How a Microphone Changed Music Forever
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
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Jake Cheriff
record producer / mix engineer
📸 @jakecheriff
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Bet you never thought a friggin microphone could alter the course of music history. You guys need to give music production more credit shame shame. Or maybe you give it too much credit work on your timing GEEZE.
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U87ai has always been My fav mic and the TLM103 has the same capsule as the U87 just different circuitry
It´s important to like the video before watching.
Thank you thank you :)
It’s important to like this comment before watching.
Certainly did so!
It’s important to like this comment before reading
Done! 😃
A history of Shure mics would be cool too (and I'm betting a lot cheaper to deal with lol)
I’ll check out some articles!
Sm58 ~ the Telecaster of mic world
I agree I’ve always like the sound of Shures so would love so see AudioHaze’s take on it!
It's also worth noting that the U47 is still plenty popular nowadays too, for those looking for a smoother, less toppy sound! Thom Yorke of Radiohead uses it almost exclusively as his studio mic, apparently.
YES it’s so amazing on Thoms voice as well, I think he uses it on Videotape right?
Interesting. I’d love to hear a side by side recording of U47 and U87 with Thom’s voice
@@HerveBoisde We all do. ;-)
5:21 "it had less signal to noise ratio" slip of the tongue. It had less noise, it had a higher signal to noise ratio.
was essentially gifted a series of vintage mics, including a vintage U87. i can say it is still a game changer to this day. having something that level of quality has upped my ability as an engineer by a LOT.
“How music technology both adapts to reflect contemporary musical paradigms and also how it influences them”
Reminds me of the loudness wars, and how it led to highly refined, loudness technology, like the limiting algorithms and microphones like the c800g
This feels like a slap in the face to the legacy of other vintage powerhouse mics like the RCA models 44 & 77 who was direct competition to the Neumann selections 😅
Not intended! Just trying to tie in music tech and gear to the grander musical landscape, I feel like sometimes to tech community can be a little insular ya know :)
@AudioHaze but you're making this far more tabloid than it's needs to be. The u47 might be the best mic ever but it wasn't such a steep development as you say and it wasn't the sole king on the hill and if you listen to what really experienced engineers and producers say they will often list loads of mics beside neumann's that are of the same time. And the u87 isn't the most popular amongst the most professional of pros either. I even heard Tony Platt saying that he prefers the u67, though he used the u87 when recording the vocals for Back In Black. So you got that that wrong, among very many other things, I'm sad to say. The u87 seems to have become the dream of the unprofessionals. Tony Platt says that it doesn't have the warmth of the better low end of the u67. With just some demos I've listened to, I'm sure I'm hearing what he's saying. I can't say what's the difference gets in the end of a mix but the u87 is rarely the favourite either way. And it's not the most used either if that doesn'tgo without saying. I guess there's so much flawd information out there because the u87 looks like the u67 and someone don't realise that the u67 exists and then say that everything that looks it surely is a u87. It's very accessible to just listen to all the hundreds of podcast episodes and so on that exists of these people I talk about.
I look so bitter writing this but I can't avoid it, and it doesn't mean I blame you very much.
So... you didn't really watch the video apparently. Why is the internet filled with reactions to stuff that didn't happen? SMH
Yeah but it’s no behringer xm8500 amirite
Congrats on the sponsorship bro bro, really cool that non audio brands are helping you out
when you factor in price, it don't even come close what a legend.
My dad worked in France when the first U87 were introduced in French studios. Neumann wasn't the go-to at the time, weirdly enough; serenades were falling out of fashion I guess.... but, people like Gainsbourg with his raspy and dark vocals inspired a generation of French singers and engineers deemed that the large diaphragm U87 was perfect for the job and grabbed it the very moment it was released. Coincidentally the first 24 tracks machines could be custom-ordered. My dad also had Urei compressors, Pultech EQ, and spring reverb. And.... well, that's it. No but like, that was really it. U47, U87, and those three things as well as a 24 track reel-to-reel tape machine constituted the entirety of the studio. There were a bunch of those microphones of course, but you had two choices - oh yeah : the studio had been bought by a rich businessman who knew nothing about music and had been told Neumann was the best, so he only bought that, which of course for a mic closet doesn't make sense - although you could make any amount of great recordings with "just that". Anyway, my dad was the janitor when the new owner ask if he could "push all those buttons", and he said yes. He couldn't. He had a 40 years career and became so legendary that people still recognize him nearly 30 years after he went to Canada from France to retire. The end! :) Oh and he has a TH-cam channel, just look up "Batzic"
That's an awesome story! I'm from the States and have been living in France for heck of a long time...
