Hi Guys, the difference between the CM47 and CM47SE is the capsule.
The CM47 has our AK67 capsule giving it the more modern response like a Soundeluxe U99.
With the original U47 microphones we had at Ocean Sound in Vancouver during my tenure there we often added 3db at 12khz in the mix to get the vocal to sit right in the mix. The CM47 naturally has that rise at 12khz which you can see from the response curve I attached.
The CM47SE has our AK47 capsule which is a perfect reproduction of the K47 capsule used in the U47's made after 1958. You can see it is virtually flat at 10khz and has a slightly darker response but still has the gentle rise in the upper midrange giving it a nice presence but less "sizzle".
Here is the CM47 on a classical vocalist and you can hear the air and "sizzle" up past 10khz without the microphone sounding brittle.
However, Joe West at Gasoline Studios loves it on his acoustic.
Joe has all our microphones and just got his first pair of CM67SE microphones. He had a couple of clients that loved it on their vocals.
Montreal Rocker Roch Voisine just bought one after comparing it to several very expensive microphones and told me it compared more than favourably to U67 microphones he has previously used.
My CM47fet would be better on horns as it has a built in de-emphasis circuit which is like a HF limiter used in the U87 but the 47fet has 16db more headroom than a U87. Harp players seem to love the 47fet also.
Steven Mandel who mixes sound for the Jimmy Fallon show and produces the Roots band recently recorded Elvis Costello in Vancouver with the Roots.
He use our CM12SE and just bought two from me to take back to New York.
Steve couldn't say enough about the vocal sound and we are so stoked here in the shop.
I haven't checked into Gearslutz for months I have been so busy. However, we are sold out and our next shipment doesn't arrive until late next week.
Hi Claude, back in the day at Ocean Sound in Vancouver we used the U47's on trumpet except maybe in a ballad when we would pull out the RCA 77DX.
I've seen Miles playing into U47's and M49's but both had the same capsule.
Just the head grill's are different. The cylindrical U47 head grill is a bit more forgiving in the sibilant frequencies while the trapezoidal 49 head grill allows the 6-9khz area to rise more naturally.
However, you can bet back in the day at Atlantic that the U47 and M49's were set to OMNI and not Cardiod. Leakage sounds much nicer in OMNI than Card.
Also, Joe West at Gasoline studios in Nashville got his and called me right away to let me know how great it sounded on his acoustic.
Joe has 4 of our CM12's, 2-CM67se, a CM47SE and two CM28's.
The only other guy who I can remember who "hated" one of my microphones was monitoring on ear buds. I really think something is not right if an OKTAVA pencil sounds better than our CM28????
This is the kind of e-mail and notes I usually get!!!
Dear Dave:
I recently used one of your prototype CM-12SE mics at Crew Studios in Vancouver and was referred to your website by Mike Cashin, Studio Manager/Head Engineer.
Currently working on an Elvis Costello and The Roots album, which is what we used your mic for, and I gotta say, it was perfect for Elvis's voice and it sounded amazing. We are going to be continuing work on the album in New York and I wanted to purchase a CM-12SE for continuity and also for further projects with and without Elvis. Of course, I'll be mentioning you and your microphone in the credits of the album, it was that great. I mean, we had a nice mic pre and an LA-2A but still, I don't even have to EQ it. Awesome work!
I have been the engineer for the Roots albums since around 1997 and also work with them on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Is the best way to just buy it straight off the website?
I'd like to pick one up immediately.
Thanks,
Steve Mandel
Steve just bought two of our CM12SE microphones last Monday.
Here is our CM47 on a vocal and our CM54 on the Portuguese guitar which to my "old" ears sounds 1/2 way between a mandolin and tenor guitar?
Apparently, the CM54 has become the goto microphone for Portuguese guitar according to the producer. Guess they like the "Chinese" sound but it may not be for everyone LOL.
I know and respect Dave and have met with him. Really great guy,but this mic - as well as his CM28 - IMHO, have this awful artificial aspect in their emphasize to the high end I just can't stand. For lack of a better description, very "Chinese." Ugh..
