We recently spent a day with the students at Abbey Road Institute London, leading a hands-on microphone masterclass inside the iconic Angel One studio. Our aim was to give students a clear, practical understanding of how microphone choice shapes both tone and creative direction in a real recording environment.
Led by Chris Cook and Miles from the Sontronics team, the session focused on helping students move beyond spec sheets and start listening critically, understanding not just what a microphone does, but why it sounds the way it does.
Exploring the Fundamentals of Mic Selection
The session began with an introduction to the principles behind effective microphone choice. Chris and Miles broke down the technical factors that influence microphone behaviour, including how different capsule designs, valve and FET circuits, and frequency responses shape the way a mic reacts to a performer and a space.
Students were encouraged to think not only about the technical data, such as frequency response, sensitivity, equivalent noise and max SPL, but also how those specs translate into sonic character when applied in a real session.
To reinforce this, we ran a blind listening exercise using recordings captured in Angel One. Students compared multiple Sontronics models and polar patterns without seeing the microphones, focusing purely on tone, clarity and feel. It was a simple but powerful way to highlight how subtle design choices reveal themselves through listening rather than labels.
One student, Madi C., summed up this part of the day perfectly:
"I loved experiencing the characteristics of each mic first-hand and learning from the company how they are continuing to innovate in this new digital age of recording."
Hands-On Recording in Angel One
The heart of the day was the hands-on session, where students applied what they’d learned in a live recording environment. Working with a range of Sontronics microphones, like the ARIA 2, MERCURY and SIGMA 2, they captured vocal performances while experimenting with polar patterns, proximity and mic placement, hearing in real time how each adjustment changed the tone, texture and presence of the recording..
This practical work resonated strongly with Alene, the Sontronics Scholarship Winner, who shared:
"It was awesome to hear all the different microphones in action! After listening to and comparing their sounds, I feel much more knowledgeable about which microphone to choose. It was such a cool experience to have with my classmates."
Her experience captured exactly what the session was designed to offer, confidence, curiosity and a better understanding of how to use microphones as creative tools.
A Shared Goal
This masterclass gave Abbey Road Institute students the opportunity to work with professional tools, guided by the thinking and real-world experience behind them. For Sontronics, it was a chance to support the next generation of producers and engineers while sharing the craft and philosophy that sit at the heart of our microphones.
Both Sontronics and Abbey Road Institute share a commitment to nurturing talent, celebrating creativity and giving students the tools to create work that’s both heard and felt. We’re already looking forward to future sessions together.