NADY SYSTEMS SP-4C PROFESSIONAL MICROPHONE

NADY SYSTEMS SP-4C PROFESSIONAL MICROPHONE


If you have been looking for a reasonably priced, as well as reasonably good sounding entry level microphone, you may wish to consider placing the Nady Systems SP-4C Professional Microphone on your short list of microphones to consider.

For some reason, prices for the Nady Systems SP-4C seem to be all over the map. If for example you go to a large musical instrument chain store, or to a large Internet dealer, you will be able to find the Nady Systems SP-4C Microphone selling for a discounted price of as low as $9.99. However, I recently saw this very same microphone selling for a stunningly higher price of $39.99 at a local department store close to where I live. Thus, I must caution a potential buyer to be vigilant as to where one chooses to make a purchase.

Nady Systems produces good quality equipment at a very low price, and one can really get a big bang for the buck when purchasing a low cost Nady Systems microphone. But please do not misunderstand me, as I am not saying that a Nady Systems microphone selling for $9.99 is a “high quality” professional microphone. The Nady Systems SP-4C is in my opinion a good entry level microphone, and not a professional quality recording tool. Nevertheless, it represents an excellent value for the money.

The Nady Systems SP-4C is part of the Nady Systems “Starpower” Series of microphones. The Nady SP-4C is a dynamic microphone with a cardioid pickup pattern. A microphone with a cardioid pickup pattern is one that is designed to be most sensitive to picking up sounds that originate from the front of the microphone, and it is often referred to as a unidirectional microphone for that reason. A cardioid or unidirectional microphone is one that rejects, or is less apt to pickup sounds that originate from the sides or the back of the microphone. This is an obvious benefit in that a cardioid microphone is less likely to feedback than a microphone with a more open pattern, such as an omnidirectional microphone, or one that is designed to pickup sounds equally well from any direction.

The Nady Systems SP-4C is also a microphone that has an aluminum humbucking voice coil. Those of you who play electrified stringed instruments, such as an electric guitar, may be familiar with the term humbucking pickups. In the same way that a humbucking pickup on a guitar will reduce or cancel hum and extraneous electronic noises on an electric guitar, a humbucking voice coil on a microphone works in a similar fashion. Thus, the Nady SP-4C is apt to be less noisy than many other comparable microphones in this price range. Less noise means great clarity in the reproduction of the sound that the microphone is intended to capture. This is especially important for reproducing vocals or the spoken human voice.

The Nady Systems SP-4C also has a built-in rubber shock mount, which is designed to reduce handling noises, both when the microphone is being used in a handheld situation, or when it is attached to a microphone stand. The Nady SP-4C has a zinc die-cast casing, and a steel mesh windscreen. These serve to provide an extra degree of durability to the Nady SP-4C, as many microphones in this price range are made of plastic. Clearly, the Nady SP-4C is not as sturdy or as tough as a Shure SM-58, but it also sells for a discounted price of about one-tenth of the price of a Shure SM-58, and thus although both of these microphones have a similar cosmetic appearance, any other comparisons would not be fair or reasonable.

The Nady Systems SP-4C has a frequency response of 50 Hz. to 12,000 Hz. This means that it would be quite acceptable for capturing the human voice. However, it would not be a good choice for capturing the high end overtones of any higher pitched musical instruments, or as an overhead for picking cymbals on a drum kit. It would also not be a good choice for a situation such as recording or amplifying a bass drum or bass guitar, as the low end ceases as 50Hz., and some instruments have undertones that go below this level.

The Nady Systems SP-4C also comes with a cable that has a XLR on one end and a quarter inch phone jack at the other end. Because the Nady Systems SP-4C is an entry level microphone, it does make sense to assume that most users will not be plugging this microphone into a high quality P.A. System, and would most likely be plugging it into a guitar amp or similar amplifying device, and the inputs are more likely to accommodate quarter inch jacks. While we are on the subject of the cable, I must say that it appears to be a bit flimsy and thin, but then again one can not reasonably expect to get a very high quality microphone and a cable for $14.99.

Well, who is the Nady Systems SP-4C microphone best suited to? It is best suited to a beginner who is looking for a reasonably good microphone, selling for a remarkably reasonable price.

Well, I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to read my review, but now if you will please excuse me, I must get back to my practicing.