For those who were not aware, nearly all of Michael Jackson's vocals on thriller were tracked with the SM7. Soundonsound did an article on these sessions.
 
 
 

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!!

MXLhas managed to make a mic like the RE 20. Copy might be too strong a term but maybe not....

http://www.soundonsound.c...cles/mxl-bcc1-bcd1.htm

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.

... which brings us too:
 
The reason the classic Variable D mic designs were adopted so widely for use in radio DJ booths is that the minimal proximity effect and even off axis response suited the circumstance where DJ's frequently turned off "axis" to place and cue up records on the turntables. The minimal proximity effect and the even off axis response provided a balanced frequency response even when the overall level, which was compressed by the radio engineers before actual broadcast, varied due to distance.
 
The combination of even and balanced frequency response with a cardioid pickup pattern allowed a DJ to fidget in the booth and do the job of cueing records with minimal extraneous noise or weird frequency shifts distracting the listeners.
 
That's why the RE20, and the Variable D family, is called an industry standard and that is why the more recently introduced Shure SM7 employs a somewhat similar grated structure to provide what Shure describes as a "Classic cardioid polar pattern, uniform with frequency and symmetrical about axis, to provide maximum rejection and minimum coloration of off-axis sound"
 
 
... Having said that; spinning records in a radio booth is some what different than performing voice over work, from a script, in a studio setting, and this is why you will find that there is no real "industry" standard voice over microphone, but rather a selection of good microphones that may, or may not, be ideal for any particular voice over artist.
 
 
 
Simples.
 
 
edit grammar

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...
 
 

Hi Jim,
 You are touching on another aspect of V.O. or announcement work. The performer may adapt their style to the circumstance. If you have someone that has spent years perfecting their vocal style then it makes sense that they would have some favorite gear to work on.
 
 all the best,
mike

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.

This has been informative for me as well. I'm always looking at mics. Mike, In reference to the  Variable "D"... I wonder what the "pays homage" part of the MXL description means exactly? MXL would have to be breaching a patent unless they are somehow getting similar results using a similar but different method, unless they bought rights to the patent.

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!