Metal Vocals and a neumann U87

M

mr. torture

Member
I have the video of the making of the hearing aid song/video.
This is from the 80's and features some of the best metal singers ever.
Every singer used a neumann U87 for there vocal tracks and in fact Dio used (2) of them, one hanging upside down and the other right side up with about 2 to 3 inches between them.
I have heard on this forum that dynamic mics. Are better for metal vocals but
It seems to me that the U87 is the choice of the pro's.
I would like to get some opinions on this.
Thanks
 
A good pro AE can place/EQ the U87 to suit most any vocalist and get an excellent quality vocal sound. Doesn't necessarily mean it's the "best" choice,
however, it'll capture the performance plus save time vs. experimenting on other mics. Before the present landslide of excellent LDC's, many studios would use the AKG 414 to complement the U87.

There has also been some controversy as to whether the U87ai is a good as the prior U87.

Chris
 
mr. torture said:
I have the video of the making of the hearing aid song/video.
This is from the 80's and features some of the best metal singers ever.
Every singer used a neumann U87 for there vocal tracks and in fact Dio used (2) of them, one hanging upside down and the other right side up with about 2 to 3 inches between them.
I have heard on this forum that dynamic mics. Are better for metal vocals but
It seems to me that the U87 is the choice of the pro's.
I would like to get some opinions on this.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Some of the reasons why dynamic mics get recommended here to metal, rap and etc type singers is because they want to eat the mic or are recording in a noisey room. The U87 is a good mic but may not be the best mic for everyone. Your going to need to audition some mics to find the one(s) that's best for you.
 
I am not sure what you mean by "eating the mic" But from what I seen on this video each vocalist was about an inch or less from the pop screen and that was only about 2 inches from the microphone.
And these guys were belting out, Halford, Tate, Dio to name a few.
And every single vocalist used the U87 in the same exact spot so the mic Placement to me did not seem that important considering the variety of voices used.
I am sure there were changes to the Preamp/E.Q. settings for the different singers, But to me it seems the U87 is versatile enough to where it does not matter who steps in front of it.
Thank you for the reply's I am looking into a solid vocal mic. And unfortunately I dont have the luxury of testing numerous microphones without having to buy them.
Thank you
 
Another microphone which is even more "universal" in terms of a variety of different voices singing through it and sounding excellent, is the Electro-Voice RE20.

The RE20 will also be more forgiving in terms of "placement" (always important!) due to their patented "variable-D" design that minimizes proximity effect.

This is where your first $$ should go before the Neumann IMHO.
You'll have less technical challenges dealing with it, and there have been many hits in all styles of rock/pop music with it

Chris
 
Of course in the 80's all of the chinese mics were not availible...but notable Metal singers like Robert Plant and Paul Rodgers used SM57 for vocal use and those are the records people still listen to. :cool:
 
chessparov,
I have heard of the RE20 and have thought of giving it a try.
It is a very good suggestion.


darrin_h2000,
I dont think Neumann is chinese? and they have been around since the 60's, before the sm57. Robert Plant Metal? I think not.
When I think of 80's metal I think of Iron Maiden, Judas Preist, Dio, Accept etc. Nothing against Plant but Sabbath Invented Metal.
I still listen to the bands I just listed above as, I am sure, Alot of people do.
Who is Paul Rodgers??
 
mr. torture said:
I am not sure what you mean by "eating the mic" But from what I seen on this video each vocalist was about an inch or less from the pop screen and that was only about 2 inches from the microphone.
And these guys were belting out, Halford, Tate, Dio to name a few.
And every single vocalist used the U87 in the same exact spot so the mic Placement to me did not seem that important considering the variety of voices used.
I am sure there were changes to the Preamp/E.Q. settings for the different singers, But to me it seems the U87 is versatile enough to where it does not matter who steps in front of it.
Thank you for the reply's I am looking into a solid vocal mic. And unfortunately I dont have the luxury of testing numerous microphones without having to buy them.
Thank you
Click to expand...
What I mean by "eating the mic" is... putting their lips right on the grill. The U87 is a solid mic and if you can't audition it, just buy it... if you don't like it, return it or sell it.
 
In general I would say that there is no such thing as a given mike for a certain type of music. Take a singer and have them sing thru a few microphones to listen to what works best with their voice and for the music. To avoid having any prejudice set up the mikes and sing into them randomly (don't watch them--just listen) until you hear them on the one that sounds best and use that one.

Granted there are certain mikes that I reach for right away for certain types of music and certain types of voices, but I try to sound test first to see what mike has the mojo for the singer.
 
Paul Rodgers has a terrific tenor voice for hard rock (and anything else!).
He has been the lead vocalist for Bad Company, and before that Free.

Is your voice is very similar to someone else well known to you on recordings?

For example, mine would have fit right in a Beach Boys harmony song
(taking Mike Love's part) because it blends right in with singers like Brian and Carl. And what did Brian use for many recordings? A Shure 545.
Darned if my Shure 546 doesn't match my voice right off better than a U87ai.

BTW a Beyer M88 has a similar tone to the U87, although if you fall into the 1 in 20 who have sibilance issues with it (like me) that may not be one for you. Otherwise hard to tell from an expensive Neumann if used properly.

Chris
 
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i would say that in some situations u would want a sm57 (or any other dynamic) for metal vocals becuase they aren't going to be as detailed on the vocals which could be a good thing if they are screaming at the top of their lungs. you probably dont want every silable and pernunciation of every word when its that style. a 57 is a much more pleasing mic to scream into in some situations.
 
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