The Bottom Line
The Crown PZM series is well-known for it's value and quality, especially when used on pianos and as drum room mics, and the Sound Grabber II, available for around $69 (or $120 if bought in a pair), is a wonderful addition to any home studio. While it's only battery-powered (limiting it's SPL handling) and only has a 1/4" connector (needing an adapter, or better yet, a DI box), it's a real bargain in both price and performance.
Pros
- Good Sound Quality
- Great Value
- Wide Versatility
Cons
- Limited Frequency Response
- Battery-Powered, No Phantom Options
- Only 1/4" Connector
Description
- Mic Type: Pressure Zone Electret Condenser Microphone
- Frequency Response: 50Hz to 16kHz
- Polar Pattern: Hemispherical Cardioid
- Impedance: 1600 ohms, unbalanced 1/4" Connector, 20 mV Sensitivity.
Guide Review - Crown Sound Grabber II PZM Microphone
I don't frequently get to record a live piano; usually, a lot of my clients are using MIDI-based devices to get their keys into a mix. However, when I do get the privilege of recording a real piano, the Crown PZM Sound Grabber II has, surprisingly, become one of my favorites. Sure, expensive condenser microphones sound great -- but, for $120 a pair, the Sound Grabber II performs incredibly well.The frequency response is rather limited; you won't be getting a lot of really firm low-end reproduction, and the mids are a little muddled. However, this works really, really well on pianos -- try placing the PZMs on the piano lid, spaced apart using the 3-1 rule (space the microphones 3 times the distance from the source apart), and pan hard right and left. The Sound Grabber II is also great as a microphone room mic -- I recently did a session where I stuck the PZM to the wall across from the drum kit, and it sounded great blended in with the rest of the mix. I've also used the Sound Grabber II to help get a more defined kick drum sound, in combination with a Shure Beta 52; it worked, but not as good as my preferred boundary mic, the Shure Beta 91.
The Sound Grabber II works on the PZM principle developed by Crown over 20 years ago -- a small condenser capsule is suspended a fraction of an inch over a platter, which helps reflect the sound into the capsule and create a wide pickup pattern.
Available for around $120 for a stereo pair (or around $69 individually), the Sound Grabber II is a great value. A lot of concert tapers have also embraced the Sound Grabber II -- while it's not my preferred microphone for high-SPL situations, it would sound great used in a stereo pair for acoustic or jazz performance on-stage.
