it a lot for vocals which for the money it sounds amazing on. I have to say if you are looking for a good mic on a low budget this is the best one I've heard by far. It also sounds pretty good on guitar amps.

I've made and recorded music for 7 years, doing various things. Various kinds of music too. From classical recordings to Hiphop to electronic to rockbands.
I now use RME interfaces various outboard and logic and Spark in my DAW. A big part of my studio is analogue.

as you can see above, this is a FET 1.1" diagram condenser mic. It has a "resonance disk"
that makes it catch information above 16 KHz
I really love this mic for recording cymbals and hihat. The presence of a recording through this mic will cut through the mix in a really nice way. You need a good preamp though. I use a DAV bg-1, which I find excellent.
Highly recommended for a different flavour. No hyped highs like the Rode NT-1 for instance.

I've been recoding for about 5 years, but I've only really started to use mics in the last couple. I make recordings out of a project studio, no professional experience. Right now I'm using Cubase with a pair of KRK Rockit monitors.

This mic is a large diaphram FET condenser, with a cardoid pattern(picks up sounds directly in front and slightly off to the sides). It has both bass and decible roll off switches and requires external phantom power to be operated(no battery).

I have not used many condensers, but I do know this is the best condenser I have ever heard! It is great for pretty much every application. It works wonderfull as an overhead drum mic. You may have to play with the eq a little and possibly use the decible roll off cause this is one sensitive mic and drums are loud. This mic is great for micing electric guitars in combination with a dynamic mic. It gives the guitar a real valve mid-honk type sound especially if you use a tube pre-amp which I do. This mic is amazing for acoustic guitars (probably it's best use). It will make your guitar very full sounding and pick up every nuance. It's also great for picking up room ambience. Great for solo acoustic stuff. This mic is great for lead and backup vocals. The range of frequencies this mic will pick up is staggering. The bass response is incredible if you sing real close to it. I have used this mic for percusion such as bongos and it works fabulously. I have used this mic with amazing results for flutes...etc... You get the idea. If you have been using mics along time and want to upgrade I strongly recommend this mic. If you are looking to buy your first mic and want something that will work well in all situations, I strongly recommend this mic. There is nothing it can't do. By the way, I believe this mic is available exclusively through Guitar Center, so don't expect to find it anywhere but there or online.

i mostly record my own band and we don't go to studios. its cheaper and more rewarding buy what we need and produce ourselves. i use a roland vs880-ex to record everything and use assorted rack gear when needed.

this is a pretty good condenser. i've used it for vocals and overheads (since i own two of them) and plan on using it to balance out an sm57 mic'd guitar cab this weekend. what is good about this mic is that if you don't know anything about mic'ing drums you can set one or two of these as an overhead and use a good kick drum mic (i recommend audix d6 or an ev n/d 868) and you are set. it really picked up everything really well but i did have to boost it in the highs (i believe around 15k) to make the cymbals sizzle. i used one for vocals on our last demo and with a tube preamp it came out veeeery nice. real bright and airy (simbilance was actually a problem due to this though) and very articulate. i have since found that my voice lends itself better to small condenser mics (i don't go for the in-your-lap over dub sound) so these will continue as overheads, etc. i will mention that one of these mics seems only slightly brighter than the other but that could just be me (plus i bought them used). if i lost these i'd buy them again used on ebay for $150-$160. if i couldn't find them then i'd try some studio projects, rode or audio technica stuff or possibley a couple of those medium sized tube condensers (gt44's) that groove tubes make.

I?ve been playing music for over 30 years, worked on live and studio recording over 15years. Project studio owner. I use a 24 input DAW, Focusrite pre-amps, Event monitors.

A 1.1? cap, true Class A FET condenser microphone, featuring a ?10 db and bass roll off switches.

Over the last few years, I?ve only been really impressed by a few mikes and this is one of them. This is my main go to mike. I?ve used it on just about everything I?ve ever recorded. I have one set-up all the time for room recording in the studio. I have used them with a number of different pre-amp and I always like what I?ve heard out of them. The mikes strongest suits are male vocals and acoustic guitar. But I use them for everything else. I own a lot of great mikes and have my favorites for certain applications. But this is one of the best general-purpose mikes ever made. If your just starting out and are buying your first condenser this is a must check out mike.