Ramsa WM8100

The Ramsa WM8100 is a rare Japanese condenser microphone from the 1980s. Ramsa is the pro audio division of Panasonic, which was formerly called National. The WM8100 uses a high quality side-address large diaphragm electret capsule with a unidirectional pickup pattern. The body and swivel mount are reminiscent of the Sony C38b, with a set of push-buttons located on the swivel mount’s thumb wheels which when pressed, open the front of the body revealing a subsonic filter switch and battery compartment. Like many Japanese condenser mics, It can be powered with standard +48V phantom power or a 9V battery, and has a number of settings controlled by a series of switches on the side of the mic which allow the user to tailor the microphones extended frequency response to suit any application. The subsonic filter switch engages a steep high pass filter above 40 Hz to reduce rumble, and the more easily accessible switches on the side of the mic provide two different high shelf cut settings and two different low shelf cut shelf settings, making it a surprisingly versatile all-purpose microphone. There is an additional battery-check switch when powering the mic with a battery, to confirm that the battery has sufficient charge.

This mic has a beautiful, natural, and musical sound that surprised us the first time we put it up. With a nice extended low end, a detailed midrange, and a surprisingly smooth and natural top end, this mic excelled at everything we put it in front of – drums, vocals, guitar amps, and bass. I can only imagine that it also captures acoustic instruments with flattering results.