Famous Dynamics Studio Use?

First post in like a million years. I know.

So this is intended as a bit of banter. I'm aware that dynamic mics can, and do end up being used to record not just vocals, but the lead vocals in studio. Some examples I can think of being U2, Michael Jackson, I want to say Pearl Jam has used an SM7 of some kind, and I think I've seen footage of Filter using an RE20. I've read mentions of Bjork as well. While these artists might not be anywhere near my favorites, I'm guessing there's other examples of this. Anyone know any? Bonus if it includes Electro Voice, just because I really like that brand. Lol.

A tangent of this would also be: what about Hi-Z dynamics?
I scored a piece of vintage kit that was sold as tested, good. I need to get a cable, but it's an old EV 950 Cardax. Anyone famous for recording using high impedance? I'm gonna use it in some fashion anyway, even if for cool factor and home karaoke. But Google doesn't turn up much data.

Just something kinda fun to muse over. I'm gonna keep trying different key word searches... but figured some folks might have some neat stories to spread around.
 
everyone before a certain date probably recorded with a high impedance mic at some point. Loads of Shure 545 and 565 dynamics were dual impedance. everyone has forgotten the old low impedance mics (25-50Ohms) that were popular too. Plenty of Hi-Z Shures around too. The Beatles of course with Hi-z Reslo Ribbons.

I'm not sure the impedance is very important is it? When here we were running WEM PAs with 100W output and Hi-Z inputs we thought they were great with a couple of 4 x 12" columns.
 
Interesting bit regarding the Beatles.
I don't think Hi-Z matters much as long as things are impedance matched, and your cables aren't long enough to cause degradation. I heard through music shop rumor once that the Doors recorded with high impedance.
Largely I'm stoked to get my own seriously old school style mic. My buddy who runs karaoke has a Shure 55s that a friend of his have him... which I've sang though a lot before Covid came around. I really enjoyed it, but also like a LOT of that era's music.
 
The impedance does not matter in any artistic sense. How many studio musicians would even care what mic is put out? They might occasionally be surprised, but it’s not their role. As for music shop rumours, there best appreciated, laughed at and forgotten. The fact that somebody thinks it makes a difference sums it up. Of course matching is very important, so hi-z into the right input is critical, but when high impedance mics were popular, so were the correct inputs. I can only think of one mic that survived only in high impedance designs - harmonica mics. These sound absolutely horrible plugged into mic inputs!
 
I can get that. Not everyone who performs music gets into the gear side of it, in regards to recording. I imagine that's even more true of professionals. Some of the original question comes from listening to some older artists, and liking that "vintage sound. "
 
Having long cables on a hi-z mics will roll off the highs pretty dramatically. For local bands, that was rarely a concern since the PAs were usually a short distance from the mics. Nobody I knew in the 60s had a 50ft snake with a mixing board in the back for gigs at the local high school dances. Plop your Shure VocalMaster 300, Kustom 100 or Bogen Challenger on the front of the stage, plug the mics into the 1/4" jacks and rock out!

There were a lot of old recordings that were made with mics like the Shure 55s. The "vintage sound" of those mics isn't from the impedence, its from the limited response. Those things drop off 10dB or more by 12k. They have peaks around 4-5k.

This was really common for ribbon and dynamic mics from the 40s and 50s. RCA ribbons used for a lot of big names have peaks around 5k, and roll off by 10 or more dB by the time they get to 15k. Check out the response curves for old EV V series ribbons and RCA ribbons like the type 77, model 44. i don't think any of them even show responses over 15K.

A lot of mics today have presence peaks from 7 to 12k, which it the exact opposite of the old mics.

Add that to the limitations of old records (you don't think those old ceramic cartridges in your Philco stereo did 20-20000, do you?) That's the vintage sound that so many of us grew up listening to in the living room.

Now you have people trying to do 384k digital recordings that have 100kHz bandwidth, condenser mics that are +5dB at 12K and trying to get a vintage sound. That's like trying to build a 50s Chevy pickup out of carbon fiber, titanium and a turbo 4 cylinder engine.
 
I just happen to be watching the Linda Ronstadt Live In Hollywood concert on PBS, which was put out on both video and on an album. The concert was in 1980, and all the vocal mics are the Shure Unidyne iV 548. She sounds fantastic! I can't tell what type of mics they have on the drums, its in low resolution.
 
Rich , would you say a Beyer M160 captures a vintage sound? That one sounds excellent on my guitars. Handles distortion and fuzz well.

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Those zingy super sensitive budget condensers, can they be filtered to deaden the range on top? You could hang a winter coat on it , wont help. My AKG P420 in Omni sounds wide open with the peak going past 15k. Like 28 mv sensitivity too. Keep it far away.

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Yeah, Beak.

