Folks,
Couldn't stand having the thread jammed all to the right of my screen so I thought a reset would be beneficial.
Arthur's last post:
'Hey, guys, didn't mean to start a mini-war. However, it occurs to me that all of these comparisons between mic operating principles and brand name have been made in a vacuum. Specs mean very little in the real of audio listening quality and recording. If you want to shed more light on this topic, the only way to do so would be a shootout/AB comparison type exercise between the various mic participants. Anything else is techie nonsense.
THere is no perfect mic, and Neumanns are far from perfect. However, in the court of pro opinion (musicians and engineers) there is some unquanitifiable thing Neumann has been doing since 1938 that grabs our ears that seems to always win the day. Maybe some other mic outfit will (or already has) come along who will grab us more. Let me know if it does.'
Hi Arthur,
You post hit the nail on the head. None of this is done in a vacuum and no manufacturer makes a 'perfect' microphone.
This is what makes the whole recording 'business' so interesting. It is so subjective. You might like mic A and I might like B. Both our opinions are completely valid.
The technical specifications are simply a sidebar to our personal preferences and shouldn't dissuade anyone from auditioning a particular microphone.
I have my personal 'sound' that I am looking for on a session and I have a mic locker full of 'tools' to help me get the sound I am looking for. For some applications like orchestral work I may choose Neumann M-150s on a Decca tree. When I am recording the Count Basie band I might choose Sennheiser MKH-800s for the L/C/R mics. Is one better than the other? No, it's just a different 'tool' to get the sound I am looking for.
I purchased my first Neumann U-87 in 1979 and for me I was hooked on the Neumann 'Sound'. Over the years I have expanded my mic locker to include a large portion of the Neumann product line along with almost the whole line of Sennheiser MKH series. Are they better than other manufacturers products? Only to my ears. Your mileage more than likely will vary? The other aspect of this 'business' is to keep experimenting and learning. One day I used a KU-100 'dummy head' in our 7' Baldwin Conservatory Grand. The next session I used TLM-127 for overheads. Couldn't get the 'sound' on a tenor sax and after running through the whole mic locker grabbed an M-150 and it knocked me out. Experiment, learn and have a great time doing it.
Mike Pappas CEO American Digital Recordings www.americandigitalrecordings.com