VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Jason Huggins · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:33 am Post subject:

What's better: A mic that sounds OK in your voice but has really low noise or a mic that sounds amazing on your voice but has some easy to deal with and imperceivable noise?

Now, I'm not saying the Aston sounds amazing...but if it does, only perceivable noise is going to be an issue for me.

SNR of a U87ai in Cardioid is 82dB, 416 is 81dB, Spirit is 80dB.

DenaliDave · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:45 am Post subject:

And we're talking specifications on paper here, by degrees of db.

Some people are all about specs. Specs, specs, specs. Yes, indeed specifications are important, but they never tell the complete story.

On paper the iD22 has a better A/D converter than a $3,000 stand alone unit I compared it to. In practice, however, the $3,000 unit clearly sounded better. Many other factors than SNR, THD and others come into play.
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SteveToner · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:55 am Post subject:

Oh, I think we're stuck down the rat hole...

As someone who has already accumulated too many microphones, I use some simple filters before even considering adding another one to the collection - what I've got now works for me fine, and so I would only be interested in another one if it is an upgrade. Noise level is one filter, and the published frequency response chart is another. And the Origin fails on both test. FOR ME. Your mileage may vary. That rise in response from 2k-10K is just not going to work with my voice. I like a presence peak, but I also like to see a dip in the response around 8K or it's going to sound sibilant on my voice.

So that's what I mean when I say "Not interested." Wink

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Bish · Last edited by Bish on Wed Nov 02, 2016 12:04 pm; edited 1 time in total

DenaliDave · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:49 am Post subject:

iannyc · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 5:42 am Post subject:

I broke down and bought a TLM103, prudence be damned! It was $900 and they took back my shure sm7b so not too much damage

Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2279 Location: Atlanta

Well, you now have an awesome audio chain!
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and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

Buff-A · Joined: 18 Oct 2014 Posts: 21 Location: Nashville

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It' not often mentioned, but mic sensitivity is relevant to the real-world concerns regarding 'self-noise.' The math is complex, but in a nutshell, the sensitivity rating of a given mic must be factored into the 'noise' equation - because it matters how much gain will be needed to reproduce a certain sound at a certain sound pressure level.

In other words, you can't be sure which mic is 'quietest' in a given situation by simply looking at the self-noise rating. Mic A could have a self-noise rating lower (better) than mic B, but if mic B has a higher sensitivity rating, then it would need relatively less added gain and therefore manifest a lesser degree of the available self-noise.

This self-noise/sensitivity ratio is what really matters regarding what your ears will hear, or not. The quietest mic I've been able to find, based upon these calculations, is the Shure KSM42, despite the fact that it's A-weighted self-noise rating is somewhat higher than several other mics in it's class. It has a very high sensitivity rating, which in effect counterbalances the self-noise rating, resulting a mic that should, at least mathematically, be able to reproduce the faintest of ambient sounds before being affected by it's own self-noise.

I've ordered a Shure KSM42, and I'll be comparing it to my CAD E100S and post-2014 Rode NT1, both of which are stellar VO mics, and have pretty much the lowest self-noise ratings in the industry. Speaking of which, the CAD has the lowest self-noise of these three mics, but due to superior sensitivity in the NT1, the NT1 has slightly better real-world self noise than the CAD. The Shure should, theoretically, outdo both of these in a live studio comparison test, despite having the highest self-noise rating of the three.

In layman's terms, if one wanted to record the faintest sound in a dead-quiet environment, the Shure KSM42 should be among the very best (if not THE best) you could find, despite it's 8dB A-weighted noise rating.

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MBVOXX · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 4:04 pm Post subject: SM7b

I'm always surprised when I see the CBS Late Show VO booth with the SM7 hanging on the boom. Even more surprised to hear it sounding so great on air.