Vocal Mic Shootout: What Is The Perfect Microphone For Vocal Recording? - TheRecordingRevolution.com
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- It's time for a little vocal mic shootout! What is the perfect mic for recording your vocals in your home studio? This video will show you how to find out which vocal microphone is the right choice for you.
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recordingrevolution for you sir tlm102 first and then surprisingly sm57 as I believe the first two sounded harsh on your voice which is already bright enough so tlm gave your voice more grounded low end and the sm57 as a dynamic microphone did the same
The Nuemann stood out to me. It sounded more on time either due to the way it handles sylibants, your mixing, or maybe it has a faster response time. The wave forms are clear and symmetrical, and the frequency response is nice and flat; Which, for me, puts me in more control with which frequencies to eq.
Hey your move are low quality and you aren’t doing the greatest vocals... so not much from this man
Your acoustic panels make me laugh 😂 thanks
Great voice, most the mic shoot out vocals suck. Intro needs the dark of the neuman or rode to pull u in. Thr chours i would sm57. Vocals remind of stp. The vocals draw u in to the song.
Behringer B1: 5:18
Rode NT1-A: 6:15
Neumann TLM 102: 7:12
Shure SM57: 8:08
For quick A/B comparisons
The212b thanks g
thanksssss
That’s actually an NT-2A
so its just our skill not the mic ?
@@nickvigorous not entirely true, a really bad mic will almost always sound bad 😂
The closet audio engineer in me wants to pass along my little nugget of experience to any newbies watching this and actually making it to reading my comment. In the mix, it is always easier to make a mic sound brighter but it is harder to make a mic sound darker and still make it sound great. For this reason, I usually shy away from microphones that have any kind of artificial boost in the mids or highs at all. I always prefer just to hear the capsule itself and then, with post processing ,in the mix it will sound better than if I had to fight an already boosted EQ curve. A microphone that has boosted high-mids or boosted High's is equivalent to a television that has super high contrast and super high brightness on demo mode in your local electronics store. It looks great in the store and looks better than all the other televisions but then doesn't look the same when you get it home. It is basically a marketing ploy to create some sort of hype to grab people that don't know any better. Not to say they aren't usable, but if you have to fight it the whole way, it's not ideal. This is a great comparison, but I would love to see this same comparison with a finished mix of each mic. That way you can see not only the starting point, but also where you can actually take them. Those are 2 very different things. Once you start compressing a vocal, the sibilance that is present will be magnified, and I have a feeling that that's all it would take to turn most people off of the brighter Beringher and Rhode mics. They might seem like they have a better starting point, but not to the more seasoned ears in the room, IMHO.
What do you think about the Rode NT1?
Thank you and God bless you, I can actually relate
💯💯🎯🎯🎯💯💯💯🎯🎯🎯🎯🔥🔥🔥
cheers
In contrast, I have found that I prefer to use a little cut using a shelving or broad parametric eq.
It always seems to sound less processed than using eq boost.
I use an AKG c414 XL11 with a good quality de-esser and I've never had to fight the sound in a mix as I usually build the song around the vocal, and record the other sounds to fit.
The Sm57 is truly a magic wand. Incredible.
I agree: Peter Gabriel used it for vocals on his first solo albums
All these different answers from people may be on account of them all listening on different types of speakers, all having different tastes and opinions, etc., but the truth is, in the end, all four mics sound good, because you were able to produce a good vocal.
Yeah, on my speakers I couldn't ever really hear a difference. In the end, it all sounded very good because he sounded good to begin with. I've definitely had mics that were shit though.
I disagree. It doesn't matter if you're listening in a car, through ear buds, or in your living room. People are not switching back and forth between car, ear buds, and living room. The difference between the SM57 and the Neumann is pretty obvious.
it's all about great vocals not the mics!
Exactly. This demonstrates to me why having a diverse mic cabinet is what all studios should provide, and for those of us on a budget is one reason to continually save a percentage of our income earmarked for new mic purchases.
@@bruhdamartinasty3636
But people DO switch between those 3 scenarios. When I'm home I listen through my home stereo system. In my car I listen through my car stereo system, and I use my earbuds when I am not driving nor at home.
