poor man U67

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Kasey

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My all time favorite microphone is the legendary U67. I would give my right arm for one. Unfortunately I'm a student... so money is pretty tight. Is there a cheapy microphone, say, under or around $500, that is sort of like a cheap U67? Smooth, slightly dark sound.... U67 ish... similar frequency response, etc. I've been told that Studio Projects mics sound like cheap versions of neumann mics - are there in specific models that would be closest to the U67 though? I hope this doesnt sound like a dumb question. thanks.
 
Kasey said:
My all time favorite microphone is the legendary U67. I would give my right arm for one. Unfortunately I'm a student... so money is pretty tight. Is there a cheapy microphone, say, under or around $500, that is sort of like a cheap U67? Smooth, slightly dark sound.... U67 ish... similar frequency response, etc. I've been told that Studio Projects mics sound like cheap versions of neumann mics - are there in specific models that would be closest to the U67 though? I hope this doesnt sound like a dumb question. thanks.
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I bet you could get enough cash for your right arm on eBay for a real U67. :D
 
The MXL V67G or B might get you there. But they are grainy sounding not smooth. They have the dark sounding thing happening.
 
Larry at ADK says the ADK Vienna is voiced similar to the U67. I haven't heard the Hamburg or the Vienna, so I can't comment beyond that.

The Studio Projects T3 would be the closest match in the SP line. In the MXL line, probably the V77, V69ME, and the new MXL V6 deserve a listen. In the Rodes line, the NTK (although I haven't heard that one ether).

The Neumann U67 is a unique mic and there are few contenders that can match it, but one of the above mics might do the job in your price range.
 
Yeah, I was thinking the NTK might be in there but the crispy high end kept me from making that recommendation. You can EQ that out however and it puts you in the ball park.
 
When you say smooth, slightly dark, and about $500 the first thing that popped into my mind is an Audio Technica 4050:) The next thing I think of would be an EV RE20:)
 
Harvey Gerst said:
Larry at ADK says the ADK Vienna is voiced similar to the U67. I haven't heard the Hamburg or the Vienna, so I can't comment beyond that.

The Studio Projects T3 would be the closest match in the SP line. In the MXL line, probably the V77, V69ME, and the new MXL V6 deserve a listen. In the Rodes line, the NTK (although I haven't heard that one ether).

The Neumann U67 is a unique mic and there are few contenders that can match it, but one of the above mics might do the job in your price range.
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vienna? isnt the hamburg the one thats supposed to have the german tone?


and would either of those two mics, the vienna or hamburg, make a decent multi purpose mic? I really want the U67 tone, but i cant afford a bunch of mics for different applications either.
 
Kasey said:
vienna? isnt the hamburg the one thats supposed to have the german tone?

and would either of those two mics, the vienna or hamburg, make a decent multi purpose mic? I really want the U67 tone, but i cant afford a bunch of mics for different applications either.
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As I understand it, Larry said the Hamburg was voiced like a U47, while the Vienna was voiced like a C12/U67.

I think the U67 is actually a bit brighter than the U47, somewhere between a U47 and a C12.

As fae as one mic to "do it all", now you're dreaming. But multi-pattern mics do have the advantage of different tonalities, so a multi-pattern mic may be the best compromise for a lot of tasks.
 
I have both the Hamburg and the Vienna. The sound of the two mics is surprisingly close. The Hamburg is slightly darker sounding, but not to the point one couldn't EQ the two to match. Or at least get them very close to matching.

I've never had the pleasure of trying a U67, so I have no idea which one sounds more like it!

Joel
 
Kasey said:
My all time favorite microphone is the legendary U67. I would give my right arm for one. Unfortunately I'm a student... so money is pretty tight. Is there a cheapy microphone, say, under or around $500, that is sort of like a cheap U67? Smooth, slightly dark sound.... U67 ish... similar frequency response, etc. I've been told that Studio Projects mics sound like cheap versions of neumann mics - are there in specific models that would be closest to the U67 though? I hope this doesnt sound like a dumb question. thanks.
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The closest I've heard to a Neumann is the MXL V76. I haven't been blown away by budget condensors, despite many of the exagerrated claims I hear, except for the V76, which I think is an exceptional mic with a solid bottom end and woody quality to it. The only way you'll approach a U67 sound is with the real deal, which I'm sure, you already know.

