The Reflexion Filter is a portable device for recording live sources with reduced room ambience. It is an advanced composite wall which is positioned behind any microphone by means of a variable position stand clamp assembly which ships with the product. The main function is to help obtain a ¡®dry¡¯ vocal or instrument recording. This is especially useful in studios without proper acoustic treatment, but can also be used to help record takes in control rooms, where the performer also has to operate the recorder, or in rehearsal studios to reduce ambient noise. The Reflexion Filter also helps prevent any reflected sound reaching the back and sides of the mic. Its shape and size have been carefully tested to maximize absorption while keeping ¡®coloration¡¯ down to only around 1dB, and leaving the microphone¡¯s polar pattern unaffected.
New from a not widely known Chinese microphone manufacturer is the Reflexion filter and I have to wonder why I have not seen this product before. I have of course, but only in it's very rudimentary stages of evolution back in the days of dark unknown recording studios out in the back of nowhere. Of course then it didn't have a posh name and certainly wasn't worth a picture, it was a basically a piece of cardboard ripped from the beer case or if you were in a posh studio a Threshers box of Australian specials. Possibly covered in foam or if a little dedication and commitment to the craft of recording then just maybe it was covered in a spare bit of oddly colored carpet. I am of course talking about the acoustic screen and over the years many a handcrafted wonder has been generated to eek out that extra little bit of separation or indeed dry up singers voice in an effort to achieve the ultimate vocal sound. It's kind of ironic that we spend so much time looking for that great recording room that has either a pure or character full ambience and then wander round looking for screens and any other absorbing material we can find to damp down the drums, cover over the amps and incase the singer. So I think we can safely say that love it or hate it a big part of modern recording is the ability to control ambience, which makes the acoustic screen or a carpet-covered piece of MDF king. Enter sE Electronics, founded by Mr. Siwei Zou a successful classical musician, conductor and composer form Shanghai. After working as a visiting scholar at the California Sonoma State University in 1987 where he also studied recording technology. Siwei returned to Shanghai University where he started work with local experts designing, building and testing a new range of microphones, which launched in Europe in 2003 and the following year the USA and hopefully I shall be putting some of those products under the spotlight later in the year. sE describe the Reflexion Filter as " a portable device for recording live sound sources with reduced room ambience" and that is basically it. However, they have made a few additions and upgrades. First of all it looks fantastic and extremely professional, I know this is a review of audio products but a lot of manufacturers seem to miss the idea that a lot of clients don't understand what the gear is or does but do appreciate equipment that is obviously professional looking and recording equipment doesn't get better looking than this. It is extremely well built it's not of touring strength but for average studio use you'll get many years worth of use. The Filter is made up of several distinct layers the first of which is the visible outer layer of impressive punched aluminum with the sE logo embossed onto it. This allows the sound waves to pass through albeit diffused into a second layer made up of absorptive wool. Next is a layer of aluminum foil, designed to dissipate energy and break up lower frequency waveforms. The fourth layer is good old-fashioned air, this is a fixed distant gap of air acting as an acoustic barrier all of which is held in place by securing rods that pass through the whole assembly. Next there is a further layer of wool before finally coming to the inner wall of punched aluminum. On the inside of the curve is a final main absorber with four formed pieces of "specialist acoustic absorptive material" which helps to diffuse and dissipate the sound waves before they hit the main filter. sE has provided a comprehensive system with which to mount your Filter and it comes complete with an assembly comprising of a clamp which attaches vertically to any standard microphone stand. On the assembly you can mount any standard fitting mic clip or shock mount the position of which can be changed both vertically and horizontally along the assembly. A bar attaches to the bottom of the Filter itself and is held in place with a nut, sE have thoughtfully included a spanner for this operation although a wingnut assembly would probably have been easier and would have dispensed with the need for tools. The filter can now be moved vertically to find the optimal position. A couple of times during my test period it struck me that a hinge on the bottom of the filter where it connects with it's mounting bar would have been very useful and allowed for much easier placement but then with a bit of ingenuity and a couple of mic stands nothing was impossible. sE describe the principal of the filter as a way of reducing sound waves hitting the walls of your recording space which in turn reduces the amount of unwanted room reflections which your microphone picks up. sE say that the filters "shape and size have been carefully tested to maximize absorption while keeping 'coloration' down to only around 1dB, and leaving the microphone's polar pattern unaffected". But what does that mean in the real world, well in basic terms things sound better! I have been thoroughly impressed by the damping affect the filter has and as a result have not limited it's use to just vocal recording. In fact, unless I am intentionally recording room ambience the filter has been at the heart of all my recent recordings. It is fairly hard to describe what it actually does to your recordings as everyone's use of it will be slightly different but I have been getting cleaner, clearer and more direct recording as a result. Placement and use is restricted by imagination alone, so far I have used on vocals of course and guitars both acoustic and electric. I have also managed to squeeze into a drum kit to cut down on spill for a hi-hat, although it did get a bit of a bashing on the top from the drummer. I can't sing its praises enough, especially with a current UK price of under two hundred pounds including VAT, I think it's a steal. Go and get one. ~Donal Hodgson 9. |
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