Neat Worker Bee review

The King's little brother

  • £149
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MusicRadar Verdict

Overall, this mic is aptly named - as a utility mic to have around in the studio it will be busy.

Pros

  • +

    Good price.

Cons

  • -

    Lacking a little warmth.

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The less expensive Worker Bee bears a massive resemblance to its King Bee sibling, including having the same 'Beekeeper' suspension mount and 'Honeycomb' popshield, but its body is about half the length.

Technically it's a different mic too - the capsule is smaller at 24mm, and the design could be classified as a back-electret condenser. With its cardioid polar pattern, the potential applications remain similar, however.

On vocals the Worker Bee has a top-end that isn't too different to the King Bee; a little less zingy perhaps, but the bottom-end isn't quite so full, lacking some of the warmth of its sibling that could be exploited on a male vocal or voice-over.

That carries over to acoustic guitar where the captured sound is a little darker. With the ability to handle SPLs up to 145dB, we found the Worker Bee did a lovely job on a loud guitar cabinet and feel it would be a useful mic to have around to play a part in micing up a drum kit.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.