Mic Shootout BeesNeez / Wagner / Neumann

[mics]

Hi All;

Last Friday after much organising, I was able to hire out a great studio and get busy for the morning with some great mics.

The mission for the morning (and half of the afternoon) was for each of the 3 vocalists to get in front of each of the 7 microphones.

The line up was;

Neumann U47
U47 Microphone Diy Microphone that was previously listed as a wagner, sorry for any confusion caused as it was unbeknown to me at the time. This fact was brought to my attention a few days after this thread was posted.
Neumann M49b
BeesNeez Arabella
BeesNeez Jade
BeesNeez James
BeesNeez Arabella with original Neumann K47 Capsule.

I will post the wav files but i want you to name which mic is which and also if you want, let us all know which mic is your favourite for each artist.

Here's a picture of the line up.

I think i'll name it and frame it "In Good Company"



Cheers

[geareyes]

Ahhhhh.... Sweet sight

Will delve into the clips now......

Mike

[mics]

Here are the samples of the first artist.

Lmic1.wav

Lmic2.wav

Lmic3.wav

Lmic4.wav

Lmic5.wav

Lmic6.wav

Lmic7.wav

[mics]

here are the samples of the 2nd artist.

TJmic1.wav

TJmic2.wav

TJmic3.wav

TJmic4.wav

TJmic5.wav

TJmic6.wav

TJmic7.wav

[mics]

Here are samples of the 3rd artist (me)

bmic1.wav

bmic2.wav

bmic3.wav

bmic4.wav

bmic5.wav

bmic6.wav

bmic7.wav

[blaugruen7]

i did a quick listen to the first round and liked the second and the first mic. other were very useful, too.
thanks for posting. i love these shootouts.

[World Studios]

What a dream shootout for any U47 fan! I am a 251 fan, but I will nevertheless check these out asap. Many thanks! Are the mics the same number in each shootout? I mean, is no1 then same mic in all 3 tests?

Cheers,

[Aisle 6]

Ah Mr Sneezby. I believe that this will be a popular thread. tutt You have my attention as well. Will take a listen in my room soon. Very curious.

One question though. Were the mics recorded in the order listed? ie. The singers warmed up a little through the takes. All qualifiers will help to "sift the noise"!

[asagaai]

Hi Ben

Thanks for the clips. Only listened to first set-comments:

1. Most warm/dark with a soft smoothness- perhaps the U47 with a nice vintaged ageing?

2. This mike has a little more air and upper mids and is more present than 1 but still smooth and little like 1- perhaps the Wagner U47/one of the Arabellas?

3. More air and mids- a Jade?

4. This has pronounced highs-but not harsh- also good lows-more 2d and not as big as ones above.

5. Again I found to my ear a little 2D and flat-actually one of least liked.

6. Full/warm, full lows and smooth across-nice-similar vibe to 2- a Wagner/Arabella?

7. Pretty bright/pretty mid forward-the James?


Good work on the mikes and test Looking forward to the results

GJ
Newcastle/OZ

[Butcha]

I think 1 and 2 are the most lush sounding of the bunch. All sounded there or thereabouts (with some variation as to which ones sounded best with what singers) except 5, which I thought was the weakest link for all three singers.

[Rubixcube]

My favourites were 1, 2 and 6.

I'm hoping atleast one is is a beesNeez, id be all over it fo'sho.

[adamcal]

I liked 2 the best in all cases, #7 2nd best and 3 and 4 the least.

[blaugruen7]

on some mics the subsequent part sounds more distant.
these are all different takes, right?
complicates things a bit.

[Docmattic]

Originally Posted by blaugruen7

on some mics the subsequent part sounds more distant.
these are all different takes, right?
complicates things a bit.

I liked them all. I listened to your voice. Id Guess, and only a guess that 1 or 7 is the arbella or jade. i'll have that as a boxed quinella please sir :P

and as a guess out how these shootouts always have a supprise...im guessing 5 is the real 47

[World Studios]

I have only heard the files on headphones, but as expected, I prefer different mics for different singers. On Ben I prefer 7 before 5, but it is sung in a higher pitch and that might tip the scale. On TJ I prefer 5 before 7. On the female voice they all sound more similar...

I will do a proper test on ny speakers in ProTools tomorrow...

[TheSweetener]

I like no 2 ! Hopefully it's not the 47, 49 or Wagner so I can buy one!

[Sharkus]

If the Jade is any of these mics, I am happy.
They all sound great and I am about a week from recieving my Jade.

Thanks for doing this Ben.
Hope you had a nice trip to Sydney.

[voiceactor]

Were these all recorded at the same time or was there a different take on each mic with each singer? in other words, all 7 sang into at once or seperate?

[mics]

Originally Posted by voiceactor

Were these all recorded at the same time or was there a different take on each mic with each singer? in other words, all 7 sang into at once or seperate?

These were all recorded seperately. I do realise that this may not be the ideal for some people. I like to do it this way beacause there is a certain intimacy to be achieved between vocalist and microphone, this is missed if more than one mic is recorded in any given take.

this intimacy is an integral part of any microphone/vocalist relationship.

cheers

[Rubixcube]

I'm itching for results!

[E.rOk.stA]

Thanks, Ben. I'm gonna listen in PT and hit back l8er.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by mics

These were all recorded seperately. I do realise that this may not be the ideal for some people. I like to do it this way beacause there is a certain intimacy to be achieved between vocalist and microphone, this is missed if more than one mic is recorded in any given take.

this intimacy is an integral part of any microphone/vocalist relationship.

cheers

That's a good way for someone to test something to see if they like it... But, you cannot fairly compare gear in this way due to the variables involved with the separate performances. It leaves a lot of room for manipulation of the sound of the mics to favor your own (as the manufacturer). I'm not in any way saying you are manipulating things, though... But, moving a 1/2" in any direction will drastically alter the sound, therefore it's always best to use the same performance at the same distance, and have all levels matched.

