STRIKING APPEARANCEThe L47MP is a multipattern, large-diaphragm tube . Straight out of its bombproof (airtight and watertight) Pelican storage case, the L47MP makes a bold statement. Shaped much like an U47 and measuring an impressive 9¾ inches long and 23/8 inches in diameter, virtually its entire body—including cable connector and double-mesh head grille—is plated in 24-karat gold.Underneath the gold veneer, the mic’s body is machined from solid brass, bead blasted and plated with nickel. Its substantial weight (two pounds) and solid construction inspire confidence.The Pelican case ships with the mic. Also included is a sturdy, proprietary power supply and companion 6-foot, three-prong, detachable IEC power cord. A knob on the power supply allows you to make continuously variable adjustments to the mic’s , from  to  to bi-directional (and all patterns in between). A 30-foot, shielded Mogami cable (fitted with gold-plated Neutrik connectors) is provided for hooking up the L47MP to a locking 6-pin  connector on the power supply; this delivers power to and audio from the mic. Other features of the power supply include a switch for padding the mic 12 , a power switch with inset red LED and a 3-pin male XLR for audio output to your mixer/mic pre.The 12dB pad comes after, not before, the output stage. From a user’s perspective, I think most tube mics are better off padded than pre-attenuated. The latter scheme often degrades the already critical signal-to-noise in tube designs past the point of usefulness. Lawson’s design makes sense.A swiveling mic adapter, made of high-impact plastic, is also supplied with the L47MP. As the capsule element is internally shock- mounted, an external suspension mount is not needed. The mic is secured by sliding its wide-diameter connector base into the adapter’s split O-ring clamp, which is opened and closed by tightening a knurled knob. This arrangement is the most hassle-free and foolproof scheme for hanging a mic (upside down or right side up) I’ve seen. In fact, the complete microphone system—right down to the rubber feet on the power supply—demonstrates extensive forethought and impeccable construction quality. This product is a joy to use.INSIDE DETAIL
The L47MP’s capsule features dual 1-inch-diameter, gold-sputtered membranes. Gene Lawson (president of Lawson Inc.) modeled the capsule’s design after the M7 capsule used in the Neumann U47 and M49 microphones, with modifications. For example, the diaphragms are only 3 microns thick (the original M7’s were 7 microns) to optimize transient and high-frequency response. Each capsule is precision-machined from solid brass and then hand-lapped in the Lawson lab.At the heart of the L47MP is the venerable 6072 vacuum tube, coupled through a Jensen transformer. Lawson stringently tests and selects the tubes for all its mics to meet low-noise guidelines. Additionally, a low-loss tube socket is employed, which uses military grade, heavily gold-plated beryllium copper contacts for better grip, low contact resistance and extended life.The L47MP’s sensitivity at 1 kHz is rated a modest 11.4 mV/Pa, and the A-weighted equivalent noise level is 22 dB SPL—typical specs for a tube mic. The maximum SPL for 1% THD at 1 kHz is a very modest 117 dB, suggesting careful placement on loud signal sources.THE SOUND
As with all multiple-pattern condensers, changing the L47MP’s polar pattern results in a change of timbre, making for a very versatile mic. The omni pattern exhibits a dip in the 3 to 5kHz range, and a broad peak centered roughly at 10 kHz. As you increase the L47MP’s directionality, the timbre becomes more and more present as midrange response is boosted and very high frequency response is diminished. The mic sounds quite bright in bidirectional mode.The L47MP is more present in the midrange frequencies than both the Classic and the C-12VR.IN SESSION
When you tuck vocals recorded with an L47MP into a mix, something magical happens. The track somehow manages to sound incredibly fat, yet retains its presence. All the warm, lush texture you would want from a tube mic is there.Male rock and jazz vocals both had a tight, full bottom and a velvety fat yet clear sound. Although these tracks were not extraordinarily detailed up top, they nevertheless sounded more than adequately articulate. This quality makes the L47MP a good choice for recording sibilant singers.Next up were some female vocals, recorded via the HV-3 to 24-bit digital (the 02R’s V2 software allows you to record 24-bit audio onto two ADAT tracks; you gotta hear this!). Six inches from the mic in cardioid mode, the singer sounded warm yet clear, with a beautifully soft and shimmering high end.The L47MP has a very flattering , but tends to overload when you’re screaming right on top of it. The “wide cardioid” position usually yielded the best results for recording lead vocals; the figure-8 pattern often sounded too bright for this application. The  mode’s moderately boosted presence was just the ticket for recording male rock backing vocals. A testament to this mic is that I rarely had to employ any EQ to vocal tracks at mixdown (the one exception being some low shelving EQ for a vocalist who almost ate the mic).The next