Gear talk: what's your favorite microphone?

[anthony91765]

I echo the earlier posts regarding the SM7B as the mic of choice. In fact, I ended up purchasing the "cousin", Shure MV7 mic. It pretty much has the same quality of the SM7B, but the mic is a bit more versatile as it has XLR and USB interfaces. I love using this mic as my, "on the road" option that fits in my baggage. That way, in case I get an order during a vacation trip. I can record a voice over directly into my MacBook Pro via USB. So these two mics are my choice. 

[violetbuttercup]

On 12/13/2020 at 8:18 AM, yourimagingguy said:

Shure SM7B. I’ve been in radio for 30 years, and this mic seems to be the most on point out of any I’ve ever used. It’s rich and it doesn’t pick up a lot of ambient noise. I love it.

That's good to know. I'm actually looking at buying this mic. My RODE NT1A makes me sound rather bright so I'm looking for something a little warmer.

[newsmike]

On 7/22/2021 at 7:11 PM, violetbuttercup said:

That's good to know. I'm actually looking at buying this mic. My RODE NT1A makes me sound rather bright so I'm looking for something a little warmer.

The SM7b is warm and beautiful. Only thing is that it needs extra gain, so lots of folks put a Cloud Lifter between the mic and the preamp to really make this mic sparkle. 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CL1Cloud--cloud-microphones-cl-1-cloudlifter-1-channel-mic-activator 

[precords1275]

I use an SM7b or an AKG C414 (most of the time - I have a lot of mics.) But if I have a job to do I could probably wire up a speaker to a mic input and use that. It's not always about the tools, and everyone's voice and jobs are different. 

My signal path is usually very simple - Voice/pop screen/mic/shortest cable I can get away with/quality mic pre (mostly Focusrite ISA828 channels 5-8.) I run that into Pro Tools and run a pretty straightforward signal chain. Subtractive EQ, De-Esser, Compressor, and then a second EQ for taste. I may or may not do parallel compression depending on the job.

[torpedobeatz]

Ahh finally some proper gear talk here on Fiverr forums 😄

We have quite limited microphone closet but at the moment we have

- a pair of Audio Technica AT4050 LDC's. Absolutely love these. Really robust mic and those can take quite a lot of SPL in. perfect for drum overheads or to an acoustic guitar
-an old U87. I really don't find myself using this one that often any more. There is something about the high end that really makes this stand out for some singers and speakers but with the other it sounds really nasty and way too pronounced on certain high frequencies. 
- AT 4047. really good mic. Goes well with the 4050's
-SM7b which has actually started to be maybe my favourite for Vocal/speak work. It is really really good on almost any vocals or speaker. Really gets the job done 


 

[marcosgomes343]

I like the Mxl V67i

[studiolo1]

Best mic I have ever worked with, was neumann u87. connected in Universal Audio 4-710d Preamp :)

[marcosgomes343]

Behringer B-2 Pro: you can have good quality, costs not so much, if switched can be used as 2nd mic with omnidiretional mode to capture the room's ambience.

[daveg3]

Just found this forum. My "success manager" mentioned it.

scrolling thru the topics, this one caught my eye.  and with the benefit of 40 years of studio work, I'll throw in my "two cents" on "gear"

recorded in studios around the world. Tasmania to France...VO, not music, but did party with rock stars a few times...i digress...

TLDR? space not mic. try to achieve -70db. -65db is okay. keep it simple. no processing. NONE. (often my raw file makes the final cut - you should get your audio THAT GOOD). save that file. the engineers need it, because your attempts at processing will fall short - and they want it "naked".  Trying to cover for a crappy space? they'll be unhappy with you. If you need effects,IF, get a stack made for you by a pro. specifically for your voice/space...Apply it, then send two files. Client chooses... My travel studio gear is a duplicate of my main studio. I send it ahead to my destination, or check it in luggage with a tracker...depends. Mics? a 416 or TLM103, maybe an NT1...(just had a large video game sound designer tell me they like you to use that mic. go figure)...because those fit my voice and are "standards". rolls personal monitor, audient id14 mk 2, good cables, mac mini M1...passive reference monitors...and active monitors...dt770 pro in the booth - many more around the studio - ...external video monitors, 28" minimum, ... I've used an SM7 (before there was a "B")...and talked into an SM5 for years...neither of those are appropriate for VO. unless it's for the local pizzeria, and the VO will be crushed with compression before being squeezed out the transmitter.  The engineer on the other end of your source connect session will not like an SM7.  Will others notice? maybe not. SM7 is okay for podcast work, but that's about it.      Snob? maybe. Earned it. Get higher standards, you might find yourself in a place to dance with the big boys..... so you might as well be ready...       As to the "union snobs"... F them. jealous they are...get really good at your craft, have repeat clients...get paid.  It's really quite simple....Good luck to all...I'm always surprised at some of the talent on fiverr. inspiring...you make me better... cheers all!

 

 

[daveg3]

almost forgot.!   DAW!  Twisted Wave, baby!  powerful, but simple UI.  I mean we do VO...what else do you need...?

[brandk]

Robe NT1 

[powerjinglesnl]

Here's my top 3 

1. SureSM7B
2. Rode Broadcaster
3. Neumann TLM 102

Be aware that non of these mics work properly without a good pre-amp. For some it will be the DBX or Behringer but i recommend a higher standaard preamp to get the most out of these mics. 

Edit: I would also recommend a cloud-lifter OR fat-head. Specially for the SureSM7B 

[texvox]

I haven't been able to get away from my Audio-Technica AT4040 for the past 2+ years. For a $399 mic it's been killer, and a perfect fit for my voice. The noise floor isn't terrible, the build quality is great and the frequency bumps don't over-polish it in the wrong ways.

As a darker baritone voice with a fair amount of grit it's worked wonderfully for my natural tone. And as someone who is often hired to perform more youthful, upbeat millennial work as well it's also been a great fit for that type of performance. It's the only mic I own at the moment (with the exception of a duplicate backup) as I haven't found that I need to swap for any particular genre. Since purchasing it I've earned multiple 6-figures solely on this mic and have voiced some pretty high-profile projects with it; not a bad return for a pretty affordable mic.

Also worth mentioning - I've bought and returned numerous more expensive mics since owning this one because I didn't feel like they offered enough of an audio improvement to be worth their price tag. Among the models I've bought and returned are the Neumann TLM 102, and the Sennheiser MKH416. Both required additional work to tame sound issues that didn't really fit my voice. I'm a fan of less processing so I sent them all back and stuff with the AT. 

[voicebysara]

While the SM7B has been my longtime favorite, recently I’ve been blown away by the Lewitt LCT 1040. Its performance and clarity are exceptional, quickly earning it a top spot in my collection. Both are fantastic choices, but right now, the Lewitt is stealing the spotlight for me at least.