Have we found THE Voiceover Mic????
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Check prices for these Mics: --- (Affiliate Iinks)
VO 1-A: geni.us/bj-vo1a
CAD m179: geni.us/bjcad179
RODE NT1: geni.us/bjnt1
Lewitt LCT 440 PURE: geni.us/bj-440
CAD e100s: geni.us/bjcade...
Neumann TLM103: geni.us/bjtlm103
Sennheiser MKH416: geni.us/bj416
Neumann U87: geni.us/bju87
The headphones I'm testing (they're fantastic) geni.us/bjhd30...
How to support this channel:
Donate: www.buymeacoff...
Grab a shirt! teespring.com/...
Use my affiliate link on Amazon www.amazon.com/...
For Home studio equipment options check out kit.co/mikedelg...
There you'll find options for home studio setups at a variety of different budgets.
For my videos:
My main camera: geni.us/fhkL
Links to geni.us, amazon and kit.com may include affiliate codes in which I earn a small commission on products you purchase. Please consider purchasing so that I can continue to bring you these videos.
Thanks!
Thanks a lot for featuring my mic, Mike! My partner ran up and shoved this video in my face the moment you posted it. Now I can boast to my friends that my mic has been inside Booth Junkie's booth and had you speak in it. And it was a shootout video too! I love these. This really made my day!
next stage is to be inside Booth Junkie's booth's junkie!
Thank you for lending Mike this mic. I always wanted to hear a good review of it.
@@radiozelaza Well if you did that you know what would happen right!!! Immediately and without a doubt he would have you record something!
@_kf_ tr_a Thank you for thanking me for thanking Seij.
@_kf_ tr_a Hahahah
The real takeaway from this video is that Mike sounds amazing on any mic.
That's why his name is so similar to mic
@@LiamFlaunch exactly
@@samtripleseven He's actually a puker. Sounds like an 80's smooth jazz jock.
Haha. Damn you! I just bought this mic a week ago! You best me to it.
I still wanna hear the keyboard clicks lol
I still need the box throw to feel satisfied :)
No worries, I still need to know how it sounds four feet away from the microphone!
You have all the same mics, right? Except the U87, I'm guessing. You could replicate the video with a different voice. It would be really valuable.
I'll be honest, when I wanna dive into the world of VO and beef up my game and get inspired I throw on some BoothJunkie, but when I wanna actually make my mic purchase and be entertained simultaneously I always cross reference Podcastage. Mic review consistency is what ALL other mic reviewers don't do. THANK YOU! I will definitely be waiting for the Podcastage review too. I love you guys.
his voice sounds great on everything, because he has a magic voice. he could use a 1970s burger king drive thru mic and still sound good. i think with a bunch of random clients, the u87ai would have the highest chances of sounding good.
Hey,..I use a 1971 Burger King Drive thru mic for all of my podcasts and professional voice work. It rocks!
Thanks for providing these samples right next to each other Mike, super helpful!
You know, my life is crappy right now... The joy I feel when I see a Booth Junkie video! Hope you will be posting a lot more frequently.
I love the booth with a selection of microphones in the background.
Yeah, the VO-1a has a bass rumble. Its present through the whole video when that mic is active. Also, I did reduce volume on many plosives throughout the video -- to save your ears and your subs.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on THE voiceover mic. As if there could only be one ;-)
Agreed about the base rumble!
I dont think its THE mic. But I think it's a pretty good mic for its price point. I'm not super crazy about the pattern
Mike, bought a mic via affiliate link. I’ve got a bunch of these but wanted to lend some support.
I’ve got a question about mic preamps into A to D converter to usb. Is there a video about the equipment chain from mic to computer? I want to be sure I have it set up properly.
Thanks sir!
Just curious what do you attach your MKH416 too like is it behinger? kinda curious what it's connected to when you do your voice overs
how is this comment older than the video???
@@smoogles.5534 I connect to an Audient ID22 interface. (I also have a view analog preamps, but they are totally optional and not at all necessary)
Thank you for this extremely helpful video. As a blind viewer it's imperative for me to have each mic verbally identified, and that is what you did. I rather think I liked the Cad M179, surprisingly, and I wonder what difference female voices would make to a shootout like this.
