Sontronics Mercury

Unlike standard microphones with fixed settings like cardioid or omni, the Mercury allows you to dial in any pattern between omnidirectional and figure-of-eight. This gives you precise control over how much room ambience you capture, allowing you to fine-tune the microphone's response to perfectly suit the specific acoustic environment or instrument you are recording.

The Mercury comes with its own dedicated external power supply unit (SPS-2), which handles the power requirements for the valve. You can connect the output of this power supply to any standard high-quality microphone preamp or audio interface input using a standard XLR cable.

The 12AT7/ECC81 valve adds a subtle, musical warmth and harmonic richness to the signal that solid-state microphones often lack. It provides a smooth, vintage-inspired character that is particularly effective at taming harsh high frequencies on vocals or adding depth to acoustic instruments.

Yes, it is capable of handling sound pressure levels up to 125dB. For particularly loud sources, you can engage the -10dB pad to prevent clipping and ensure a clean signal path.

The Mercury ships as a complete package, including a dedicated power supply unit, a high-quality shockmount to isolate the microphone from vibrations, and a sturdy flightcase to keep everything protected during storage or transport.

Despite its valve circuitry, the Mercury is engineered for very quiet operation with an equivalent noise level of less than 14dB. This makes it clean enough for critical studio applications, including delicate vocal takes or quiet acoustic passages.