Granted, not everyone does this, but many realize why home and car systems give freedom from encumbering and attached in-ear systems a feel that is more comfortable.
I feel like the SM57 had the best presence and balance in the mix, the Bheringer was too sharp for your voice. I am really surprised by the Shure in this test. Thanks for the perspective.
I thought 3 was the best, but in terms of price-quality the Shure SM57 was the clear winner _for his voice_.
Fully agreed
Kinda ridiculous how good the humble SM57 sounds here isn't it? :D
MeTuLHeD very!...I agree totally
Right!?! Wow!
AGREED
Hear the noise in the vocal break on the 57 though. @10:46
In certain type of high pitch voices sounds good, but in my case, I feel that my voice sound little plastic. probably the room and preamp pull up a certain range.
Behringer B1: low clarity, strong highs
Rode NT1a: medium clarity, strong bass
Neuman TLM102: supreme clarity, flat response
Shure SM57: Godlike in every way
It's gotta be between the sm57 and the NT1-A imo. the 57 almost takes it, but I just bought a Rode so I have to trick myself into thinking it was worth it lol
feel ya
Imagine thinking anyone needs to spend $1500.00 on a Neumann
@@ronfoss9723 yep and even the cheaper neumans like the tlm 103 recorded all of Billie Eilish album or the SE 2200 Amy whinehouse mic for only 300.00
Haha! Me too 🤣
1. Neuman (EQ a lil high!)
2. Sm57
3. Rode NT1A
4. Behringer
Same here o/
Heard the difference through my IPhone using the earpods! They are great to use for reference
Agreed!
No way. I suspect there's a heavy dose of brand prejudice there. I listened to these through my Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro headphones, and the Neumann sounds relatively cheap and indistinct compared to the other condenser mics, whilst the Behringer sounds sharp and clear but a little less full than the Rode. The Shure sounds a little thumpy and less refined than the Rode and Behringer. However, with a voice in lower vocal ranges this may all change. For quality per currency unit, ie. value, the Behringer is streets ahead.
1. Rode NT1A
2. Behringer B1
3 Neumann TLM1
4. Shure SM57
Are you aware of the bias going on in our heads with regards to mic cost? I'd say test like these are worthless unless they are conducted blind. I'm curious to see what would come out if there were no labels on tracks!
I like the Rode the best, followed closely by the Shure. The Rode seems to have a nice balance of brightness and fullness, while the Shure is really good for that punchy feel found in a lot of rock songs.
agree completely. they are my number one and two in the same order.
Balance of brightness and fullness Rode!
I think Graham should have done a 5th track with the SM-57 hand held as if he were singing with a band, and then compare that to a SM-58 which has a fuller sound than a 57.
Same
I hate to be "that guy", but hell - Neumann sounded the best, hands down. Its sound has that rich "silkness" I cannot hear in other mics, that smoothness sounding like top record. I don't mean other mics suck, especially Shure is perfect for this kind of rock performance, but man - Neumann is Neumann. Nice, round, warm sound.
Maybe it is some sort of psychological effect, but well - I suppose any of us have his/hers own agenda in liking different mic. For example, because you have it already or you like the idea of cheap mic sounding like top-shelf products :)
Absolutely. The tlm 102 sounded way better than ANY of the others to me. Rode was #2. I wouldn't use either of the others. I don't care who has used them. I don't have a particular bias toward Neumann. It was easy for me.
lol
Neumann in this view I think it is almost the same sound...Why to spend a lot of money for similar sounds?
silikier yes but he sang it softer, at least at the beginning. still the best one id have to agree.
4
I love the sm57, it needs some gain but that’s easily fixable and it gets everything like really raw and real.
I think the Rode NT1-A sounded the best overall on this song. Full and balanced, not too bright or dark, and the most natural.
Hey Graham, been very honest, with the kind of performance you´ve got it almost doesn´t make a great difference between all 4 mics; if you make a blind test I believe only people with very trained ears would guess wich one is wich, wich in the end guides me to the following tought: 1) If you almost always put a HPF to roll some lows, and 2) then lift high frequencies to get more clarity, air and to cut more trough the mix, I will for sure choose the SHURE and I wouldn´t have to do any of these EQ moves, and just to give it a little warmth I would add some tape saturation, maybe I´m wrong, but it seems very logical to me.
its quite easy to make a blind test out of it, maybe thats a good idea for Graham?!