Regards.
 
I just saw this thread, sorry I am so late to the party,.....

I have a mic that I always refer to it as the "poor mans U67," and it is the GTMD1a. The original one, not the reissue. They are absolutely the cartoon of a 67. They drive dark, and for being based on a 12AX7, they totally do a great job of changing character when you swap out the tube. Mine has a sylvania tube that i found in a TV at the JUNKYARD! just on a whim i threw it in there, and it totally rocks. Smokey, amazing for rock vocals. Drives PERFECTLY when yelled at. With a good tube pre, this ting is deadly. I also love it on anything I like the 67 on, like cello, or upright bass (arco mostly), dobro.... Anything you want that detail without brightness.
 
the studio projects c1 is your best bet under $700. veru similar and much more affordable, as all sp microphones are.
 
tryptophan said:
the studio projects c1 is your best bet under $700. veru similar and much more affordable, as all sp microphones are.
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Although I'm fond of the C1 and C3, I wouldn't exactly describe them as "smooth" or "slightly dark." They're probably more in line with the U87 (but brighter) rather than the U67. The B-series mics are a bit darker sounding, but I wouldn't call them "smooth," either. I haven't personally tried the TB-1 mic, but it's possible that it might sound somewhat dark and smooth when paired with the right tube and the right preamp.

You might want to check out this chart: http://www.thelisteningsessions.com/micgraph.htm . It lists a bunch of mics and their relative placements in a "colored/transparent" x "bright/dark" grid.

- Jerfo
 
Kasey said:
vienna? isnt the hamburg the one thats supposed to have the german tone?
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Yes, the Hamburg sounds German (U67), while the Vienna sounds Austrian (AKG C12) :p I wonder how the Area51 sounds -- like an UFO??

Do you believe all that crap manufacturer tell you? ;)
 
Joel Hamilton said:
I just saw this thread, sorry I am so late to the party,.....

I have a mic that I always refer to it as the "poor mans U67," and it is the GTMD1a. The original one, not the reissue. They are absolutely the cartoon of a 67. They drive dark, and for being based on a 12AX7, they totally do a great job of changing character when you swap out the tube. Mine has a sylvania tube that i found in a TV at the JUNKYARD! just on a whim i threw it in there, and it totally rocks. Smokey, amazing for rock vocals. Drives PERFECTLY when yelled at. With a good tube pre, this ting is deadly. I also love it on anything I like the 67 on, like cello, or upright bass (arco mostly), dobro.... Anything you want that detail without brightness.
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Oh crap! Hey Joel! Another refuge from TapeOp.

I'm glad to hear the Sylvania works well for you. I was going to give my thoughts on the U67 but now I'm going all for Joel here...

Is the U67 you have a Gefell? or what? I've been talking with one of the guys at Gefell about my CMV563's cuz I'm perturbed about the RCA 6AB4's sounding too muddy and noisy (based on other CMV's I've used with the EC92's - big difference).

The U67's I've used were mostly for overheads pair at a different studio. I have found a similar tone with a pair of SM81's (with pad enabled) and/or a pair of Neumann KM184's (with a little EQ).

I think though the U67's I used were mod'd... I did end up using a combo of my 563's and the U67's... each had pleasant characteristics for certain applications.

Back to the original post... I thought the Neumann TLM193 came close to the U67 except the 193 had more chaos low-end...plus it's more than $500. The U67 is close to an Audio Technica 4060 (you'd find them for around $800 new, if you're lucky). Other than that there's not much that has come close, to me (without using EQ or compression).

-- Adam Lazlo
 
Soundelux is about to release the E67 (their take on the U67). I have a gut feeling that it won't be too much longer 'till Neumann re-issues the U67.
 
tryptophan said:
the studio projects c1 is your best bet under $700. veru similar and much more affordable, as all sp microphones are.
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Sorry, but I have to disagree. The C1 is a very bright sounding microphone and doesn't sound even a mile away from a Neumann U67.

I agree with Harvey and IMHO the MXL V77S comes close to the German sound, but just close, it ain't no Neumann.
 
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