The build on the 54's was also suspect as one from the pr we bought had a defective pad switch right out of the box (does Dave not inspect stuff before shipping, I mean,he is a small outfit?) To be fair, he did offer to replace it no questions asked, but even then, this takes time and is a hassle to pkg up and ship etc - especially while on a session. The guy I worked for didn't even bother. He just sold them because the AT 4051a's he got for almost them same price absolutely killed them on his Yamaha C7
Really? Wow. I did an extensive SDC shootout with a client, shooting out his CM28 (he's bought TONS of mics from Dave) against Schoeps, DPA, Neumann 184's, Gefell 295's and my 84 and it was very exposed for it's almost plastic, artificial hype. Maybe that's what works for some, but for this cat and his $40k worth of Flamenco axes, it was a fail. Different strokes I guess.
I've been curious about his coming "KM84" clone and actually have offered (at no charge) to put my mint KMi84 up against it in a direct shootout to help HIM as I'd love to have something of near equal value (sonically), and despite offering 2x's to provide my mic, Dave has been silent. NO reply...I don't think I'm interested in this mic any longer and if I need a cheap clone, I'll go with Joly's, which I've heard and used in direct comparison and it's fantastic.
I thought Dave's CM47LE wasn't too bad but this was before he drastically raised his prices so I don't know if I'd look at one now as there are other modders out there not only offering more extensive mods, but for less scratch. I don't care if this mic was used on a Kings of Leon CD...
Got the cm67 and just ordered two more mics from Dave...brilliant mic, natural warm, big, and accurate sounding and hard to overload...).
I can highly recommend it.
Also, Joe West at Gasoline studios in Nashville got his and called me right away to let me know how great it sounded on his acoustic.
Joe has 4 of our CM12's, 2-CM67se, a CM47SE and two CM28's.
The only other guy who I can remember who "hated" one of my microphones was monitoring on ear buds. I really think something is not right if an OKTAVA pencil sounds better than our CM28????
This is the kind of e-mail and notes I usually get!!!
Dear Dave:
I recently used one of your prototype CM-12SE mics at Crew Studios in Vancouver and was referred to your website by Mike Cashin, Studio Manager/Head Engineer.
Currently working on an Elvis Costello and The Roots album, which is what we used your mic for, and I gotta say, it was perfect for Elvis's voice and it sounded amazing. We are going to be continuing work on the album in New York and I wanted to purchase a CM-12SE for continuity and also for further projects with and without Elvis. Of course, I'll be mentioning you and your microphone in the credits of the album, it was that great. I mean, we had a nice mic pre and an LA-2A but still, I don't even have to EQ it. Awesome work!
I have been the engineer for the Roots albums since around 1997 and also work with them on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Is the best way to just buy it straight off the website?
I'd like to pick one up immediately.
Thanks,
Steve Mandel
Steve just bought two of our CM12SE microphones last Monday.
Here is our CM47 on a vocal and our CM54 on the Portuguese guitar which to my "old" ears sounds 1/2 way between a mandolin and tenor guitar?
Apparently, the CM54 has become the goto microphone for Portuguese guitar according to the producer. Guess they like the "Chinese" sound but it may not be for everyone LOL.
Ha! Dave, I think you're reading the thread (and quoting me) out of sequence, cuz you're pulling out stuff you've already replied to.I was Just asking about the KM84 you mentioned quite sometime back. You've already replied to my earlier (very unpopular lol) comments re a couple of your mics
I love Ed's playing (seen him live a couple of times, as well as playing with his Bro) and that guy would sound great through an Apex 180 CM28 just didn't cut it for me. I'm sorry! Seriously! I wish it had. The CM47LE (an early version I believe) is OK, and I'd gladly use it again but, but compared to the e47C I used, I just liked this mic more. Again, sorry!
Even the chap that ended up buying it doesn't seem to get a lot of play from it. He's never said why, just that when he breaks down some work he's doing, I don't see reference to the CM47 very often.
I've heard Paul's early CM12 (probably the same one Mike Cashin is using) and it was a beautiful mic and I'd hope to get one myself one day.
Maybe once that CM84 is done, we can meet up at Mike Cashin's place and put it right beside my KM84. Honestly, I hope it does blow me away! I really do!
Also, your ref about the CM28 vs Oktava. You remember I was referring to an MJ modified 012, right? Not stock
Cheers and I'm sincerely happy to read that business is doing so well.