Omg his voice! Makes me wanna buy this mic but I'm sad it wouldn't come with this voice! 😓
I love these kinds of videos. I'm not a voice actor, nor do I use a microphone, but its interesting to learn something from your videos as a headphone enthusiast. :)
Omg. Your voice makes me feel so warm. I love it. The mics you use really does make a difference!!!
Love how us shift mic. to mic. all in a row. Best microphone shoot put ever I have seen. I have seen a lot.
Holy shit. It’s so good. That’s so unbearably close to THE voice over microphone. 10/10
We've been saying MXL is really great quality for the dollar since 2011 we've used BCD-1's in our broadcast studio for 8 years and still we're not let down. They just work and sound good! This is a great mic Mike, and excellent video as always. Thank you so much! Gotta add, I think the Lewitt is the closest match to the VO's sound, followed closely by the MKE-416. Not bad for the price point!
The rode NT1 sounds really good. It captures the deepness in your voice.
The U87 is AMAZING... but the VO 1-A really holds its own! I have and love the Deity S mic 2.... but Im becoming more and more sold on the 440 PURE. Good work Mike!
I'd recommend spending the extra $100 bucks on the LCT 441 FLEX. It's a super useful mic.
@@dylanj8676 I have had the 440 Pure for a couple of years and it performs quite well. And I agree that moving up to the LCT441 Flex is probably a worthwhile step up.
I'm just sitting here... thinking. How spoiled are we to have this kind of concentrated experience, knowledge, equipment and effort represented in a specific topic in just 20 minutes... give that man a like please...
No way, at least 4 of those bested it for fidelity or resolution handily. Would love to see this same type comparison with the tech zone X2. Cool video. Thanks.
The VO-1a sounds fantastic on your voice. Almost indistinguishable from the E100 and U87. Thanks for the great videos Mike, they're informative and entertaining.
THE effects on this video were spot on, lol. Love the vid Mike.
I'm glad that the vid shows the names of the mics and pauses long enough for me to gasp which is which.
Mike, at the recommendation of my sales engineer at Sweetwater, I recently upgraded my main booth microphone from a discontinued AKG to the Warm Audio WA-87. I'm told it's a nearly spot-on clone of the original Neumann U-87. Not ever having used a Neumann of any kind, I couldn't swear to that in court, but, at about $2,600 less than the U-87Ai, it fits much better into my budget and it sounds fantastic!
This is. gold standard, great talent in front of superb microphone selections. Well done Mike!
Enjoy your videos. I chose the 416 because my space is far from perfect, and its super-cardioid pattern is most forgiving when a dump truck rolls down my street. Agencies/production hiouses for whom I've done stuff have been pleased with the sound. I waited for BSW to have a sale on it...Got it for $800, if I recall correctly.
$800.Wow!
@@brendanbarnes2145 Keep your eyes open at BSW and Sweetwater. Deals DO happen.
At least in my sound system, I'm truly impressed with the VO 1-A!
Literally every other microphone sounded a bit irritating in the mid area (somewhere around 1khz-2khz) . Maybe only the sennheiser had that mid cut, but it turned out a bit too V-ish in comparison with the rest.
However, somehow the VO 1-A was the most pleasing on your voice! I truly liked it.
Definitely a great voice-over choice if you ask me 👍
Thank you for doing this! I have a Harlan Hogan VO1A and I've been very happy with it in my studio. I'm really considering adding the Sennheiser to my collection as I've heard nothing but great things from other professional voiceover talents about it. My takeaway from your video is that for the time being I'll being doing fine with what I have until I can take the plunge on the Sennheiser. Love your videos, again thank you for the comparisons.
I like the CAD e100s a lot!
Wish I saw this video a year ago. I'm learning tons from you. Thank you. I'm a beginner at this right now. Excited for the future :)
Rode NT1 is really cool for its price. Especially for those who don't like presence boost.
Mike across the range you achieve a very nice sound. I.M.O. The signal processing helps define the sound of all mics. Its not just the mic you are hearing but the signal modification as well and this wasnt mentioned. In my voiceover studio I use a TLM103 into UA preamp LA 610 MZK II into UAD 2 Apollo and Cubase running waves and ua plug ins. The room has foam padding.
Mike, great to see you doing a video...many of us miss hearing the maestro of voiceover (smile). Business: IMHO, the VO 1-A runs a good race; my preference is the TLM103, Lewitt 440 then the VO 1-A. ...wonder how the 1-A would sound with a U-87 capsule. Lastly, the smoothness and resonance of your voice is coveted by many; your training and experience has served you well. Be well...peace.
