From Fredericksburg to Conowingo, the Nikon 800mm PF went with me. In this field review, I share real-world impressions from two unforgettable shoots.

YouTube video by Brent Morris

In June 2024, DRAGONtail Tenkara and Nirvana on the Fly released the Kokoro 360 tenkara rod. Made in their Korean rod factory, the Kokoro 360 matches or exceeds many Japanese tenkara rods in weight, action, materials and aesthetics. It has rapidly gained a reputation for Japanese-like quality without the hassles of overseas sales and shipping. DRAGONtail and Nirvana now announce that pre-order is open for two other Kokoro rods, the…

YouTube video by Robot Impurity Photography

Read our Marmot Minimalist Rain Gear review to discover if it is the rain gear you need for your hiking adventures.

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YouTube video by Outdoorsy Indians

Looking for a new rolltop backpack for every day and to use on your travels? Read my Horizn Studios SoFo Rolltop Backpack Review to find out if it's a winner!

YouTube video by Mikey Scott Studio

### Please share! * Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * More * * Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket * * Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * I had a studio nightmare. It happened many months ago, but often feels like it was yesterday. My 15-year favorite recording microphone crashed — complete with the rugged mic stand — to the floor. It immediately split in half. I had to do a studio microphone review. After contacting the manufacturer and several local pro-audio repair shops, I realized that the microphone was a complete loss. Of course, this happened after I became a full-time musician. In the meantime, I got by with my R0de NT1a. It’s a decent microphone, but showing some age. The microphones I was using for recording were fading. I had to replace them. Click To Tweet ## The Road to Sterling I had almost given up on having another, more contemporary microphone when I came across a deal on a Sterling Audio microphone. I was skeptical that anything for this price point could be useful for recording even in a home studio. Still, every microphone review I read for this mic was mostly positive and the price (under $50) was definitely right. So, I grabbed the SP150SMK and promptly re-recorded a vocal part that I had never been happy with. I was immediately surprised at the results, so I decided to share them with you. I’ll use the NT1a recordings (since that’s the only other large-diaphragm mic I currently own) for comparison. Can low-cost condenser microphones work for recording? Click To Tweet ## First, the Bad News The first downside of this microphone is that it has no rolloff or pad (attenuation) switches. What you see (and hear) is what you get. With the price point considered, there are very few cons for this microphone. The mic comes with a plastic carry case, a hardmount (attaches the mic directly to a stand), and a spider-band shockmount (for stand isolation). It does not include a pop filter which you’ll need for nearly any vocalist. I never thought I’d go for a low-cost large diaphragm condenser microphone. Click To Tweet ## Pleasant Surprises I re-recorded the vocals on the track in question and was immediately surprisingly pleased. Though there’s not a lot of character to this mic, it captured the singing with ease. I did not have to tweak any EQ settings or boost the tracks in order to get a decent sound. Check out the Sterling Audio SP150SMK microphone for male vocals. Click To Tweet The NT1a is a fairly true recording microphone. It usually sells for about $225 (approximately $175 more than I paid for the SP150SMK). It’s a mic I’ve used many times for vocals. Here is the vocal track as recorded on the R0de mic. R0de NT1a recording of the vocal line And here it is again, recorded with the Sterling. Sterling Audio SP150SMK recording of the vocal line And finally, here’s a stereo version with the NT1a first in the left channel and the SP150SMK next in the right channel. NT1a version and then SP150SMK version. ## Just A Touch Though the two recordings sound surprisingly similar, I could tell there was a tiny bit “missing” from the high end on the SP150SMK, so I pulled frequency response readouts. As you can see, some high frequencies are reduced by comparison. However, based on documentation, there is a built-in boost in the response of the NT1a which would account for this. I don’t think this is a deficiency of the Sterling microphone. Knowing what I know from my first couple of recordings with this mic, I would buy it again — especially at this price. Though I still look forward to having better microphones in my studio again, don’t assume that a low price means it can’t make the recording. | PAZ analyzer| Audacity analyzer ---|---|--- SP150SMK| | NT1a| | NT1a frequency response chart from the R0de manual – note the boosts at the same frequencies as the boost in the analysis charts for the NT1a above. ### Please share! * Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * More * * Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket * * Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * ### Like this: Like Loading... ### _More for you_ * * * ### Discover more from Stan Stewart - @muz4now Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. 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This is the first rod from Keiryu Rod Co. (KRC) that I've reviewed. However, it's not the first one that I purchased from them. KRC carries many Japanese rods and I have purchased a couple of these over the years. Keiryu Rod Co. has been around awhile, but have mostly been promoting keiryu style fishing rather than tenkara, so I haven't purchased any of their other branded rods.