__________________ "Buy good tools, with track records, not GS flavor of the day, and there isn't anything you can't cut and have pride in. The flavor of the day will or won't prove itself over time." - Dan Kennedy 08.08'
I love the warmth and charm of a Boesendorfer and don't really like the clarity of a Steinway, I love neve and don't really like the ssl and the same goes for any other instrument or audio hardware such as microphones. I think personal taste should not be confused with quality which might be the case here . Different "ears" require different things to be happy but at the end it can only be an inspired performance that creates magic anyway, right? I really love my cm67 and can't wait to try the other mics that I have orderered from Dave...It is great that there are so many different tastes when it comes to sound as only this can create such a variety of audio "experiences" (and discussions!).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baz
Ha! Dave, I think you're reading the thread (and quoting me) out of sequence, cuz you're pulling out stuff you've already replied to.I was Just asking about the KM84 you mentioned quite sometime back. You've already replied to my earlier (very unpopular lol) comments re a couple of your mics
I love Ed's playing (seen him live a couple of times, as well as playing with his Bro) and that guy would sound great through an Apex 180 CM28 just didn't cut it for me. I'm sorry! Seriously! I wish it had. The CM47LE (an early version I believe) is OK, and I'd gladly use it again but, but compared to the e47C I used, I just liked this mic more. Again, sorry!
Even the chap that ended up buying it doesn't seem to get a lot of play from it. He's never said why, just that when he breaks down some work he's doing, I don't see reference to the CM47 very often.
I've heard Paul's early CM12 (probably the same one Mike Cashin is using) and it was a beautiful mic and I'd hope to get one myself one day.
Maybe once that CM84 is done, we can meet up at Mike Cashin's place and put it right beside my KM84. Honestly, I hope it does blow me away! I really do!
Also, your ref about the CM28 vs Oktava. You remember I was referring to an MJ modified 012, right? Not stock
Cheers and I'm sincerely happy to read that business is doing so well.
Just wanted to add my info to the database of opinions on the AA mics ...
I bought a CM12 from Dave back in January of this year and it has become my favorite mic for my own voice. I recently recorded female vocals on it, too, and we barely had to EQ em.
I've been running it through a GAP Pre-73 and running the mic input on the GAP pretty hot, saturating the signal a bit, and the mic signal takes that very, very well. I've also used a Universal Audio M610 and that was just as good. Finally, I tried going direct recently right through an Apogee Duet 2. It was solid, but had to do a fair bit of EQing afterwards.
Dave's CM12 in combination with my GAP or M610 is just unbeatable to my ears. Very smooth, detailed, non-abrasive sound, easy to EQ, but usually doesn't require much. The GAP, when driven, gives the mic signal a really nice, warm, glassy tone.
I can hear a tonal difference in the mic if I start recording sooner than, say, about 15 minutes. So I usually give the mic about 25 minutes to warm up. It really has been unbeatable on my voice. And Dave is a really good dude!
Also, I had experimented with the polar pattern settings on the power supply. At first I was keeping it one click in towards omni from cardioid. That seems to take that typical cardioid high freq gain down a notch. But the more I experimented, the more I felt that the straight cardioid setting didn't really have too much of a high freq "bite" to it ... so I've been using it solely on the middle setting, cardioid, since then.
One small note ... I fired up the power supply recently and it put out a sort of burned electronics smell. The unit continued to work properly and it only happened once. Weird. Works well, otherwise. It may be that I accidentally sent phantom power into it, I can't be totally sure I didn't, but since then it hasn't smelled or gave out on me, anything like that. Don't know what happened. Just thought I'd throw that in with all of the good words.
Has Dave improved his stock situation? I really wanted to hear some AA mics but every time the mics were out of stock or pre-sold (for several months in a row). I finally gave up. My impression was that he only made small batches at a time?
Has Dave improved his stock situation? I really wanted to hear some AA mics but every time the mics were out of stock or pre-sold (for several months in a row). I finally gave up. My impression was that he only made small batches at a time?
That's what happened with mine. I preordered, and it was a few months before I got mine. He let me know it'd be a few months, and then there was an issue with his order from the supplier that extended it, but it was a good bit longer than even the extended expected date. Dave is a FANTASTIC guy, I have tremendous respect for him, but I know from similar situations myself that it's tough doing orders in small batches, it's kind of a living-paycheck-to-paycheck kind of stress. Ideally he'd be able to keep a large stock and keep replenishing before running out, but that takes paying for a lot more up front and risking that they don't sell and then you're stuck with a bunch of stock you can't make up for. Catch 22. I don't have my AA47 anymore, but it was a nice mic. Not quite the studio centerpiece I was hoping it would be after researching for way too long, but a nice mic.
