Instant click. You are one of the few reliably fun and informative no bs top tier shows for gear hands down. Thanks for all you do Bandrew :) ...love the expanded music sound segments!
I appreciate how good your diction is when you speak. Makes it easy to evaluate the sibilance, plosives, etc. An underrated aspect of many reviews! I just bought this mic for $250 (it’s $50 off right now at SW) and I think it’s a great value. Universal Audio has never done me wrong.
One thing to note in the M88 comparison is that the SD-1 has a recessed capsule like the SM7b while the M88 does not, so while the tips of the mics are lined up the SD-1 capsule is actually a couple of inches further from your mouth than the M88’s. That would explain the noticeably bassier response from the M88 compared to the SD-1.
I think its fair to say that the emulations all lack the magic, clarity and depth of the original mics. I guess if you're applying an EQ curve to an already dynamic capsule, it's always going to have the character of the original capsule primarily... Surely it makes sense for UA to have done this with a condenser capsule that captures lots of detail and a full frequency range in the first place, then applied EQ matching to that?
They did release two condenser mics that have this as well, I just didn't buy those or review them so I couldn't test them with this. I'm guessing the condenser models would be more effective because they acquired Townsend Labs and that's what they focussed on. However, I'll reserve judgment until I use them myself.
Just hearing the emulations I was like, this sounds really promising. The comparison with the real mics brought me back down. This can't replace the other microphones. The question is, if you are just going for a certain tone on the mic, isn't it enough? They are pretty much just some EQ preset so why not. I think its nice to have. Edit @11:22 Nothing an impulse response can't capture ^,#
Yeah that's pretty much what my conclusion was. If you're okay just having these as different EQ presets and tones for the SD1, cool. But if you're expecting them to get you the actual mics they're modeling, I don't think it accomplishes that.
The models sound pretty over-compressed and the frequency response doesn’t seem to be super close. I’d gladly just purchase the mic I’m looking for. Thanks for the video Bandrew!
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts on it. I too would rather just go for the real deal mics, of course that's a lot more expensive than this mic...but at the same time with this mic you're not getting any of the real deal mic sounds.
I wonder if my ears are just used to the sound of cheaper mics, but I actually preferred the SD-1's emulations a LOT more than any of the mics it's trying to emulate. I've got quite a dark and warm voice, and I think this mic will be perfect
The thing about modeling is that typically they are modelling a specific microphone... ie the exact microphone in their inventory vs any other microphone of the same make/model. Also, the DN-7 is probably based off the original SM-7 vs the SM7B which has slight differences in character so that is a factor as to which revision of the microphone its based off of. Lastly, their are likely minor variances in the Hemisphere mic which will affect the modeling downstream. I agree with the assessment though, if you like the raw sound of the unmodelled mic then that should be your core reason for buying it. Then you get the benefit of having the models which clearly do change the tone shaping to something in a the ballpark of what each mic is; which is valuable to a budget home studio when you cannot purchase a whole mic closet. One thing is certain though, the technology is interesting and will typically get better with time. Just look at the last 20 years of guitar amp modelling for reference.
Got it yesterday! Sounds really good, not a 100% accurate to your real versions of the mics but still very usable. Man the real M88 really surprised me and sounded great on your voice!
I heard differences in all the models except the SM-7B. The emulations were really not that close, but they’re definitely not dealbreakers. A lil tweak here and tbere on each of them will make them work out.
Mainting capsule distance (not mic grill distance) from mouth is key here, unfortantely the comparisons with the actual mics have varying distances hence differences in tone due to proximity effect.
Cool concept. I’m not a professional so take my opinion with a grain of salt but why emulate other microphones? How many consumers of audio can pick out what specific microphone was used?
Pretty much comes down to how the person USING the tool feels. I use a Wa 47 JR with only gain and compression-limiting in the processing chain, but the amount of people who could pick that out is probably 0, and my voiceover quality is still... excusable for a gameplay person.
You would want to emulate other microphones because for different applications and different mixes and different projects you sometimes want different sounds. Sometimes a brighter RE20 will work compared to a darker SM7b, but sometimes the opposite is true. It's all about what you're trying to accomplish with the mic, and emulation/modeling makes it a lot cheaper than buying all the mics (assuming the models are accurate).
I hate just making negative comments, but it does seem like the 7B and RE20 modes just sound like the SD-1. In the case of the M88 and the 441, it just sounds like the SD-1 with a high boost.