Completely agree with the point about the blind test.
I listened the whole time without looking at my screen and was easily able to hear the Neumann, it stood out. Shure was thinner than the rest by a good amount. B1 and Rode were pretty similar in my opinion.
haha "wich"
Neumann I loved how it did I definitely heard a difference
Neuman
@@empirerecords1332 neumann
They all sound about the same to me.
I'm using fancy expensive headphones. I'm listening in 1080HD and using an expensive apogee DA converter. I've also been recording and mixing music professionally for about 20 years so my ears are quite trained. I've also had my ears checked recently by an audiologist and I have great hearing. And yet I don't hear much difference in these microphones. How are you guys hearing much difference? Maybe Graham's voice is just narrow in bandwidth? Maybe it's the youtube compression? I don't know, I'm just not hearing much difference.
The SM57 did surprisingly well. For my taste the Neumann was my favorite, but the Rode was an extremely close second. For the price though, I'd rather have the Rode.
For price to quality comparison, the Shure and Rode are the best. The Rode takes 1st place for me, because (common quirk in vocals) the N and M sounds are more pronounced on the Rode than the Shure, at least in the full mix. Sometimes in recordings those sounds get a little too hidden. The Noymann is actually quite underwhelming for the price in my opinion, it's just so dark.
I agree
Agreed, Rode sounded nice throughout the song, but mostly this song that is in need of a bit of edge on the vocals in my opinion. Although, the Neumann sounds just lovely with the right EQ and compression. Would go with Rode!
I agree! You are actually listening to the recordings with an open mind.
I prefer the shure.
@Steven Shockley, I agree! at $229 it just performs well, but the 57 is more diverse. It's definitely a close call.
Nice shootout and I have to admit that I also thought each of these mics could’ve been worked with. The Behringer and Rode were similar. Basic EQ. Nothing special but no real shortcomings. The TLM was rich as hell. Just a silky sound that maybe could’ve used a slight 3k boost and a tiny drop around the low mids somewhere. The funboy of this show was the old SM57. What a performance. It sounded a bit hotter than the rest but in terms of coloration, distortion and performance, that little booger shined something fierce! If you drop the volume 2db, boost the low mids, cut the 4k-6k just a smidge and run it through a tube preamp, you’d have an $80 TLM.
Nice shootout. Thanks.
Why can't I hear the difference in my headphones I got from a 25 cent gumball machine?
Tyler Nicolo 😂🙏🏻
U gotta use the 50 Cent earbuds brah
did you have them in upside down?
exactly, the music is all upside down
Tyler Nicolo same, but i’m using beats
Cost/Benefit ... I think the Rode is a good investment for the home studio, no matter what the application is. Although in this video I think the SM57 actually sounded best for this track because the vocal track was in that throaty tenor timbre, and kinda needed the 57's low-mid warmth.
The Neumann captures EVERYTHING. For a rock song, however, do we need, do we want to keep "everything"? No, we would EQ the track with a hi-pass filter, lower some more frequencies here and there and then boost some of the higher frequencies. The question is: if that's what we want, then why not just use a microphone that doesn't capture the frequencies we would cut or lower anyway?
It's like driving a Rolls Royce to work everyday. Wouldn't it be easier to drive a smaller car or even a bike? It's not because it's very expensive that it will make things better, easier. At the end of the day, you need to ask yourself what you want and what you need. Of course, it would work (just like you can drive a Rolls Royce to work everyday) but does it make it easier? Is it what you need for what you want to achieve?
Again, this is a very eye opening video! Thank you for making this video and sharing it with us!
nice one
If you have the TLM 102 give it away for free. People will think you're really kind.
If you have the TLM 102 give it away for free. People will think you're really kind.
