GARDENA, Calif. It would be almost accurate to say, he never leaves home without it. Tony Lindsay, vocalist for Santana and independent artist, isn’t packing his Studio Projects T3 mic on the current tour with Santana (April 4 – May 4). But whenever he’s in the studio, the T3 is with him.

“I use it as much as I can,” says Lindsay, who prior to his touring engagement recorded with the T3 on a number of independent sessions, including vocals for video game projects and for an “American Idol” song submission. Lindsay first used the T3 while recording his own album, “Tony Lindsay” (Gruve Records Inc.). Since then, he’s used the mic to record his vocals almost exclusively, “unless somebody insists on me using something else,” he adds.

“The T3 is so well-balanced that it sounds great on me, and on other vocalists, both male and female. I’ve used it miking instruments too in the omni mode.”

The Studio Projects T3 is a very affordable “high-end” tube mic with a dedicated AC power supply offering completely variable polar patterns. Users find that it is capable of achieving results comparable to microphones priced nearly 10 times as much.

“I was in a session recently where we put the T3 up against two well-known mics,” says Lindsay, “and a $5,000 mic that the producer specifically rented for the session and wanted to use. “We eliminated the two other mics right away; didn’t even get close to the T3. The engineer and I couldn’t tell the difference between the T3 and the expensive mic.

Tony Lindsay has appeared on Santana albums since 1991, including: “Milagro,” “Shaman,” “Ceremony,” and “Supernatural.” He will also be appearing with Santana at two special concert dates in late May at the Fillmore, and touring internationally with the group, June 20 – July 20.