Voice Over Mike

[inet-projects]

Hi,

I need a recomendation for a Voice over Mike, this is for very occasional use, does anyone have a suggestion for a budget price one that for whatever reason stands out from the others ?

Thanks

Dave

 

[scrubs]

Sennheiser MD421 - a staple in the broadcast industry and probably more affordable in Germany than mics by Shure (SM7B) and ElectroVoice (RE20/RE27).

Otherwise, any decent condenser mic should work for voiceover, as long as you've got a decent sounding room to record within. I've used and liked the CAD M179 (or M177) for spoken stuff. It's fairly neutral sounding and not very expensive (under $200 US).

 

[daav]

vote for the RE20/27.

Daav.

 

[nwsoundman]

Gefell mt71's are great as is the U87. We only use the 87 when spec'd by a client. The Gefells are used 99 percent of the time. I really can't say enough about them.

I am not sure why so many large dynamics get recommended for professional VO. They are more for radio DJ's and sports broadcasters IMHO.

Edit: Just saw the part about budget. Maybe a used MT71?

 

[bubbagump]

Re20s and SM7 are pretty much industry standard in the states.

 

[nwsoundman]

Re20s and SM7 are pretty much industry standard in the states.

Can you please provide some proof of this? Not being a hardass but this is not my experience. I just hate when "industry standard" gets used. Surely large dynamics do get some play but not nearly as much as a quality LDC or even the 416.

 

[chance]

True the RE-20 is the most used for this purpose. I have been hearing really good reports on the Heil mic that is supposed to replicate the RE-20 charactor and is much lower priced.

 

[nwsoundman]

Ok I give up.

What use is it to offer advice based on experience in the field when I should have just said RE-20, SM7 because that is the "industry standard".

Forget what I said.

 

[jbratch]

Ok I give up.

What use is it to offer advice based on experience in the field when I should have just said RE-20, SM7 because that is the "industry standard".

Forget what I said.

i kind of get what he's saying. i fear that people are lumping voiceover and broadcast. radio stations often use dynamics like the re 20 for a variety of reasons, most of which shouldn't matter to voiceover folks. i feel like there would be many variables in choosing the right mic (obviously), but if i were serious about voiceover recording, i would get a few different nice mikes for versatility. admittedly, i would have a dynamic mic included in that set of nice mics. and a shotgun mic just in case depending on the type of voiceover we're talking about.

however, it sounds like the originator of this thread could get by with any of the decent budget ldc's offered by audio technica, studio projects, oktava, etc. i personally don't think any outperform another on all voices all the time . . . i think he should just try out some mics.

 

[Yoda117]

Can you please provide some proof of this? Not being a hardass but this is not my experience. I just hate when "industry standard" gets used. Surely large dynamics do get some play but not nearly as much as a quality LDC or even the 416.

If you're looking for numbers I'm afraid to say that you are disappointed. Here in Philadelphia and in NYC, the Re-20 and 27 are one of the primary mics I end up having placed in front of me for radio VO.

The U87 is also used to great extent. Not too many Gefells, although I find them to be quite nice (that said, the 70/71 I find to be better for vocals than spoken word IME)

 

[whyseye]

At the VO talent agency where I work, our auditions are recorded on a Sennheiser shotgun or a U87 - period. That's for commercial, animation, promo, trailer, narration, interactive games, etc. Many of the auditions are lifted direct to air. For whatever it's worth...

 

[Innovations]

My own experience is that indeed the SM7 and RE20 are the standards in Radio and thus a lot of voiceover work intended for broadcast is done with them so that they will sound like the rest of the stuff on the air.

I have seen a lot of voiceover studios bring out MD421's for easy stuff like classes or whatever. I also know that some studios swear by shotguns because they get a really up-close effect, particularly if the room has little to add. Stuff like ADR is usually looking for high accuracy and detail so it is often done using LDC.

I actually do a lot of VO stuff using just a MXL2003, which would most likely be on nobody's list of VO mics. My next experiment will be with a ribbon. Go with your budget and what seem to work for the vocal character you are looking for.

 

[ittam]

For me it´s the other way round, LDC for VO and 416 or similiar for ADR
to simulate/match the production sound. I started in early 70`s in a
small dubbing theatre.
Matti

 

[ozraves]

For broadcast, the SM7 and RE20 seem to be the standards in the USA outside NPR.

For other dialog settings, the Sennheiser shotgun or the U87 noted above seem to be the standards.

However, I say screw all that standard crap. Whether you call it dialog, broadcast or VO, you still need to put the best mic up for the talent. My fave mic for spoken word tends to be the sE R-1 ribbon mic. My friend, who records a lot of dialog, tends to like the Blue Baby Bottle. If you want cheap mics, then I've used the Audio-Technica ATM25 and the AT2020 for spoken word with decent results.