VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[Lance Blair]

This clip contains the same sentence read thrice.

http://www.lanceblair.net/files/SM81vs.TLM103vs.MKH50.mp3

Sentences read through the following mics at same poisition and 5" away:
1.) An older but good condition USA-Made Shure SM81. Speck Mic Pre, +40db gain, 70Hz HPF.

2.) New TLM103. Speck Pre, +30db gain, 70Hz HPF

3.) An older but good condition Sennheiser MKH-50. Same settings as the TLM-103.

All recordings were set to peak at -21 to -18 dbFS in AA3, and then straight gain/volume but no processing applied afterwards.

My impressions:
1.) I liked how the SM81 sounded like a mix of a condenser and a dynamic. A touch harsh on my sibilants, but not bad. It really needed the extra gain, and was almost unusable for VO at more than 6" away.

2.) TLM103 is what it is: it has a strident top shelf, but it's smoother in that it doesn't give in to random spikes of annoyance.

3.) MKH-50. Super dark but not too woofy or muddy. I've used this mic on many politicians for their ads, but I keep the mic a bit further away and it's less dark and frankly terrific.

I'm considering a new SDC like the SM81 for that dynamic mic focus without some of the dynamic mic brittleness.
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and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[Diane Maggipinto]

I like #2 best.
#1 is pingy.
#3 is my second choice, and sounds warmest but has spikes.
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[Bill Campbell]

Nice test Lance.

I like, in this order..

#1 Would cut through music and sfx nicely. Good for brodcast.
I like it.

#3 Nice and warm. Might sound muddy on TV/Radio, though. Good for cold voice work.

#2 Ho hum. Nothing special. Nasally?

I've never used an SM81, but I've heard they are very good. Supposed to have a flat freq response. I didn't notice any sibilance.

A persoanl observation on sibilance. Almost EVERYBODY HAS IT. It's part of the way we speak in real life and on a mic. We can't expect a mic
to not reflect a sound that IS there. I'm not talking about a speech impediment, but natural sss sounds we humans make. Some cheap mics do
break up on sss sounds though.
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[Frank F]

The term you are looking for is "color". Sibilance is natural yes, and in many/most microphones used for instrument recording, the goal is to have a natural color to their reproduction of sound, as it should. You would not want a violin to sound like a cello, now would you?

With Voice Over microphones and associated equipment; an artist is looking for some color. The specific "feel" of a microphone for the VO indsutry is in one way natural but still adds "fullness" and/or with more lower mid range and bass for the boys and less harshness in the upper mids for the girls. This might also be combined with a smoothness (often found in good tube mic's) to soften some more harsh speaking voices or inconsistencies within the human sound.

The microphone is the second part of the equipment chain for VO, the first is the human voice. so proper microphone technique is most important.

Play with the toys Lance, and find what sounds good at what angle and what position and what distance... don't settle for what someone has suggested for one specific microphone to work for each and every microphone used thereafter.

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

[Lance Blair]

I put all of the mics in the same position to show what their relative strengths and weaknesses are for my voice (and room). It's imperfect, but it was chosen that way by design.

I would normally put the SM81 even closer (it seems that one can eat this mic) and a bit to the side, the 103 lower and further away (Some Neumanns up high and close = Nasal City) and the MKH-50 in more of a field booming situation - 8" above center and pointing downward on a rather steep angle. The Speck Mic Pre does alright by all those mics though, which is nice.

The SM81 still intrigues me despite the "ping" (I agree, Diane) as a alternative to a dynamic...namely, my PR40 which right now if it weren't for clients who need matching audio from past sessions I'd throw it in the ocean. I compared it to even the new Sennheiser Evolution series and it lost out to even the cheapo ones: dreadfully fatiguing and hyped sound.
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[Chrissy]

What does the term "muddy" mean?

[bobsouer]

Chrissy,

In this context it means "lacking clarity."
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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

[Lance Blair]

Here's the 103 set up more as I like it:

http://www.lanceblair.net/files/103tweaked.mp3

Mic placement is a rather important thing.
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[Chrissy]

Bob,
Thanks for the definition.