Sry to bring the bad news, but the logics point to the exact opposite of what you just concluded... When boosting frequencies that "aren't there" (as Graham used to say in his earlier videos), all you get is a terrible mess, as would happen with e.g. a 57 and a shit ton of tape saturation. On the other hand, if the captured frequences are faithful and true (as with this Neumann possibly), boosting them and adding a shit ton of tape saturation (pop/rock purposes), it would sound much, much better overall - more pronounced, real presence instead of (fake) noise. Trust me on this one, I've worked on a pop-rock mix where female vocals were recorded with a Beta 58A - they sounded just great out-of-the-box... punchy, energetic. Yet when mixing was done, all I was left with was a ton of inarticulate noise with everything >4kHz. I agree with your point that Neumann does have the greatest amount of detail and does not hype the highs like NT1a does. I bet the Neumann or maybe NT1a would sound the best once mixing and mastering is finished.
Having a mic with a flat EQ response gives a terrible singing voice. All the overtones that makes a voice nice is higher up. Without a top end you can't separate one voice from another. Voices with pronounced overtones become famous. Having a mic that works against this is crazy.
as a fellow engineer you can interpret sound so many ways for so many reasons but if i had to pick myself id go with the Rode nt1a the reason i say this is it has the best balance of overall sound both ways...not to high or low with decent midrange in my opinion allowing you to go both ways in the mix and you cant beat the price...cheer's
without a doubt the Shure sm57 is the one that best adapts to this voice. thanks friend for your excellent demonstration
1. barringer=Thin too much highs
2. Rode= warm, big and Round
3. TLM-102= smooth & Natural
4. Shure= Thin and too highendy
Same here. The Rode to me sounds warmer, deeper, and richer. Then the Shure would be 2nd. Behringer would be 3rd. Neumann would be last. It sounds like a Blue Snowball to me.
Interesting, dynamic mics can´t capture the high end as much as condensers.
@@elsaltodelgallo286 Thats true, but in this case sm57 has boost around 10k.
yes, Neumann seems the best to work with in the studio, BUT, for home/band recordings at room SM57 seems reasonable to me.
I find Neumann natural and not losing bits
First impressions before your analysis - best matches in order: 1) Røde 2) Shure 3) Neumann 4) Behringer. Neumann was pulling vocal down. Behringer made you sound like you were holding air and not relaxing.
I felt we looked at just one part of the equation here. The first step in the recording of the voice. At this stage, the Neumann and the Shure seemed to sound more "fitting" with regards to your voice level, your voice quality, the octave range being used, and the general bluesy rock feel of the song itself.
We did not however get into the later stages of the production, the sweetening, the mixing, the effects and the final master.
So with that said, just hearing the raw capture of the voice, I felt the Neumann offered the most natural, silky, almost flattering quality to the vocal. It seemed, at least to my ears, to have the most available headroom for sculpting and finishing techniques. I would love to see you take it further and process it and hear what it sounds like once you have done with it.
Cheers mate, and thank you for the video!
For me the best is in this order.
1/2.Shure SM57
2.Neumann TLM
3.Rode NT1-A
4.Behringer B1
I liked the sm57 and neumann the best. Honestly between the two, I'd choose the sm57. I love it for its punch and "heft". I'm not a fan of the super bright crystallly top end: I'd rather sacrifice it for some power behind the vocals. Plus, to my ears, it sounds awfully close the neumann in terms of EQ characteristics. So a $99 mic vs a $699 mic...well, that's an easy choice
Am I crazy to prefer the SM57 over all?
Rode is 2nd
you aren't crazy. tom petty has recorded with a 57 since the old days. and tons of hard vocalists still use it religiously. if you want "a better sm57" get an sm7b. more versatile.
I mean, sm7b is the same capsule just placed further from the source for broadcasting purposes, so it needs to be treated a little bit differently. Don't buy sm7b if you don't have a decent preamp IMO.
you it literally needs 55 dB gain
***** no im good because the preamp i use has a max of 60dB gain
Nice shoot out! Gotta say after hearing that verse and chorus 4 times in a row, I never got tired of it! You've really got something man!
The Neumann was bound to "win" it's by far the most expensive but I think they all have merits for the price points.
Neumann captures every detail in your voice and sounds fuller, richier than the rest. It doesn't have that harshness on top. I'm listening on Eve Audio SC205 :) The worst one was Behringer (too bright, too sharp, tiny sound) closely followed by SM57 (mid-rangey sounding, harsh). Rode was ok but needs some de-essing
In chorus we can clearly hear that SM 57 has a resonant frequency somewhere in highs, but we can always fix it and after that it's overall so great mic.