Lovely little add! The story and his courage to run the wave wight when it came is priceless though!
I remember the first time I got to sing into a U47. I couldn’t believe how great it sounded in my headphones. It’s a beautiful thing!
Nice!!
Great video and nice history. I'm actually about to put mine 1983 U87 on sale as I'm stepping down on recording.
Dang sorry to hear that! Hope you get what its worth at the very least :)
Absolutely great video. One mic I would add to the list is the Neumann M149 - it’s Neumann first major release in over a decade since U87 and combines all the best parts of the U87 coupled with a small tube to give it additional warmth and character that’s lacking in the U87. I own the U67 and the M149 and can attest to the greatness of them both.
literally drooling at this studio
Same. The entire time.
Awesome video. I’m really thankful that my introduction to studio recording (running live broadcasts for college radio) also introduced me to a pair of vintage U87s. They sounded great but also just felt historic every time you held one
WOW those are some schmancy microphones for a college radio :)
This is a great video! Glad to see you post again, always fun to see your videos!
Glad you like them!
Great video, man. I've been using a U87 for a few years now in a pro studio setting. It's one of those microphones that is very difficult to make it sound bad. It's not the "best" microhpone on every source or singer, but in a shoot-out it will always stand up. I think this is another reason for its popularity in professional settings - it will always, *always* provide something usable. Also, paired with a good pre-amp it will take processing like an absolute champ. Those engineers at Neumann really knew what they were doing.
Nice!!! Jealous of your mic for sure lol, and maybe this video helps to explain WHY the mic sounds good, maybe it’s the tuning, but maybe it’s because it set the standard for what “good” is
Still. It can’t be that much better than cheaper designs. I’m proud to say I’ll never buy it bc it’s just not unique and small companies are more worth support.
@@AudioHaze For sure. Tech specs aside, familiarity is a heck of a drug. It might be similar to how Telecasters and Les Pauls sound "right" for certain types of music. They dont have to be the best guitars but it's easy to make them sound like a record.
@@chinmeysway These days it might not be. For project studios and solo artists there are probably better suited mics for less money. In traditional studios it's great because you never know who/what you're going to record and it always does a stand-up job.
The tube and FET explanation was very enlightening! And the editing is getting top notch. Great job as always, man.
Thanks dude! Glad you enjoyed the vid :)
You deserve ALL the subs. Fucking ALLL THE SUBS. Your videos are incredible, man. Well done, and thank you for such a well researched, well presented, and highly informative work of art
A SHURE or AKG vid would be sooo nice as well!
I was thinking all the time on the AKG-C12 / Telefunken ELA 250
I loved the part you were laying down. Nice change in pace from other videos. Great video editing, thanks Ricky!
Excellent ! I Used to record dubbing / ADR ( automated dialogue replacement ) for. movies in New York in the 80's and 90 's . The U87 was always the gold standard - however , it actually sounded too good when compared to location recordings , which are very challenging . Number 2 was the Sennheiser 416 , a shotgun mic , also very good but different . Finally we woke up and would ask whoever recorded the location sound what mic they used ( unfortunately , often lavalier body mics ) and would rent the same mic for the session . If I recall , many location recordings back then were done with a Schoeps .
Have you done an 87 vs “budget” 87 type shootout? I’m sure there are a bunch but you’ve pretty much set the benchmark for mic tests so we’d love to hear/listen to your results.
I've never had the chance! maybe sometime in the future, thanks for the idea :)
Yes , U87 vs Roswell K87@@AudioHaze
Naw cause I’ve seen clones on Temu and I’m tempted.
the Warm Audio WA87 is the closest thing I've used
Damn good video, it felt like a documentary. It took my back to my days of studying music history in college! Thank you.
Thanks yeah I'd love to do more music history style videos in the future! So we'll see how this one goes over :)
This is the best explanation of this I've seen. Mics changed music and music changed mics, but yes so well stated.
