Price £189.99/$199.99

With the Limelight microphone, Warm Audio spin-off brand 512 Audio takes on the heavy hitters of the broadcast dynamic mic niche. And, while it trades finesse for price, it still delivers a lower noise floor than those more established mics in most situations.

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512’s Limelight makes an immediate — and perhaps contradictory — impression with its large size and light weight. In broadcast and podcast terms, these are desirable characteristics. The size is necessary to house the large diaphragm (28mm) favoured in broadcast mic designs while also providing a frequency and axial response-defining acoustic chamber for the moving coil transducer.

Aesthetically, it also boasts a stylish, vintage design similar to 1968’s Electro-Voice RE-20, an industry-standard in broadcast mics — a nice touch.

Limelight’s hypercardioid pattern is tighter than the cardioid pickup of the classic Shure SM7B and Electro-Voice RE20, with the latter’s distinctive grille layout providing a clear inspiration for 512 Audio. Its lightweight metal housing makes it far less challenging for mic stands than either of these broadcast stalwarts, both of which weigh over 700g. Sprung desktop boom arms will have no problem suspending a Limelight, leaving some extra strength for adding a pop filter if necessary, both of which are also part of the 512 Audio range.

The high-pass filter switch (100Hz, 12dB/oct) is on the underside of the mic, which is inconveniently obscured by the ring of the swivel mount, though this is usually a set-and-forget function. The downside of the Limelight’s lightweight casing is that it resonates higher in frequency when handled or vibrated compared to heavier steel types. This means that the high-pass filter isn’t as effective as you’d hope.

Additionally, engaging the filter reduces the mic’s resistance to electromagnetic hum, resulting in noticeable hum from the mains power. This means that positioning it away from transformers is essential for a quieter recording. Therefore, you should consider using a preamp/mixer-based high-pass filter.

The proximity effect at play with the Limelight plays a significant, positive role in defining the body tone of the Limelight’s sound. Getting close up to the mic gets a little bass-heavy and, expectedly, makes plosives more prominent. But we’d recommend using a pop filter even at a more reasonable distance.

The tonal sweet spot is about 10cm to 15cm from the front grille, delivering a balanced low-end. This balance continues through the mid-range and doesn’t break up upon contact with compression and limiting — an inevitable part of podcast audio production. Off-axis, the proximity effect quickly dies away without the remaining attenuated signal becoming peaky, which is vital for multiple mic setups.

The higher end lacks immediate presence and benefits from a gentle EQ lift from around 7-10kHz, depending on the slope. The Limelight isn’t hiding any nasty sibilance bias, so a little lift won’t force you to reach for the de-esser — at least, not more than normal.

Even with some EQ, there is less noise than a matched-level SM7B, with around 6-10dB gain difference at the preamp, impedance depending. This means it’s unlikely an inline mic booster (Cloudlifter) will be a necessary purchase for quiet voice work. Limelight has a nominal rating of 600Ω, which is on the high side for dynamic mics, but this makes it a fine match for most interface preamps which tend to have input impedances at the high end.

For example, on the Focusrite ISA preamp used for review, the Limelight suited the medium and high impedances (2,400Ω and 6,800Ω, respectively). The SM7B achieved its best noise/level/tone performance at 1,400Ω (subject to taste).

The explosion in podcasting has made the competitive broadcast microphone market fierce. The Limelight goes up against the $99 Rode Podmic, an excellent-sounding dynamic that’s superb value for money, even if it’s susceptible to plosives and sibilance and has no on-body filters or pads. Coming in at $149, the Sontronics Podcast Pro, like the Limelight, has a supercardioid pickup pattern and is similarly low-noise. The Samson Q9U ($199) also does a good job with a USB interface built in. Or for just $50 more, the $249 Shure MV7 is feature-packed with onboard EQ, compression and limiting, plus USB and XLR connectivity.

For $199, the Limelight presents an acceptable balance of price and quality, with the caveat of needing a high-frequency EQ lift and having a poor-quality high-pass filter. However, it looks the part and has a low noise floor and neutral off-axis response, which is beneficial in multi-mic setups.

Learn more at 512 Audio.

Key Features

• Capsule: 28mm dynamic
• Polar Pattern: Hypercardioid
• Frequency Range: 50Hz to 15kHz
• Impedance: 600Ω
• Max. SPL: 138dB
• High Pass Filter: 100Hz (12dB/Oct)
• Weight: 350g
• Dimensions: 167 x 607 mm
• Accessories: Swivel mount and carry bag

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