Thinking of buying a new mic

[Chordptrn]

Anyone out there using this mic? Thinking of buying this on Friday.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Have you ever sang through a U87ai?

 

I'm not saying it's a bad mic - not at all. It is a well-regarded microphone that a lot of people actually do like. But I can't say it's the best mic for your voice. The only way to determine that is to try out a bunch of microphones.

 

Side note: I had a person who came into my studio once who lamented the fact that the mic I put up (after hearing his voice acapella and hearing the track he was going to sing on) wasn't a Neumann. In his mind, nothing else was worthy of consideration, and I was a total idiot for suggesting anything else. Of course he'd never sung into what I had put up, and I suspected he'd never previously sung into a U87 either, but was just repeating what he had heard and read from others about what the "best mic" was, and anything else was automatically inferior.

 

For the record, the mic I had put up was a Telefunken ELA M251 E.

[Chordptrn]

Ok I'm going to drop 10 grand on a mic because, well it's better than a U87.

[WRGKMC]

Everyone's voice is unique so the best mic for someone's voice, vs something someone can easily adjust their vocal skills can be two different topics.

 

I spent decades singing through stage mics like Shure and AKG and was never able to get the best tones from my voice. Even many of the common studio mics gave me problems getting the best tracks and I'd have to spend hours mixing the vocals to suit my range.

 

I eventually bought an EV PL84 Held condenser mic when it was on sale and I was able to get better sounds from my voice then I had in the past. The good part is I can use it live or recording and get great results with both.

 

They aren't the only mics I use. I been using an MXL ribbon mic lately and it nails some classic vocal tones. I did a Doors tune last weekend and was able to get the same kind of deep tones Morrison got. I tried it for some other stuff where I was singing in a higher range and it wasn't doing it for me.

 

Knowing the mics limitations is a big part of the picture here you cannot overlook. Some mics are multipurpose and can do a fair job at just about anything. Other mics do some things really well and not so well on others. Most mics are not linear. They have frequency bumps and roll offs. If those bumps and valleys happen to occur in the wrong ranges for you voice you can wind up spending allot of time fighting the mic to get what you need and possibly damaging your voice in the process (Like I did)

 

Its best to have an expert help you find what suits your voice best. Otherwise you can spend allot of money and allot of time trying to find something that suits you best. Otherwise you may be better off sticking with something that's fairly multipurpose that does a good job till you narrow down the possibilities for what suits you best.

[highmtn]

I've used U87's before and I liked the sound. I don't own one, but I would consider checking out several comparable mics. They have certainly been used successfully on a lot of HUGE hit records. The M-149 has a nice sound, too. Maybe you could try out a vintage SuperDeluxe, which you will see in some of the old Beatles studio photos.

 

If you like the sound of a U-87, either vintage or modern, then you'll probably be very happy with it. If you get tired of it, I'll take it off your hands.

 

; ^)

 

All the Best!

 

Bob

[James Parker]

How is your vocal booth treated? i have just a few bass absorbers, i recently purchased this mic and its sounding excellent on vocals, i have used a U87 before and its not the greatest but the U87 AI blew me away.

 

This review really convinced me to buy it.

 

http://www.yourlocalmusician.com/neumann-u87-ai-review/