I def think the neuman sounds better pretty much in every instance but I was surprised with how well the sm57 did in some aspects. Cool vid.
Only confirms my prevailing philosophy that; if this song (not to denigrate the song at all) was Revolution or In My Life, wouldn't matter which damn mic you're using and that some of us get too far in the weeds on this stuff. As you have correctly said before, it's the song and the performance that matters the most. Great series BTW. Your vids are well thought out and informative
I liked the SM-57 for that song with your voice, I think it fits better in the mix. The Neuman sounds like my NT-1 with the foam cover on it. My gotos for my voice (depending on song) are NT-1, AT-2020 and SM-57. Same on acoustic guitars... depending on which guitar I am using. Excellent video, as always. Thanks Graham.
Personally, I found the hook to be the most obvious. Maybe not for some people, but it was for me..
5:45 - Behringer B1
6:42 - Rode NT1a
7:39 - Neumann TLM 102
8:36 - SM57
NT1a>B1>SM57
Neumann is too different to compare
My opinion...with MID/SIDE processing, use the Neumann for the MID and the NT1a on the sides. I'm sure you're double tracking right? If I had to choose only one... it's not such an easy decision because the song has a lot of dynamic range. So...just one huh? Here goes...the Neumann. Why? Well, it seems to NOT capture harshness and what it does capture seems more musical and may be easier to EQ because the harshness isn't there, which in turn makes the De-Esser work less...which can be a huge deal for some people. Anyway. Good luck.
TheChosenOne
Mid Side is a great comment. I think that unfortunately, the NT1A is cardioid only with no Figure 8 for the sides... Great comment above!
I've been using the same $180 vocal mic for 5 years! It's not top notch (obviously) but always gets the job done for vocals. I just did a comparison between that one and a $5,000 Neumann mic on my channel, in case anyone wants to check it out!
I watched this a couple of years ago and I think I preferred the Rode. On rewatching though I prefer the Neumann - it's less bright, yes, but it seems like a great, super clear, flat foundation to build from with a good EQ, rather than a brighter recording that I'm going to have to tame in places. Maybe my taste will change again in another couple of years, though :) Interesting stuff!
I recently tried a lapel condenser mic. Less sibilance and boomy bass. It is AMAZING.
Same exact thing with me! I watched this a year ago and I found it now and watched it again and really saw (heard)) the differences in all the mics and really loved that Neumann best, and for some reason sm57 - the way it does the job throughout the whole song. I also kind of like the Rode, and this time totally disliked the behringer B1)) as for post production for the voice not to lose its tone and quality I would go with the Neumann!
Or Rode - since it's most balanced throughout the whole song. The only thing is I'm not an engineer yet, I'm a drummer percussionist that sings back vocals :))
The Rode NT1 has a crazy flat frequency response
@@TheMrComentarista The mic in the video was the NT1a though, not the NT1 - my understanding was that their frequency responses are quite different?
@@Charlie_Echo yeah I actually realized after commenting that the mic was the NT1-A, sorry, shouldn't have assumed otherwise
Behringer B1 and Shure 57 are ideal for your voice for me
Great video! In my opinion, the Neuman sounds best by far with your voice. You're a good singer, but your voice has a strong tenor quality with a lot high mids as the predominant tonal quality. Therefore it naturally cuts through mixes, but sometimes it is at risk of sounding too thin and tin-like on the brighter and crispier mics. Mics like that Neuman or possibly a Shure SM7b would get your voice a little more meat, fills in the lower mids and smooths out the high mids to balance your voice and make it sound smoother and fuller. I have a similar tonal quality to my voice and have found this formula works best for my voice as well.
I liked the Neumann for this track. It was easier sounding on my ears and seemed to go with the track best. The shure is a bit bright almost tinny sounding. I can definitely see how it would be handy to have different mics and how any of these mics could work for this.
The TLM 102 sounds so balanced, full and smooth. A really velvety silky sound. I’m listening with Antelope Audio Zen Tour + Sennheiser HD 598 phones. The Shure has a bit much around 3-5k , a tad harsh for my taste. Great vid Graham.
I have hearing loss above 2KHz. They all sound the same to me.
lmao
I think you should settle with you headphone mic then lol !