Yeah I wasn't really impressed with the models. It all sounded like just slight variations of the SD1 as opposed to models that were really close to the originals.
Hi bandrew! I really enjoy your content miss the old quiet test, when you cracken the Gain up to hear the noise floor. Anyway, can you sometime do the versus series and compared all yours handheld microphones? And perhaps add the AKG d7?
Great video. Thank you.Once again this is very useful to be able to show the emulation compared directly with the models they are after. They do sound quiet different indeed and this demystifies the idea that you can just buy one mic and have everything under one hood.
Hemisphere plugin is altering the sound output - not the input printed to your DAW. What if you used Hemisphere’s with a Shure SM58? Hemispheres will be available as a standard UA Apollo you can use real time with UA Console, in the future.
really interesting. They didn't get close at all. The SM7b model sounds SORTA close which is to be expected as the SD-1 mic itself is clearly based on an SM7b
Can you please try to test the Antelope Axino? Yes it is USB but there are a few Tests of the emulated Sound but no test of the microphone as such. Pretty please?
"You can go ahead and boost it up to 12 dB" Said ASMR Bandrew. And I am thinking abut releasing this sound as a phone ringtone. Perfect for awkward alarm.
So if you only have 1 Universal Audio mic like SD1 in your case.. you can only download the modeling option for your specific mic? And you cannot download the other mic conversion modeling like the condenser ones?
I thought the dn20 sounded better than the re20. I think that all of the mics sound super close, the worst was the m88 comparison. But hitting it with some proximity probably helps out
Great video as always. Question, I would like to know if you can recommend me a shotgun microphone for streaming porpuses. I dont like having a mic in my face while I'm playing lol. Thank you
A shotgun microphone or a super/hypercardiod small diaphragm condenser could be fine for streaming. If you're doing gaming and using peripherals and you're distance micing yourself at about 10-12" away you will just have to come to terms with the fact that your'e going to have more reverberation off of your monitor and desk, and also pick up a lot more of the keyboard and mouse noise. If you're okay with the change in sound, then I say go for it.
Imo The re-20 emulation was the closest and the SM7b was waaay of. Not saying that the re-20 was spot on, by any means. Also, it FELT to (gut instinct, idk :/ ) that you have to play more with this. I'm saying this because on some moments, the mics (emu vs real) got close for brief intervals (
@@Podcastage It might not get anywhere, idk. This is something nirdy that i would do, as an enthusiast and geek, based on a subjective gut feeling; and even if it bares fruit, it is not something (i don't think) that works for production purposes. Actual question: IF there is a magic spot, would it work for (semi)pro work?
Am interesting idea, examined well by you as usual Bandrew. I'm no judge of the sound, but the idea is clever if it works to a reasonable degree. Useful to those who want to reshape their sound without studying equalisation. As others have implied it might work better starting from a mic with a wide and even/flat frequency response. It's got to be easier to tune a signal that's already there. Whats remarkable really is the idea that software can grab a usb steam, decode it, split the frequencies, shape it, and stick it all back together. And do that at realtime speed, all be it with a small delay. Not so long ago you'd have needed a dedicated DSP to do any of this. Especially in real time.
.with a little eq the similarity between the MD441 and the M88 is achieved ...the others are similar the good thing is that with the plugin we have new mic haha. thanks, thanks.. God bless you!
You'd want to emulate a mic so that you can essentially switch mics in post production depending on the mix. You could send a modeling mic to talent and you record it and select the mic you want for them in post. There's plenty of reasons why a modeling mic would be appealing. This just kind of missed the mark in my opinion.
I will say this, our recording company just bought the Sphere DLX and used it for a recording session. We were cautiously optimistic, but ended up using it exclusively on the entire project. We were very impressed. We have an assortment of mics, such as WA 414’s, WA 251’s, Pinnacle stereo ribbons, some other nice-ish ribbon I can’t remember the name of, of course the standard 7B’s and 57’s, and the Sphere DLX was very convincing for those models and more. It was a super quick workflow, and everything sounded good through it.
Well, after listening the comparasions, I can defentetly say that the SD-1 emulations doesn't even come close to the original emulated mics. They all sounds way too different.
To my ears, I had a hard time telling a difference between the SD-1 and the SM7b and RE20 emulation, but I could very easily tell the difference between the Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser. 🎙
Nope. As different as different mics. I have the L22 and like it a lot but I try to ignore the mic model and just choose the ones I like per song and singer. Trust your ears is still the key.
