![]() I’ll offer an embarrassing story from my own life as proof of concept here: the RE20 was one of the first pieces of serious studio gear I ever bought, and on my first day of using it in my old practice space, the stand it was on got tipped over and it fell, face first, into a cinderblock. In addition to taking high-SPL sound sources like a champ (hello, drum kits and Marshall stacks), the RE20 is the descendent of the EV 664, which was nicknamed the “Buchanan Hammer.” How did the 664 earn that nickname, you ask? Well, it was manufactured in Buchanan, Michigan… and you could literally use it to hammer a nail into a board, then plug it in and start recording with no issues. The cherry on top of this sonic sundae is that these babies are tough. That means you can put it right in front of someone’s lips and still capture their voice with nuance and clarity. The “Variable-D” technology used in the RE20 makes it basically immune to the bass-boosting proximity effect and off-axis coloration. What really makes the RE20 stand out, however, is how reliably it offers that flat response. A good word to describe the sound of an RE20 would be “honest.” That’s low enough to handle bass cabs and kick drums with ease, while still offering a strong but not overbearing top end. Though not quite as “ruler flat” as, say, a U67, this dynamic mic captures close to the entire range of audible sound pretty evenly - all the way down to 45 Hz. The first thing about the RE20 worth mentioning is its frequency response. If you don’t, I’m about to make you want one. The bottom line is that the RE20 is a versatile, durable, high-quality studio workhorse. ![]() But its applications are not limited to talk radio blowhards - the RE20 can be used with confidence on a very broad range of sound sources. The RE20 quickly became a favorite for broadcast applications, and chances are you’ve seen images of radio or podcast hosts talking into RE20s (or Shure SM7Bs, which my colleague Ian Vargo already wrote about). I don’t know a serious recordist who wouldn’t say the same. I wouldn’t exactly say that owning an RE20 negates the need for good condenser mics (try hanging a couple of those heavy suckers above a drum kit sometime), but the RE20 is an indispensable part of my mic locker. Electro-Voice’s “Condenser Killer”Įlectrovoice introduced the RE20 in 1969, intending it to be a “condenser killer” - a dynamic mic that could offer the clarity and detail of a high-end condenser, but without the delicate build and high price tag. More importantly, unlike some other studio legends like the aforementioned Fairchild 670 - an antique that will set you back about as much as a new Tesla - the RE20 is a piece of studio gear you could probably go out and buy right now. ![]() But also, those words are probably an appropriate description of the mic. So, yes, there is a bit of an eye roll implied when I tell you now that the Electro-Voice RE20 is a true studio legend. If somebody paid me a dollar for every instance of the words “studio legend” I could find in ad copy for recording gear, I could probably raise enough money to buy a vintage Pultec EQ or Fairchild compressor.
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