Really digging how smooth and warm the VO is...and it surprises me that its sound pleases me more than the U87 in that regard...might need to get it.
Thx for explaining and showing the image of the polar pattern because I have never heard of that.
This is one of your best videos IMO.....loved you showing the m179 proximity effect as you adjusted. I like the vo-1A!
I've been using the Neumann TLM 102 for almost 5 years now, and I'd say its a great choice if your budget isnt quite enough for the 103. It has a nice flat frequency response too, which is great for tweaking with your preamp/mixer.
Hey Dan, love your NG videos and your audio sounds amazing, any tips?
@@JollyLegend I think you're on the right track with your new mic purchase. That RE20 you bought has a much richer more bodied sound than the NT1-A and less noise too. I think as long as your space is treated enough to minimize reflections, and you are positioning yourself so you're comfortable in front of your mic you'll get a good sound. I think the only other tip I could offer is: Take advantage of VST plugins for enhancing your sound to your liking.
I have a dbx 286s to enhance my sound in realtime, but before that I used a program called VST Host to run my voice through VST effects like Compression, EQ, noise gate etc to get that radio sound. And since there are so many free VST effects out there that do a phenomenal job, you can get a great processed radio like sound for no extra cost. Since VST host is an old and free program. Free plugins like LoudMax (compression/limiter) and Free Gate are widely available and Virtual Audio cable (www.vb-audio.com/Cable/) is a completely free way to output the processed effects into a device that can be used for recording. You can get a great sound for nothing with minimal effort. Heck, I used VST Host and LoudMax for many years to get a real-time processed sound before I upgraded to the dbx 286s for convenience.
I'd say the mic you have now sounds great, and you're already on the right track, keep doing what your doing and I think you'll get the results you want!
Have the 102 with audient id14 pretty happy with it my self
Hey, it's my mic! I own the VO:1a and I've gotten hundreds of jobs over the years with it. I'm adding a 416 soon, but honestly, I think there will always be a place for the VO:1a in my arsenal. I can't tell you how many compliments I've received from top industry pros over the years regarding the sound. If it ain't broke... Granted... space, editing, etc all factor into that as well. If you have a deeper-ish voice, the VO:1a may be a good choice for you. It punches above it's weight. Certainly not THE mic, but yeah.
SM7-B with a Cloudlifter which allows 48V Phantom Power to be applied to the SM7-B. I have a TLM 103 and other mics. Best to consider your room tone and treatment when purchasing a mic. A TLM 103 will not serve you well when used in anything but a very well treated room or space. The best thing about the TLM 103 is it picks up every nuance....the worst thing is... it picks up every nuance.
I also wish he had used the SM7-B. I still believe that will be my main volcal mic for both VO, and singing. 🤘
Clear Adventure, see if you can get to test the Sontronics Solo, a UK-designed-and-manufactured dynamic mic. I have the SM7b, which I love, and bought as an upgrade for my SM58 beta for singing, in my home studio as well as for gigs; the SM7b stays at home now, in the studio; the Solo is my go-to mic for gigs - in terms of presence and detail, and off-axis rejection, as well as the fact that it can be held in the palm of your hand as well as sitting in a mic clip on a stand - well, it blows both Shures out of the water. You can buy three of them for the price of one SM7b, they’ve got a lifetime guarantee and they're built like bricks. Don’t take my word for it though - if you can, try one for yourself.
@@1972hermanoben Thanks, brother! I will look into them! 😁
Excellent video - informative, entertaining - and a smooth yet robust voice to listen to. :) Thank you.
The polar pattern of the VO1-A is called "subcardioid." It's the opposite of "supercardioid." 2 omni + 1 figure 8 (super is 2 figure 8 and 1 omni)
That MXL VO 1-A does sound pretty good for the cost. It wouldn't do too good for me because I use the mic out of frame (studio not a booth), so I use a pencil condenser mic or a shot gun. I think the VO 1-A would pick up too much room noise because of the wide cardioid pattern. It does sound very good though. Thanks for the great video and information. That was a lot of mic comparisons, awesome. For me the CAD e100s...
Oh how I wish I could own a Neumann U87. I did however get on the waiting list and purchased the TechZone Stellar X2 that you compared a while back -- which is being delivered tomorrow; but man, that U87 is THE VOICEOVER MIC!
fantastic video, really liked the first comparison how you showed the different patterns
This is one of the best mic comparisons I have seen. Thank you.
This is definitely the most (and best) "no bs" channel I've ever seen!!
I love the way you cracked up at the end, lol. And... yeah, I think the most meaningful words I heard in this entire video (despite me admittedly being distracted by ordering groceries online) were, "doesn't matter." I'm gonna take those to the bank.
Nice! MXL gave you a good occasion to do your mic Hall of Fame, with quick, easy-comparison clips. Good to see you back.
My goodness. You really know your stuff Mike. I'm so proud.
:)
Great mic shoot out Mike. Surprisingly the VO 1-A held it's ground pretty well amongst some stiff competition, but it's def not THE Voiceover Mic. Try my Neumann TLM 49 in "Booth Junkie" one day and you'll be impressed.
I just retired from a job where I was responsible for creating all of the multimedia content for the Summit County Sheriff's Office. Now I want to create a home audio booth. This video on microphones was very helpful. Is there one where you show how you created the booth in the background? I presume it has sound deadening walls or panels? Thank you Mike!
LOVE your videos bro... I recently bought the VO-1 and LOVE it too... Amazing mic for the money. Great video. Thanks for making these vids (and this one specifically)!
Wow, this is the perfect illustration of comparative mic dynamics. Exactly what I was looking for before purchasing a mic.
Received my Booth Junkie shirt on Saturday!!! Looks Great!!!
The mic sounds really good, though the volume of the video as a whole seemed a bit low. I had to crank my speakers up as high as they go in order to properly hear the VO 1-A. Honestly, I really did prefer the sound of the VO 1-A to the Neuman U87Ai and all the other mics for that matter... I just picked up an MXL 990 after seeing your review of it and BOOM it changed my world. There's still something not QUITE right with my sound, I just ordered 100 sound proof foam pads and a new sound card, I'm thinking there might be an echo that's really throwing a wrench in my recordings lol if the pads don't help I might have to upgrade to a higher tier mic and the VO 1-A sounds great! :p
Hi Mike!
I love the way you present your videos. It's good to see rational explanations of things such as proximity effect. So many people starting have holes in their knowledge ... you are filling them.
Mics are such a personal thing. I have my opinions in what you just presented, I'll keep them to myself. Hehe. My current weapons of choice are the Senheiser 8040. Similar to the 416 but a tad less forgiving, at least on my voice. I also for a number of years have been using a Rode NTA. Yes it has proximity effect but I need it sometimes. They are mid priced and I think fabtastic value. A couple of years ago I swapped the tube for a NOS Mullard and holy crap!
My two cents for whatever it is worth.
Fred
The way this was presented was simply awesome. Thanks for putting it up. Now can you teach me to sound like you?
Totally addicted to your videos! Such good and honest reviews. I’ve purchased most of my gear based on your reviews. (Im literally struggling right now not to toggle on over to Amazon). :-( Keep up the good works, and thank you for all the knowledge you share so freely!
Mike! Id still love to see some videos on the voiceover business side. How much do you charge for your work? How much do you process auditons? Etc. Ive found other resources but am always interested in your take :)
Still happy with my Rhode NT-1A but then I think I heard a few there that make me kind of "needy." ;-)
thanks again for an absolutely brilliant covering of the topic at hand.
That eek-eek sound made my day. Thank you for that ❤
I adore my TLM-103. I'd never want to go without it.
I have learned a lot from you and you have made my audios much better. Thanks Booth Junkie!
I've been using a Thomann t.bone SC400 for about 8 years, and I have to say it's served me extremely well for costing 49€ (after I switched out the extremely bad preamp and audio interface I was using for a decent mixer). Solid build quality and extremely low self noise!
Just the other day I though I would check out if someone had done any youtube reviews of it, and I saw that a channel called Sound Speeds did a comparison of it and the Audio Technica AT3035 and Rode NT-1. The cheap t.bone performed shockingly well. I'm not sure if they're available in the US though. :)
I had to really raise my volume in order to hear what you were saying
Great video, super entertaining... would have liked to see a comparison of the same voice in a DAW with a couple of samples...
I somehow think the Heil would suit a podcast for golfers. A golf club looking microphone. How cool is that? And it sounds good too. I have the Shure and love it. Now I can't wait to get my FINgers on a Heil. Great video Mike.
4 years ago, I sold my VO 1-A to get the CAD e100s. The MXL was good, the CAD is great.
A microphone for voiceovers is very diverse and personal, because every voice is different.
That's why it's so hard to find the perfect microphone for voiceovers.
my tip is just try out some microphones and see which one has the best results with your voice.
but this video from Booth Junkie is very educational for anyone who wants to start with voiceovers
Definitely sounds like a highly competitive option, especially for the price. Certainly seems to compete with your most revered mic you featured, and, dare I say, has won, for my ears
We thought that you were more than kind in your description of the sound of that microphone and very thorough with your shootout.....would've loved to have heard it versus the Audio Technica AT4040 as a direct price competitor....I seriously doubt that "rebranded" MXL would make the grade....I'll pass!
Another awesome review of mics by Mike!
Mike, just wanted to say thanks. Appreciate this channel. It's been helpful while I have been putting together a basic setup for the office. I liked the E100S so much for the office that I bought one for myself as well. I do feel like I sound muddy, though. I am not certain if that is just me hearing the recording of myself and not liking it or if there is something I can do. Would you mind pointing me at any material that might help me on RUclips or elsewhere to diagnose and fix that? If you end up using that for a video topic, that would be great as well. Thanks!
U87 is my way! Sounds so smooth. I was fortunate to record on one. Love it.
Really enjoy your videos. I followed your lead and bought the CAD e100s. Really love it.
The moment you started talking into the 416, my brain said "that's the booth junkie sound I'm used to..." and yet when you switched to the other mic, there wasn't any obvious difference until your voice got into a certain range that made it a little more obvious... it's interesting how little it takes to make a difference... and surprisingly the u87 didn't even measure up in my head (but maybe it's what I'm "used" to hearing that matters here?) so maybe just for me, your 416 is THE voiceover mic.
This channel is amazing
Maybe it's my weird ears, but the proximity effect was really present to me. I'm listening in a studio with monitor speaker and your voice displayed quite a bit of added bass in addition to volume. Of course there were others that displayed more, but IMO there's quite a bit on the MXL.
I love MXL microphones. My go to is my 770. It’s not expensive by any means, but there’s something about it that I love.
Thank you for your videos. Seriously. You provide so much valuable information and content, presented to us by your beautiful voice and beautiful face. What more could we ask for lol.
I think the Harlan Hogan runs close to the U-87 (at least in this demo) and it made the Lewitt sound thinner. The HH certainly had more beef than the Lewitt. I think it compared well against the TL-103, the Sennheiser, and the CAD. For what it’s worth, I’m listening to this over Bluetooth earbuds so I’m certain I’m missing some subtle nuances. In any case, for the price, I think it’s definitely a professional mic. I didn’t hear a reason to step up to the $1,000 TL-103 or the $3,000 U-87. This demo is just more proof that you can get a very great sounding professional mic in the $300 range.
For the price point, yes, it’s really good. If I had the money, I would go for the U87. It’s just better than the rest, but that would be expected from the price point. For someone on more of a budget that want a very good-sounding mic, the VO 1-A is plenty!
Ok I know I’m late but I want to give my opinion that is probably similar to others. Anyways, first we start with the frequency response chart. Now from 75KHZ to 1KHZ is the chest region for warmth (75KHZ is the where the human voice ends btw). So from there, a mic boosted a little bit over there gives a lot of bass, kinda like a ribbon microphone. From 1-2KHZ is kinda below the throat region is. Now 3-7KHZ is the vocal region. A boost from 3-4KHZ would make it a singing mic because it’s still in the throat region and you use your throat to make that singing tone. A boost at 5-7KHZ is the speech region for talking and/or rap (And 7KHZ is where the human voice ends again btw). Everything after that is the treble/breath of your vocals. A singing mic would have it flat up to about 2KHZ where it’ll rise till it hits 3-4KHZ where it’ll be flat from there. After that it will cut out the speech from 5-7KHZ. Then it will boost up a bit for the treble to give more breath in the vocals. For speech/rap the chart should be flat up to about 4-4.5KHZ where it slowly rises up to 5-7KHZ where it’ll be flat until it gets into the treble and kinda rolls it off a bit so the mic isn’t so breathy. Also you don’t want a mic that boosts more than 5DBS and doesn’t go below the 0db line. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the mics you looked at.