All UAD emulation sounds like an SD-1:-). I would have tried it with white or and rose noise to see the math:-). Or I would make a solution in the software that you can measure your favorite microphone and it will do the modification based on that to make it look like sd-1. Of course, what's the point if you have the original:-) thx the great video!
This was a fun video but with one exception. It was hard for me to explain to my team at work during a zoom call that my red marks all over my face were the result of Bandrew slapping me several times across my face at the end of his podcast. It was kinda embarrassing....especially considering that I'm 6'2" and 245lbs....They all laughed at me too.
Thanks for saving me the time of doing this lol. The only one that was "KINDA" close was the SM7... they didn't need to do much. Its fun, but im sure at the end of the day, you could probably get just as close, if not closer using a good EQ. Great vid as always.... hey... thought you were taking the week off!?
Thanks so much Pags. I'm happy to save you the time of doing this for the dynamic, I'll leave the condenser for you though. MUWAHAHA! I was taking the week off of the BSP, but not the reviews.
@@Podcastage they went hard mode on the sdc. I dont have nor do i think i can even get my hands on the real versions of the models they emulated. Not a huge fan of sdcs… though there are some really cool ones out there now. The EV nd66 looks neat with the bendable head.
They would better to market this as having multiple pre-set EQ's. That would be perfectly acceptable but I doubt the marketing department wouldn't agree.
Yeah if you like the SD1's sound profile then I think it's fine to go for this mic. There was some pushback because this seems to be a rebrand of a $100 mass produced mic with only a few small changes though.
Oh…you actually can access the other mics in the modeling system through the presets. I ran into the 414 by messing with the presets so I actually have them all, not just the 5 that are associated with the SD-1.
The low-end difference is DRASTIC, which leads me to wonder if we're observing a proximity effect change due to the placement of the diaphragm in each microphone. The 88 and the 441sounded the most different, and the 7b sounded the most similar, which is think that the biggest differences are coming from the fact that the diaphragm may be 2-3 inches closer in the last two mics. The proximity effect is an exponential effect and anyone who mics guitar amps can attest to the fact that even half of an inch can be a big deal in the tonality of the mic, especially the low end, which I'll reiterate, is where the biggest differences are. It also leads me to believe that the "Proximity" knob is so prominent on the plugin because of this exact reason. I would caution against thinking that this demonstration, while very illuminating, proves that these mics can't sound more or less identical. Edit: Also, for anyone pointing out the glaring differences with the 7b, I recommend you check out a comparison between a modern SM7b and an original SM7, which is what they were modeling. These mics do not sound the same.
Also. Wait a minute: you have a vintage SM7B if I recall correctly. And I don't think it was much different from the modern SM7B. So... vintage or not, SM7B emulation is not like SM7B
The 441 emulation is the worst of the bunch. I think the SD1 emulates the SM7b well enough to fool most… I might even prefer its DN-7 emulation to the actual SM7b. The rest of the mic emulations don’t really have the same sound. But is it even a make or break? So many good mics sound mildly different to each other… just not convinced that we need 10 options. More like 10 hours of practicing a song before we record it.
Not! Even! Close! Not even setting the proximity compensation down to the minimum or something? I need to listen to the proximity compensation again for that first emulation mic! So it's basically an EQ knob for the low end... And yes, I can hear the difference in the low end despite my hearing impairment... And I'm not getting that microphone just to try and mimic another microphone. Anyone listening to your podcast is probably not going to care which mic you use. Also, I personally prefer the hardware version so that I can get the sound that I want without having to install software in a work from home laptop that I cannot install it in due to the work policy. Any kind of proprietary plugins is not worth it for me.
Thanks for sharing your input Grayson, I really appreciate it. Yes the Proximity Compensation knob is basically an EQ dial for the low-end to dial in more bass and low mids or to cut bass and low mids.
I'm guessing the condenser version is better because that's where Townsend focused (condenser mics emulating other condenser mics). I haven't heard those though.
I see overall in everything sold these days and forever a lot of claims witch are far from truth. For some reason for companies to sell lies is legal and this continue. Sometimes even the ones that can do something with some basic effort are not doing it so is up to us to inform ourselves but here is again the level of invest in craft that most of people put in. Quick solutions and somebody else to choose for us is the preferred way. To think for yourself takes time and investment aka brain power.
