CV-12

Multi Pattern Large Capsule Tube Microphone

CV-12 Multi Pattern Large Capsule Tube Microphone

The AVANTONE “Cabernet (C-series)” mics from AVANT ELECTRONICS are designed to offer true professional performance. They will meet or surpass the performance and specifications of much higher priced mics.

The AVANTONE CV-12 is truly a gorgeous looking and sounding microphone. The design, character and performance can be compared directly to some of the very finest vintage tube vocal mics….but at a fraction of their cost!

Our rugged CV-12 microphone body and capsule assembly are precision machined of BRASS.

Aesthetically, it features an elegant Cabernet Wine-Red finish, accented with polished nickel trim and grill.

The transformer coupled tube circuitry has its origins in famous European vintage designs.

The CV-12 in its normal stock version uses high grade Metalized Polypropylene capacitors in the audio path. This represents our commitment to quality as these normally are the type of components that are implemented by microphone modder/hot-rodders !

Any studio can proudly offer the CV-12 as a primary vocal mic…It exudes class visually as well as sonically.

Manufactured using the finest materials yielding a very solid feel, superb structural integrity and rugged reliability.

The versatile CV-12 mic is able to produce professional results with a warm, pleasing sonic character.

The included Custom Retro Shockmount is superb in allowing a precise positioning of the mic while inhibiting the transfer of unwanted vibrations up into the mic. This isolation allows for superior professional results.

9-Pattern Tube Microphone w/ dual 32mm gold sputtered thin Mylar capsules

-10 dB pad & 80 Hz LF metal roll off toggle switches
"HAND SELECTED" Russian made 6072A Tube

Each CV-12 Mic comes in wooden mic box

Uses Include

Studio vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, drum overheads, room mic, piano

Standard Included Items:

Output Impedance: <=250 Ohms / transformer isolated
Maximum SPL : 136dB (0.5% THD @1000Hz) 146dB with pad engaged
Equivalent noise level : <17dB
S/N Ratio 78dB
Sensitivity: -35dB
Output Connector: Male XLR 7 pin w/ special power supply & cables
Included Accessories: Padded  Wooden Box, Shockmount, Metal road case
Tube Type: 6072A
High-Pass Switch 80 Hz 6dB/octave Switch
Attenuation Switch -10dB Switch
Finish: Polished Nickel trim / Metallic Cabernet Red Body
Weight: .8 kgs / 1.8 lbs
Dimensions: 237mm x 46mm  /  9.5" x 1.8"


"When you're producing a top country artist like Taylor Swift you can choose any microphone you want for the lead vocal, from vintage high-priced mics to the unimaginably rare that the top studios in Nashville have to offer. But I found the best sound and the most emotional microphone I could use for Taylor's lead vocal was the Avantone CV-12. I take it with me everywhere I record."
Nathan Chapman PRODUCER/ENGINEER (Taylor Swift, Amy Stroup, Jill Johnson, Lori McKenna, Dogwood, Stephanie Chapman, etc.) "Occasionally a piece of equipment shows up that brings real quality to the marketplace at an affordable price. Avant Electronics has done exactly that with the CV12 and CV 28 microphones. In fact, I can't remember something so good being so affordable. These mics sound terrific, are robustly built, and look great to boot. These are wonderful mics, affordable within any budget. They hold their own with my U48, C24, and other high end microphones which are twenty times more expensive!"
Tony Berg PRODUCER (Pete Yorn, Nickel Creek, Michael Penn, Squeeze, Edie Brickell, etc.) "I wanted to tell you how much I like the CV-12…The CV-12 stands out as one of my first 'go to' mics for vocals in my collection…. a solid winner on both my female and male singers…The CV-12 has a very warm sound especially good for vocals that tend toward the shrill side. I like the very slight presence boost--not too bright like some tube condenser mics... Everything about this mic is first class."
Barry Rudolph PRODUCER/ENGINEER (Rod Stewart, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Corrs. etc) "I am very picky about vocal mics & have been a Neumann snob for over 10 years, but now the CV-12 is all I'm using. More detail/ no honk."
Jon Tiven PRODUCER/SONGWRITER (BB King, Robert Plant, Wilson Pickett, PF Sloan, Howard Tate, etc) "We just A/B’d our Avantone CV-12 mic against my vintage Neumann U-47, AKG C-12 & AKG C12A tube mics and found the CV-12 to have a much better presence and better bottom end with a “friendly body” to its sound without too much coloration. The CV-12 has proven to be very “mic-pre friendly” which makes my job easier so I can spend more time capturing great vocal performances."
Chuck Alkazian PRODUCER/ENGINEER (Mitch Ryder, Sponge, R. Kelly, Christina Aguilera, Old 97’s, Pop Evil