First is the MXL VO 1-A. As you can see, it goes below the 0db line and is all chewed up so it gives it a harsh tone in the chest. At 1khz it starts to rise all the way to 9KHZ and in the middle of that it’s all chewed up and nasty AND it goes above the 5db line. And if this was really a voice over mic it would be all flat up to about 4.5KHZ and then slowly rise a little below the 5db line and then roll of the treble a little bit after 7KHZ. Not a good mic AT ALL given your paying about $200-$300 for it.
Now the CAD m179. It’s pretty flat up to about 2KHZ. Then it boosts a little bit as you can see. This gives it a little bit of throat bleed which is bad for “VO”. Then it has a round boost at 4KHZ then it drops at 5KHZ(which is where the speech starts) and then it boosts back up again at 6-7KHZ and then drops down and boosts the treble. All these wavy lines makes the coloration sound weird.This is not good if you would consider this for gamers(which are technically talking/doing speech) like you said in your review of this mic. Has an alright price tag.
Next is the Lewitt LCT 440 Pure. It’s pretty flat up to about about 1.5KHZ where it lets in some throat bleed. And then at 3KHZ it kinda abruptly boosts the singing vocals when it hits 4KHZ. Then it drops a little and the speech becomes flat from 5-7KHZ. And then it boosts the treble from 8-10KHZ and then abruptly boosts it again after that and then rolls it off. All those lumps give it this weird coloration if I’m being honest. It does have an alright price tag though.
And finally the CAD E100s. Your favorite. Now it has a lot of good things going for it. It’s INSANELY QUIET which is good, doesn’t boost over 5DBS, boosts in the right way for voice over and kinda rolls of the treble a bit so it doesn’t sound so breathy. But one thing to keep in mind is when the boost starts. It starts at about 4KHZ but is too abrupt, giving it a little tiny bit of a harsh tone, but it does make up for it with that nice boost. Another thing though is price because it seems like a $300 or maybe even $200 mic at the lowest. But it’s $400-$500 which can be out of people’s price range, which leads us too what I would recommend from your list.
The only things I would recommend from the list is the Neumann u87 AI, Neumann tlm103, sennheiser mkh416 and rode nt1. They all pretty much have the same frequency response but have different specs AND price points. Speaking of the price points, the only one that is not so expensive is the rode nt1, but if you still can’t afford that, get the old discontinued akg perception 100/200 mic. The frequency response is pretty much the same at the u87 AI’s but like WAY MORE CHEAPER on eBay or any other site that delivers old used products. The only thing is that the self noise is kinda high but not overly high but you can fix that in software.
So those are my thoughts, sorry if they where like a whole essay long lol. What do y’all think?
Yep, that Harlan Hogan VO1A sounds darn good - at least on your excellent voice. There wasn't another mic in the comparison that I thought was _better_ than it, just a few more expensive ones that also sounded very good.
Great review(s)! Although the MXL VO 1-A is a budget microphone, the truth is it's 93% comparable the the Neumann u87. Can the 7% (mostly psychological) "advantage" justify paying 10x more... not sure. Being in the Radio Broadcasting Business, I rather have 10 MXL mics in my studios, than just 1 Neumann, but that's just me. On a final note, although we didn't have a consensus on THE Voiceover microphone, we all agree that this Booth Junkie channel, is the THE best "non-BS" channel when it comes to microphones!
Holy crap! I haven't watched you videos in a while and seeing this now, you lost alot of weight! Congrats man. Keep making informative and awesome videos
Not sure if it's how you had it EQ'd but.. I actually found the 1-A to have a slightly clearer high end than the u87. Comparable low end and mids. Considering one is 10x the price, the 1-A really did hold its own. Definitely something I may consider as a dedicated VO mic. Great comparison!
Thanks for this! Finally a HH VO1-A review! Based on my cans, that Hogan is a great sounding mic. It's a tough rank but to my ears, I would put the VO1-A on 4th behind the U87 and TLM 103 and MKH416 in that order. My 5th and fave of the bunch would be the Lewitt 440 Pure because it has this chameleon like character with it's sound--- punches above it's weight too.
It's a nice mic for it's price...... Not hitting way, way above is price point or anything, but definitely worthy of consideration. It doesn't sound too colored and it's smooth enough. I'd definitely be adding some EQ with it though definitely not as rich as the higher end mics and that transformer in the u87 sure ads some beautiful harmonics.
