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LCT 540 SUBZERO
Better than human hearing
Cutting-edge microphone for ultra-detailed sound images.
The engineering of this particular piece of cutting-edge audio technology asked for a forward-thinking approach towards capsule and circuit design. As a result, a way of experiencing sound at infinite depth and absolute precision came to life; its name, the LCT 540 SUBZERO. Get involved with tone and sound in ways unheard and bring your recordings to perfection by capturing all the fine-grained characteristics that constitute each moment of your performance. Rediscover your instrument and voice on a whole new level of musical detail.
// 1" true condenser studio microphone with cardioid polar pattern
// Developed in close cooperation with world-renowned producers and audio engineers
// First and foremost designed to be an outstanding vocal microphone.
// Naturally, thanks to its specifications, it is suitable for almost any application.
Better than human hearing
Unique self-noise architecture
To see how good our hearing is in a purely technical way we can look at the threshold of hearing. Bear in mind that our hearing threshold is very frequency dependent. Human hearing is less sensitive towards low and very high frequencies and most sensitive around 2 – 5 kHz. Comparing the hearing threshold to the self-noise values of the LCT 540 SUBZERO, you can clearly see that our microphone is always below the threshold of hearing. The entire frequency spectrum is important, here, because looking at a microphone’s self-noise as a single value just isn’t detailed enough when discussing high-end sound transducers. More detailed information: Better than human hearing
Push it to the limit
With 9900 pounds of measurement
The better the microphone, the more difficult self-noise measurement gets. You need a place where no outside noise will interfere with the measurement result. This is especially difficult for lower frequencies. To measure the self-noise of the LCT 540 SUBZERO, we needed to build a unique measurement device that is more than ten times more massive than conventional ones, weighing over 4500 kg or 9900 pounds in total. It heavily dampens frequencies up to a 1/10,000th of their sound pressure. The whole frequency range of a microphone from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz is dampened by 60 dB, up to 80 dB on the higher frequencies.
The tip of the iceberg
Why is low self-noise important?
When you climb a mountain, and the weather is clear, your reward is a fantastic view. If it is partly cloudy or foggy, the payoff is profoundly reduced. The same goes for recording. Some peaks stick out of the noise floor (fog), but if you remove as much noise as possible, you will be rewarded with details that were buried before. This microphone can pick up the subtlest details in vocals or instruments, an almost inaudible whispering can be pushed up and sound crystal clear. Many noise issues only reveal themselves in post-production. Once you start compressing the signals a previously inaudible noise floor can appear; not with the LCT 540 SUBZERO.
The LCT 540 SUBZERO captures every sound source with absolute precision - because it is built with absolute precision; not even the tiniest detail of your recorded source will get lost. To guarantee its ultra-resolution sound and first-class sonic imaging, every 3 μm gold-sputtered, 1" Mylar diaphragm underlies the strictest quality controls.
Produce Like a Pro
“What better way to test out a new mic than to record a full song using ONLY THIS ONE MIC! The song we recorded only using the Lewitt LCT 540 Subzero is called “Nothing I Can Say.” I wrote this song with Buck Johnson, Aerosmith’s keyboard player (before he was Aerosmith’s keyboard player!) In this version of the song we have Matt Starr (Mr. Big, Ace Frehley) on drums and myself playing the rest of the tracks!”
Specifications
- Acoustical operating principle
Pressure gradient transducer, externally polarized
- Diaphragm
3 micron gold sputtered Mylar
- Transducer Ø
25.4 mm, 1 in
- Polar pattern
Cardioid
- Sensitivity
41 mV/Pa, -28 dBV/Pa
- Equivalent noise level
4 dB (A)
- Max. SPL for 0.5 % THD
136 dBSPL, 0 dB pre-attenuation
- Signal / noise ratio
90 dB (A)
- Dynamic range
132 dB (A)
- Pre-attenuation pad
0 dB
-6 dB
-12 dB
- Low-cut filter
linear
80 Hz (6 dB/oct)
160 Hz (6 dB/oct)
- Internal impedance
68 Ω
- Supply voltage
48 V ± 4 V
- Current consumption
3.6 mA
- Mic enclosure
Zinc die cast
- Connector
Gold plated 3-pin XLR
- Microphone dimensions
158 x 52 x 36 mm, 6.22 x 2.04 x 1.42 in
- Microphone net weight
371 g, 13.1 oz
Microphones measured according to: IEC 60268-4
Phantom power according to: IEC 61938
Noise measurement according to: IEC 60268-1
Related content
Recording a full song with the LCT 540 S
Produce Like A Pro
05/04/2018 - 09:07
Warren Huart of Produce Like A Pro recently recorded a full song using ONLY the LCT 540 S, to show how the microphone sounds on a variety of appli
LCT 540 S Field Recording Diary
By Daniel Meuser
02/06/2018 - 10:27
My name is Daniel Meuser and I’m a fully qualified audio engineer and sound designer from Mainz, Germany. I’m specialized in interactive audio, sound design for games, and field recording. The last project I was involved in was “Crytek’s Hunt: The Showdown”, which will be released as an early-access title somewhere around the first quarter of 2018.
LCT 540 S Field Recording Diary II
By Daniel Meuser
05/29/2018 - 08:41
Welcome back to the second part of my Field Recording Diary. This time, I’ve been heavily involved in sound design for motion pictures.
Here are the two projects I’d like to talk about:
Review LCT 540 S
Pro Tools Expert
05/04/2018 - 09:44
In this video review, Pro Tools Expert Technical Editor James Ivey takes a look at the LCT 540 S and shows you some of the key features of the mic. Then he lets you hear how it sounds on drum overheads and nylon as well as steel string acoustic guitars in a short demo track.
Review LCT 540 S
Gearslutz
04/27/2018 - 12:04
We want to thank Andrea Rocca for publishing this revealing review of the LCT 540 S on Gearslutz, inclusive great acoustic guitar, vocal, voiceover and dulcimer sound samples.
Reviews LCT 540 S
Magazine Roundup
01/20/2018 - 13:53
These days, product reviews in forums, on shopping sites, and in magazines can help to find out more details about the desired product. So, to make it easier for you to get an overview of these reviews, we did a little roundup on the LCT 540 S. Happy reading!
Recording Magazine:
