Studio Projects and Neumann

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paddyponchero said:
Well it helps that they were compared to the most overrated mic the world has ever known - I'm sure there wer spectacular U87s made at some time but the current crop are not nearly as impressive as their price tag.
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Let's see, $200 vs. $2500... Damn, that's a tough choice. Oops. I guess I just made a comparison...
 
robgb, face it, the sp mics where a lot harsher.... I mean that what makes a difference between a Neumann and a SP... I know that nowdays, cheap mics are getting pretty good, but they are not has pleasing as the real stuff. If they were as pleasing, I guess Neumann would have been out of business. I mean, who is stupid enough to buy a thousand bucks mic if you CAN'T see the difference between the two... So I guess a person like you would be satisfied with a SP or Behringer mic. Compared to people like Blue Bear who does this as a job (professionnal level), you may not be able to tell the true differences between high and medium/low priced/quality mics.

All in all, I guess you are happy in your world of mics where the SP and the Neumann are both almost the same to your ears. I supposed that other people aren't happy with the harshness of SP and prefer the mellow sound of a Neumann...
 
Not really. Maybe a bit when run through the cheaper pre. But not by much.
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interesting that you don't hear it. I'm not a big u87ai fan but it still sounded better that the SP mics in that particular test. I own 2 SP mics and they're definitely not my "go to" mics. They are usually the mics I use when I run out of other mics for live recording.
 
My two cents -

While I don't own any SP mics, I did own a u89 for a bit. I did a bunch of tests and compared it to my NTK. Now, the best pre's I had were a RNP and a Peavey/AMR VMP-2, so that may have been part of why I got the results I got. To me, they were both excellent sounding. The u89 had a little more definition, but the NTK was a bit warmer. Pretty subtle diffrences though. I got such a good deal on the u89 that I decided to sell it, and by a nice Pearl MLX 6 piece with the PROFIT.

ANyway, I think it's kind of the "law of diminishing returns". At some point (I would say $500-1000) you kinda hit the sweet spot, and from then on you pay a lot for very little extra. For true "Home recordists" it's hard to justify a closet full of $2500+ microphones......
 
C1s work quite comparable against U87s. But they arnt the same. No doubt about it they are harsher than the U87s. Might not be a big deal on some voices. Which is a good thing. But put it on horns, overheads, acoustic guitars, anything with the least bit of harshness, you will hear the difference between the too. The U87s can accell as drum overheads, horns, not always acoustic guitar where my C1 has blew chunks.

I dont have access to U87s anymore. And the ones i compared to were Vintage Blue labels. But i still dont go for my C1s in most cases. They are the mics i use the least. Almost always too harsh and even when i find a voice that they work well on i still have to cut out some 5K.

But for $200 they are worth having around really. I had two but i just sold one. Ive got 2 B3s that i have only used a few times. They are kinda utility mics when i dont have anything else.

So dont compare them to a U87. Its just not a good comparison really. Just think of the C1s and such as a good mic for $200.

Danny
 
Big difference!

This is a perfect example of what’s so great about Neumanns – besides having a natural top-end (already mentioned as “less harsh”) the mids are big, lush and beautiful! That’s what a real “European” capsule will do for you.

The C3 and B1 (and lots of other Chinese mics) have that mid-scoop sound going on. But, as others keep pointing out here, sometimes the mix needs that sort of thing. The C3 might not be the greatest mic for a bluegrass guitar, but the U87 would probably muddy up a pop/rock rhythm guitar track without some serious EQ or different placement.
 
slobbermonster said:
interesting that you don't hear it. I'm not a big u87ai fan but it still sounded better that the SP mics in that particular test. I own 2 SP mics and they're definitely not my "go to" mics. They are usually the mics I use when I run out of other mics for live recording.
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Oh, I hear a difference, particularly when the cheaper pres are used. But the difference is close to negligible. Or put it this way. The difference is not nearly enough to justify the price difference -- IF you're using the higher end pre.
 
i didnt listen to the comparison above, but i have used a c1, a u87, u47 side by side. there were instances when i chose the c1 over the u47. $200 vs. $8000. there are times i've chosen the sm57 over the c1 ($70 vs. $200). i think this whole comparison is dumb. i think the c1 can sound "harsh" or "polished", depending on the source and room. i think the u47 can sound "dead" or "warm" depending on the source and room...
 
Or put it this way. The difference is not nearly enough to justify the price difference -- IF you're using the higher end pre.
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Depends on how many tracks and what your recording I guess. Just voice and accoustic guitar you might get away with it but try 24+ tracks of chinese harsh and you 'll be ready to spend whatever it takes
 
robgb said:
Oh, I hear a difference, particularly when the cheaper pres are used. But the difference is close to negligible. Or put it this way. The difference is not nearly enough to justify the price difference -- IF you're using the higher end pre.
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As already said, if you can't hear the difference, it doesn't matter. You can hear some difference, and it appears to matter to you. Fine. You have every right to your opinion.

Two questons:

1) Do you respect the opinions of others?

2) Have you ever actually heard a Neumann "in the flesh"?
 
Flatpicker said:
Which the Amek / Neve system 9098 used in this example is.
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Yes, and there's very little difference. A tiny bit of harshness in the highs, a little less body and warmth -- but NOT enough to justify the difference in price.

The last few examples use a low cost SP pre and a Mackie pre (which sounds a little better). With these units, the differences in the mics (from the U87) are more pronounced. But with a bit of EQ, the difference -- again -- would not be enough to justify the VAST difference in price.

If it hadn't been announced that there was a Neumann involved in this test, I wonder how many of you can HONESTLY answer that you would have known it was a Neumann and not just a mid-priced mic.

I mean, honestly. Forget your prejudices, forget your pride -- if that's possible.
 
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