Bandrew, thank you for this nice presentation. To be honest, I didn't expect much or even something like a miracle. But, oh no, this was terribly disappointing! First thongs first, I don't really like the og sound of this mic. But simulations are a total failure toy ears. Especially the RE20, the M88, but also the Sennheiser were not wven close. It may be nice to play around a bit with those different sound signatures. But for me personally, it's not worth time and money. PS: Yes, the wonderful Beyerdynamic M88 was Phil Collins' microphone.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the performance of the emulations and I am in complete agreement. It's been a while since I have used the M88 but I liked the sound of it, but goodness gracious those plosives were bad.
I think the concept of impulse response and frequency response emulation is a pretty good idea, but the SD-1 as a mic on its own has pretty poor midrange response, leaving it sounding somewhat scooped or boosted in a tinny way. It sounds like the filters they are using for emulation have very sharp curves or Q applied. Overall, if you really like the sound of a particular mic, you should just buy that mic - for many reasons beyond this plugin. But this plugin might be great for someone who only has one mic to use as a "character" filter or to experiment with when trying to find the right mic for a particular vocalist or instrument without plugging in their entire cabinet.
Instant click. You are one of the few reliably fun and informative no bs top tier shows for gear hands down. Thanks for all you do Bandrew :) ...love the expanded music sound segments!
Thank you so much Gear Junkie, I really appreciate that.
I appreciate how good your diction is when you speak. Makes it easy to evaluate the sibilance, plosives, etc. An underrated aspect of many reviews!
I just bought this mic for $250 (it’s $50 off right now at SW) and I think it’s a great value. Universal Audio has never done me wrong.
Though I could hear a difference in the mic comparisons, there was definitely a sound signature change and they all sounded pretty good.
If you like the sound of the emulations and treat them as just EQ presets, then I think it's more than fine and a really cool addition to the SD1.
@@Podcastage I agree 100%
One thing to note in the M88 comparison is that the SD-1 has a recessed capsule like the SM7b while the M88 does not, so while the tips of the mics are lined up the SD-1 capsule is actually a couple of inches further from your mouth than the M88’s.
That would explain the noticeably bassier response from the M88 compared to the SD-1.
Danke!
Thank you so much for the support Rainer. I appreciate it so much.
I think its fair to say that the emulations all lack the magic, clarity and depth of the original mics.
I guess if you're applying an EQ curve to an already dynamic capsule, it's always going to have the character of the original capsule primarily... Surely it makes sense for UA to have done this with a condenser capsule that captures lots of detail and a full frequency range in the first place, then applied EQ matching to that?
They did release two condenser mics that have this as well, I just didn't buy those or review them so I couldn't test them with this. I'm guessing the condenser models would be more effective because they acquired Townsend Labs and that's what they focussed on. However, I'll reserve judgment until I use them myself.
Do you use a cloud lifter or power supply with your dynamic mics?
Just hearing the emulations I was like, this sounds really promising. The comparison with the real mics brought me back down. This can't replace the other microphones. The question is, if you are just going for a certain tone on the mic, isn't it enough? They are pretty much just some EQ preset so why not. I think its nice to have.
Edit @11:22 Nothing an impulse response can't capture ^,#
Yeah that's pretty much what my conclusion was. If you're okay just having these as different EQ presets and tones for the SD1, cool. But if you're expecting them to get you the actual mics they're modeling, I don't think it accomplishes that.
The models sound pretty over-compressed and the frequency response doesn’t seem to be super close. I’d gladly just purchase the mic I’m looking for. Thanks for the video Bandrew!
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts on it. I too would rather just go for the real deal mics, of course that's a lot more expensive than this mic...but at the same time with this mic you're not getting any of the real deal mic sounds.
I'd love to see a SC1 comparison to your mics!
I wonder if my ears are just used to the sound of cheaper mics, but I actually preferred the SD-1's emulations a LOT more than any of the mics it's trying to emulate. I've got quite a dark and warm voice, and I think this mic will be perfect
The thing about modeling is that typically they are modelling a specific microphone... ie the exact microphone in their inventory vs any other microphone of the same make/model. Also, the DN-7 is probably based off the original SM-7 vs the SM7B which has slight differences in character so that is a factor as to which revision of the microphone its based off of. Lastly, their are likely minor variances in the Hemisphere mic which will affect the modeling downstream.
I agree with the assessment though, if you like the raw sound of the unmodelled mic then that should be your core reason for buying it. Then you get the benefit of having the models which clearly do change the tone shaping to something in a the ballpark of what each mic is; which is valuable to a budget home studio when you cannot purchase a whole mic closet.
