Voiceover Mic Preference?

[spinner]

Which mic do you think is best for a voiceover newbie?

1. AKG Perception 120
2. MXL 990
3. SP B1
4. SM58

[asap audio]

None of the above.

What kind of voice-over? Audio books, commercials, narration, all benefit from different kinds of mics.

I'd recommend an Electro-Voice RE-20. It will always sound good, it's a flattering mic, and forgiving of less than perfect recording environments.

Cheap ones that sound decent are: MXL V67G, Samson C03, M-Audio Luna, KSM 27.

If you're VERY serious about becoming a great, in demand VO talent,
just go ahead and buy a Neumann U87 and a John Hardy pre-amp.
You'll never say "is my setup good enough?", because the answer will be YES!

[danno812]

The correct answer is:

5) the one you've tested and sounds best on your voice.

The only way to know for sure is to try all of the Large Diaphragm Condensers in your price range and choose the one that sounds best on your voice.

I would steer clear of Rode and Behringer.

GT and MXL make some mic's that are inexpensive and sound pretty good.

[2Loud]

Id say from a cheaper park

SM7B
AKG C214

using both, also for voiceovers and quite happy with...

[MeBangkeys]

+1 on the SM7B and the RE20.

[danno812]

Originally Posted by MeBangkeys

+1 on the SM7B and the RE20.

If you are more into radio broadcast, these are fine. If you want to be a voice actor you would be better served by a large diaphragm condenser.

[2Loud]

Originally Posted by danno812

If you are more into radio broadcast, these are fine. If you want to be a voice actor you would be better served by a large diaphragm condenser.

[Mark Kaufman]

Electro-voice RE 20!

http://beatlesnumber9.com/ram2

Also a perfect mic for home recordists with untreated rooms. The pic above is Paul McCartney using one in the Ram sessions while an orchestra plays in the same room. If he's too liberal for ya, well, Rush Limbaugh uses one too. It's one of the standards for broadcast recording, and it was designed to reject reflections, and basically focuses on what's directly in front of it. It also has the goods to be a go-to lead vocal mic.

[strewnshank]

Originally Posted by MeBangkeys

+1 on the SM7B and the RE20.

I've never seen either not do the job well.

I used Re20's extensively, and probably cut over 200 audio books on them while working in college. Worked great on every voice. I'm a big time SM7B fan as well, but oddly enough, I've never cut an audio book on one, just records....used a TLM103 a decent amount as well, and it was way pickier. When it didn't work, it was back to the RE20. I felt like the newer and less talented artists responded better with the RE20.

[Emorgan_Voice]

Depending on budget, I would agree on the large diaphragm condenser. The AT4040 is a pretty darn good choice that won't break the bank. If you are looking for dynamic, try the Heil PR40. No matter what you choose, a good pre is also very important.

[2Loud]

What I like on C214 it seems to me bit more neutral than 4040, pretty detailed, ...was having also KSM 44 for testing and it was bit artificial sounding, heard something I did not like - in whole fq range...
but some may bash me for it..definitely it is a good mic..
in direct comparance with 214 I heard the difference a lot, ..not say its bad, just went for more open sounding mic...paradoxly with SSL Alpha it sounded 2D and boring, and pretty sizzly, with Great River everything changed, full, dense, highs rounded..my5

[Phrygian]

RE-20's a great all purpose but I prefer the RE-27's we have here at the station. I'd still be happy with the RE-20 though.

[musicmatt]

Shure SM7b sets the bar. For the price, NOTHING under 1k touches it. Seems like every interview I see, the guy is using one (like this hilarious one I saw just this morning)

YouTube - Billy Bob Thornton 'Blow Up' on Q TV

You got to get a good pre though, it needs plenty of gain. That means a cheapo pre will sound like ass if you crank it. I recommend API, Great River, John Hardy, Chandler (they aren't cheap).

Any other options are above 1k IMO. I have a TLM-49 which is great, heard good things about the TLM-103, Pearlmans, Gefell's etc.

for 1000 bucks less I'd go with the SM7b.

[Weasel9992]

For the money it's very hard to beat the SM7.

Frank

[scrubs]

In the condenser realm, the CAD M179 is a fairly neutral LDC that works well for voiceover, in my experience. I use the RE20 and SM7 plenty, too.

[GZsound]

Originally Posted by scrubs

In the condenser realm, the CAD M179 is a fairly neutral LDC that works well for voiceover, in my experience. I use the RE20 and SM7 plenty, too.

I agree.. Most of my voice work is done with either the M179 or an RE20 with good results. The M179 is very nuetral.

[Yoda117]

Originally Posted by Emorgan_Voice

Depending on budget, I would agree on the large diaphragm condenser. The AT4040 is a pretty darn good choice that won't break the bank. If you are looking for dynamic, try the Heil PR40. No matter what you choose, a good pre is also very important.

Another vote for the 4040. For the $, it's a great starter LDC for voice talent. It's a bit less sensitive than other higher-end mics, which if you're not as strong on your mic technique makes it very forgiving.

Regardless, you can get some strong work with that mic, and for new talent a lot of studios in the Philly area (and some in NYC) use them for talent that they've not worked with before since they are so forgiving.

As for the rest, I'm also in agreement with the folks who are suggesting a good preamp. While it might not make a big a difference compared to the mic itself (there are threads where that statement is argued, so I'm not going into it), a good preamp is important to any decent recording chain.

Please note: good gear does not always mean expensive (which is also subjective based on budget and resources). However, better quality does come at a price (just don't expect a $1,000 preamp to sound $500 worse than a $1,500 preamp).

[rty5150]

Originally Posted by spinner

Which mic do you think is best for a voiceover newbie?

1. AKG Perception 120
2. MXL 990
3. SP B1
4. SM58

budget?
and/or preamp your using?

rich

[JMc]

Nobody has talked about environment yet. Y'know, the ROOM. And that's a very important factor in deciding between a dynamic or condenser, IMHO.

I used a dynamic in an open room studio for years because it was a good starter mic and rejected ambient noise well. But eventually I felt that I had to work too hard sometimes to really get the most out of it, depending on the type of read, particularly the more intimate types of VO reads.

Once I had a booth, I went to a large diaphragm condenser and have never looked back.

I'm not going to bother getting into "which mic" specifics, because the guy who said "the mic that sounds best with YOUR voice way up in the thread hit the nail on the head.

[3rd&4thT]

Some engineers like the RE-20 because it does a great job of killing a bad room. That's what it was designed for.

Any VO's who have worked with other mics will recognize how unflattering it is. The more experienced the talent and the more important the job, the less adequate the RE-20 becomes. Be prepared for talent to bring their own mic to a session in preference to using your RE-20.

The SM7B is just as practical, utilitarian and engineer-friendly, and a lot less butt-ugly in sound.

Cheers,
3rd&4thT