I put the Blackout Spark SL to test at Studio C at Musicians Institute (in Hollywood ,CA) using their API 1608 32-channel console.

First up was placing it in the shock mount and aiming it directly at and just four inches away from the center of the kit's snare drum. I am always looking for a proper condenser mic for snare drums; most engineers use dynamic mics and they have a sound. A good condenser picks up more of the drum in a full range and dynamic manner and without so much of the "compression effect" of a dynamic mic such as a Shure SM57.

For the close in recording of loud sounds, the Blackout Spark SL has a -20dB pad switch conveniently located right on its front or "hot" side. I liked the Spark SL's small size and even using the included shock mount, I was able to sneak it in in amongst the cymbal stands and other mic stands around the kit. Because it has a side-address capsule, I could easily place it with its XLR connector and cable pointed nearly straight down and out of the way. Instead pointing straight out the back of a stick mic such as a Neumann KM184

It sounded and worked perfectly without distortion to capture the big sound of a 5-inch Ludwig Black Beauty. I got a fat sound with some hi-hat leakage that blended well with the kit's overhead microphones. Switching in the on-board 100Hz high pass filter worked great to "slim down" the low frequencies picked up from this fat snare drum--it's a great option to have this filter at touch of switch right on the mic.

My next test was for a voice over recording and this time I set the Blackout Spark SL on a boom stand and got a clear, present and fat sound with a minimum gain settings from the API console. This is proving to be a very versatile microphone in the studio. Its small size and shock mount make it easy to integrate into podcast or gaming rooms and its all-black look is very elegant.