Designed and engineered in Vienna, and proud heirs of the Austrian microphone technology and AKG tradition, Lewitt is also a manufacturer that looks forward, trying to set new standards in sound capture and design alternatives to traditional technologies. Founded in January 2010 by Roman Perschon, Lewitt combines in-house engineering capabilities that have been demonstrated with a series of truly innovative designs that make up its product catalog. Now focusing on live sound, the new MTP W950 modular microphone combines its studio technology with a series of design features intended to provide superior vocal clarity for artists singing on stage, and improved results for the live sound engineer.
To ensure its superior vocal and speech quality, the Lewitt MTP W950 uses a 1-inch true condenser capsule — a technology normally used in the studio. Popular stage microphone choices using condenser capsules, including Neumann's KSM 104/105 or even the more recent DPA d:facto 4018 use smaller diaphragms - 18mm and 19mm, respectively, compared to 25.4mm in the W950. This capsule is a refinement of the already excellent 1" ultra-thin, gold-layered diaphragm used in the Lewitt MTP 940 CM microphone, which is proven for both on stage and studio use, thanks to a unique suspension that provides a high degree of shock resistance and effectively minimizes structure-borne noise.
The W950 takes that design even further with a particular perforated shield that further optimizes the response. A larger capsule used on stage requires a lot of careful design in order to avoid the trade-offs between the increased sensitivity and susceptibility to bleed and feedback. With an extreme rear rejection throughout its entire frequency range, Lewitt says it was able to extract the full sound potential of this new capsule while being safe from feedback and reducing bleed to an absolute minimum, even on loud stages.
Unscrewing the top part of the microphone mesh allows users to choose between cardioid and supercardioid polar patterns, switch-on a 120Hz low-cut filter and a 12dB attenuation to deal with loud singers or adapt the capsule to the rest of the signal chain. The protective mesh dual-layer design makes the MTP W950 more immune to wind and pop noise and protects the capsule from condensation with a protective drip guard layer. And using another Lewitt design feature, the cupping-safe design, known from other Lewitt MTP live vocal microphones, avoids tonal coloration when musicians grip directly over the head basket.
Lewitt product manager and project leader Roman Jagl is a touring sound engineer with over 20 years of experience, and his expertise and field testing were essential to directly address the weak points of available live microphones and solve them with these innovative design features.
"It is interesting to develop a new and innovative product for a field that you’re so familiar with. I have witnessed all the big steps forward in live sound, and I am confident that this microphone is one of them. While testing it over the last months on tour, every colleague I met immediately asked – when can I get one," Roman comments. "We at Lewitt would also be interested in getting your input and feedback before the planned release. That’s why we invite professional live sound engineers to participate in our beta testing program."
Another important aspect of the new MTP W950 design was the modularity. The microphone capsule can be detached from the XLR-equipped handle and is compatible with industry-standard wireless systems of different brands. This is essential for flexibility on the road and different sound systems. The thread and electronics are compatible with a variety of wireless transmitters including all Shure compatible systems.
The MTP W950 modular microphone system is scheduled to be available in Q4 2022, following the beta testing of microphones this Summer.
www.Lewitt-audio.com