Let’s not ignore the workhorse of recording the Sure SM 57. Without any research I’m going to say with great confidence that it was probably used on more recordings than any other. 😃
Oh it definitely was! In terms of condenser mics though, these were all paradigm changing in their own way :)
The quality of this video production is incredible! Really good stuff
great storytelling man ..really enjoyed this back in time with you :)
This was incredible! Great video, as always
Thanks for checking it out :)
Binging tons of these production videos after seeing your RATM remake with Gggarth. Super valuable information, very clear and easy to follow. Cheers man!
That was excellent. Very much enjoyed that history lesson. Bravo!
Thanks for this! I'll be sending this vid out to our former students from our apprenticeship program. Looking forward to digging into more from your channel.
Wow I'm honored thank you! Glad I could help educate a little bit :)
Really enjoyed the history of this microphone. Great explanation.
5:20 less SNR -> higher SNR
YES sorry if I misspoke
sheesh, i know neumann had a big grip on the market, but i never knew they were this influential. I learned a lot today! great stuff man!
Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah honestly I wasn't so informed on the history until I started researching, pretty crazy how big of an influence they have over music in general
Very cool. I appreciate the context. Thanks!
Note : it's not "less signal to noise ratio", but *better* signal-to-noise ratio. You can't have "less" than a ratio, and it sounds like "less signal..." would be a good thing, while a good signal-to-noise ratio is the invert of that! Just a thought. I know you what it means but I couldn't help my inner audio nerd xD
Thanks for making this video, I really enjoyed learning about the different mics. Keep up the amazing work!
Yeah hopefully we can expand beyond mics and learn all the ways other gear has influenced history as well :)
In regards to this video, are there different quality mics that are better for instruments? I'd love to learn more about that. @@AudioHaze
This was a really awesome video to watch. Very informative and interesting. Keep in mind that the Telefunken U47 of today has no affiliation with Neumann. The rights to the name and logo was purchased about 20 years ago by Toni Fishman. Also, hello from Neumann! I work here 😇
Dude, I just wanna say, you are my new fav channel. YOUR VIDEOS SLAP ONGGGGG
WOW thank you!! Its hard for me to even register that my channel could be someones favorite lol
@@AudioHaze DAWG YOU ARE SO FREAKING WELCOME. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MY BOI
Hitting that like button right now. Great presentation man ! Well done
Thanks Ed!
Hey i know i totally made a comment already but i want you to spot this one also. If you notice, people used to sound older. Perhaps your next deep dive can be about the evolution of tonality changing in vocals
Truuuuu, yeah vocal quality and timbre changed a lot as well, although I don't feel super qualified to talk about that tbh
this is such a great video dude thank u for this
Thanks man glad you liked it :)
so happy to see the channel going places....content was great from the start & now it's even better...
Ah thanks so much! And thanks for sticking around too :)
0:40 Great studio indeed! Complete with sound absorbing fluffy cats!!! 😸😺 😆
Fantastic history. Thank you for sharing.
Wow! Thanks for such a concise and clear explanation! Awesome!
So awesome, thanks for the content!
Lovely video and super inspiring!
Thanks! I worked at an fm radio station where the announcers would walk in the booth with their great voices while i recorded them through a u87 and that defined for me the sound of fm broadcast.
Wow thank you so much!
brilliant piece like a mini documentary
Thanks my friend :)
Fantastic and informative video, really helped my understand the importance of the microphone that so many talk about.
Nice video. Ribbon microphones are no as dark as you think, especially when used with the tube microphone preamps they were designed for. Also, they are not meant for close miking. Even crooner like Bing Crosby on and old RCA 44 would be 2ft of more away from them. It reduced the low end. The high end was often boosted through the circuits of the old tube preamps. The U47 was a definite leap though. It wasn't so much that Rock was more aggressive as it was that Rock singers insisted on singing close to the microphones. Before that it was quite common for singers to be a foot or more from the microphone, leaning in and pulling away as needed, as Sinatra was known for. The U47 just isn't good for singing that close, especially if you're going to get shouty. I peaked one out singing opera 2ft away. This issue actually sparked the creation of the M49 which was Neumann's adaptation of the U47 to meet new European broadcast standards and create a microphone better suited for louder instruments and vocals. It's more common to see opera singers of the time using an M49, or if they do use a U47 it's often below or above them, but not right in front. The M49 also has a sloped grill, which aids in reducing proximity effect when miking closer and provides a more focused sound. That sloped grill was refined with the U67, which was the first microphone specifically designed for close miking. The sloped grill, newer capsule design, and built in pad make it the first modern microphone. The U87 is a nice microphone. By far not my favorite, but the sound is instantly recognizable and always usable.