I'm deaf too larry but the Shure sounded the best when I turned my headphones all the way up!!
there's a lot of difference in the dynamics between the mics too tho. Mostly with the 57
Bono uses a 57. Handheld, rock singer. $100. A mic that is built like a tank. Why spend more. For your indy rock delivery- thats all you need. Forget Neumans, that for Tony Bennett shit, with a big plate. I would say the preamp is more important. Just like a good tube amp will make a so so guitar sound good. A very good preamp will make any mic sound good. I use a Great River Preamp with various mics, and they ALL sound great, including SHure 57s, sE mics, ADKs, Studio Projects and Audio Technicas. It also depends on the range of the melody.. and how much vocal skills you have. Learning to sing from the diaphram and not always using ones head voice - will give a vocal a richer tone. I feel like everyone is way to precious with recording theses days. Back in the day, youd hit an 8 track or 16 track studio and jam it out and mix it down.. and it sounded alive.. and in your face... now with computers and digital its become more science fiction than songs.. Rock on Sir Graham! thank you.
bono uses a 58 beta by shure. On videos could be anything.
If you read Geoff Emerick or Tony Visconti's books or Tape Op you'll see that back in the day they were incredibly "science fiction" about the recording process a lot of the time. This video wasn't about making a mic sound good. Yeah you can sing through a 58 into a Mackie playing a strat or a Martin and it will sound "good" like any blues band in any venue anywhere but this was about what sounds best in context. I don't understand why people bring up Bono and 58s every time a mic shootout happens. Bono is bono. He sounds like Bono through any good mic and he's a very, very loud singer. The last thing you want to hear from an engineer or producer you are paying money to record you is "just sing through this 58 or 57 it's what Bono does. As for the preamps any quality interface in 2018 should have decent preamps, no expensive preamp is gonna make a 57 sound like U67 right? There's a range and quality that each mic has.
What I got out of the OP is how I feel with my guitar gear and tone. I can chase tone all I want and spend thousands on gear but it all is worthless if I can't compose a decent song. I think a lot of people today (especially because the internet lets us compare so much stuff like this) focus too much on the next best tech and less on the basics. A lot of hit bands were poor starving musicians who made it big on what they could afford; the expensive gear came later
TradHunterRN Couldn't agree more
You sign on the dotted line. Winning mic -take your pick. Tie overall. Best is a subjective opinion. Best mic depends upon your voice and the specific song. I was impressed with your vocal in the song. Very nice!
All around, the B1 all the way! Makes your voice shine!
The Neumann sounds super natural, like always the Nt1a has a little too much high frequency and the Sm57 does a wonderful job with the dynamics of rock vocals.
I like the Shure SM57 I'm gonna go buy it now.
I am not a professional but my ear is attracted to the Neumann. Even if it is a little dark at times, I sense an EQ tweak could make this shine.
This is how I would rank each for your voice based on the raw recording:
1. Neumann TLM 102 (the entire vocal register gets captured pretty well and fits in the mix the best)
2. Shure SM57 (fairly close to the Neumann and fits your vocal register)
3. Rode NT1a (the higher vocal register doesn't sound as good on this as the other microphones, but I liked the way it captured the lower register)
4. Behringer B1 (the lower register sounds a bit weak, but the higher register is good)
I'd just like to point out that Graham here improves his vocal performance with each rendition. I've only so far seen comments preferring the SM57 which is why I'm giving everyone a heads up to be a bit more clinical in their observation because, not having yet made my decision, I did notice how Graham drops the "D" sound in the word "world" only on the SM57 recording. Dropping that hard-sounding D decidedly improves the performance as far as base enjoyment. It's not only here that improvements particularly on the SM57 rendition seem to stand out from the former microphone performances.
Edeetorino: Out of these I'd choose the NeumannTLM 102 if I were Graham in this moment. I'd like it to enter another face-off against a separate group of mics, though.
I liked Shure as the most unexpected one.
But Neumann is unbeatable in the mix context.
