The Bottom Line
The Karma K-Micro burst onto the scene as a really, really cheap microphone -- their first run sold for 99 cents per mic! Offering a wide frequency response, a cardioid pickup pattern, and limitless possibilities due to it's small size, the Karma K-Micro is a steal at it's current price of $26 (sold as a matched pair). Perfect for drums (overheads and spot-micing) as well as guitar amps, the K-Micro falls short for room micing and live recording.
Pros
- Low Price - $13 per microphone in pairs
- Wide Frequency Response
- Small Size
Cons
- Easy To Distort
Description
- Frequency Response: 50Hz to 13kHz
- Max SPL: 145db
- Cardioid Polar Pattern
- Cost: $13 (Sold individually, or as a pack of matched pairs for slightly more).
Guide Review - Karma K-Micro Miniature Condenser Microphone
The K-Micro has an advertised frequency response of 50Hz to 13kHz, which isn't too bad for a cheap microphone; it sounded great when tested on toms and snare, as well as for drum overheads.
One great feature of the tiny K-Micro is the ability to put it virtually anywhere you'd want it; I was able to use a small piece of gaffer's tape to place the microphone on the high-hat stand of a drum kit for an unobtrusive hat mic; I also was able to stick it in a large drum kit's tom set without disrupting the large cymbal pack directly above (tip: a Sennheiser 409 clip holds them perfectly). So, logistical success aside, how do they sound? Simply, surprisingly good. Really good, in fact! My favorite use for these little guys was on toms. Sound quality was tight, refined, and robust when used on toms.
The K-Micro on guitar amp was also another surprise. With good tone reproduction and an impressive low-mid range texture, it made all but the loudest guitar amps sound fantastic. For drum overheads, it works equally well, but for me, the mics needed a little EQ and a touch of compression to sound great.
The area where the K-Micro really didn't do very well was room micing and live recording. For PA recording, it sounded slightly hollow; the bass response overpowered the mid-range, and with extension to 13kHz, the mic was lacking the sparkle of other mid-range microphones.
My biggest beef with the K-Micro was its sensitivity. Using it out of an Allen & Heath GL2200 live sound mixer, even with the -20 pad engaged, the one channel of K-Micro kept distorting and outputting extremely hot SPL. It's a good thing that it can take quite a beating before needing repair -- but keep in mind you may find it necessary to pad your channel input better.
Freshly updated in 2009 for better frequency response and SPL handling, the K-Micro is really a great addition to any mic collection, but for $13 per mic, keeping expectations in check is very important. For what they are, the K-Micro works fantastic -- and it's an easy way to add some great, utilitarian microphones to your arsenal for pocket change.
One great feature of the tiny K-Micro is the ability to put it virtually anywhere you'd want it; I was able to use a small piece of gaffer's tape to place the microphone on the high-hat stand of a drum kit for an unobtrusive hat mic; I also was able to stick it in a large drum kit's tom set without disrupting the large cymbal pack directly above (tip: a Sennheiser 409 clip holds them perfectly). So, logistical success aside, how do they sound? Simply, surprisingly good. Really good, in fact! My favorite use for these little guys was on toms. Sound quality was tight, refined, and robust when used on toms.
The K-Micro on guitar amp was also another surprise. With good tone reproduction and an impressive low-mid range texture, it made all but the loudest guitar amps sound fantastic. For drum overheads, it works equally well, but for me, the mics needed a little EQ and a touch of compression to sound great.
The area where the K-Micro really didn't do very well was room micing and live recording. For PA recording, it sounded slightly hollow; the bass response overpowered the mid-range, and with extension to 13kHz, the mic was lacking the sparkle of other mid-range microphones.
My biggest beef with the K-Micro was its sensitivity. Using it out of an Allen & Heath GL2200 live sound mixer, even with the -20 pad engaged, the one channel of K-Micro kept distorting and outputting extremely hot SPL. It's a good thing that it can take quite a beating before needing repair -- but keep in mind you may find it necessary to pad your channel input better.
Freshly updated in 2009 for better frequency response and SPL handling, the K-Micro is really a great addition to any mic collection, but for $13 per mic, keeping expectations in check is very important. For what they are, the K-Micro works fantastic -- and it's an easy way to add some great, utilitarian microphones to your arsenal for pocket change.
