Jay, I think your channel is underrated big time. Your videos are super structured, informative, sweet, to the point, etc. Good luck in your endeavours man.
I'm going to buy a sE T1 for my voice over career (I'm doing mostly youtube-related works, but with a usb mic). I really like the sound of it. But as a gift, i'll buy myself an RE20, I love how it sounds
I have a great ear when it comes to evaluating tone of mics, IMHO, and I honestly cannot tell enough of a difference between all of them to say I liked the sound better on any one of them. Great eval, Jay!
Love this, thank you. The problem is you have an excellent deep voice 😆 The SM7B sounds great with a voice like yours but on most voices I prefer the RE20 or Ethos.
Can you do a similar type of test but instead for broadcasts mic for voiceover, maybe do narration , such as like an in-film narration? And also, thanks for making these videos :)
Good idea! Though I will say the answer to that question is more so down to personal preference than anything. Folks will use anything from the Shure KSM 32 (This American Life, The Daily, among other major podcasts and long form studios), the U87ai is a big player of course, the Sennheisser MKH-416 and other similar shotgun mics get a lot of play in professional dialogue studios. You could also easily use any of these broadcast mics if you wanted! It's really up to you. ;)
I'm currently using an RE20 for my radio morning show, but just bought a used Ethos. Can't wait until it arrives to try it out...just looking for that smoothness, especially for a 6am morning show!
@@jaymyersvoiceover 'The Morning Wakeup Call' with Tony Stuart on CFAJ Classic 1220 in St. Catharines, Ontario. I also have two rock history shows with a co-host that are on 5 stations here in Canada...want to get an American station on board as a next step.
Jay, what’s your take on soundproofing a home studio for newbies? do you think bass traps & strategically placed audio panels are worth it for audiobooks? I have a musician at Sweetwater trying to talk me into that & I made my own “booth” using garment racks & vinyl coated fiberglass panels which I’m tweaking for quality. I’ve heard the “eyeball” foam ruins mic quality & reflection panels behind the mic are pointless with condenser mics. I’ve looked at portable vocal booths but have some skepticism. I don’t have a closet so trying to wing it on a shoestring until I can upgrade & there’s a lot of conflicting info…
Great question! This video will lay out many of my thoughts on exactly that: How To Get Started in Voiceover: Your First VO Booth | PT 2 ruclips.net/video/cieZA7YS9Nk/видео.html If you have any additional questions let me know!
@@jaymyersvoiceoverah not sure how i missed that! yes that was super helpful & i like that you didn’t make it sound like rocket science lol. might be hitting you up for a coaching session soon, thanks!
Hey Jay, unrelated question....I'm working on my fourth audio book. Have done it differently every time. I'm curious how you organize your file. One long track with all chapters there, one take lane per chapter, alternate (and appropriately named) file versions? What have you found that works best. THANKS ! I love that Earthworks ! RE-20s and SM7bs are certainly ICONs though. The RE-20 sounds like a broadcast, the ETHOS is more intimate. Thanks for the assistance and the great videos !
@@jaymyersvoiceover Found that one right after commenting here. I love Reaper..using Pro Tools currently as I haven't redesigned Reaper's commands like I need them (mistakingly tossed my user preferences). Punch&Roll, Markers, Editing. What a great app. THANKS JAY !!
i have re20's and re320's....have not used the ethos or sm7b. I have recently picked up a roswell mini k87 and I would hands down buy the roswell mini k87 if I am spending $400-$500 dollars! and you can even do some fun mods like colors of mic body, color of grille and sounds soooooooo good!
I prefer the SM7B but I must admit I’m biased as I’ve been using it for decades now when I worked in radio, and in my professional home studio, however I do agree Jay it is definitely a project to project type of choice for that microphone.
D A B C is my preference in order. D gives more warmth - perfect for an audio book. A could be a good VO mic - B and C had nice high end but would be better for a "Buy NOW" kind of mic. I thought I'd say the RE20 because I own an EV PL80 which I used at the start. I've heard it has a similar frequency curve to the RE20. After hearing others, I'm thinking if I was to replace my NT1(gen3), I'd also consider a Lauten Clarion as well. But the Earthworks Ethos sounds the best in this comparison, IMHO.
I see a lot about dynamic mics not being acceptable for "pro" voiceover work. I am new to the biz just asking. Is a good dynamic like an RE20 an acceptable voiceover mic?
Totally! Condensers just offer a generally cleaner signal and more detail, whereas dynamics are a bit more forgiving and more noise rejection, but either get the job done.
