3 Zigma Free Field Omni Cap

3 Zigma Audio CHI System Description

The CHI is designed to be an extremely flexible platform offering the demanding engineer a range of sounds going from the most classic vintage toned capsules to the most true to the source, "straight wire", modern specs capsules. Made to be reliable and robust, this microphone system must be regarded as a long term investment, and one that can only grow: indeed, as you add more capsules and accessories, your CHI system will expand and offer more options thus enhancing your recording, helping you getting the sounds you're after in the studio and generally speaking, broadening your sound "palette" when recording.

The CHI head amp is a very neutral transformer-less impedance converter, simply fed by standard 48 Volts Phantom power. It has ample headroom, extremely low noise and is totally stable and perfectly shielded. The main strength of the CHI system lies in its flexibility: the transparent head amp lets you pick the sound and behaviour of the capsule to form a combination which offers a sound ranging from transparent and unobtrusive (using the small diaphragm capsules) and flexible (many different polar responses) to obviously colored (any of the large diaphragm capsules). Let's now go over the capsules one by one.

3 Zigma Audio CHI System Capsule Features

LARGE DIAPHRAGM:

C-Lol-12: Designed with the C12* in mind, this capsule will give the CHI head amp the color of the vintage Austrian condenser which became a favorite for pop vocal recordings. Nice predictable polar pattern control with deep bass response.

C-Lol-47: Designed with the U47* in mind, this capsule will give the CHI head amp the color of the famous old German condenser which became a classic for mellow vocal recordings. More directional than a straight Cardioid, but still considered to be a Cardioid capsule. Can very "Robust" used close to the source.

C-Lol-67: Designed with the U67* in mind, this capsule will give the CHI head amp the color of the "other" famous old German condenser which became the first choice for "present" vocal recordings when the U47* didn't deliver enough HF information. Nice, even Cardioid response, with predictable proximity effect.

C-Lol-251: Designed as an alternative to the C12*, to emulate the ELAM 251* and its unique treble presence. The top octave has a unique 15K peak but the presence band peaks right in the middle of the vocal range. This is a perfect modern pop microphone. Like the C-Lol-12, it has a nice, even, Cardioid response, with gradual, predictable proximity effect.

SMALL DIAPHRAGM:

Cardioid: A very typical SD capsule, probably the one you'll use most often. Straight cardioids pattern with nice, flat frequency response with only minimal treble peak, giving a very true and neutral sound with just enough reach and directionality for most jobs. The proximity effect is totally predictable.

Hypercardioid: A more directional version of the Cardioid capsule, with more proximity effect. The treble response is still very realistic and to some people, will actually sound more "real" than the cardioid.

Omni, available with:

Diffuse Field response: to be used when a relatively flat treble is required off axis, for instance when the sound of the room needs to be accurately represented (darker source).

Free Field response: to be used when a relatively flat treble is required on axis, for instance when the source needs to be accurately represented (darker room sound).

3 Zigma CHI Review / See All ZenPro Audio Reviews Here: Review Page When Larry first contacted me about the 3 Zigma system I was very excited, then got to check them out at the AES show before their release (they were blank bodies and capsules but intriguing). I placed my order to become one of the only dealers for this line and was pleasantly taken back by these mics! There are a few things to realize: the preamp bodies are extremely low noise, the “AU” capsules smooth in response, and for the most part their voicings match your expectations. The 67 has a smooth midrange and gentle top, with a tight bottom end response that isn’t huge but is full. The 47 is actually somewhat bright-ish for a 47 themed capsule, but does have the somewhat enhanced low / low-mid response thing happening. The 12 has a gentle top lift, bigger bottom and mids that are slightly back. The 251 is smooth, present sound that never gets too edge-y, with a rich midrange and bigger bottom sound. The 251 capsule is the most unique, a different design than the other 3 capsules (hence the higher cost too). The 251 employs a 3 micron design (!), the other are 6 micron. I love swappable capsule systems, and the 3 Zigma is a lot of sound for the money. I will admit they don’t necessarily “look” high end (they are certainly attractive enough though) but they deliver on sound. When I first received them I immediately brought them to a local studio where the owner has an original pair of C12A tube mics. His words not mine: “you can literally do punch ins between the 251 3 Zigma capsule and my C12A mics, the tone and response is dead on, but the noise floor is lower on the new solid state mics”. We were amazed at the sound quality achieved, and enjoyed the different capsules for what they stood for. Conclusion: At a very nice price, these smooth AU capsules can now be had in a lollipop swappable format and I find them to exceed “bang for the buck” expectations. Warren Dent / ZenPro Audio