Surprising results of a microphone comparison

[jho]

It just goes to show you that mics are like fingerprints, they are all different. Some fit some voices better than others. There are many more that praise the U87 than not. Of course, the pre makes a huge huge huge difference as well.

For what it is worth, I sold my vintage U87 (pre berlin wall fall) and picked up a Soundelux U99 to replace it, and at least on my voice and female vocals, that thing is pure honey dripping from a vine. I love the sound of a tube mic.

Just another sad reason for you to be forced to part with your hard earned money to have a robust mic closet.

[Markk]

Just to log in - I recently bought a Studio Projects C1 and I am blown away. This under $200 mic sounds fantastic. My AKG TL-II sounds extremely muffled compared to it, and I like it better than some u87's.

[Kenny Gioia]

Keep in mind that sometimes the most flattering sound is not always the best in the mix.

The U87 is a bit harsh in the way that NS10m's might not be a great home stereo speaker.

I used to (when I was a bit green) choose an AKG 414 over M149's and U47's etc.

The AKG had more top end.

But What I realized later was that after I added some Pultec Top End to the U47 to make it match the 414, the sound was on a different planet.

Although I'm not a huge fan of the U87, you have to realize that alot of hits have been recorded with it, and those harsh freq's tend to cut on radio.

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I use a Brauner Valvet now.

[strunz0]

i have owned a u87 for a few years now and track almost all of my vox through it. I have found that I always need to add a bit in the high range...perhaps it is just my mic....i love it though. it is a workhorse.

[beech]

In defence of the U87, I just used one recently on the loudest male vocal I've ever encountered! This guy was loud ... I had to pad the mic. It turned out to be the only mic that could handle the level, although I only tried the Soundelux 251 and one other, which I cannot remember. It was then I was reminded of why the U87 has been an industry standard for so long.

[ISedlacek]

Are we talking about U87 Ai ?

[beech]

Yes

[spicyitaliano]

Just a side note, the Rode mics kick ass!!

I got a Rode NT1000 a while back, and it does such a smooth and sweet performance on all my singers. Very versatile and just all around good quality, like all the Rode mics.

And even better, they arent real expensive!! Oktava and Rode are kick ***** companies! Always good stuff, check it out.

[Chris Cavell]

I only use the U87 (original) when handling a rock vocalist who can really belt it out. If it's a more subtle vocalist, I stay far far far far away from the U87. (It is and has always been my choice for close mic jazz trumpet though. Dizzy style!)

[Bryan Cook]

Originally posted by Produceher:

I use a Brauner Valvet now.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Have you worked with the Brauner VM1 KHE (Klaus Heyne Edition)? Recently I used it with a singer that has a very harsh mid/upper mid piercing/cutting thing going on and man, it just captured everything with huge bottom and nice clarity. I recorded it with no EQ and for the first time ever, did not EQ the vocal at all in the mix. I too usually go for all the vintage tube mics first but this one just worked better for this particulair vocalist. I've also used that InnerTube audio mod for the 87 recently - loved it on vocals!

If you are in LA area, AudioRents has a Brauner VM1 KHE available for rent, and they are really cool about just checking things out quickly or A/B'ing things too.