Is it me, or can a little EQ make mics A,B, and D to sound basically the same. Even the fifi, if maybe given some lift in the low end can be made to sound close. Am I crazy?!
Why does no one review the Icon Pro, it's 10x better than the Ethos, it's only $100 more. It's way more neutral, WAY more articulate, and doesn't sound like you're talking into a sock covered microphone. I returned my Ethos because it just sounded muffled to me no matter what I did. Only after removing the foam was when it even got close enough to EQ the low end to something decent. btw, I have these mics, and I would say the RE20, is a FM radio promo sound, which I love, it's articulate and has that low end goodness but in a controlled way, my favorite tone out of the box by far. The SM7B to me is the most neutral flat sounding out of them all, I love it, the noise floor is the only thing I don't like, but aesthetically it's a home run. The Ethos, meh... it's beautiful, but the tone is just soo muffled and soo wooly and I don't even have a deep voice. A lot of low end, and it's uncontrolled. Bonus the Icon Pro would be my first pick followed by the RE20, followed by the SM7B, I'll pass on the Ethos.
I hear ya. With these mics, icon included, it really feels like a person taste thing. Way I see it you can’t go wrong, and it’s just down to what you like. Regarding icon vs ethos, I will say in my a/b testing, I found them to sound quite similar after removing the ethos’ foam and using an external pop filter. So I went with the ethos for its flexibility in that regard. Wish I could’ve included the icon though!
@jaymyersvoiceover I do like how the ethos looks, but the sound, I couldn't do it. Figured I can get the Ethos sound by pulling the highs down on the Icon if I wanted. Also liked the cage around the capsule more than the foam look. Reminds me of steampunk airplane parts or something. It's hard to explain but it just has a refined industrial steampunk design feel. I think the foam also looks good, it's just a more disparate look.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Jay, I think your channel is underrated big time. Your videos are super structured, informative, sweet, to the point, etc. Good luck in your endeavours man.
Appreciate the kind words! ❤️
I'm going to buy a sE T1 for my voice over career (I'm doing mostly youtube-related works, but with a usb mic). I really like the sound of it.
But as a gift, i'll buy myself an RE20, I love how it sounds
Nice!
I have a great ear when it comes to evaluating tone of mics, IMHO, and I honestly cannot tell enough of a difference between all of them to say I liked the sound better on any one of them. Great eval, Jay!
Love this, thank you. The problem is you have an excellent deep voice 😆 The SM7B sounds great with a voice like yours but on most voices I prefer the RE20 or Ethos.
Definitely like the the ETHOS best.
Can you do a similar type of test but instead for broadcasts mic for voiceover, maybe do narration , such as like an in-film narration? And also, thanks for making these videos :)
Good idea! Though I will say the answer to that question is more so down to personal preference than anything. Folks will use anything from the Shure KSM 32 (This American Life, The Daily, among other major podcasts and long form studios), the U87ai is a big player of course, the Sennheisser MKH-416 and other similar shotgun mics get a lot of play in professional dialogue studios. You could also easily use any of these broadcast mics if you wanted! It's really up to you. ;)
I'm currently using an RE20 for my radio morning show, but just bought a used Ethos. Can't wait until it arrives to try it out...just looking for that smoothness, especially for a 6am morning show!
What’s your show?!
@@jaymyersvoiceover 'The Morning Wakeup Call' with Tony Stuart on CFAJ Classic 1220 in St. Catharines, Ontario. I also have two rock history shows with a co-host that are on 5 stations here in Canada...want to get an American station on board as a next step.
I like the SM7b and the Ethos mics best. The other two are a bit bright and thin sounding to my ears.
For longform voiceover, I’d probably go A, D, C then B
Nice!
Jay, what’s your take on soundproofing a home studio for newbies? do you think bass traps & strategically placed audio panels are worth it for audiobooks? I have a musician at Sweetwater trying to talk me into that & I made my own “booth” using garment racks & vinyl coated fiberglass panels which I’m tweaking for quality. I’ve heard the “eyeball” foam ruins mic quality & reflection panels behind the mic are pointless with condenser mics. I’ve looked at portable vocal booths but have some skepticism. I don’t have a closet so trying to wing it on a shoestring until I can upgrade & there’s a lot of conflicting info…
Great question! This video will lay out many of my thoughts on exactly that:
How To Get Started in Voiceover: Your First VO Booth | PT 2
ruclips.net/video/cieZA7YS9Nk/видео.html
If you have any additional questions let me know!