I think the VO:1-A Harlan Hogan Signature Series mic is a solid one and fits nicely within the group of other mics tested within its price range. (I would have liked to be have seen the Rode NT1-A added to the mix.) I would say in regard to cost versus the higher priced mics as evidenced by the comparisons, the law of diminishing returns applies. To my ears the Neumann U87ai did not sound $2700 dollars better by any means. Durability remains to be seen, but this VO:1-A seems to be a good quality mic and a good choice for voice over and probably one you can use and make money with for a long time. To me, "THE" VO mic is more of a marketing ploy than anything but the mic stood well amongst those tested here.
Sounds like voiceover technology has come of the computer age. Precision manufacturing and CAD design and modeling, they are pretty indistinguishable except the sensitivity to plosives on the one. Excellent demo, thanks. Just for comparison, the addition of a typical vocal mic, the SM51 would have been fun to add to the mix. I know, not a voiceover mic. This would be to show the difference between Vocal mics in general and voiceover mics.
i still love my shure sm7b and dbx 286s you recommended, i believe thats the best set up for the money, and i record artists with the same set up.
I think the MXL compares well to the other microphones. This was a really good video.
I'd really love to hear a test drive of the ELA M251 ($10000 mic) for voice over, which I consider the holy grail of vocal microphones, against any other you want to compare with. If you don't do it, no one will.
It does sound really good. I liked the NT1 as well. ALl of these are very nice sounding mics. I tend to go for the mics with the least sibilance. When I hear the ssss over and over it really distracts my attention from what is being said or sung.
Honestly, the VO 1-A sounds good. I prefer the CAD and TLM 103 on your voice, but I wouldn't knock a voice over made with it. The U87ai is in another league. It is THE VO microphone. Even in my studio where I have some better options for sung vocal recordings than my U87ai, whenever someone comes out to record any VO work here, it is the first microphone I reach for. I had a TLM 170 here for a while. It's another great VO mic. You find it used a lot in animations studios, especially on male voices. Still, the U87ai is usually out there as well.
Bang for the buck the VO 1-a I think it's hard to beat.
I’m an vocalist / guitarist and I do voice over as well. I feel and again this is my take.
The TLM 103 is the finest microphone I’ve found for both singing and voice over.
To get a better mic I once borrowed a $10,000 original U-47 tube and yes it sounded incredible. I however did not purchase it. Why? First you had turn it on and wait 30 mins for the tube in it to stabilize. Second was it $9,,000 better?
Well if your the Beatles perhaps.
( This one came out of their Abby Road Studio. 3rd my wife threatened to leave me if I bought it. I also have a few other go to
Mics. AKG 414, Blue Kiwi, EV RE20 and Sennheiser. I sold my U87 I found it wax a lot of money tied up for a mic that didn’t give me any additional benefits over the TLM 103.
I’m curious if any of the voice over mics you demonstrated including the MXT Hogan and the Tech one would sound for vocals singing wise in my studio. I enjoy your videos immensely. I’ve done several videos for Ketron demonstrating the SD90 a musical back up machine. I’d like to hear what you think would also be a great choice to add to my locker. Thanks for your efforts
Hey Mike Long time no see. Thank you for sharing. Love from Vzla S.A
The U87 seems to have a much more dynamic range. Top end sounds better - not "bright" but clearer. It sounds more like I'm actually in the room with you rather than listening via a mic. The HH sounds more centered in the lower range.
The Lewitt LCT 440 Pure sold me.
Cad E100S and Lewitt LCT 440 Pure for the win.
I you want voice over get the one or the other.
Rode NT1 as well, very good, but I'd go with Lewitt just because of the design.
Truth is, any mic is good if you know how to edit and to do voice over.
All of them are incredible tools, you just need to learn to use the tool.
Have to say the Vo 1-A is a smooth transparent mic. Proximity is a major selling point for me and is something I will consider down the road for a more controlled environment. Currently I use an Sm7B with fet head for low budget onsite recording as I get stuck often in places that is not forgiving when it comes to environments (room reflections) with my condensers (NT1A and or 4033). The greatest down fall of course with a dynamic the issue is with proximity. The E100s looks as though could be an alternative, would you have another recommendation ?