Love my u87, thanks for the history lesson!
Thanks for checking out the vid! And enjoy the mic, I'm jealous :)
got that epic desk moment
It is necessary to an effective video.
Great video dude, for the past few months all my dinners have tasted better with your vids running in the background!
If you could, please do a review of the rode m5 compact 1/2 condenser pair microphones. They're extremely budget friendly and seem to sound pretty decent. If they could complement the sm57 in my budget entry into music production, I'd definitely be interested in purchasing em!
Thank you for everything that you do!
Thank you for this video, I learned something very important. Very nicely done!
Thanks dude glad you enjoyed it!
More like this. Loved this
I'd love to do more like this! Specifically exploring more instruments like synths or drum machines or guitars, who knows :)
@@AudioHaze you should do the history of tape and tape machines and then into daws
AMAAAAZING vid!
Hey, nice video, however I do not understand your argument about vocals slowly getting dominant in music... at which time was not vocals the dominant in music? I would even argue that the opposite is true. If you listen those old records in your video, what you could mostly hear is the human voice and some very selective music, because they already prioritised vocals, so the simple recoding equipment could not handle a large music group behind the singer well. As the recording quality improved, so was able the engineer give us more from the music while not distorting the vocals. In modern music you hear and get a lot more from the instruments as earlier.
In short, as the equipment improved we got more music, not more vocals. Also, the microphones were only a small portion of this big change...
Fantastic. What a history lesson. Thank you so very much.
Your videos are incredible man. I’m a jazz guitarist for a living who dabbles in home recording and finding your videos has really relit the recording fire in me. Thank you for what you do and I’m looking forward to the next video ❤
That makes me SO HAPPY, at the end of the day if I can inspire people to record music, that's a life well lived :)
Great video, but some tech points a bit off the mark: Vocals do not have any harmonic above 12kHz give or take, so a mic that's good to 15khz is more than adequate to cover the vocal range. Secondly most musical instruments fall within 35 to 16khz, very few have any harmonic above that, ie: hi hat, cymbal, triangle, synthesizer. The reason the U-47 was not used on stage is because Rock bands became louder. The singer required a mic with a cardioid pattern vs u47 figure-8, for feedback resistance, and background "noise" rejection. True, the mic, such as a Shure SM-58 could tolerate higher SPL's, that the singer had to literally swallow the mic to he beard over Marshall stacks, and walls of Sunn amps, again requires high feedback resistance to get enough gain to be heard.
So, as vocals had became prominent, as stated in the vid, the Rock bands got insanely louder, so the vocals struggled to "keep up".
The U47 was not rejected by rock bands in the studio. It is a studio mic..... just to note! :)
Very informative video, thank you! I have quite some experience doing voice-overs on the U87 and other mics, like the TLM170. I never liked the U87 very much, because it took out the 'power' in my voice. I always felt I was fighting it. The best audio engineer I've known, and friend, Bert Penninx (God have his soul), always replied: "It's for singing!". I agree with that. A studio builder I once talked to described it like this: "When you get close to the U87, it pushes back a bit." So, to me, for voice-over the TLM170 is better, but I can totally see that it's the king for singers.
Me: *Sees cables under the table* 🤔
Him: "DON'T TALK ABOUT MY CABLE MANAGEMENT!!!"
Great job!!!
Thanks!
11:38 correct and nicely illustrated history. Also because TF stopped to make th VF14 (the U47's tube) and Neumann had to go ahead finding alternatives.
12:27 very true. I owned a U87 vintage for 2 years and 2 U67 for a decade. The U87 was also made for more portability employing new technology. Indeed they could be supplied without a power supply unit, 48V Phantom was a more established standard and (fort that time) it could be supplied by 2 internal 22.5V batteries. o: a lot of features more, less delicate (not tube) and many less issues as you underlined.
Brilliant video!
Awesome video! I own a tlm 103 but the u87 would be the holy grail.