@@jaymyersvoiceoverah not sure how i missed that! yes that was super helpful & i like that you didn’t make it sound like rocket science lol. might be hitting you up for a coaching session soon, thanks!
@@originallimu Looking forward to it!
Hey Jay, unrelated question....I'm working on my fourth audio book. Have done it differently every time. I'm curious how you organize your file. One long track with all chapters there, one take lane per chapter, alternate (and appropriately named) file versions? What have you found that works best. THANKS ! I love that Earthworks ! RE-20s and SM7bs are certainly ICONs though. The RE-20 sounds like a broadcast, the ETHOS is more intimate. Thanks for the assistance and the great videos !
This vid might help 😉
How To Edit an Audiobook like a Professional Narrator (in Reaper)
ruclips.net/video/gXECinwcCVw/видео.html
@@jaymyersvoiceover Found that one right after commenting here. I love Reaper..using Pro Tools currently as I haven't redesigned Reaper's commands like I need them (mistakingly tossed my user preferences). Punch&Roll, Markers, Editing. What a great app. THANKS JAY !!
i have re20's and re320's....have not used the ethos or sm7b. I have recently picked up a roswell mini k87 and I would hands down buy the roswell mini k87 if I am spending $400-$500 dollars! and you can even do some fun mods like colors of mic body, color of grille and sounds soooooooo good!
Nice!
I prefer the SM7B but I must admit I’m biased as I’ve been using it for decades now when I worked in radio, and in my professional home studio, however I do agree Jay it is definitely a project to project type of choice for that microphone.
Comfort and familiarity go a long way!
D A B C is my preference in order. D gives more warmth - perfect for an audio book. A could be a good VO mic - B and C had nice high end but would be better for a "Buy NOW" kind of mic. I thought I'd say the RE20 because I own an EV PL80 which I used at the start. I've heard it has a similar frequency curve to the RE20.
After hearing others, I'm thinking if I was to replace my NT1(gen3), I'd also consider a Lauten Clarion as well. But the Earthworks Ethos sounds the best in this comparison, IMHO.
Nothing beats RE20! Such a lovely mic!
I see a lot about dynamic mics not being acceptable for "pro" voiceover work. I am new to the biz just asking. Is a good dynamic like an RE20 an acceptable voiceover mic?
Totally! Condensers just offer a generally cleaner signal and more detail, whereas dynamics are a bit more forgiving and more noise rejection, but either get the job done.
Great Jay! Thank you. Thank you for great videos. Always learn a lot.
Is it me, or can a little EQ make mics A,B, and D to sound basically the same. Even the fifi, if maybe given some lift in the low end can be made to sound close. Am I crazy?!
If you wanted to you could probably do that!
Make one on SM57!!!!!
If I come across one you got it.
Why does no one review the Icon Pro, it's 10x better than the Ethos, it's only $100 more.
It's way more neutral, WAY more articulate, and doesn't sound like you're talking into a sock covered microphone.
I returned my Ethos because it just sounded muffled to me no matter what I did. Only after removing the foam was when it even got close enough to EQ the low end to something decent.
btw, I have these mics, and I would say the RE20, is a FM radio promo sound, which I love, it's articulate and has that low end goodness but in a controlled way, my favorite tone out of the box by far.
The SM7B to me is the most neutral flat sounding out of them all, I love it, the noise floor is the only thing I don't like, but aesthetically it's a home run.
The Ethos, meh... it's beautiful, but the tone is just soo muffled and soo wooly and I don't even have a deep voice. A lot of low end, and it's uncontrolled.
Bonus the Icon Pro would be my first pick followed by the RE20, followed by the SM7B, I'll pass on the Ethos.
I hear ya. With these mics, icon included, it really feels like a person taste thing. Way I see it you can’t go wrong, and it’s just down to what you like.
Regarding icon vs ethos, I will say in my a/b testing, I found them to sound quite similar after removing the ethos’ foam and using an external pop filter. So I went with the ethos for its flexibility in that regard. Wish I could’ve included the icon though!
@jaymyersvoiceover I do like how the ethos looks, but the sound, I couldn't do it. Figured I can get the Ethos sound by pulling the highs down on the Icon if I wanted. Also liked the cage around the capsule more than the foam look. Reminds me of steampunk airplane parts or something. It's hard to explain but it just has a refined industrial steampunk design feel. I think the foam also looks good, it's just a more disparate look.
@DailyRiot I hear ya!
To my ears, SM7B sounds most comfortable.