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$5.99US $5.99CAN

VOL. TWENTY SIXNUMBER TWO

NOVEMBER 2012USA $5.99 CANADA $5.99

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The Thor is the newest member in theADK pantheon of microphones. By wayof introduction, ADK is the brainchild ofLarry Villella. Over the past fifteen yearshis company has built a reputation forbalancing quality and price point, andthis was one of the earliest companies tooffer good sounding large-diaphragmalternatives at an affordable price thatallowed budding engineers to get into thegame.ADK also has a deserved cult following

for its line of mid- to upper-level custom-shop microphones that pay homage tothe classics of yesteryear. Two years ago(September 2010) we looked at the ADKCremona 251Au and the Berlin 47Au(one of my absolute favorite front-of-kickmics). One of the many things that madethese microphones interesting was thatthey were all essentially the same micro-phone (along with ADK’s Hamburg 67Auand Vienna 12Au), just voiced differently.

This time around, as we summon theADK Thor, we return to the non-custom-shop beginner side of ADK, but the para-digm remains the same as we look at amic that started life as three separatemodels in the ADK line!

Three mics in one and moreThor’s roots lie in a microphone that we

reviewed back in our September 2007issue, known as the S-7. I was first intro-duced to the Thor by its formal name, theT-7, a few years ago at NAMM. But the T-7 was a bit more than just a revoiced S-7.If you know Larry, you will know that he

loves a challenge and he loves to tweak hismics. As Larry’s story goes, a few years afterthe S-7’s introduction, he received requestsfrom brass players to make a darker versionof the mic, which he did and dubbed the A-7B (for brass). Of course, then why notmake one that is just the opposite for dullsources, one that is bright and sparkly, andcall it the A-7C? He did that as well.That brings us to the next logical step,

which combines all three voicings into onemicrophone. He did that, too and namedit the Odin, which (like the previous A-7mic variants) is cardioid only. The Thormic on review here is the multipattern ver-sion of the Odin, with multiple voicingsand a variety of polar patterns.

ThorThe Thor is a large-diaphragm, solid-

state, multi-pattern (omni/cardioid/figure-8) condenser microphone. It has a 14mv/Pa sensitivity, 150 Ohm impedance,80 dBA signal-to-noise ratio, 148 dB maxSPL level and a 14 dBA self-noise.With a max SPL of 148 dB, it is well

suited for extremely loud sources. Whenyou consider a jet engine puts out 140 dBand a shotgun by your ear is 165 dB, itputs your typical 120 dB full-stack guitaristand a snare rim shot of 125 dB comfort-ably in this microphone’s range, so unlessyou are recording a 12-gauge shotgun atclose range you should be in good shape!The key to the Thor’s many voices is a

single 3-position switch that controls thehigh-frequency response of the mic.Additionally, the Thor also offers two low-cut filter settings of 100 or 150 Hz, anda two-stage pad with a choice of –8 or–18 dB of attenuation.

PhysicalThe Thor is essentially housed in the

same body as the older S series, but is justtad longer. Overall it is a shorter, stockierbuild than most budget LDC’s and mea-sures 61/4" by 21/4" in diameter. It isdressed in matte black with white etchedlettering and is overall sturdy enough forthe studio or the stage. All of its 3-positionswitches are located just under its headassembly, with the lowcut and pad switch-es on the front and its polar pattern andhigh-frequency switches around the back.Behind its double-layer black mesh grille is

a 2" dual-diaphragm center-terminated cap-sule. Internally it is an FET design that uses abalanced transformerless circuit. It comes ina classy blue velvet-lined black wood boxwith a standard mic mount. An ADK shockmount is available separately; it’s includedfree with the Thor until the end of 2012.

The different sounds of Thor!As you may guess, the Thor is a very son-

ically malleable microphone. Its three high-frequency voicings—known as neutral, mel-low and brilliant—offer a healthy choice ofaural variance, especially when mixed withthe lowcut and pattern choices.In its Neutral state, in cardioid mode with

all of its pads and filters off, the Thor is at itsmost utilitarian. Like the original S-7, this is

one of those non-imposing ultra even-sound-ing mics that can be used on any source. Itexhibits a natural top end that is clear, butnot excessively bright, along with a smooth,full, yet non-exaggerated low end.Moving the switch to Mellow does just

what it says. Rather than putting a darkpillow over the sound, it nicely rounds outthe top end to take the brashness out ofsources like trumpet, piccolo flute, pennywhistle (yes, I do lots of Celtic music), tam-bourine, and thin piercing cymbals. It’salso adept in this mode on sources thathave little need of high end, such as bassguitar cabinets, and thanks to its high SPLlevel when padded, this is a large-diaphragm condenser that can get rightup on the skin of a kick drum or floor tom.Moving the switch to the Brilliant setting

is much more extreme than the corre-sponding cut that Mellow brings. Thishigh boost takes this mic back into verymodern and bright territory and is useful

B Y P A U L V N U K J R .

ADKThorA multipattern mic with a multitude of useful voicings

Excerpted from the November edition of RECORDING Magazine 2012©2012 Music Maker Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119 For Subscription Information, call: 1-800-582-8326 or www.recordingmag.com

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for sources that really need to cut througha mix, or for any dull source that needs atouch of life returned to it. Although Ifound the Brilliant setting a tad too crispfor my tastes in many applications, I didfind it very useful on finger-picked andstrummed nylon-string acoustic, for theabovementioned reason.

The real magic and versatility of thismic happens when you start to use thehigh filter settings in conjunction with thepolar patterns and the lowcut choices.Cardioid has a very smooth and even off-axis response, one that is frankly surpris-ing for a microphone in this price class.Of course figure-8 has the biggest sidenull point and the most bass proximityeffect, and Omni is very wide and openwith the least proximity effect.

Thor live on stageThanks to Thor’s versatility it is also a

very convenient microphone, especiallylive. If you travel with the same band andare forced to wrestle with the differentsounds of constantly changing venues, orif you call one stage home and deal withdifferent bands with different volumesand levels of equipment, the Thor makesa great choice for both drum overheadsand guitar cabinets.

It’s quick and easy to just flip switchesto find the right sound, versus swappingout microphones. This convenience andversatility works great in the studio aswell. I could leave a pair of Thors up aseasily adjustable front-of-kit and/or roommics for most of my sessions.

Wrap upI think ADK should have a thundering

success on its hands with the Thor (andeven its little brother the Odin...). At $399street it’s just above the rock-bottom begin-ner crop of mics, but when you considerthat just a year ago a full set of the S-7mics would have set you back $750, andfactor in the Thor’s multiple patterns, thismic is poised to be ADK’s A-51 for a newgeneration. You get a lot of mic for very lit-tle outlay, and that makes the Thor aworthwhile mic to investigate closely.

Price: $399 street

More from: ADK Microphones,www.adkmic.com

Excerpted from the November edition of RECORDING Magazine 2012©2012 Music Maker Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119 For Subscription Information, call: 1-800-582-8326 or www.recordingmag.com