One thing is certain though, the technology is interesting and will typically get better with time. Just look at the last 20 years of guitar amp modelling for reference.
the GOAT of microphone testing.
Thank you for this. There are way too many positive reviews of this mic that were clearly sponsored. We need more honest reviews like this.
When is the SC-1 review coming?! Would be stoked to hear your thoughts on that mic!
Got it yesterday! Sounds really good, not a 100% accurate to your real versions of the mics but still very usable. Man the real M88 really surprised me and sounded great on your voice!
We are waiting also for reviewing the SC-1
Thank you! Very helpful review. Very curious about UA SC-1 review.
Thanks for the suggestion. I don't currently have an SC-1 and haven't ordered one so I don't have one coming.
Can you do a SC-1 one 🥺
Popping out the mics to compare is wild, idk if any other reviewer could do this
I heard differences in all the models except the SM-7B. The emulations were really not that close, but they’re definitely not dealbreakers. A lil tweak here and tbere on each of them will make them work out.
Mainting capsule distance (not mic grill distance) from mouth is key here, unfortantely the comparisons with the actual mics have varying distances hence differences in tone due to proximity effect.
Cool concept. I’m not a professional so take my opinion with a grain of salt but why emulate other microphones? How many consumers of audio can pick out what specific microphone was used?
Pretty much comes down to how the person USING the tool feels.
I use a Wa 47 JR with only gain and compression-limiting in the processing chain, but the amount of people who could pick that out is probably 0, and my voiceover quality is still... excusable for a gameplay person.
You would want to emulate other microphones because for different applications and different mixes and different projects you sometimes want different sounds. Sometimes a brighter RE20 will work compared to a darker SM7b, but sometimes the opposite is true. It's all about what you're trying to accomplish with the mic, and emulation/modeling makes it a lot cheaper than buying all the mics (assuming the models are accurate).
@@Podcastage That does make sense.
I hate just making negative comments, but it does seem like the 7B and RE20 modes just sound like the SD-1. In the case of the M88 and the 441, it just sounds like the SD-1 with a high boost.
Yeah I wasn't really impressed with the models. It all sounded like just slight variations of the SD1 as opposed to models that were really close to the originals.
the RE20 is such a fantastic mic
Yes. The RE20 is a fantastic microphone.
To be fair the modeled mic isn’t the sm7b but the og sm7 jaja
I'll have to make a comparison of that.
Please what interface are you using?
Hi bandrew! I really enjoy your content miss the old quiet test, when you cracken the Gain up to hear the noise floor. Anyway, can you sometime do the versus series and compared all yours handheld microphones? And perhaps add the AKG d7?
Great video. Thank you.Once again this is very useful to be able to show the emulation compared directly with the models they are after. They do sound quiet different indeed and this demystifies the idea that you can just buy one mic and have everything under one hood.
Some modeling mics seem to get a bit closer than this. But I haven't found one that gets you to the actual version of the mic they're modeling.
Hemisphere plugin is altering the sound output - not the input printed to your DAW. What if you used Hemisphere’s with a Shure SM58? Hemispheres will be available as a standard UA Apollo you can use real time with UA Console, in the future.
really interesting. They didn't get close at all. The SM7b model sounds SORTA close which is to be expected as the SD-1 mic itself is clearly based on an SM7b
Yeah they could have been a bit better.
Wonder how the sphere modelers would sound through this.
Can I use these plugins on live stream? I mean, do these plugin work all the time or only in post process?
Can you please try to test the Antelope Axino? Yes it is USB but there are a few Tests of the emulated Sound but no test of the microphone as such. Pretty please?
Came for the RE20 comparison. Mic modeling is cool and all and it’s suuuper close, but the real deal has the edge to me. Thanks for doing that.
"You can go ahead and boost it up to 12 dB" Said ASMR Bandrew. And I am thinking abut releasing this sound as a phone ringtone. Perfect for awkward alarm.
It'd be like that movie the cell where people hear their phones ring and they lose their mind.
So if you only have 1 Universal Audio mic like SD1 in your case.. you can only download the modeling option for your specific mic? And you cannot download the other mic conversion modeling like the condenser ones?
Correct.
I thought the dn20 sounded better than the re20. I think that all of the mics sound super close, the worst was the m88 comparison. But hitting it with some proximity probably helps out
Amazing video, very informative!
Podca- Stage?
Will you do the Steelseries Alias as well?
I don't currently have one, I haven't ordered one, so I don't have any current plans to, but it does look interesting
@@Podcastage Okay, thanks. I really appreciate the answer. I love your in depth videos. I bought the microphone and I do not recommend it.