Regardless of which mic used, people will always pick the best performance as the best sounding in these comparison tests.

[E.rOk.stA]

Alright, the OFFICIAL breakdown.....(just playin')

I have NO experience with any of these mics so my opinion is unbiased. This is what my ears tell me.

1. Very detailed highs and lows
2. Very smooth lows, seemed to roll off the highs
3. This one has more of a high-mid presence
4. This seemed to have a slight mid boost, more even, neutral sound
5. This one did seem the most even or neutral, somewhat flat
with a slight 3dB boost
6. This one had a low-mid boost
7. This one has something special going on. It resembled #1
but the highs and lows were a little more hyped, giving it an
almost "electric" sound

That being said, Ben has a voice that likes high and low boosting so #'s 7, 1, and 2 seemed to suit him the best, "L" has a voice that can be sibilant so #2 did her the best. TJ has a booming low-mid thing going on so to me #'s 3 and 5 did him the best.

The thing is, my decisions were based on if these voices were going to stay acapella. Who knows what music would throw in the mix. Ones that I didn't favor may be just the thing to cut through a dense mix. I am excited to find out which is which. Ben, I really appreciate you doing this. Thanks!

P.S. I tried not to let the variance in singing on #7 taint my opinion.

[Empire Prod]

#2 sounds good to me

[mics]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

That's a good way for someone to test something to see if they like it... But, you cannot fairly compare gear in this way due to the variables involved with the separate performances. It leaves a lot of room for manipulation of the sound of the mics to favor your own (as the manufacturer). I'm not in any way saying you are manipulating things, though... But, moving a 1/2" in any direction will drastically alter the sound, therefore it's always best to use the same performance at the same distance, and have all levels matched.

Regardless of which mic used, people will always pick the best performance as the best sounding in these comparison tests.

Thanks for your input tony, as always if i was to say red, you would say green!!!

As far as manipultaing sound, the 2 vocalists other than myself, didn't even know which mic was which, they were there to do a job, that being sing into a mic and then sing into the next mic etc.

If you think that it is best to use the same performance each time and to try and evaluate each mic form a 2 dimensional performance then that is up to you, however i feel that there is so much more to a mic. There are so many factors that make a great mic ie; proximaty, intimacy, reaction between source and capture to say the least.

I guarantee you that if you are looking to evaluate a mic with a view to use it on a recording, you will NOT just choose the best performance, you will choose the one that suits the vocalist.

Cheers

[SteveBoker]

Singer L
I like 1 & 2 best. 5 least. 6 and 7 next to least but ok. 3 and 4 are in the middle somewhere. 1 and 2 work best with the resonant peak to her voice.

Singer TJ
I like 3 & 4 best. 1 & 2 next. 5 & 6 group together for me and 7 the least, although there may be a performance difference that is influencing that choice.

Singer b
Again I prefer 3 & 4. 1 & 2 are a bit dark for him. 5 & 6 are pretty close to 3 & 4 for this singer. Can't judge 7 because the performance is so different.

None of these singers are really resonating deeply. Probably L most of the three. The darker mics 1 & 2 will likely sound better with big bodied resonance (depending on where the resonant peak is) and the more present 3 & 4 are better matched with the whispered detail on the two male vocalists. Where's the "belt 'em out" fully resonant voice in this shootout?

[Astromann]

Hmmm...mine was a really quick listen to most of the tracks...they all have a similar tonal quality to my ears...obviously some have more hi end presence etc...than others, but the general tonal fabric of all of them is very close...so I think that considering the price difference...then the Arabella etc...Jade etc...have to be very close to the Wagners etc..in tonal quality.
Cheers
Astro

[Astromann]

Originally Posted by SteveBoker

. Where's the "belt 'em out" fully resonant voice in this shootout?

Yeah I have to agree somewhat with this...all the vocals are personal and intimate using proximity...good for Jazz and ballads.
BUT there is no belt it out high register male stuff...Still you can get a pretty good idea....but to my ears its like playing an intimate finger picking piece on a Strat...you also need to hear a Voodoo child or something thats a bit over the top to see what its actually capable of.
I actually have sung a higher male vocal on the Arabella recently...but there are no A/B's...it did perform exceptionally well though (I was very happy...with the mic, not my performance) my voice was pretty scratchy...but the mic did very well.
Cheers

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by mics

If you think that it is best to use the same performance each time and to try and evaluate each mic form a 2 dimensional performance then that is up to you, however i feel that there is so much more to a mic. There are so many factors that make a great mic ie; proximaty, intimacy, reaction between source and capture to say the least.

It is best to use the same performances when doing a comparison test.... if you are trying to show how one mic (or preamp, etc) differs from another, it is unfortunately the only proper way. The reasons why have been well documented.

There are many factors that influence the sound of a mic... and recording the same performance is the only way to help minimize these external factors.

As a side note, generally manufacturers are not allowed to start threads to showcase their products on the forum outside of the New Product Alert section. These files would have been better suited for your threads about the mics there.

[mics]

If me posting these is a problem, remove the thread, but that hardly seems fair as others here have posted shootouts. I do realise that i am the manufacturer but i am not pushing my mics, it is mearly a subjective listening tool for people.

Would it sit better with you if someone at the shootout on the day posted this thread?

Cheers