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Cascade M39 Review

Cascade is a fairly new microphone company that is making some buzz around the recording industry.  With their high fashion designs, their microphones are definitely an eye catcher, leaving an impression of elegance. Having such classy looking microphones, at such a low costs, leaves one to wonder if they have sacrificed sound for show. I got my hands on a pair of M39s and was excited to try them out. 

Knowing that it is a shotgun style, large diameter, condenser microphone, it was meant to capture more in the high frequency range. The M39 comes with a 10db switchable pad and a -10 db attenuating low pass filter. It has standard unidirectional cardioid pickup pattern and requires 48v phantom power. Out of the box the M39s where ready for some symbol and overhead recordings. 

Our first pass we used a stereo set of M39s in a spaced pair capture technique, putting the microphone the same distance apart from the center of the snare. We recorded a full set of SabianAAX symbols and high hat to see how the M39s sound. Surprisingly for a set of fairly low priced microphone, cascade has preserved the classic large diaphragm sound with great clarity. The symbols sounded large and open, and the highs were crisp with minimal distortion. The high hat sounded a little too pingy and missed the 10k response that high hats need. Overall it sounded great and defiantly had me impressed. 

After recording several runs, the Cascade M39s performed amazing with great natural sound. Cascade has created a great product that can compare to the Shure SM81 and the AKG C430 with half the cost. A stereo set of the M39s cost $159.00 and can be purchased directly from cascades website. This is a great microphone and I would recommend it to anyone on a budget looking to capture some great overhead sound. I can't wait to test some more of the cascade lineup!

Choosing The Correct Tom Mic

When it comes to capturing the best sounds out of your tom drums the microphone options are endless. There are a few that are preferred and stand out from the pack, so I went ahead and compared their strengths and weaknesses. The models tested were the Sennheiser 421, Sennheiser e904, Shure Beta 56A and the Audix D2.

The first mics tested were the Sennheisers 421 and the e904. The 421 is the industry standard that has been used to mic toms for over 35 years. The tone was precise and the low end was full and warm. It lacked mid range pop but is overall a great sounding microphone. The e904 was not far off with similar fidelity in the high end and great response in the lower frequencies. The e904 performed greater under higher SPL delivering more precise sound.


One of the more affordable tom mics the Shure beta 56A is a standard in any small recording studio. The microphone has a nice warm sound with a good punch in the mid range. It lacks the low end that one looks for when capturing larger floor toms but makes up for it on the smaller toms with its high punch sound. The last mic tested was the Audix D2. The D2 instantly had a noticeable higher noise floor compared to the rest of the microphones. The low end was real large and thumpy with not to much accuracy. The mids were nice and warm but the high end lacked fidelity and clarity.

 Overall every microphone has its own personality and unique sound that can be used in different circumstances. If looking for the most precise clean sound I would pick the e904 or the 421. For dirty more grungy sound the beta 56A would suffice, and for muddy low end rumble the Audix D2 is a winner If you’re looking for the best sound and don’t want to sacrifice, I would recommend using either of the Sennheiser microphones.