My opinion:
1. Rode NT1 - Full bodied sound, when needed cutting through mix nicely
2. Sure SM57 - Also surprisingly full, but little light on bass and sometimes too much shrill on mids and treble
3. Neumann TLM 102 - Too dark, only occasionally cutting through mix, good character, but not for your voice and pop/rock songs
4. Behringer B1 - Simply too bright, too much shrill, makes your voice very thin
For me, the SM57 seemed the most genre appropriate, and consistently cut through the mix. Through a Neve preamp SM57 and SM58 really shine for rock vocals (even for rock balads), and many majorly successful artist had recorded all their albums that way.
You sing through your sinus cavity, so you’ll get that harsh midrange every time. The Neumann gave you the most warmth, and padded that harshness out of your vocals. Makes me want to buy me a Neumann... great video
Overall the SM57 sounds the best for your voice on this song. The quiet part in the beginning sounds the best with the Behringer B1. The Neumann has the smoothest sound, which is not the sound you want for your voice on this particular song.
Very interesting how the cheaper end mics performed so well but as you said you can work with them all, as they can be EQ, d to smooth out to suit and i guess when added plug ins you would tell the differece. Great test thank you
SM57 did amazingly well. To me the Rode was best for you, while I still think the TLM-102 would be the most versatile mic if I were to buy one. I do have a 57 and need to consider using it more though.
The Neumann TLM by a mile. The Shure was a passable 2nd. :)
@Garston Lad lol
For the song, I liked the Sure SM57 the best. It gives the vocal a nice edge. I would be interested to hear how the same vocal would sound on the Sure SM7B.
Thanks for the shootout!
The Neumann sounds a lot more of a clear and clean signal. More clarity in my ears
Your videos inspired me to build a home studio setup. I bought an Argosy 70 series and few months ago and just got my 32 channel Yamaha mixer for it today. Love your channel!
First of all can the one that downvoted this Video please get an Internet ban. I cannot believe such a Thing. Here is someone trying to Help us .. and all You ( Yes you .. ) find something u don't appreciate. Great.
Secondly: Thanks Graham. Most of us don't have the luxury to even test multiple mics and thus werent even aware of this issue. This video shows, in a very impressive way, what mics do to your mix. I for sure will go out to friends and have this done to / with my voice.
Last: That B1 sure is impressive, its only in the chorus that it falls back a bit to my taste ( too nasal ). The Neumann just totally dissapointed me, on this song. I guess i would have expected a €700,- mic to also make my coffee. Longest in the race was that shure .. i kinda like the "electric" vibe it puts to ur voice. But .. overall. I guess i agree with most comments here: Rhode won the race because overall twas most natural to the song and voice.
Just my 2 cents :)
Keep up the Great work. Thanks for lettin us have part.
The comparison is interesting, but instead of trying mic by mic it would have been more accurate if you had tried all the mics at the same time, and routed each-one to a different track. Then you won't have to guess if your singing was the same on all your takes; because from take to take you could have changed your intonation or performance.
Agree
For you voice and the style of this song, I really like the SM57 but the B1 also has a great tone as well.
I think the TLM 102 sounds amazing for voice over or voice acting, cause it sounds very authentic, well rounded, present, open and neutral.
But in a mix it might not stick out as much as others, so thats where it goes up for debate what mic fits the most for the mix
Oddly enough, I like the sm57 with your voice the best. Seems odd, but it works
Shure SM57 has a nice saturation and is a very good for this song, imho. It rocks)
At the vowel part of the last word of each sentence, there is an “airy” sound, probably around 12-15kHz, that is being brought up by the condenser mics, which sounds a little harsh to me. I think the SM57 is better for your voice in this case.
1.- Rode NT1A
2.- Neumann (It can use a little bit of EQ in the high end, but for some reason i feel like it can sound great on my voice)
3.- SM57
4.- Behringer B-1
Shure SM57 that suites this song. It feels nice and fat to me. And it rocks. ;)
For your voice I liked theNeumann . Heard the most from it and it can be tweaked to enhance or brighten in certain areas. The b1 and Rode were nice with the Rode sounding smoother like the Neumann . It was slightly brighter like the b1 with a touch of sibilance and falls flat on certain sounds. The b1 sounded bright and full without annoying my ears like the Shure.
That shure really controls the plosives, great demo!!
The TLM sounded the most detailed and smooth on the "S's". the 57 was close second in the tone dept. It had good presence.
I like the sm57
i got one and like it
The beta version is super good
SM57 btw ftw, gives a bit of grit needed for this track!
