Stereo recording with the Lewitt LCT 140 AIR (Saterday 16 December, 2023)

Stereo recording with the Lewitt LCT 140 AIR  (Saterday 16 December, 2023)

Roman Perschon founded LEWITT in 2009 to change the status quo of microphone design. Today they are an international and diverse team of 100+ employees representing more than 20 nationalities with headquarters in Vienna.

I bought the Lewitt LCT 140 AIR stereo pair microphones because I had an upcoming recording sessions involving an acoustic guitar. After comparing the Austrian Audio CC8, the Neumann KM 184 and some others I finally decided to go for the LCT 140 AIR since they had great reviews, sounded very good, and were also much cheaper than some of the competitors. Listen also [here] for a comparison.

The LCT 140 AIR has a switch for choosing between a flat frequency response or for a boost in the high. It has a fixed cardioid polar pattern, and employs a back-electret capsule that is 17mm in diameter. Though back-electret mics don’t require a separate supply to charge the capsule, the LCT 140 Air still require 48V (±4V) phantom power to drive the on-board electronics.

FLAT vs AIR

AIR delivers an open, sparkling character. It’s the right choice if you need great sound without spending time on post-production. FLAT provides a linear frequency response for authentic recordings of drums, strings, acoustic guitars, and choirs. It is perfect if you aim for realistic sonic images.

PAD

To be prepared for all eventualities, we have given the LCT 140 AIR a low-cut and a PAD. This means you won’t break a sweat with loud sources, nor will you have to deal with low-frequency noise when you don’t want to. The LCT 140 AIR is great for:

• Acoustic guitar
• Drums
• Strings
• Choirs
• Piano

Stereo Pair

The difference between the two mics of our stereo pair is inaudible. How come? The frequency response and sensitivity of every single microphone produced is measured. The measurement system controls the polarization voltage of the capsule to adjust the sensitivity, so it is the same for all LCT 140 AIR. Then, an algorithm compares the measured frequency response of each microphone and finds perfect pairs. See ‘Know your microphone‘ for stereo recording techniques.

Specifications

• Type:  Condenser, permanently polarized
• Acoustical operating principle:  Pressure gradient transducer
• Transducer Ø:  17 mm, 0.67 in
• Diaphragm:  3 micron gold sputtered Mylar
• Polar pattern: Cardioid
• Frequency range:  20 … 20,000 Hz
• Sensitivity:  14.6 mV/Pa, -36.7 dBV/Pa
• Self-noise:  20 dB (A)
• Max. SPL for 0.5 % THD: 135 dBSPL
• Dynamic range: 115 dB (A)
• Attenuation:  0 dB,  -12 dB
• Low-cut filter: linear  80 Hz (12 dB/oct)
• Internal impedance:  173 Ω
• Supply voltage: 48 V ± 4 V
• Current consumption: 7.2 mA
• Connector:  Gold plated 3-pin XLR
• Microphone dimensions:  24 dia. x 140 mm, 0.9 dia. x 5.5 in

Image: FLAT frequency response

Image: AIR frequency response

Image: Polar graph (Cardioid)

Studio setup

For stereo recordings I use the Gravity MS STB 01 Pro stereo array microphone bar on top of the Gravity GMS4222B short microphone stand.

References

• Review (SoundOnSound)
• back-electret mics (SoundOnSound)