The real RE-20 is the winner!
And it'll always be!
If you like the RE20 the best then absolutely it is the winner. It is a great sounding mic for sure.
The RE20 emulation is quite surprising!
I would like to see the review of the SC-1
pls do the other hemisphere mics!
Interesting, is it possible to use app for this mic with other mics. Emulation sounds good. 😊
Later is answer. 😅 Thanks. 😊
You're welcome. thanks for watching.
The best emulation is of the SM7b. The best-sounding mic is the real MD 441.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the emulations and the mics. It's always cool hearing what mics people prefer. Have a great weekend.
Great video as always. Question, I would like to know if you can recommend me a shotgun microphone for streaming porpuses. I dont like having a mic in my face while I'm playing lol. Thank you
A shotgun microphone or a super/hypercardiod small diaphragm condenser could be fine for streaming. If you're doing gaming and using peripherals and you're distance micing yourself at about 10-12" away you will just have to come to terms with the fact that your'e going to have more reverberation off of your monitor and desk, and also pick up a lot more of the keyboard and mouse noise. If you're okay with the change in sound, then I say go for it.
@@Podcastage thank you so much for the advice 🙏 ❤
Imo The re-20 emulation was the closest and the SM7b was waaay of. Not saying that the re-20 was spot on, by any means.
Also, it FELT to (gut instinct, idk :/ ) that you have to play more with this. I'm saying this because on some moments, the mics (emu vs real) got close for brief intervals (
Interesting idea. Thanks for the suggestion on trying that out. If I can find the time to do that I will try to get it as close as I can.
@@Podcastage It might not get anywhere, idk. This is something nirdy that i would do, as an enthusiast and geek, based on a subjective gut feeling; and even if it bares fruit, it is not something (i don't think) that works for production purposes.
Actual question: IF there is a magic spot, would it work for (semi)pro work?
Am interesting idea, examined well by you as usual Bandrew. I'm no judge of the sound, but the idea is clever if it works to a reasonable degree. Useful to those who want to reshape their sound without studying equalisation.
As others have implied it might work better starting from a mic with a wide and even/flat frequency response. It's got to be easier to tune a signal that's already there.
Whats remarkable really is the idea that software can grab a usb steam, decode it, split the frequencies, shape it, and stick it all back together. And do that at realtime speed, all be it with a small delay. Not so long ago you'd have needed a dedicated DSP to do any of this. Especially in real time.
Thanks for sharing your input on this one. Very cool thoughts.
I dont know how to open the emulator can someone help me?
.with a little eq the similarity between the MD441 and the M88 is achieved ...the others are similar the good thing is that with the plugin we have new mic haha. thanks, thanks..
God bless you!
bro plz update ur best microphones list!!!
i have vocaster one interface which has 70 db of gin what is the best for me DynaCaster or sd-1 i am sad gamer
Nice. Other emulations I'd like to see include the MD-421 and the Beyerdynamic M160. Maybe UAD will add some more at some point....
That would be interesting for sure.
Dont get the point of emulating an other mic.
You'd want to emulate a mic so that you can essentially switch mics in post production depending on the mix. You could send a modeling mic to talent and you record it and select the mic you want for them in post. There's plenty of reasons why a modeling mic would be appealing. This just kind of missed the mark in my opinion.
That was really interesting. It would be really cool if you could also make a video about the expensive microphones from UAD
I don't currently have the budget to buy those mics to cover but perhaps in the future. Thanks for the suggestion.
I will say this, our recording company just bought the Sphere DLX and used it for a recording session. We were cautiously optimistic, but ended up using it exclusively on the entire project. We were very impressed. We have an assortment of mics, such as WA 414’s, WA 251’s, Pinnacle stereo ribbons, some other nice-ish ribbon I can’t remember the name of, of course the standard 7B’s and 57’s, and the Sphere DLX was very convincing for those models and more. It was a super quick workflow, and everything sounded good through it.
did a fairly decent job back to back against the SM7b, but the rest of the models sounded hollow and phasey and weird compared to the real mics.
Yeah. I'm going to do a follow up on my second channel checking capsule alignment on the others just to be thorough.
Well, after listening the comparasions, I can defentetly say that the SD-1 emulations doesn't even come close to the original emulated mics. They all sounds way too different.
yeah, pretty far off in my opinion as well. Thanks for watching.
