Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $50
Budget/Beginner
$75
$201+
Price Tier
Budget
Standard
High-end
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Videos
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Tandy / Radio Shack / Realistic PZM microphone modifications and tests!
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Realistic PZM.
Mods and upgrades
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Modifications involving phantom power can lead to low output and noise; some suggest that increasing capacitor size might help smooth the output.
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Features and functionality
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After modding, it's noted that a voltage of 7V DC at the capsule may be higher than expected, potentially affecting performance.
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Noted for an inherent compression effect, particularly beneficial for acoustic guitar recordings.
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Owners highlight the sensitivity of the Realistic PZM, making it suitable for quiet environments but potentially problematic in settings with shuffling papers.
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Setup and maintenance
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Check the orientation/polarity of the capacitor and DC voltage on the capsule side to ensure proper functionality post-modification.
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User experience
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Some owners experience difficulty soldering onto the electret capsule, with reports of needing to wrap a cable instead due to soldering issues.
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Use cases and applications
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Ideal for use as a room mic on walls, providing excellent results in live settings.
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Effective when mounted on particle boards over drum sets for capturing a broad sound image.
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Great for capturing audience laughter in comedy clubs when mounted on ceilings for a stereo mix.
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Provides a unique drum sound when placed on the floor near the kick and under the snare, yielding a fat kick and splatty snare sound.
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Suitable for theater performances, capturing live stage sounds effectively when taped to the stage front.
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Used inside pianos during live recordings, with one mic on high strings and another on low strings for balanced coverage.
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The Realistic PZM is praised for use in small gatherings, effectively capturing audio in a circle setup due to its hemispherical pickup pattern.
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Ideal for documentation purposes in grassroots events, where professional audio quality is not the primary concern.
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Value and pricing
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The Realistic PZM can be acquired for under $50, making it an affordable alternative to the Crown PZM, which is priced around $400.
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Critic Reviews
3.5 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 4 Ratings
Artist usage
Add artist
In the video titled "Show Us Your Junk! Ep. 34 - Rob Schnapf (Mant Studio) | EarthQuaker Devices," Rob Schnapf, the producer and mixer on Beck's 1994 Mellow Gold album, states at 15:07 that the vocals for the track "Loser" were recorded using a Realistic PZM microphone.
Mentioned by recording engineer Richard Dodd in this Sound on Sound interview about the recording of "Learning to Fly".
"One of the amplifiers Mike was using was an open-back Ampeg, and I had a Shure SM57 on that while, to capture some low end, I had the bright idea of also sticking one of those flat PZM microphones onto the amp. It was the Radio Shack mic, not the posh Crown version, and I just blended that in. Being omnidirectional, it gave a little of the environment, and those mics were blended together and went through a Urei 1176. Typically, the pre would be an outboard Neve 1073 or an API, and only things like percussion would use the preamps on the console.
"The same recording method was used for the other guitars, with the exception of the PZM.
"The other useful piece of gear that Tandy do is the PZM, and what a bargain that is! Until I borrowed a couple of Neumann U87s, I used those for vocals and they are amazing. Even the popping is minimal if you stick on that little foam Hitler moustache thing that they give you. I find you have to sing close up to it if you aren't going to record the room sound but it's not a problem. They're also great for congas; I just stick a pair on the glass screen in front of the player."
Album Usage
The Realistic PZM has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Realistic PZM, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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