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Yeah, I don't know why they were broken as I hadn't changed anything.
:confused:

 

Cheers for fixing them.

 

I'm interested in either the 200 or the 201 at the moment. I would like a tube mic so the 200 is the most interesting to me.

 

The issue I have with the 200 is that it's reported that it can have a sibilance issue, which I can do without (generally as it's not for my voice particularly).

 

Anyone with experience with the two and specifically the sibilance issue with the 200 versus the 201 would be much appreciated...! :wave:

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The 201 does have a little more top end than the 200, but I don't find either of them to be particularly prone to sibilance. But as I think about it, I'm not sure I've used either of them with any sibilance-prone singers up to this point.

 

They're both good microphones, though.

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I suppose what i'm ideally look for is a Ma-200 with a selectable polar pattern for around that price..

 

I suspect the sibilance issue as is possible issue in the same way that no other mic that is totally suited to a particular source. There is always something to restrict a mic being a 'totally good on anything' mic.

 

Dream on.. :badump:

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I'm pretty sibilant as a vocalist... I've never really gotten a satisfactory sound when it comes to de-essing and I think I may need to eventually invest in a good hardware de-esser. :(

 

Ive tried the 201 on my vocals and 99% of the time it doesn't work. But pretty much everything else I put it on shines. It turns out I'm more of an SM57 guy. :idk:

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This weekend I was able to A/B my MA-200 with a vintage U67. We ran both straight into an API Legacy console. We ended up going w/ the U67, but the differences were sooooo subtle. I felt like I could hear the tube a little more in the U67, it was the right sound for the song. By doing this not only did I discover that the MA-200 is a great sounding tube LDC, but I couldn't be happier w/ my purchase. MA-200 = $995, Vintage U67 = $6000 +/-. I recommend the MA-200 to anyone looking for a nice tube LDC.

 

Also, in the pic below we were A/B'ing an RE-20 and an Sm7b. We ended up using the Sm7b for lead vox and the RE-20 for backing. All the vocals were male. A Neumann M149 was also used on backing vocals during the session.

 

Pictured below: EV RE-20, Neumann U-67, Shure Sm7b, Mojave MA-200

IMG_2741.jpg

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the differences were sooooo subtle

 

I've heard that from a few different people who have done side by side shootouts, and my initial impressions of the MA200, based on trade show listening, were that it had a U67 vibe to the sound. '67's are great microphones - one of the classic "big five" IMO, but like you said, they're not exactly cheap these days. It's been - what? About 20 years since Neumann made the last batch of them? Something like that. To be able to get a new, modern mic that can get "that sound", with full manufacturer support, at a fraction of the vintage price is a wonderful thing IMO. :)

 

67's are definitely great vocal microphones, but they tend to work with a narrower range of singers than some of the other classics. As always, no single mic works great on every vocalist - even a 47 or a 251 might not be "right" for this person or that one. But when they work, they're great. And of course, they're a fantastic instrument microphone. They friggin' RULE as drum room mikes. Guitar cabs love 'em too.

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67's are definitely great vocal microphones, but they tend to work with a narrower range of singers than some of the other classics. As always, no single mic works great on every vocalist - even a 47 or a 251 might not be "right" for this person or that one. But when they work, they're great. And of course, they're a fantastic instrument microphone. They friggin' RULE as drum room mikes. Guitar cabs love 'em too.

 

 

Yeah for me it just doesn't work vocally, which was disappointing. But it loves my acoustic guitars and on my sister's voice it sounds amazing.

 

I'm still thinking SM7 might do the trick but I haven't had the cash flow to come up with it.

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Yeah for me it just doesn't work vocally, which was disappointing. But it loves my acoustic guitars and on my sister's voice it sounds amazing.


I'm still thinking SM7 might do the trick but I haven't had the cash flow to come up with it.

 

 

Ive got an SM7b and I feel the same way about them for vocalist as I suspect I'll feel about the MA-200.

 

Some people I've tried it on don't like the experience of singing in to it as they do a LD condenser (if you know what I mean). Great on the right person but sometimes very 'dynamic' sounding and lacking the lushness you get with the right LD condenser.

 

Still one of the biggest bargains out there.

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Ive got an SM7b and I feel the same way about them for vocalist as I suspect I'll feel about the MA-200.


Some people I've tried it on don't like the experience of singing in to it as they do a LD condenser (if you know what I mean). Great on the right person but sometimes very 'dynamic' sounding and lacking the lushness you get with the right LD condenser.


Still one of the biggest bargains out there.

 

Yeah, I was at a session once and the band insisted that they had to sing into a LDC because that's what you need to use in the studio. Engineer set up a U67 and the SM7 and singer threw a fit... until he heard how much better his voice sounded so he said, "Ok, but can we take some video of me singing through this one (U67) because we'll look more pro that way?"

 

:lol::facepalm:

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It's all about brand name and image recognition for some people. Toss up a SM7 and they'll question you because a little knowledge is a dangerous thing... :lol: and they've gathered a little bit of knowledge because they read an interview in a magazine or saw a few pics of their hero using such and such, or saying they like the sound of this mic or that one... so they extrapolate and assume that's what works best on everyone, and in every situation. Never mind that their voice sounds completely different than their hero's voice.

 

Some people out there are going to say "well, what's a Mojave? It's not a Neumann, so it can't be any good, right?" Wrong. :facepalm: I've heard people say similar things about various ribbon mikes too... if it's not an RCA, it can't be any good... so I guess we'll just consider Royers, Beyers and AEA's garbage then, right? (Again... :facepalm: ) And heaven knows you can't use a dynamic mic on a singer (we'll ignore the fact that they've been used on classic vocal recordings of artists like John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Bono, Brian Wilson, etc. etc.), or a ribbon mic (Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Sinatra, etc. etc.)...

 

I wish it was otherwise, but a lot of times, people are going to have their preconceptions and biases... but as engineers, we should be cautious that we don't fall into that trap ourselves. Try to keep an open mind and reserve judgment until you can try it and hear for yourself. :) And try to politely show the artist the differences, just as the engineer did in the example Kerouac gave. I don't care if they want to use something in their promo videos for the sake of "image" or "looks" or whatever - what I care about is how does it sound, and how does it work for the record? :)

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I will also put in my 2cents about the SM7b.....

 

As you can see in my pic above the sm7b was part of our shootout and actually it got used more than any other vocal mic on the record, more than the U67 and M149. It just happened that the U67 was right for that particular song. In our case it was all about the singer and the song.

 

It is unfortunate about the "name game", but that's the some of the crap we have to deal with. As with the MA-200, the SM7b is one of the best vocal mics out there for the price...and it's only $350!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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