Looking for mic recommendations for Voice Over work

industry standard = shure sm7
 
i like the shure KSM44
 
there are lots of good mics in that price range tho

My fiance' is on the local Classic-Rock station's morning show.
As such, we cut a lot of VOs (both for the station and clients).
 
We auditioned a LOT of different mics (LDCs and LDDs) when equipping our studio for VOs.
At the station, they use nothing but the RE-20.
We have RE-20, RE-320, and the SM-7B
On her voice, the RE-320 is hands down the best sounding option.
We run the RE-320 thru a GAP Pre-73 and the result is "radio ready".
Big full sound with really articulate upper-mids... requiring no EQ
 
The RE-320 is similar to the RE-20, but has hotter output and more of a boost in the upper-mids.
Exactly what you'd expect from Ndym...
 
The SM7-B is a lot "flatter" sounding.
Doesn't sound bad on her voice... but just doesn't have the same "charisma" for lack of a better description.
Got the SM7-B for her... but wound up keeping it for recording guitar/bass cab.
It's better at that task than the RE-20, RE-320 (which aren't bad by any means).
 
We tried a bunch of LDCs... but none seem to work as well (for her voice) as the RE-320.
I suspect some of this is the fact that she's worked with RE-20s for 25 years.
She has a very distinctive voice... to which the RE-320 is very flattering.
Its hard to describe in a meaningful way... but you can instantly hear the difference.
 
I was originally skeptical about the RE-320.
It's cheaper than the RE-20 (which is the popular classic).
The station was going to replace a lot of their RE-20s with RE-320s, so I figured we'd give it a whirl.
For ~$300, you can't beat it.
 
Melissa sometimes records in another local studio where they use a $99 MXL LDC.
It works...    but it's not the RE-320.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for the suggestions so far, lots of mics to audition.  Keep em comin'!

The Heil microphones are awesome! And you really can't go wrong with any of the RE-20 or SM-7 families! I'm not a big fan of condenser microphones for voice-over work, but there are exceptions to every rule!!
 
It always comes down to the combination of the voice, the space, and the microphone. Get those three right and you are home free... although preamplifiers, compressors, etc can play a role.
 
Which means you want to audition them, in your place if possible, but for voice-over work it is quite common to have lots of isolation, so the space doesn't have to be a contributor. The voice remains critical, and if you have other artists that will be using these you've be glad if you can drag them along to the store.

For me, meaning my voice, the RE-20 is my first choice. I'd love to get an SM-7 to have a different "flavor", and probably will one of these days. For others I have had great results with the RE-20 most often, followed by the SM-7, and an SM-58 (believe it or not!). I've used a couple of the Heil microphones and liked them a lot, and I've also used MD-421s, again with good to great results.

This suggests, to me, that the magic for me is a dynamic microphone with some proximity effect, and a large capsule.
 
But I could be all wet...

Funny we did a shootout at SAE Miami with about 15 different microphones for vocal recording. From an inexpensive $250 Blue condenser, to a $25,000 Brauner VM-1 Klaus Heine limited edition. The results and opinions upon listening were not as polarized as you might think! I believe that people underplay or never really learn how critical proper mic selection is. It is analogous to picking a lense in photography. Capture it right, with the correct character, tonal balance, dynamic range, and the natural compression of the diaphragm with your microphone and the processing needed is minimal. In our shootout, for the source, many chose a Shure KSM32 to the Brauner. SM-7, RE20, and now Telefunken M82 are are great voice over dynamics. My experience has been that either a Telefunken AK47 or an AR51 will capture a source very well. Each covers ground that the other does not. They are very complimentary. Peluso has a great bunch of different characteristics.
I should be posting an article with clips from the sessions sometime this week hopefully.
 
Josh

I have a KSM-32, love it, use it a LOT. For some dumb reason have not yet tried it for Voice-Over work. Now I will!
 
Thanks for the kick in the seat of the pants!!

In typical SOS fashion, the article doesn't actually explain the function of the new MXL mics' appearance or the concept of Variable D when they mention that the "design of both mics clearly 'pays homage' to the classic ElectroVoice RE20 and its distinctive 'Variable-D' grille design".
 
Ironically, the article's only mention of proximity effect: "low-end response could become a problem in some situations, though, because of the proximity effect" explains that the new MXL mics have a low cut filter to emolliate bass when the proximity effect is overwhelming.
 
Variable D:

 
Variable D cliff notes
 
original Variable D patent
 
The section titled "Two Vastly Different Types of cardiod Microphones" that begins on page 2 is an official EV explanation.

Mike,
 
Prior to auditioning mics, I thought for sure that we'd end up using a quality LCD for her VOs.
Ironically , I didn't like any of the LDCs that we auditioned.
Sounded too tame by comparison...
 
In her case, 25 years of using an RE-20 is a part of the end result.
She's extremely comfortable with that mic...
 
 

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I am planning on booking a visit to a retailer with a large selection of mics, with my talent in tow to audition these suggestions.
 
If anyone has any others, feel free to throw them out there.

FWIW...
Another studio (where Kristie is often called to do VOs) heard the results we were getting from the RE-320.
This studio called her (yesterday) to record a VO... and guess what was up on the mic stand...
A brand new RE-320!