for less than $1k try a used AKG 414 ULS.



I have a pair of AKG 414s and a pair of TLM 103. The 414 have a richer low end authority and a smoother high end.




If you want to skip the process of ending up with a bunch of $1k mics you don't use much... try these:

A new Micro Tech Gefell UM70 w/ MV692









A new Wunder CM7 FET



I bought one of these 5 months ago. It's smooth all over.

downsouthstudio


middleman wrote:
Sorry but I have to disagree. Don't listen to the vocal, listen to the room on those various mics
I would need to put the CU-29 in a very dry vocal booth to reduce the room sensitivity it has.
____________________________________________________________________________

Interesting how we hear differently. I heard the room in all of the samples. The vocal on the Telefunken sounded richer to my ears vs the U47 which sounded a little thin. Of course, Ive assumed the comparison of those mics was done under the same conditions....which may or may not be the case.
IF......you were to use an ISO booth using the TELE...would your opinion be the same?
I really appreciate your input.
Would you recommend a mic from my list above please.

Thanks,
Jeff

Wow, there are so many good mics on the list. Yes by the way, if I had an ISO, the Telefunken was very smooth in it's optimal range and it would make the cut. As you pointed out however, not all of the chains were equal. That was an LA3A on the Telefunken and that compressor alone might be responsible for considerable differences from the U47 which was running through a distressor. So it was not an equal shoot out. Also know, I monitored the files through the headphones and not mixing speakers. There may be low end I am not getting.
 
I hate making mic recommendations because many I have not used so in those cases I have to lean on what people say. Here is what I have heard.
 
The Telefunken U-29 - A guy I know and trust, James Lugo over at Gearslutz who is also a studio owner here in LA says that this mic was very strong on a female vocal and beat out his Neumann U67. That is quite an endorsement as James is a very good rock & roll singer himself with very good ears. That puts it at the top of the list for me.
 
The AKG 414 ULS is another great mic and that capsule can be found on many higher end AKG mics which are notoriously good for male tenors and female vocalists. I tried one for a few hours and it did not stand up against my TLM49. I decided not to buy it. I am a baritone. This mic has been on a number of rock n roll hits.
 
The AT4060 gets pretty good marks but many people sell them after using them awhile because they only work on certain vocalists. Hit or miss but if you hit, a great sound. I have found an upper mid bit of coarse grain across most Audio Technica mics if you get too close. I have the 4050 and 4033 which at a distance of 1 foot sound fantastic on instruments. I have not found a vocal I like however on these two but used on a male vocal. On females I have heard better things for vocals. Based on my experience with their other mics and things I have heard, this mic would come in below the two above for versatility. However, this has been on a few country commercial songs but don't ask me to go find out which. Just some interviews I have read.
 
Shure KSM 44 - Mostly good on this mic. Extremely versatile but not spectacular in a magic sort of way on vocals. I have not heard of it being used on any commercial hit. I have heard of it being used a lot for instruments.
 
PELUSO P12 - Some like it, some don't. The only negative is that it can be overly bright on the high end.
That is all I have heard.
BOCK 195 - In this price range, I have heard this one by the way, it is a very good mic. Rich, full, smooth top end. I have known a couple of people that moved on to a Neumann U87 after using it awhile. My impression is it's good, but for those looking for the most pro sound, they eventually move up.
 
MOJAVE MA-200 - Nothing but raves for this one at the project studio level but I am not aware of it being used for any commercial songs. People rave about them however but I have not heard of one pro recording engineer using them on a song. I heard one once and I thought it had that Chinese factor which was a capsule with the harsh high end. The preamp however I heard it through was very low end so my review is suspect.
NEUMANN TLM 103 - I use to own a couple of these but sold them and on the right vocal, it can be excellent. Know that a couple of Grammy winning albums have been done with this mic but none that I know of in country. Look up Imogen Heap, a recording artist in England. She runs one through an Avalon 737 for all of her songs and gets a fantastic sound. That is a very colored preamp and does the mic Justice because the mic is very smooth but very neutral.
Not to sound like a mic snob but Telefunken or Neumann would be my direction from your list.

It's fairly hard to find any negatives about the CU-29.

It's only existed in the market for about a month and a half.

All you are going to find is glowing reviews from guys who have used it for a few hours.

Some of the most well known interweb pundits change their mind about their favorite mic every few days.

:-)

 

Here's a fun thread about Neumann Mics:

http://recforums.prosound.../index.php/m/344356/0/

If I wasn't preoccupied with saving for and buying 2 really nice mics this year I'd buy one of these today:

.

It is a no compromise FET mic that competes head to head with a U87.

I bought the CM7 FET at the end of last year after a flip of the coin against the MicroTech Geffell. Both mics have nice German made capsules.

I'd never buy a TLM 103 again... they are nice enough... but nothing special and if you get critical... they are grainy... as is all the Neumann TLM stuff.

The AKG 414 ULS is a classic German capsule mic at apprx $700 used in great condition.

The chinese capsule stuff is all price point gear... and will be a stepping stone purchase for a guy with as much musical ambition as you have.

Good Luck!


best regards,
mike

mike_mccue


Here's a fun thread about Neumann Mics:

http://recforums.prosound.../index.php/m/344356/0/

hahah. LMAO...great thread.

I made it through 5 pages.....maybe I should get the Neumann M49

What I really need is a schematic and mechanical drawing of the Neumann line. My son is a EE and has a friend that is a ME..maybe they could just whip one up with parts from Radio Shack....

humm.............. U87 SCHEMATIC
Jeff

downsouthstudio

mike_mccue


Here's a fun thread about Neumann Mics:

http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/m/344356/0/

hahah. LMAO...great thread.

I made it through 5 pages.....maybe I should get the Neumann M49

What I really need is a schematic and mechanical drawing of the Neumann line. My son is a EE and has a friend that is a ME..maybe they could just whip one up with parts from Radio Shack....
Jeff

With that option...there are lots of very reasonabley priced mics that can be upgraded. That might mean it's back to reading.

Good Choice Jeff

I own 2 of them. Very versatile, and sound good.
Nice for acoustic gtr as a stereo pair too. Drum overheads sound really good with them.
Vocals are excellent. Just recorded a 50's - 60's vocal Doo Wop group using 2 MA-200's and was very pleased with the results.
I'm thinking the mic will not disappoint.

Hey Jeff,
Nice!  If you can post some samples when you get it that'd be great.  Like I said I've been looking at tube mics for a while now and I'd love to hear how this sounds.

Dean

You can't argue with the man Jeff.

Well you can but it's usually a painful lesson ahead.

Jeff,
 
be sure and let us know what YOU think about the mojave.

@

haha...Yes, you guys will get a full review, including wave files of my beautiful voice, plus the wife, grandkids, and our parakeet. That should cover 20hz-20khz

LOL that was stellar.

FYI...just in case you're trying to decide on your next purchase.
I may have to "save up" a few weeks to get this...

downsouthstudio


FYI...just in case you're trying to decide on your next purchase.
I may have to "save up" a few weeks to get this...

Heh. :-)

You know, if I had all the money in the world, I still wouldn't get that. I have two consoles here just gathering dust in a storage room (A 32 channel and a 24 channel one). They just take too much space! I would much prefer some kind of rack mounted summing mixer. Not because I believe in analogue summing over digital summing (I think it is non-sense) but as a kind of luxury patch-bay to put in front of any digital interface to the computer.

A combo of these two would be quite nice I think:

Neve 8816
Neve 8804

UnderTow