VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[VoxVirtus]

For those who've used the MKH 50, what were the perceivable differences to the 416? I heed Mr. Banks vote via the BBC for the 50, but I've wound myself into confusion since reading everything from it being "a much better mic" to "too warm and woolly" to "more balanced and clear" to "too dark on deep voices" to "awesome on gravely voices" to "doesn't deal well with proximity" ...hm.

I ask because I landed a promo position at a local station and gotta drink the Kool-Aid by Friday... 60/40 hard/soft sell stuff. (I promise to be an upstanding VO in the future, but for now it's car and insurance sales.) Because I'll be recording their spots in my car, I was considering the MKH 50 for it's indoor design and tonal quality that might reach beyond promo. However, is the 416's chest vs. mouth directionality and coveted proximity effect that much more beneficial to work with, interior slap-back be damned, or is the 50 really all-that and more?

[Lance Blair]

Hmmm...

I used to be a field audio engineer. I would use the MKH 50 and shorter Sanken and Schoeps mics over the MKH 416 for interior car dialogue if I could mount and frame it right. I also would always use the MKH 50 for on-site voice over copy shooting commercials when possible.

Also had the pleasure of having a MKH 50 at my disposal in my VO studio when I was switching from part-time field audio to full time VO. It sounded great. It can sound wooly in a small booth or overly dampened area. But in a car or room as-is it sounds fantastic.

Longer shotguns can get phase-y in a car or smaller areas. I'd recommend the MKH 50 and maybe lift the high end a little bit to taste.

FWIW, I just got the Rode NTG3 which sounds more like a MKH 50 with the longer throw of the 416.
_________________
Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[VoxVirtus]

Thanks for the field experience Lance!

NTG3... the prettiest of them all, I think.
Rode really is doing an exceptional job with their machining these days; I had followed your advice from previous threads for the NT1, and although not ideal for my situation, it's truly extraordinary for the price. From reviews I've watched, it seemed the NTG3 was "too bassy", but curious to know you think similar to the MKH 50 in that regard. Is the NTG3 a booth mic for you, or something to play with outside? I'll be testing the 50 next week. Any others you'd suggest as daily drivers, knowing my circumstance?

My recent foray into VO has brought me into the world of audio at large, and I'm excited to play with shotguns and pressure gradients in my daily life... Can't wait to go to the airshow! Can't wait to strap one on my bicycle! Can't wait to... lay by the train tracks Coming from a lifetime of graphic design, I'm so greatful to have found a new medium in audio.

[iannyc]

I rented like 5 dif mics to try them all with my setup and i couldnt get a very good sound out of the mkh 50. The schoeps was my favorite, followed very closely with the 416. The 50 was very... flat, i mustve been using it wrong. The high pass filter was nice but I can always EQ that. Maybe it cut out some additional background noise, but I Hafta say I preferred the 416 in my studio for my voice

If you want to hear my demos with the different mics, its at the top of 'critiques'

And if anyone knows what I did wrong with the 50, please let me know!

Also my sibilants came in too harsh on it-- was I too close?

[Rob Ellis]

[VoxVirtus]

[VoxVirtus]

[Philip Banks]

This way lies madness. PURE MADNESS. Listen more to what you do and ignore the mic.

1 - You must be great, NOT GOOD. GREAT!
2 - Your room must be great. NOT GOOD. GREAT!
3 - Most people AWESOME ASS KICKING CARS are shit drivers. They need to be given a 1974 Chevvy Nova and taught to drive properly.
4 - In literally 99% of cases the mic presented to you by a sound guy in a pro VO studio will work fabluss. In over 27 years of being paid to read stuff and having recorded in studios around the world never has anyone switched a mic because there was (insert invented problem here). The only thing that tends to happen is they turn down the bass eq.
5 - If you hear you and only you then you are good to go.
6 - Gear stuff? You can't hear the difference you simply want to hear the difference. (Within reason, obviously)

[Bish]

I'm an engineer by training (it's OK... I'm in recovery) and can tend to obsess about hardware. I recently had a small epiphany about "home" studio engineering after a discussion about equipment that involved people who should know what they're talking about, people who though they knew what they were talking about, and those that just though spending lots of money would solve the problem.

Your voice. This is the raw material you are working with. You can get all the training and coaching you like (or feel you need because people selling it have convinced you that you need it)... but if you sound like a herniated duck with chronic hemorrhoids, then you shouldn't worry about a home studio because your market is in Hollywood where you'll be put in a studio to record a new episode of Animaniacs or Sponge Bob. Treat your voice well, do warm-ups before a session... don't have a screaming fit with your spouse five minutes before a session. Stay hydrated.

Your environment. After your voice, this is the only thing that really matters. This is where you spend your money. It shouldn't be designed as a defense against the outside just to make it "quiet enough". I understand that many have physical limitations and are forced to work in a closet... but attack that closet with the same obsession (and budget!) usually reserved for mics and preamps. Some of us are lucky enough to work in concrete bunkers... but applying the same budget to the environment as even the cheapest Neumann will yield far more return.

The microphone. Yes, there are differences in microphones. An RE20 does not, and will never, sound the same as a TLM103... but that's because of their different operating principles. Once you get to a certain quality, the differences between "quality" LDC mics is almost insignificant. Why do people buy Neumann mics? Well... because they are a guaranteed build quality, have a consistent sound, are serviceable and repairable, and are backed by an established company with a great reputation. They truly are the epitome of "You can't go wrong with a..." However, if your environment isn't perfect, they are very unforgiving. Personally, I like the CAD e100s... sub $400, but how many horror stories are out their about the bad QC on these mics and faults developing after a year or so. I've been lucky, mine always works just fine (when I want to use it instead of the 416). You can't run a business if it revolves around a mic that could go belly-up at a moment's notice.

The preamp. I'm a firm believer in the fact that preamps are over-rated as part of the signal chain. They are more of a black art than microphones. I want a preamp that is clean... nothing more, and certainly nothing less. I use an Audient iD22, primarily because it has very clean preamps (that can be by-passed) and a host of practical patching capabilities to enable me to interface with live sessions and ISDN without the use of a separate mixer. Some wax eloquent about the "tube characteristics" of certain preamps (or whatever).... "a warm, round bottom end with a perfect lift at (insert critical frequency here)" I let the engineer decide... it can all be done in post. Give him a clean and true representation of your voice and he can futz with it all he likes... he does not need me to engineer my voice so I think it sounds good. Again, apply the same principles as when selecting a mic... a good quality name brand will do the job. Also remember that "flavor of the month" is sometimes the worst way to judge... as with the CAD e100s, the Focusrite 2i2 became the cheap preamp de jour a couple of years back... then it started failing... then software incompatibilities were unresolved... then they dropped it. There are lots out there... some people have even just thrown them away... so be careful. Also bear in mind that a name isn't always a good indication. So, if you want to spend $1K+ on a preamp... don't... buy some gobo panels instead. Not as sexy, but far more important!

It's all about the voice... and getting the voice recorded (or down the line) as cleanly and accurately as possible. Don't get distracted.

OK... maybe I shouldn't have fired up the espresso machine quite so early this morning
_________________
Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Lee Gordon]

[iannyc]

@VoxVirtus

I'm on a UA solo 610!

[Philip Banks]

[VoxVirtus]

[VoxVirtus]

[Rob Ellis]

Have fun with it and report back to us.