ido1957
9K Gold Member
There is an audible difference between my NTK and my Sputnik. I would love to have a U87ai as I'm certain it would sound better than either.
c7sus
Disenfranchised Member
If you want to hear how different mics can sound just go to archive.org and listen to any of the shows that have multiple copies of the show by different tapers.
There is most certainly a difference between shows taped with Shoepps or Microtech Gefells and ADK's or Nak's or what have you. The ADK shows I have been listening to lately sound like there is a towel over the mic killing all the high end. Not so with the Shoepps and MG's.
There is most certainly a difference between shows taped with Shoepps or Microtech Gefells and ADK's or Nak's or what have you. The ADK shows I have been listening to lately sound like there is a towel over the mic killing all the high end. Not so with the Shoepps and MG's.
A
AlecBeretz
New member
Mic quality:
-durability
-sensitivity
-frequency range
-frequency response
-engineered correctly
So yes, some mics are better than others, because you can have a brick of a mic that picks up a frequency range of 20hz to 21khz and is tailored to accentuate the best parts of instruments or vocals, and when sound enters the capsule the waves don't turn into standing waves (mics could have sound destruction within themselves if the person who built them is an idiot).
you could also have a mic that breaks if you accidentally touch it, has a 50hz to 13khz range, is fairly flat and resembles more of a testing mic, and the person who built it lives next door to you, took a semester of recording classes and thinks he knows everything.
Now, all of this is based off of our modern conception of how music is supposed to sound. Its all about intention. for example, nobody wants to record drums in a bedroom because it cant sound like the "pro recordings." but if you went into that session and WANTED to have a boxy bedroom sound, then you may say "hell yeah its a great recording!!"
in conclusion, you can get good recordings with crappy mics if you know how to use them, and the current price structure of ALL audio equipment is based off of demand for certain sounds that are common in professional recordings.
-durability
-sensitivity
-frequency range
-frequency response
-engineered correctly
So yes, some mics are better than others, because you can have a brick of a mic that picks up a frequency range of 20hz to 21khz and is tailored to accentuate the best parts of instruments or vocals, and when sound enters the capsule the waves don't turn into standing waves (mics could have sound destruction within themselves if the person who built them is an idiot).
you could also have a mic that breaks if you accidentally touch it, has a 50hz to 13khz range, is fairly flat and resembles more of a testing mic, and the person who built it lives next door to you, took a semester of recording classes and thinks he knows everything.
Now, all of this is based off of our modern conception of how music is supposed to sound. Its all about intention. for example, nobody wants to record drums in a bedroom because it cant sound like the "pro recordings." but if you went into that session and WANTED to have a boxy bedroom sound, then you may say "hell yeah its a great recording!!"
in conclusion, you can get good recordings with crappy mics if you know how to use them, and the current price structure of ALL audio equipment is based off of demand for certain sounds that are common in professional recordings.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
Not sure which "shows" you are specifically referring to...but from the looks of what they have in the Live Audio section...there ain't but two shows recorded with the same signal chain....so just talking about the mics used is not very a valid way to compare them. Heck...some of the signal chains looked rather home-brewed lo-fi.
Guitargodgt
New member
I think mics can be compared to other instruments.
Take a $300 epiphone les paul, compare that to a gibson standard and there is a difference in both how they sound and play.
However take a gibson standard and compare that to a gibson custom and the difference becomes much more subtle in my opinion.
I feel it's the same go with mics, a MXL 990 sounds like crap compared to an AT4050 for example (again my opinion), but then when you compare a AT4050 to a AKG414 I don't feel like there is that huge of a difference when it comes down to having a good mic (sure they sound different, that's not my point).
Take a $300 epiphone les paul, compare that to a gibson standard and there is a difference in both how they sound and play.
However take a gibson standard and compare that to a gibson custom and the difference becomes much more subtle in my opinion.
I feel it's the same go with mics, a MXL 990 sounds like crap compared to an AT4050 for example (again my opinion), but then when you compare a AT4050 to a AKG414 I don't feel like there is that huge of a difference when it comes down to having a good mic (sure they sound different, that's not my point).
Mo Facta
Farts of Nature
Answer to thread: NO.
