Sony ECM-22P
A small electret condenser that studios and touring crews reached for when they needed a clean, crisp drum sound. (Modern Recording, May 1977, p.65)
Overview
Studio and touring engineers kept putting the Sony ECM-22P in their gear lists. It was an electret condenser, and by the mid-1970s it had become, in the words of one period survey, probably the most-used microphone in its category - a condenser prized for low distortion, extended high-frequency response, and the ability to track transients accurately (Modern Recording, May 1977, p.65). It stayed clean when the soundman wanted a lot of high end, and it didn't smear the attack of a snare or a hi-hat.
The recording engineers behind a 1974 television production used them on drums specifically because the mic delivered a crisp drum sound. That counted for a lot when the program was going to be heard through a small television speaker, where a dull kit would simply disappear.
The ECM-22P offered the classic condenser trade: detail and top-end air in exchange for the forgiving, colored warmth a dynamic gives you. Engineers who wanted a bright, present signal - cymbals, the top of a rotary speaker - reached for it. Engineers who wanted to tame a harsh source reached for something else.
The mic also had a place in Sony's condenser lineup of the period. The AC-148A phantom power supply, measuring 6-1/16"H x 5-1/8"W x 8-5/8" D and delivering 49 volts DC, was built specifically to power the C-500, the C-37P, and the ECM-22P, among other phantom-capable condensers. That supply could run up to twelve microphones when set up for central powering, or two in remote and broadcast work.
By the late 1970s the ECM-22P had been around long enough to circulate on the used market.
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