TLM 103 is a killer mic regardless :)
This is awesome.
Glad you liked it :)
Great video man 😁
Thanks dude!
Wow this was fantastic
Thank you, thanks for watching :)
Great history lesson Ricky! I should try to do something similar about photography and its origins. (I've moved away from music production/mixing/recording on my current TH-cam channel.)
Yeah well if you end up making the vid definitely send it my way!
@@AudioHaze Will do.
great video man!!!
Thanks dude!
Mikrotech-Gefell played a major role in the Neumann Company. Some argue that Microtech-Gefell should have kept the name Neumann than the Neumann after the company split
Superb video. Your videos just get better and better. Best of all, your ORIGINAL. Please do one for AKG. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Fantastic video. Thanks ✌🏼
Thanks for checking it out!
Had the pleasure of using a Neumann TLM 103 recently and OH MY GOD does it sound so good.
I mean, it made me sound good right out of the mic.
Yeah they’re definitely good at that lol, my Lauten does the same, I pretty much never have to EQ it unless it’s fighting a lot of other instruments
This is such a beautiful video
Thanks man :) after effects is fun but it do be a lot, pretty visuals tho
Also its history is presented in a really engaging way, this vid's already gone in my watch later so I can rewatch it easily! :)
very cool doc
I love the video! would love to mention it in my master thesis. Do you still have the sources you used to make this video? would help a lot!
Oh Yess.... Hell of a Mic and The U47 Also (Wish I Could Afford to Get at Least One of Each)
Not only mics influenced music, but the playback systems did as well. I realized that when I heard Perry Como on someone's large Bluetooth speaker. I could just imagine what it sounded like on those large floor-standing radios with the big speaker cone. Later, kids were liberated from their parent's music with transistor radios - many of which were 2.5" speakers. Seems like that matches the rise in folk and other music where the "meat" is in the range that worked on small speakers. Heavy rock came when people had large stereo system (picture the Maxell commercial) that could handled loud bass. I'm sure there's more.
More vids like these please
For sure! :)
I love that you said wax is the audiophile way. Well not in those words but I get it! 😃
The U47 also had the advantage that it could recharge its batteries while still fully submerged
Super in depth!!! Please do also telefunken or sony 😊
I’ll check it out!
Great video. How about a companion video on the history of Tape formulation? Especially interested in 50s thru early 60s? Ive heard arguments that alot of early 50s jazz artists that were great players are ignored now because the remaining recordings just dont have the fidelity of late 50s stuff. Just a thought. Cheers
Thank you for helping my therapeutic music 🎶 🍿📻
Has always been my favorite mic. The TLM103 has the same capsule as the U87 just different circuitry.
LOVE this videos
Glad you liked it man!
Awesome video with some cool info!
Glad you liked it!
Cool video topic! Thank you.
I’d be curious to see/hear a sampling of available U47 or U87 “clones” and learn how closely they match up to their inspiration.
A number of people share both professional mics and DIY projects with specially designed capsules and parts intended to either emulate an original or offer added features the original never had. How closely do they hit the mark (and by what means of appraisal do you determine their degree of success)?
This is all aside from making music, but it is an enjoyable thought tangent to pursue sometimes!
Yeah that could be a cool potentially vid! Who knows maybe I’ll put something like that together in the future :)
This video is a freaking masterpiece 🤩🤩🤩
Great perspective, how the technology shapes the genres.... it's an interesting thread to pull on. without Autotune, affordable guitar delays (Memoryman/The Edge). Am I the only one that broke into cold sweat at the thought of cutting a track LITERALLY to wax.... how good must pro musicians have been back in the early days of recording?
They probably had to rehearse a lot to be able to play a whole song perfectly on the first take; since every take expended a whole wax cylinder, you literally couldn't afford to fail too many times.
Good job on the video 😀👌
Thanks man!
Awesome, awesome tale my man. And a perfect bridge between your old and new audience. We all want more.
Yeah that's what I was thinking! And we'll explore more gear from this angle as well, may not be mics but it'll be cool :)
Thanx, that was fun ! Would you review the Stellar X microphones please? Wow, haven't seen see since you grew your hair!!!
The nueman is absolutely legendary
Absolutely! As I try to exhibit haha
Great video!
Thanks John!