That is all.
Cheers
That is all.
Cheers
RollTape
New member
I can see why the voice over guy would have such a response.Yeah,...why would he care,...he is the talent who does his job,gets paid and goes home not having to be accountable to the paying clients of a recorded product.He does not have to worry about the quality of the recording,the mix or if it will fit within the expectaions of the engineers boss or overall vision of the client.So there's this guy who talked to a pretty famous pro voice over artist who's been working for various national TV stations for many years (long long before freelancing was cool
He asked the VO guy what was his favorite microphone... the answer was "What's the difference? I go to a studio, record, go home. Why would I care about a microphone? As long as it records sound it's good to go."
It got me thinking.
Some of us (me included) spend long hours researching microphones, then perhaps develop an "ear" for tiny nuances in their sound, obsess about one or another model etc. etc. and yet in any blind shootout most guesses are all over the place. Moreover, usually in a blind shootout many people will describe the sound of a $300 microphone as way better than a U87 (MKH 416, Blue Bottle, you name it). So perhaps the real differences between (decent) microphones are not that game-changing?
I'm starting to suspect that there's a moment in a (home)recording career when one has to stop trying to upgrade equipment to get better sound, and take a long, cold look at the skills of the performer (or the fact that you record in a small untreated room with lots of flat surfaces or a $20 preamp).
Any thoughts?
Bottom line for me is that the quality of a mic makes a very big difference in the result that you are going to get.I,like many recording engineers,started out using $100 - $500 mics.Some were very good for the money and exceeded expectations of how they would sound,...others were disasterous.For instance,I have a RODE NTK Class-A cardiod pattern tube mic with a 1" capsule that delivers stunning results and sells for $700.I have also had the opportunity to use a Neumann U-87,AKG C12 and a Lomo 19A19.When comparing these mics to my RODE NTK,...well,...it is no contest.The sound quality of those high end mics can not be duplicated by a $300 or $700 mic,...no way ,no how.
Those who have progressed from low end mics to the mid and high end range of mics will most likely say the same.You will really realize this once you get an opportunity to record using a $3000-$5000+ microphone.
It is the same result when going from a 4 or 8 track recorder to say a 24 track 2" analog deck or 24 track digital recorder like the iZ Radar 24.
Like in any occupation one needs the proper tools to get the job done right.Every mic is going to have different characteristics in reproducing certain recorded sounds.Choosing the right mic for an engineer is like a painter reaching for a specific brush and color before he strokes the canvas.Certain mics work better on certain voices and or instruments,...you just have to know what mic will be the best match for what you are trying to capture on your recordings,...and that can only be done by first hand experience overtime with an array of different mics,...not just reading a review or taking someone elses word for it.Just get in the trenches and decide for yourself.
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Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
So there's this guy who talked to a pretty famous pro voice over artist who's been working for various national TV stations for many years (long long before freelancing was cool
He asked the VO guy what was his favorite microphone... the answer was "What's the difference? I go to a studio, record, go home. Why would I care about a microphone? As long as it records sound it's good to go."
I spent far too much of my life recording voice overs and, as with the above, very few VO artists care about the mic. However, in the professional world they're generally working with an OCD sound engineer like me who has thought long and hard about the mic choice.
It's also worth noting that the VO artist is rarely the actual client. There's probably somebody from the production company specifying "bright and clear" or "low and rumbly like a film trailer voice" or something else. That'll also go into the equation.
As an aside, there is a small subset of VO artists who are VERY fussy about the microphone used because they have a distinctive sound and want every recording they make to sound the same. In that case, we have to be led by what they want. For example, there's one voice artist known for his rumbly, gravelly voice (think "Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the sea"). His trick to accentuate this was to request a short shotgun mic like a Sennheiser 416 used up close to play with the proximity effect.
One last thought: one of the more interesting projects I worked on was when the company I worked for bought rights to a French-made children's animation and dubbed them into English. Originally, there was going to be a team of VO artists but, in the end, one very talented guy (named Enn Reitel if you want to Google him) did every single voice. On that one, we had several distinctly different mics in the booth to help differentiate the tone when Enn changed his voice.