To my ears, I had a hard time telling a difference between the SD-1 and the SM7b and RE20 emulation, but I could very easily tell the difference between the Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser. 🎙
Some of the changes were much more drastic and noticeable. That's for sure. Glad you were able to differentiate some of them.
Thank you for doing this video on this mic because you just saved me $500.00.
Whew! I was worried this was going to make me regret buying my Sphere L22. Thank you for allowing those fears! ✌️😁
No need to regret it at all. The L22 is great and does a much better job at modeling than this does.
amazing!
Thanks Boojakascha.
Nope. As different as different mics. I have the L22 and like it a lot but I try to ignore the mic model and just choose the ones I like per song and singer. Trust your ears is still the key.
All UAD emulation sounds like an SD-1:-).
I would have tried it with white or and rose noise to see the math:-). Or I would make a solution in the software that you can measure your favorite microphone and it will do the modification based on that to make it look like sd-1. Of course, what's the point if you have the original:-)
thx the great video!
This was a fun video but with one exception. It was hard for me to explain to my team at work during a zoom call that my red marks all over my face were the result of Bandrew slapping me several times across my face at the end of his podcast. It was kinda embarrassing....especially considering that I'm 6'2" and 245lbs....They all laughed at me too.
Sorry that the slaps left marks on your face. I'll be more gentle next time.
Thank you for the video, I was really curious to hear how emulations stack up vs the real mics. (Agree btw, not really)
Thank you so much for watching PodcastMeister. Keep up the fantastic work you do.
Thanks for saving me the time of doing this lol. The only one that was "KINDA" close was the SM7... they didn't need to do much. Its fun, but im sure at the end of the day, you could probably get just as close, if not closer using a good EQ. Great vid as always.... hey... thought you were taking the week off!?
Thanks so much Pags. I'm happy to save you the time of doing this for the dynamic, I'll leave the condenser for you though. MUWAHAHA! I was taking the week off of the BSP, but not the reviews.
@@Podcastage they went hard mode on the sdc. I dont have nor do i think i can even get my hands on the real versions of the models they emulated. Not a huge fan of sdcs… though there are some really cool ones out there now. The EV nd66 looks neat with the bendable head.
They would better to market this as having multiple pre-set EQ's.
That would be perfectly acceptable but I doubt the marketing department wouldn't agree.
I agree having this marketed as 5-EQ presets would be more accurate.
Doesn’t quite sound the same but the sd-1 sounds pretty good on its own.
Yeah if you like the SD1's sound profile then I think it's fine to go for this mic. There was some pushback because this seems to be a rebrand of a $100 mass produced mic with only a few small changes though.
Big thumbs up.
Thanks so much Adam.
Oh…you actually can access the other mics in the modeling system through the presets. I ran into the 414 by messing with the presets so I actually have them all, not just the 5 that are associated with the SD-1.
The low-end difference is DRASTIC, which leads me to wonder if we're observing a proximity effect change due to the placement of the diaphragm in each microphone. The 88 and the 441sounded the most different, and the 7b sounded the most similar, which is think that the biggest differences are coming from the fact that the diaphragm may be 2-3 inches closer in the last two mics.
The proximity effect is an exponential effect and anyone who mics guitar amps can attest to the fact that even half of an inch can be a big deal in the tonality of the mic, especially the low end, which I'll reiterate, is where the biggest differences are.
It also leads me to believe that the "Proximity" knob is so prominent on the plugin because of this exact reason. I would caution against thinking that this demonstration, while very illuminating, proves that these mics can't sound more or less identical.
Edit: Also, for anyone pointing out the glaring differences with the 7b, I recommend you check out a comparison between a modern SM7b and an original SM7, which is what they were modeling. These mics do not sound the same.
I have all of these mics (except the SD-1)... It missed all of them. These plugins never work right...
If you have the originals, then you've got a pretty kick butt mic locker. That's awesome.
Also. Wait a minute: you have a vintage SM7B if I recall correctly. And I don't think it was much different from the modern SM7B. So... vintage or not, SM7B emulation is not like SM7B
I do have a vintage made in the US SM7. I should do a comparison of those.
At the dynamic mikes is the probleme that the capsel from the setup are very different and the philosophie behind the capsel….i prever the real ones 😉
I prefer the real deals as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
@@Podcastage some Mike to Test for Budget „Weissklang“ and „line Audio „😉
The 441 emulation is the worst of the bunch. I think the SD1 emulates the SM7b well enough to fool most… I might even prefer its DN-7 emulation to the actual SM7b.
