New Gear Review: SP-1 Standard Pencil Microphones by Universal Audio
“Sold as a matched stereo pair, Universal Audio’s SP‑1s can add clarity, width, and dimension to your recordings.”
It goes without saying that Universal Audio is a household name in the world of pro audio. I’ve seen their products in heavy rotation in every corner of the music industry—in studios both large format and small, on stage, in the production and writing rooms of producers beginner to pro level, in TV post production studios, and beyond.
But when it comes to microphones, UA may not be the first brand that comes to mind. In fact, the company only started releasing mics in February of 2022. The more common items bearing the Universal Audio emblem tend to be interfaces, preamps and outboard gear, DSP accelerators, etc. But when they started releasing microphones to complement their ever-popular Apollo interfaces featuring Unison technology, my interest was piqued.
With a dynamic mic reminiscent of the Shure SM7B, and a large diaphragm condenser modeling microphone in collaboration with Sphere already on offer, newest to the roster is the SP-1 Standard Pencil Microphone. These mics, sold in a matched pair for all of your stereo micing applications demanding crystal-clear capture, are priced attractively and aim to secure a spot in your mic locker.
Let’s see what the SP-1 has to offer.
Features
Unboxing the SP-1s revealed a nice, sturdy, attractive black cardboard box with foam cut-outs for the mics, clips with T-bar for X/Y and ORTF micing, and included windscreens. Although not made of wood, this protective box will surely keep the mics safe during travel and storage.
These small diaphragm condensers feature a cardiod polar pattern with a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz. The output impedance of the mics is 200 ohms, with a sensitivity of -38 (0dB = 1V/Pa @ 1kHz), and a maximum SPL of 142dB (1% THD @ 1kHz). As expected, the SP-1s require phantom power and feature XLR outputs (pin 2 hot).
Upon requesting a frequency response chart from Universal Audio, their support team noted that they are not available at this time, however they would like to revisit this once the complete line is fleshed out and perhaps do them all at once.
The concise user manual includes a very handy QR code where you can download custom channel strip presets for your Apollo interface. These include (but are not limited to) settings for Bass Cab, Cello, Electric Guitar Cab, Kick, Snare, Lead Vocal, Piano, Organ, and more. Though the SP-1s wouldn’t be my first choice of mic for some of the aforementioned, it’s certainly helpful to have all of this at the ready.
With all that said, I was excited to set up some instruments and put the SP-1s to the test.
In Use
First up was drum overheads. Classic X/Y pattern over top of the kit revealed fantastic detail in the transients, which were quick and snappy upon analyzing the waveform. Hard panning the mics gave superb separation and produced great clarity.
Although typically more a task for ribbon mics, setting the SP-1s about 10 feet further out into the room in a spaced pair configuration also gave excellent results. Naturally in this case, some saturation and heavy compression makes for bombastic tone, and the SP-1s took to this treatment with great success. I would most certainly consider these a worthy contender as both close and far room mics.
Even though I typically keep it classic on snare top with an SM57, implementing the SP-1s here isn’t my first stab at using a small diaphragm condenser for this task, and as expected, I was met with success. The tone was brighter, faster, and overall closer to mix-ready with the SP-1. It also worked well on bottom snare—a duty for which I am more prone to calling upon a condenser mic. I can say with total confidence that the SP-1 will be used for both sides of snare micing in the future.
For bass, I will often combine a dynamic mic with a condenser, utilizing the former for body and grit, and the latter for definition. Paired with an Audix D6 to capture extended low end, the two mics were a fantastic match. The SP-1’s clarity complemented the body of the D6 quite nicely, and I was quickly on my way to compression and saturation, with little to no micromanagement of the source tonality—just a quick phase check and levels balance between the two mics.
I was excited to throw the SP-1s at acoustic guitar. For this task, I usually put a large diaphragm condenser about 12 inches out from the 12th fret, and sneak a small diaphragm condenser about 1 foot from the bridge of the guitar, pointed towards the sound hole. In this case, I called upon the SP-1s for both tasks. The result was very satisfying. Clarity, depth, and presence were all palpable, especially after some light carving of the lower midrange and with a little air on top. Compression brought the guitar right up to the front of the speaker, and some tasteful conservative panning created an immersive and personal experience, as if the player was right there in front of me.
I didn’t have a live string ensemble at my disposal (would be nice, right?), but I did run a string quartet from a previous production out of my monitors and set the SP-1s up for reamping. Of course, reamping introduces a ton of other variables, however the end result was pleasant and easy to achieve. As expected after some light EQing and compression, the strings came across lush, detailed, and sat back into the mix arguably better than they were before.
Although I would typically reach for a large diaphragm condenser (or a trusty SM7B or RE20) to tackle the duties of lead vocals or spoken word, I still had to give the SP-1s a shot here. As expected, I was met with great detail and presence. Chances are this old dog won’t try any new tricks in future vocal micing applications, but it’s still comforting to know the SP-1s are around and worthy of the task if needed.
And though I’m likely to do my own EQing from scratch in most to all applications, the free downloadable Apollo presets are indeed a fast track to mix-ready sounds, just as UA purports.
To Be Critical
No complaints here with the SP-1s! Anything bearing the Universal Audio name is surely always welcome in my studio, and the company is sure to never deliver a product that isn’t up to snuff with the most trusted gear on earth.
Admittedly, a frequency response chart would be helpful, although I will always stand by the idea of using your ears before your eyes!
Summing it Up
If you’ve made it this far into the review, it’s obvious the SP-1 can hang with the best of them, so I have to lead with price here: these mics are affordable. MSRP on the SP-1 is $399. I can’t think of another—pair(!)—of mics that offers this level of sound at such a reasonable point of entry.
It is also worth reiterating that Universal Audio only began putting out mics in early 2022. If the past is any indication of the future, the company will continue to build upon, improve, and further tailor their mic collection to make sure they stay in rotation with the top-tier artists, producers, and touring personnel that are likely already using some form of their products.
I can’t wait to get to the mix phase on sessions where the SP-1s have been a part of the mic lineup. Hats off to UA for yet again delivering another mainstay tool in my studio.
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