B1 sounds impressive, I like that crispy sound. I think that´s what I ´m looking for. Great video!
This was super helpful. I own one of these entry level Behringers and it's also served me well for many years but I did notice the warmer, richer tone of the NT1a places vocals in the mix nicely (in most cases). I'm primarily a mixing engineer so the question for me is which mic sounds like the one I'd want to mixdown and the answer is the NT1a for sure!
omg I actually love the SM57 one . Oh my gosh, i never knew you could use the SM57 for vocals haha
that 99$ dynamic mic sounded almost as good as the 700 lmao
SM-57 was a popular acoustic guitar mic during the Wrecking Crew days. It had a nice midrange boost that complimented acoustic rhythm and natural roll-off that prevented the boominess associated with close-micing acoustics during live tracking dates.
Your comment that the Neumann sounds "Cloudy" was very accurate. The Neumann sounds almost like a slight fog is getting in the way of the vocal. The Behringer is too harsh. The SM57 is "narrow" sounding. Rode is the best for your voice!
Great comparison... very helpful! All of the mics could certainly be made to work in the mix. For your voice in this recording, I thought the Rode probably worked best overall. I was surprised how well the very-bright Behringer worked in some parts of the song. Very instructive. And the SM57?... I'm no longer surprised by anything that little workhorse can do. Thanks for posting this.
My favorite is the sm57 if I had no option of processing. Sounds perfect for this song almost as is.
But that Neumann sounds so thick and good. I’m confident with a little adjustment it would smoke the “as is” of the shure.
The other two mics don’t sound too great to me. Sounds like I’d be going at it with processing all night to finally be somewhat happy. Lol
The Behringer captured most of the details, while the Neumann provides the best overall product in the end.
I own the Neumann TLM-102, Rode NT1a, SM57 as well as few others. The Neumann is amazing!! and let us not forget the preamp is important as well as matching the right mic for the vocalist.
For me Neumann is the best one!!
for me too
Yep me three that rest were to loud and obnoxious
I agree. Sounds pro
When you feel left out cause you have an AT2020
At least I'll still have my Blue Yeti USB haha.
Dude, I love that mic!
Haha same!! I really get a lot of use out of that mic though
Same, but I realise there are mics that can put 2020 to shame, but they cost so much!
It's fine. We know the AT2020 is a great mic. I love using it on vocals.
3 years after you uploaded the video, my vote is for Rode NT1A. SM57 is a bit nasally and B1 is too bright. For mellow jazz or classical music, 102 might work well. I used Audio-Technica ATHM40x and it might have affect my judgement.
I know this comment is late, but I would believe the best mic for the verses is the nt1a and I'd use the sm57 on the chorus...
What about using the Behringer and Neuman, recorded together (one stacked atop the other), and recording them simultaneous on the same track? They both have a really great sound that I think would blend together very nicely.
Wow, I can hear the difference . I was torn between the B1and the TLM. Great vocals and song !!
Im with you 100% on your assessment. I heard the same. The B1, in the end, might take less work to have a final vocal. But say for my voice, which is the same range and sound somewhere between Steve Perry and Steve Walsh, more Perry, the Neuman might work better. Great video. Now do one on mics for recording guitars.
for me the Rode NT1a had the best sound both solo and with the mix.
1. Neuman more professional sound
2. Sm57 more raw sound, all around mic
This was great and good ear training. Behringer and Rhode were pretty similar, both sounding harsh in the upper midrange. Neumann very rich in the middle midrange but too rich not allowing the vocal to blend with the music as well as the Shure Sm57. The Shure would sound better in the verse if positioned closer, but sounds good as is in the chorus. I love it when cheap gear gets the job done.
This treatment of a song is very new to me and fascinating.
Since we all might have some preconceived notions about a particular mic brand, perhaps the next time you pursue this kind of project you might consider introducing the brands at the introduction but then hiding the mics in the video when you're recording the audio. Perhaps only show the screen filter in front of the mic but NOT the mic. Even if one had no bias towards any brand, some might be persuaded (subconsciously) that the most expensive mic MUST be the best.
Thanks for a great video. Most vocal artists would not have the courage (guts?) to do what you do. Thanks again.