The rest of the mic emulations don’t really have the same sound. But is it even a make or break?
So many good mics sound mildly different to each other… just not convinced that we need 10 options. More like 10 hours of practicing a song before we record it.
Awesome video. Thanks very much for this. I agree. The emulations are too far away. At least with your mics. ✌🏼
Not! Even! Close! Not even setting the proximity compensation down to the minimum or something? I need to listen to the proximity compensation again for that first emulation mic! So it's basically an EQ knob for the low end... And yes, I can hear the difference in the low end despite my hearing impairment...
And I'm not getting that microphone just to try and mimic another microphone. Anyone listening to your podcast is probably not going to care which mic you use. Also, I personally prefer the hardware version so that I can get the sound that I want without having to install software in a work from home laptop that I cannot install it in due to the work policy. Any kind of proprietary plugins is not worth it for me.
Thanks for sharing your input Grayson, I really appreciate it. Yes the Proximity Compensation knob is basically an EQ dial for the low-end to dial in more bass and low mids or to cut bass and low mids.
@@Podcastage Well if you adjust the dial to the minimum, that might come close to the other microphones for the purpose of comparing the microphones.
Thank you!!!!!
Thank YOU.
thank you
Wow... the simulations sound nothing like the actual things... how disappointing...
Yeah. Not there quite yet.
you are great thank you
The emulations are almost all terrible.
Very, VERY disappointed in the sound of these. Cheap alternative to the Sphere (which was developed by Townsend..). Sad days for UAD
I'm guessing the condenser version is better because that's where Townsend focused (condenser mics emulating other condenser mics). I haven't heard those though.
@@Podcastagebut you do have a video on the Townsend Labs?
I don’t get why they made this when the Townsend sphere was already there.
Likely because they wanted a dynamic mic in the market, and it's a lot cheaper.
Thanks for clarifying@@Podcastage
I see overall in everything sold these days and forever a lot of claims witch are far from truth. For some reason for companies to sell lies is legal and this continue. Sometimes even the ones that can do something with some basic effort are not doing it so is up to us to inform ourselves but here is again the level of invest in craft that most of people put in. Quick solutions and somebody else to choose for us is the preferred way. To think for yourself takes time and investment aka brain power.
Bandrew, thank you for this nice presentation. To be honest, I didn't expect much or even something like a miracle. But, oh no, this was terribly disappointing! First thongs first, I don't really like the og sound of this mic. But simulations are a total failure toy ears. Especially the RE20, the M88, but also the Sennheiser were not wven close. It may be nice to play around a bit with those different sound signatures. But for me personally, it's not worth time and money.
PS: Yes, the wonderful Beyerdynamic M88 was Phil Collins' microphone.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the performance of the emulations and I am in complete agreement. It's been a while since I have used the M88 but I liked the sound of it, but goodness gracious those plosives were bad.
@Podcastage I agree that the plosives are the caveat of the M88. But it sounds heavenly to my ears.
A real 441 sound like a 421 but in the mud.
As the emulation sound great, it does not sound like a 441
I think the concept of impulse response and frequency response emulation is a pretty good idea, but the SD-1 as a mic on its own has pretty poor midrange response, leaving it sounding somewhat scooped or boosted in a tinny way. It sounds like the filters they are using for emulation have very sharp curves or Q applied.
Overall, if you really like the sound of a particular mic, you should just buy that mic - for many reasons beyond this plugin. But this plugin might be great for someone who only has one mic to use as a "character" filter or to experiment with when trying to find the right mic for a particular vocalist or instrument without plugging in their entire cabinet.
Exactly. If you like the sound and just want it as EQ-presets, I think it'd be fine.
DN-7 was close to the SM7b; the rest was garbage.
Honestly, idk about this SD-1. Each model has a nasal quality to it and weird low frequency resonance, it's emulations hurt my ears lol.
They do not sound even close to each other.........but it is not that bad.
Oof not very close to the og mics, maybe useful for some ppl but not a direct replacement, no sir
i think this mic is the best mic at 300 dollar
Seems pretty gimmicky, and it comes off as deceptive.
Maybe they can improve on the models, but I just don't think they really hit the mark here.
Okay thank you. I will keep my RE20 😉
Hope you're able to get the RE20 soon. Happy recording.
They all sounded way off to me.
Do they sound Like something ?
UAD trying to beat Slate.. and loosing.
Not one sounded close at all! Very bad
UAD not paying hence suffering.