Most people I know will never bring their precious studio equipment out to their gigs in locations ranging from bars to outdoor venues. Oftentimes, studio-grade microphones are highly sensitive and really aren't built to withstand the terrible nature of live playing and touring. It's frustrating sometimes that you just can't replicate your studio sound live, with microphones playing a big factor. What could save people from frustration are microphones with studio sensitivity packed into a rugged package for live use, and this is what the AKG Perception Live Series is aiming at.

The Perception Live Series of microphones, which will be featured this September at PLASA, are based from AKG Perception studio microphones. This series consists of the P3 and P5 vocal microphones and the P2 and P4 instrument microphones. The P3 and P5 vocal microphones have cardioid and supercardioid polar pickup patterns respectively thereby giving good choices for use with vocalists. the P4 instrument mic is an all-purpose microphone for use with various instruments such as drums, wind instruments, and amplifiers. Finishing off the series is the P2, which has an integrated humbucking coil that is great for eliminating interfering frequencies.

The AKG Perception Live series feature durable metal casing, a rugged spring steel microphone grill, scratch resistant finish, high maximum SPL, and powerful sound that will cover ground at any venue. As a general impression, the lack of detail with regard to this series leaves a lot of room for speculation. Until we get the complete release details, we have yet to find out what wonders they can deliver on PLASA. With typical rugged construction for live audio applications and the promise of delivering the same performance as the Perception series, the Perception Live series is potentially that economic workhorse at home in the studio or out on the road.