Equipment Spotlight

Lomo 19A19 by Martin Jenkins

The Russian electronics giant, LOMO, have been producing their 19A series of microphones since the 1950s, and the series has since become firmly in demand across the recording industry, due to their status as somewhat of a rarity.

The rather unusual looking 19A19, is a condenser valve microphone designed for film, TV, and radio studios. It is a noticeably quiet microphone that gives the resulting sound a very vintage feel, which has been widely appreciated by engineers and musicians for decades. Pink Floyd are notable fans having amassed a collection of 12 19A19 units.

Technical Data:

Working Frequency Range: 40 - 16 000 Hz
Patterns: Cardioid
Sensitivity at nominal load resistance of 1000 Ohm at 1KHz: 13 m/sq.m/n
Equivalent noise level A-weighted: max 17 dB


So now you know the facts, but what about a professional opinion? Well youÕd be simply foolish to ask for mine; it would be somewhat ingenious though to ask for Martin Jenkins'. Over to Martin...

I'll start by stating that although the construction looks very cheap, it is in fact, a very high quality microphone. You just need to be careful, as the accessories all have a very 'home made' quality to them. However, the sound instantly makes you forget about the build quality.

Unusually, for a large diaphragm capsule, the 19A19 is a front address mic, which explains the unusual shape. It has a very 60's futurist look to it!

Using the 19A19 on female voice, gave a shiny quality to the top end, without sounding forced. The mids also gained a 'papery' (hard to explain, although this is a compliment), almost compressed quality which I liked. It reminds me of a slightly thicker sounding U47. Paired with the Neve pre-amp, this is a great combination for vocals, and I look forward to trying it on other instruments.

Thanks Martin. So now you know (in case you didn't). A test will take place next week in the kitchen at Leroy Street, Friday afternoon 2:00pm. Absentees and latecomers will be punished accordingly.