Competition : Buy a pair of HDV-1 valve mics for the price of a single mic if you can answer this question with humour

What does Diabate mean? Answers to sales@harperdiabate.com ....

The winner will be notified when the best answer arrives that makes us laugh/smile the most. These mics have been discontinued and we will enjoy watching them become a rareity!

Microphone Reviews

Harper-Diabate Microphones are currently being used, tested, bought by the names below with those endorsing the microphones marked. For quotes and reviews click here or see below.

Sound-on-Sound, Paul White 'the HDR-1 won't disappoint as it nails that magic ribbon sound, it looks great and it is surprisingly affordable'

'the HDV-has a useful combination of warmth and presence, it certainly offers good valueand it is capable of great results too.'

Paul Corkett (The Cure, Portishead, Nick Cave etc - Moles Studio Bath)

Paul officially endorses and uses our mics

'The HDR-1 has a great sound. It translates what I want to hear without over-colouring the top or bottom end. It is very natural and retains the character of the instruments'

'The HDV-1 responds extremely well even against mics of a much higher price bracket'

They were also featured in Nov'06 Computer Music magazine - Future Publishing 'get them whilst they're hot'

And reviewed in Dec'06 Future Music gaining 9's out of 10 and 7th in top 10 gear recommendation plus the Future Value Award (download reviews below)

Joie Hinton (Eat Static, The Ozric Tentacles, Inverse Gravity Vehicle) also officially endorses and uses our mics

'The HDV-1 really helps us to bring out Deb's lushness and reverberant vocals when recording the new Inverse Gravity Vehicle project. A great tool in the production process which has also been performing well with guitars and other instruments.' Joie

Dubulah (Transglobal Underground, Natasha Atlas, Temple of Sound, Realworld) officially uses and endorses our mics

HRR-1 'I`ve got to have this mic.'

HRV-1 'A very versatile microphone indeed , for vocals and instruments ,accurate ,robust and extremely high quality sound.'

Full review by Dubulah below, others from Future Music and Realworld Studios also below:

Baba Maal (Baba was the first client purchasing an HDV-1 and an HDR-1 to take out to his studio in Senegal and use on his new album - thoroughly impressed - photos to come)

Olympic Studios / Steven Street (Radiohead, The Smiths, Kaiser Chiefs etc - really impressed with them in many areas)

Intimate Studios (really like the ribbon and liked the valve but found the ribbon to have the biggest cut above the rest)

Raw State (our service suppliers) - the local studio guru really liked the valve mic ponting out that the cradle which looks and builds just like the neumann could act as a neumann spare, with a free high quality valve mic given the price of the set costs the same a one neumann replacement cradle! he is about to launch into trying our ribbon mic

Baka Beyond liked the results of using the ribbon and valve mic recently and bought one of each

Banco de Gaia (getting ready to test them)

Ozric Tentacles (Ed enjoying them on his guitars etc and used them extnesively on the new Oztics album)

Eat Static (Merv enjoying them on vocals)

Chris Hughes (Tears for Fears, Adam and the Ants - testing them for us)

Steve Evans (Siouxsie Sioux, Robert Plant, Proclaimers, Massive Attack - enjoying the valve and working out a niche for the ribbon)

Realworld Studios (review below)

NAM Studios (The Mission, Robert Plant, KT Tunstall etc Greg Freeman liking the mics on drums and others)

Peter Gabriel (has one to try on his vocals but prefered his high end Sony (see we are honest!)

Invisible System (using them for production)

Zion Train (to test)

To read the Future Music reviews of our mics click below:

HDV-1 (right click (pc) / alt/ctrl click (mac) to download)

HDR-1 (right click (pc) / alt/ctrl click (mac) to download)

Review of HD Mics by Dubulah (Nick Page) - (Transglobal Underground, Natasha Atlas, Temple of Sound)

I tested the two Harper Diabate microphones

First , the Harper Diabate Double Ribbon Mic

I tried this, the first ever Anglo/Malian Ribbon mic (made in china) with a m audio 18/14 interface...

First up , tried vocal recording..

1/ A great sound , very 1940`s - 50s.. would be good for group backing vocals in the middle eastern style , or do-wop...or spoken word...
Not sure about how it would deal with a rip roaring rock vocal though.

2/ for next test , recorded a very good turkish oud ( lute ) ..
what a great sound , accurate detail and classic characteristics quite unlike any mic sound I have heard ...suits nylon string instruments very well.

3/ Recorded Qanun Virtuoso Abdullah Chhadeh through a TLA ivory valve
compressor ..
A kanun is a trapezoidal zither with 81 strings .. not easy to record.
This was a revelation..
He and I thought it sounded like a recording from 1950s..fantastic..
I love this sound.Very accurate detail in the recorded sound , and timeless tonal characteristics..

CONCLUSION
I`ve got to have this mic.

The Harper/Diabate Valve Mic

1/ first I recorded a vocal..using for cpmparison a Groove Tubes GT66..
It has a higher output and is brighter then the GT 66...
and sounds very good indeed.
In onni mode , is fantastic !

2/ Recorded Bernard O`Neill 5 string Double Bass with mic through TLS ivory
cpmpressor
(and a DI through compressor as well..)
Very robust , recorded beautifully in cardiod mode....Handled the very low
notes easily
( down to a low B )

3/ recorded a Riq and a Daf ( arabic tambourine and frame drum ) in omni
mode..
tremendous sound.

4/ Recorded Abdullah Chhadeh playing Kanun again...fantastic quality for
modern recording..but I prefer the ribbon mic..for character !
CONCLUSION
A very versatile microphone indeed , for vocals and instruments ,accurate ,
robust and extremely high quality sound .

Nick Page (Temple of Sound/Transglobal Underground/Natasha Atlas)

Realworld Studios Review

HDV-1

Tested on ac. guitar
and vocals, it showed a decent sensitivity and an overall useable
tone for a microphone of its kind, albeit with a slight tendency to
be on the bright side. Also, it felt comfortable on vocals. It's a
mic that I would probably pick in the future as an alternative on
drums overheads, general ambience recording and possibly vocals. I
might come in handy to brighten up dull instruments, like nylon
guitar and other ethnic stringed instruments, and could also see some
use on percussion. Would like to test on piano, to check its response
to quick transients, and also to see how the bottom end could be rescued