VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Bruce

Sweetwater, purveyor of all things pro audio has an interesting page for your review. They have a Vocal Mic Shootout they conducted with 50 mics from $50 to almost $10,000 in value. They used a short vocalization from singers to test by, but you'll get a rough idea that most mics are very similar in reproduction. I haven't listened to all, but so far only one clear winner to my ear and a couple of duds. The rest are OK.

For your ears only: https://www.sweetwater.com/feature/vocal-mic-shootout/

B
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I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

Thanks! That is my take on it too. Plenty of great mic makers these days and only a few duds. Smile

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georgethetech · Posted: Sat May 12, 2018 3:19 pm Post subject:

...as we preach almost every episode of VOBS...
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MBVOXX · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 9:59 am Post subject:

When it comes to VO mics there's really not much difference in most mics.
Yes, there are a few that will color the recording more than others but for the most part they all sound so similar on VO that once on the air the difference in one mic from another is almost impossible to detect.
I had a session last week for price revisions to a previously recorded batch of tv spots that were originally voiced on an MKH50. The revisions were done on a Neumann 47FET. The match up was perfect, completely seamless.
And especially once it receives the finishing mix dynamics and sent out for broadcast it will be completely unnoticeable.
I've experienced this scenario countless times in 40+ years of doing VO.

The magic is not in the mic, folks.

Bish · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 10:27 am Post subject:

The dirty little secret that no gear-hear wants to admit, is that once you discount the bottom-end Chinese knock-offs, and the real cheap crap, most mics are actually fit-for-purpose. Line up a bunch of LDCs from $300 to $3,000 in a blind test and the vast majority will do the job perfectly well for a VO.

Going more upscale, you're paying for name, build quality, reliability, serviceability, and the feel-good factor. All of these are perfectly good reasons to spend the extra.
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Bruce · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 10:59 am Post subject:

Admittedly one can FEEL better riding around in a new $60,000 Mercedes versus a $16,000 Kia, but they will both get you to your stock broker's office or to McDonald's. If the people inside didn't observe your arrival, they would never know what piece of equipment got you there.

Just don't get a used Yugo. Your rattled appearance might give your situation away.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

Bruce · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 11:00 am Post subject:

I only listened to about a third of them but I have to say the U87 was a couple of notches above the other decent mics I heard.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

Foog · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 11:36 am Post subject:

I wonder how much of the tiny differences I am noticing are due to the tiny variations in the singer's delivery and how much of it is actually from the mic. At any rate, it's nice to hear that even the cheap stuff is, well, pretty darned good!

...also, somewhere around the 9th or 10th sample I listened to, I was getting distracted feeling sorry for the poor singer asked to do such an absurdly large number of takes.
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Art · Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2018 12:08 pm Post subject:

I haven't gotten to experience a Neumann, but a musician friend and I tried a few mics through his Great River NV-1, a preamp that's supposed to simulate a Neve console. We tried a Shure SM57, Shure SM58, Sennheiser e835, Audio Technica AT2020, Rode NT1a and Shure SM7B. Just my speaking voice through each. The SM57 and e835 had a similar brightness, the SM7B and 58 sounded indentical (they're the same capsule!), but mostly, very similar. On The Gear Page they were loathe to take guesses as to which was which, too. I really didn't hear a difference in his $1,200 NV-1 and my $150 Focusrite, either. (When he records his jazz quartet though? BIG difference!)

I make the analogy to guitars. I have a $160 Ibanez that, after a couple of upgrades, sounds and plays as well as my $1,200 Les Paul. I've watched people bomb with a $3,000 PRS and seen magic brought to a room with an old $100 Kay acoustic.
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