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VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!
Where A.I. is a four-letter word.
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Andy_Quiñones
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 Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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Hi folks, I recently asked Will Lyman (FRONTLINE narrator) what his microphone of choice was to which he offered the following advice:
e-mail---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy,
For home studio work, it’s the Neumann TLM 103. For voice, it is the equivalent of the U-87. Costs about $1200 as opposed to god-knows-what for the 87. 95% of my work is through a U-87. Make sure you get the birdcage shockmount. Be aware that when you are using a Neumann, your next consideration will be isolation (reducing ambient noise.) They’ll pick up a refrigerator at 100 yds.
The “West Coast Sound”, I’m told, likes to be a little brighter, and I have noticed that a lot of L.A. Studios use some form of the Sennheiser shotgun. I myself have a 418, which I quite like for recording sound that is to go into a film track, either effects or dialogue, mostly because of its clarity and directionality.
That’s the extent of my knowledge on the subject.
Will |
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Yoda117
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Joined: 20 Dec 2006
Posts: 2362
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:04 am Post subject: |
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| Andy_Quiñones wrote: | | For voice, it is the equivalent of the U-87. |
Hey Andy,
I hate to disagree with Will on this, but while the two sound similar, there is a noticeable difference in the sound of the 103 and the 87. There's a really nice shootout on this board from last year where the two are pitted against each other (and other mics). I'd check it out and listen for yourself.
I totally agree with the comment regarding the U87s sensitivity. I think the thing can record grass growing at times. I don't recommend it to folks without a treated room.
If you're looking for something that sounds really close to the U87 without the price tag, Microtech Gefell makes the UMT71 which is frighteningly close, for less than half the price (if you go on e-Bay, look for the UM71 which is the earlier version and sounds even closer to the U87... the UMT is transformerless, whereas the UM stuck more to the traditional design from Neumann).
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Voiceovers by Gregory Houser
Philadelphia based Voice Actor
Blog - A man, a martini, and a lot of microphones |
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Andy_Quiñones
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| Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:05 am Post subject: |
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Yeah Greg,
Your right, I own a TLM 103 and have used a U87 at a local studio--The TLM series is definitely NO U87.
Surprisingly, Will is a novice in audio gear knowledge although he is a solid actor.
The Sennheiser he was refering to in the LA studios is probably the MKH416.
Lowest price I've seen for a slightly used Gefell UMT71 has been in the $2,500--$2,800 range--that's way out of my home studio budget right now.
I've heard some folks say they can adjust their preamps on large condensers to mimic the shotgun mic sound (I've not been able to do it though)--any truth to that and if so, at what frequency settings? |
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Rob Ellis
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Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 2385
Location: Detroit
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| Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:17 am Post subject: |
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I got the Sennheiser 416 a few months ago, and love it. There's no other mic like it.
That being said, I plan to eventually get a U87. Anybody know the difference between a U87 ai and U87 P48?
...or any other suggestions for affordable alternatives to the U87...? |
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Yoda117
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Joined: 20 Dec 2006
Posts: 2362
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Andy_Quiñones wrote: |
Lowest price I've seen for a slightly used Gefell UMT71 has been in the $2,500--$2,800 range--that's way out of my home studio budget right now.
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http://mercenary.com/migemts.html
$1250, MT71s is what you're looking for.
| Quote: | | I've heard some folks say they can adjust their preamps on large condensers to mimic the shotgun mic sound (I've not been able to do it though)--any truth to that and if so, at what frequency settings? |
No truth to that(IME). Banksey has a clip where he demonstrated the proper use of proximity effect to achieve a sound similar to that of a 416. Frankly, I found the U87 to provide a superior sound in that example, which is not to take away from the 416, but to give credit to the knowledge of the user.
Again, it's not the gear that makes you good... we forget that far too often.