Review by Barry Rudolph

Avantone CV-12 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone Avant Electronics of Upland, CA has a new line of studio tube condenser microphones whose feature set and level of professional build-quality belie their lower cost. I received the CV-12--a beautiful-looking mic with an all brass body finished in a Cabernet (deep red) color and polished nickel-plated trim. The mic uses dual 32mm, gold-sputtered capsules for up to nine different polar patterns set remotely at the included power supply. You can switch the mic between cardioid, omnidirectional, figure of eight or any of six 'in-between' patterns. This is an excellent (usually optional) feature for recording vocals, string sections, choirs or assemblies of both musicians and singers.

The 110/220volt PS-12 power supply connects by way of a 20-foot, seven pin XLR cable. Everything about this mic is first class from the padded wooden carrying case for the mic itself to the excellent Avantone custom Retro shock mount and the well-padded aluminum travel case that holds the entire kit.

In the studio I found the CV-12 wonderfully warm and fat sounding. First, I used it for backing vocals with it set to a very wide (almost omni) pattern. My singing group always sounded balanced--like they did out in the studio. This is not one of those new mics that is just brighter than other mics. With the 6072 tube  it had only a very slight presence increase that didn't seem to heighten my singers' shrill moments. Next were lead vocals using a tighter cardioid pattern--again a solid winner on both my female and male singers. I did have to add +2dB of upper mid-range  just to compete with my noisy, percussive track.

Review by Christopher Walsh

With her second album, Fearless, Taylor Swift has emerged as country music's newest superstar. Singing with a maturity beyond her 18 years, Swift has also demonstrated outstanding songwriting ability, writing or co-writing every track on both albums.

"Love Story" features all that and an irresistible melody, too. With co-producer Nathan Chapman, tracking engineer Chad Carlson and mix engineer Justin Niebank, Swift created "Love Story" at Blackbird Studio in Nashville (featured in last month's cover story, "Tools of the Town: Gear Trends in Nashville"). Tracking took place in the API Legacy Plus-equipped Studio D; Niebank mixed on the Solid State Logic 9080 K Series console in Studio F. In between, overdubs took place in Studio E.

Swift sang into an Avantone CV-12 multi-pattern tube microphone from Avant Electronics. It has a new old stock tube that the engineer Ray Kennedy put in it for me, Chapman explains. I've tried a lot of different mics on Taylor; I had that mic on loan from Ray as a 'try this for a while' mic, and Taylor came to the house to do a radio edit on one of her songs from the first album. When she put on the headphones and said, 'Test,' completely unprompted, she said, 'This is my mic. I love this mic. I just wanna use this one from now on!' She had no idea what it was, just loved it, and I went along with something that felt right for her. We've been using it ever since, and it sounds great on her voice.

The vocal was a tracking vocal — that's the vocal she cut live with the band, Chapman reveals. The band was just acoustic guitar, bass and drums; everything else was overdubbed.

I pulled Justin Niebank's stems into my laptop and used [Apple] Logic to do the pop version, Chapman continues. I did the mix tweaks and new parts on my laptop. I muted the country instruments and added the elements that you can hear in the pop version — banjo, fiddle, electric guitar. The pop version's opening beat is a Logic loop in the Ultrabeat beat generator. All the new electric guitars were done with the Amplitube Stomp I/O. I think there are nine acoustic guitars on that track, and I stacked several background vocals — me singing, 'Ah's.

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