In this Behringer ECM8000 review, we’ll get to better understand the purpose of this measurement microphone and its importance.
Behringer ECM8000 Review
The Behringer ECM8000 is a specialized omnidirectional condenser microphone for measuring room equalization. It’s used in tandem with a real-time analyzer, such as Behringer’s own Ultracurve hardware unit, or room calibration software like Sonarworks Reference or IK Multimedia’s ARC system.
Even treated spaces can have their quirks, so the ECM8000 is a great tool to better understand how your room “sounds.” Some frequencies might resonate and appear louder, while others cancel out and appear quieter. Knowing your room takes all of the guesswork out of mixing, and can ultimately improve the quality of your work.
Measurement mics like the ECM8000 are perfect for live sound systems as well. In fact, they’re almost essential. Once you’ve analyzed the venue, you can make adjustments on a graphic equalizer to flatten out your system’s frequency response. Complete live sound reinforcement setups almost always have a graphic EQ for this exact purpose.
In use, the Behringer ECM8000 does exactly what it says. The process is incredibly smooth with IK’s ARC software, for instance — just plug the ECM8000 into your interface, launch the software, and follow the step-by-step guide. After about ten minutes, you’ll have profiles of your room’s acoustics, and you can put the software on your master bus in your DAW to compensate for room deficiencies.
You’ll occasionally see engineers using measurement mics for actual recording purposes; you might find that the ECM8000 works for that as well!
Frequency Response of the ECM8000 Measurement Mic
Part of what makes the Behringer ECM8000 such a specialized tool is its ultra-flat frequency response. It’s specifically designed to not color the sound in any way; because again, we’re using it for precise measurement and calibration. You’ll see in the graph that’s it almost completely flat from as low as 15 Hz all the way to 20 kHz. So rest assured, Behringer made a colorless condenser microphone for detailed analysis.
Conclusion: Behringer ECM8000 Review
For just $29, the Behringer ECM8000 is an incredible value and can really make a definitive difference in your work. Just don’t forget you’ll need to pair it with analysis software, but when it’s all said and done, that will still be significantly cheaper than comprehensive, professional acoustic treatment. We’ve had a fantastic experience with Sonarworks in the past, which we would recommend alongside the great stuff from IK Multimedia.
In fact, you might even check out Room EQ Wizard — free acoustics software. That means you can shoot your room with the ECM8000 for 30 bucks, and potentially get much better results on future mixes.