I don't know the M160, never had a Beyer mic personally, but based on the fact that it is ribbon, it should catch transients well, but it has a similar type of response curve as many classic old mics. You see the roll-off above 10K and a mild bump above 2K. The proximity effect should give it a lot of fullness on the bottom as well.

I don't so much worry about mics that do 20 or 25mv/P sensitivity being a problem. You just don't have to boost the signal as strongly in the preamp. The biggest difference between a condenser (capacitor) mic and a dynamic is in transient response. With a dynamic you have a fairly high mass that has to move, which will resist responding to fast peaks, especially higher frequency ones. When you have a 3-6micron film coated with a very light gold coating, it can move very efficiently. Likewise, ribbons are low mass, so they should respond quickly.

Compare the movement of a 15" cone to that of a planar speaker. Both can get down low, but the planar speaker can respond quickly, vs having to accelerate the mass of a large paper cone and voice coil.
 
We forget I think, that every tool has it's most effective job, and while they do OK on others, they're not that efficient or pleasant to use. Somewhere in my store I have around 10 EV 300 plastic box speakers. I rather liked them. Today I heard some while actually in a theatre with an audience for the first time since march. For the first few numbers they were pretty good - but by the finale - we had 6 singers going 100% with a very full backing and they were wildly out of their depth.

We've had 4 Seasons tribute bands with Shure 55s for visual effect and those mics do sound 'old'. I've got my first batch of Neumann hand held but I'm worrying that by the time first show for them comes around, if they're to clean and clinical they might have been a bad buy to replace Beta 58s. Fingers crossed.

I've used M160s on saxophones, but didn't have much luck with them on vocals. Never tried one on drums but so few about now.
 
I just happen to be watching the Linda Ronstadt Live In Hollywood concert on PBS, which was put out on both video and on an album. The concert was in 1980, and all the vocal mics are the Shure Unidyne iV 548. She sounds fantastic! .

Man, i know what you mean. A entire Genre of music is gone. And what progressive is now, is the same as what pop was then.

80's progressive music had a great sound. Really balanced ranges. Fidelity that I don't hear anuwhere today. The 80's to me 'sounds expensive'.

Are you guys able to identify the equipment Foreinger used here? Some of the nicest male vocals I ever heard. Can this sound be achieved in a home recorders bedroom?

 
Well, they appear to be Neumann U87s and they certainly don't sound like the video, so we should treat it as just a video with lip-syncing. It could have been 87s in the studio, further away, wind pop shields and absolutely no touching the cases. That's the trouble with videos. The damn things pop and blast when used like a hand held.
 
The mic is most likely a U87. You can see the switches for the roll-off and pad, and its a characteristic Neumann shockmount.

I'm sure you can do as good a recording at home. It might help to sound like Lou Gramm.

Watching Sammy Hagar's interview with Extreme recently, Nuno Bettencourt was recording the majority of their new album at his home. The microphone setup in his room was a box with Auralex foam on all sides, and what looked like a Blue Bottle or Kiwi inside. (I couldn't really see what type it was, but it was a raised capsule type)

It probably violates all the premises that you read online. I'll bet Gary Cherone will sound just fine with that setup. In the end, real talent will win out.
 
We forget I think, that every tool has it's most effective job, and while they do OK on others, they're not that efficient or pleasant to use.

We've had 4 Seasons tribute bands with Shure 55s for visual effect and those mics do sound 'old'. I've got my first batch of Neumann hand held but I'm worrying that by the time first show for them comes around, if they're to clean and clinical they might have been a bad buy to replace Beta 58s. Fingers crossed.

I've used M160s on saxophones, but didn't have much luck with them on vocals. Never tried one on drums but so few about now.

Oh, i heard people complain about the Shure 55s or was it the 55SHII. 'Old' in a bad way?

Dude, a M160 should have been awesome on that Sax app. You want a mic' for a chimey VOX or anything with EL-84's( Yall know I use ADA gear)..Look at the Beyer M160 on the website and listen to the samples. Sounds just like that in the DAW. Push it closer to the speaker and it gets this familiar breakup overload. Awesome. Best mic I got for Electrics.
 
I'm imagining the sound any condenser would sound like being used like that ....... but you knew that - I must learn to write what I mean!
 
The mic is most likely a U87.

Must be reason they keep showing it in clips. He wants to show it to us. It must be super awesome.

Another famous microphone I see alot in studio pics is the MD 421. screamy rock bands and such. You like the MD 421? the newer one. Part II.

It is not part of my locker inventory.
 
The 421 has been used for years on drum kits. I don't have one, but back in the 70s, my buddy that had a Tascam 80-8 / Model 5 setup in his basement had the 421, along with a few Shures. It worked pretty well on bass drum, as I recall.

I missed out when Senn was running the big anniversary sale earlier this year. You could pick up a 421-II pretty cheaply. I did get an e935, to go with my 3 e835s.
 
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