Paul H.
I recently purchased a Roswell Mini K67x, mostly so that I could compare it to the Mojave MA 200 I use every day to record audiobook narrations, but also to determine if I could recommend it to my colleagues.
The answer to that question is yes.
I’m active in a lot of online audiobook narrator groups, and one of the more frequently asked questions from newer narrators is for recommendations of a microphone. Often with the caveat that they only have x dollars budgeted. I’ve attempted to answer this question in a variety of ways, but, going forward, I think I’m just going to tell folks to get one of the Mini K mics from Roswell. I now believe this line of microphones is 1) the most likely of any I’ve heard to flatter anyone’s voice, and 2) hands down the best value of -any- mics currently on the market.
I picked the K67x because I really like the sound of the 67 capsule on my voice, and I’m always on the lookout for a mic that might be able to emulate the sound I’m getting from the MA 200 (which is reputed to produce a sound very close to a U67) without all of the attendant issues that come with using a tube mic. But I’m confident that any of the MiniK (87, 67, and 47) mics, will be perfectly suitable for any narrator’s purposes. It’s just a matter of how much of a “vintage” sound you’re going for.
Listening to the test recordings I made with the K67x I was struck by how refined, how elegant the mic sounded. It has a beautifully open but understated high-end; the tone in the lows and mids is full and rich, but never obtrusive. Outside of the Vertical Voice, which you can’t get for love or money any more, it’s the friendliest, most well-mannered microphone I’ve ever heard for voice over. I’d be hard-pressed to think of a voice I’m familiar with that it wouldn’t flatter shamelessly.
It has a definite color, but it’s a lovely color. And, again, it’s, by far, the best value of any mic I’ve heard at that price.
For narrators, I’d say definitely spring for the high output option. It could save 2-3 dB of self-noise elsewhere in your signal path. If you’re using noise reduction, you might be able to back off on that some.
I found there was no need for a de-esser — the sibilance response was amazing. Except for a high-pass filter, I also found there was no need for additional EQ. Of particular interest to narrators, it hears slightly less of the room reflections in my booth (VocalBooth 5' x 4' Platinum). The spaces narrators with home studios typically work in are small, and, no matter how well-treated they are, there will always be some boxy-ness to the sound. The Mini K67x does a good job of mitigating that.
In summary - the Mini K67x is an absolutely gorgeous-sounding mic, and I can recommend it without reservation to any narrators looking for a "starter" mic that sounds as good as anything they'd find at a Big 5 recording studio.