There are "mic modelers" out there which claim to do the job. I've yet to run across one that really did anything for me. There's also the liquid channel by Focusrite which can emulate other preamps. Again, I've been left less than impressed (when Mike Sinterniklaas from NYAV Post swore by them, I took some interested... they didn't wow me at all; a year later Mike is using Avalons and other preamps instead because the LC's had maintenance and quality issues).
I know of only one preamp that can do a good job of giving that little extra when it comes to the effect that a 416 gives. I've used it with my U87, and Horch primarily and I've really gotten a kick out of what it can do (especially with the Horch).
Someone sent me a clip a while back with their 416 and compared it to a 22 47LE in hypercardoid. I preferred the 22 47 on every clip. Again, it's not the gear, it's what works best for your voice, and how you choose to use it.
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Voiceovers by Gregory Houser
Philadelphia based Voice Actor
Blog - A man, a martini, and a lot of microphones |
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georgethetech
The Gates of Troy
Joined: 18 Mar 2007
Posts: 1877
Location: Topanga, CA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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I was at Bill Ratner's today for the first time and found yet another prolific voice talent using the 416. Since he's been at this game for so long, I asked him when and how the 416 came into being such a popular VO mic in LA. He said they put one in front of Ernie Anderson in the late 70's, and the rest is history. Others that use it daily:
Howard Parker
Rick Wasserman
Scott Rummell
Jason Hildebrandt
To name a few...
Is it the best VO mic made? Probably not, but works for MANY people (that do promo and trailer work).
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Last edited by georgethetech on Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Bill Campbell
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Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 621
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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There's many different kinds of "VO"; spots, promos, narration, audio books.
The 416 cuts through nicely on highly produced spots and promos, but wouldn't be very good for an audio book, or anything that needed to sound natural. Different tools for different jobs. I wouldn't want the 416 as my only mic. But, it is very good for certain things.
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Frank F
Fat, Old, and Sassy
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 4421
Location: Park City, Utah
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:02 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe this will help settle the matter, here is my voice on three microphones; one is a Sennheiser 416, One is my standard Neuman U-87 Gold Classic, and one - well let's see if you can guess which is which microphone and what the brand of the mystery microphone.
Click to hear
Toodles
F2
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Craig
Been Here Awhile
Joined: 17 Mar 2007
Posts: 250
Location: SLC, Ut
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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I'm only getting two samples Frank....
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Craig Park
www.parkvoiceovers.com |
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bobsouer
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Joined: 15 Jul 2006
Posts: 9882
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:13 pm Post subject: |
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Frank,
I'm not sure why, but that third mic is really hard to hear on my system.
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Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
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Frank F
Fat, Old, and Sassy
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 4421
Location: Park City, Utah
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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Slates are one microphone, mic test one is another microphone and mic test two is yet another microphone...
I wanted to test your ears.
Toodles
F2
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com |
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bobsouer
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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Frank,
Clearly mine are not up to snuff.
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Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
ISDN, Source Connect, phone patch |
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Frank F
Fat, Old, and Sassy
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 4421
Location: Park City, Utah
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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No Bob, it is just that I am so broke I can't pay attention. So I thought I would see if anyone was able to discern the microphones. Guess I stumped the band.
Toodles
F2
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com |
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Craig
Been Here Awhile
Joined: 17 Mar 2007
Posts: 250
Location: SLC, Ut
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:32 pm Post subject: Huh? |
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Yeah, mine too....
But, I'll throw out a guess.
Slates= U-87
Mic one=MKH-416
Mic two= ATR-55
That's just a W.A.G Frank, I really don't have the ears or the headphones, in this case, to make a good choice.
Craig
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Craig Park
www.parkvoiceovers.com |
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louzucaro
The Gates of Troy
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 1915
Location: Chicago area
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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I don't know nothin about no dang microphones, but I like the sound of the slates best, then test 1, then test 2.
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Lou Zucaro
http://www.voicehero.com
"Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf!" |
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