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Currently looking for mixing/mastering work, nationally or worldwide - jessegimbel.com/studio
That's what happened with mine. I preordered, and it was a few months before I got mine. He let me know it'd be a few months, and then there was an issue with his order from the supplier that extended it, but it was a good bit longer than even the extended expected date. Dave is a FANTASTIC guy, I have tremendous respect for him, but I know from similar situations myself that it's tough doing orders in small batches, it's kind of a living-paycheck-to-paycheck kind of stress. Ideally he'd be able to keep a large stock and keep replenishing before running out, but that takes paying for a lot more up front and risking that they don't sell and then you're stuck with a bunch of stock you can't make up for. Catch 22. I don't have my AA47 anymore, but it was a nice mic. Not quite the studio centerpiece I was hoping it would be after researching for way too long, but a nice mic.
Hi Guys, thanks for all your support. We have been very busy at Advanced Audio this year. We had a great time at the AES Convention in San Francisco and got the opportunity to share a beer with David Royer and discuss tube circuits.
We recently made an agreement with Shanghai to speed up delivery of microphones without compromising the quality. The factory subs out the making of all metalwork for the bodies. Because of the increase of sales were able to give the factory a large enough deposit to keep bodies in stock and then its only a matter of 2-3 weeks to get microphones completed.
We now have good stock on CM47/47SE, CM12/12SE/CM67SE, CM414 and CM47fet microphones. We are out of stock of the CM87 which has become incredibly popular and the CM54 plus the CM28. However, we have more stock of these microphones arriving next week. We have also hired our first employee to keep track of orders and ship out microphones in a timely manner. Scotty of course is a musician, and recording engineer who previously purchased microphones from me. He knows the difference between OMNI & Cardiod and between a tube and fet microphone plus he can change a tube and test a power supply.
We have finally found someone that can manufacture the small diameter capsule required for our KM84(CM84) microphones and match the thread of the original KM84.
We have had the circuit prototype working for over a year but getting the capsule so that it will fit the original KM84 has been the difficulty.
It has been a very busy year and one in which I turned 65 and I am working harder than ever on over the workbench.
The following folks have been using our microphones.
Taylor Swifts producer has had our CM47SE for several months now. Nashville Country Hit writer James Otto just bought a CM47SE. Our CM12 has been used recently to record Elvis Costello, Peter Green, Womak and Womak and new wave/punker Adam Ant. Cecil Womak's brother was Bobby Womak who wrote the Rolling Stones hit "Its all Over Now".
Katy the voice of Disney's Snow White just bought a microphone from us for doing voice overs.
My friend Rick Livingstone who sang with Jeff "skunk" Baxter, Joe Walsh and THE BEST has been using our CM12 in his home Studio for the last several years. Rick has been the musical director on 33 episodes of Survivor.
We now have good stock on CM47/47SE, CM12/12SE/CM67SE, CM414 and CM47fet microphones.
...Hi Dave...just saw your post and I had a quick question for you...I have your CM-47 and CM-12 (great mics!), and I'm interested in possibly adding the CM-67SE to my locker...I noticed that both my CM-47 and CM-12 still have the C9 and C10 caps in place, but a friend of mine who has a pair of your CM67SE mics tells me that on that particular mic you've chosen to remove those 2 caps...there's been a lot of chatter on the boards about "removing C9 and C10" (functioning as RF filters?) but I'd love to hear your thoughts since you utilize both options on your tube mics...thanks!
__________________ reggae souljah
"It was only four tracks on the machine, but I was picking up twenty from the extra terrestrial squad." LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY(avatar)
Dave is a great guy, had a very informative email exchange with him giving me a wealth of input on my applications and choices.
I've been using one of Dave's CM47 tube mics for several months now and can only say...brilliant! This mic sparkles on everything I use it on...nice low-mid response without being mushy and incredible top end shimmer. Female vocals sit in the mix better than my Neumann U87 or Pearlman TM2.
Now, just waiting for the CM48 to be available...Dave, any info on ETA?
KIDVYBES...thank you for all the information you've been sharing on these mics...much appreciated.
Got a handful of projects coming up, with lots of acoustic guitar to record.
Dave, can you let me know if you've got CM-54's in stock? We're starting fairly soon, so I'm just wondering how soon it would ship. I'm in Canada, so no custom's delays fortunately!
Drumantics, just noticed you use the Pearlman TM-2 - have you compared it a lot with the CM47? I used the AA 47Fet and thought it sounded quite similar, especially in the low end to my TM-2. Didnt' have a chance to closely compare though.
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