Soyuz 017 FET Large-diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone

Big, Classic Large-diaphragm FET Condenser Sound

Sweetwater is excited to present you with another valuable tool in your quest to make better-sounding recordings. The Soyuz 017 FET large-diaphragm condenser microphone includes an interchangeable lollipop-style cardioid capsule with a hand-tuned, gold-sputtered 34mm diaphragm. Like all Soyuz microphones, the 017 FET is handcrafted in Russia. The body and capsules are manually machined; transformers are wound in-house; and the handwiring is point-to-point. The 017 FET delivers the big, classic condenser mic sound that makes your recordings come to life.

Warmth, dimension, and detail

The 017 FET’s handmade capsule makes these high-performance microphones the perfect choice when warmth, dimension, and detail are critical. The exceptional clarity and silky-smooth top end make the 017 FET ideal for capturing the subtle nuances of vocals, strings, and other complex instruments with challenging transients and sonics that span the full frequency spectrum. For louder sources, optional 10, 15, and 20dB pads are available that screw in between the capsule and electronics. So yes — the capsules are interchangeable, which makes the Soyuz 017 FET a super-versatile, well-rounded performer in the studio and onstage.

S17 capsule

Collectively, the engineers at Soyuz have spent decades studying, servicing, and building classic microphones; this unique pool of knowledge, craft, and skill — combined with the golden ears of numerous musicians, producers, and audio engineers — has culminated in the creation of the custom S17 capsule used in the 017 Series. Based on the legendary K67 capsule developed in 1960, Soyuz has further modified the design to achieve an airy yet accurate high end, elegantly smooth midrange presence, and a robust but balanced bottom end.

From Russia with love

The Russian word soyuz means “alliance,” and it signifies the partnership that is the driving force behind Soyuz Microphones. In 2013 American vocalist David Arthur Brown and Russian entrepreneur Pavel Bazdyrev teamed up and launched a company to build world-class microphones in Russia. Soyuz now has 20 full-time employees, and Soyuz microphones are being used by top engineers and producers and have been adopted by artists such as Coldplay, Radiohead, the Lumineers, and Paramore.

What’s in your mic locker?

Among the most cherished assets of any world-class recording studio are its microphones. Take a peek in the mic locker, and you will almost certainly find vintage European tube and FET models made in the 1950s, ’60s, or ’70s. The “human-touch” manufacturing methods and discrete handwired circuitry of that era yielded microphones with sonic characteristics that are distinctly different from modern computer-assisted designs. Soyuz’s original tube and FET microphone designs — while not clones of vintage models — are produced in the old-school way, using manual lathes and drill presses and leveraging the former Soviet Union’s rich technological legacy as a foundation. So what’s in your mic locker? The answer will determine the sound of your recordings.