Hi there,

I’m trying to choose between these mics and I’d really appreciate a good and honest help/suggestion)
looking for a fairly natural, good sound, warm, with very smooth highs and no harsh mid-range.

This will be used only for vocals, mainly male vocal, with a medium deep/tenor vocal range, in a small studio, with good, tight acoustic. Mic will be used with a new Avalon VT-737sp.

Budget is about $2000, don’t really want to push it over that, although my first pick would be the Neumann U47 or U87, but it’s much more expensive. So… I’m looking at the Neumann TLM 49 (I think it’s a bit better than the TLM 103?) I like the German built mics and that one is in the budget and as far as i know it's very good for vocals. Or, may be the Telefunken AK-47 MKII? This one has Switchable Polar patterns which is really great, something the Neumann doesn’t have. Or finally maybe from Lauten Audio Atlantis FC-387 or Oceanus LT-381?

So, it’s very confusing, specially if you can’t test all of them
What do you think guys??

Thank you for the help!

 

Last edited: Sep 3, 2015

what is your genre? jazz/soul or hard rock ?

 

Thanks for asking, mostly for pop, ambient, electronic and even for some cinematic stuff.

 

Last edited: Sep 3, 2015

Depends if you need in-your-face upfront vocals or not.
The best selling album of all time (Thriller) was recorded with a $400 microphone but a great engineer.

I personally tested about 10 mics from low budget to high end (u87ai).
Cheap condenser mics are awful both in terms of sound and sensitivity to bad acoustics. I would certainly not use them.
Cheap dynamic mics (SM7, RE20. MD421) sound really pro, especially in a mix context and in a poor acoustic room.

The studio where I recorded some vocals has dozen of mics including Brauner or M49, and everybody ends up with the U87. It's just the sound everybody looks for.
If I had to buy my personal mic at home, apart from dynamics, I would buy a U87.

 

Last edited: Sep 3, 2015

Having used the neumann u87 many times i can vouch for it.

it's a very transparent microphone what you put in, you get back out. it's very clean and high detailed and is a go to for anything!

i haven't used the tlm49 but i have used the 103 and i am not a fan. for that price you might as well get a AKG C414 i prefer the 414 uls which gives things a nice darker tone, they work well on vocals but are my favourite for acoustic guitar.

the XLS are also good but i generally think are too bright. although the way they add colour is amazing. (all the versions of the 414 have changeable polar patterns)

i haven't used the ak-47 although it is something i'd love to use. so i can't chip in on that.

personally if i was you, i'd sell the avalon and use that money to go towards the 87.

i don't like the avalon stuff and they tend to be very dull. and "fluffy" and i have never got along with them.

but you could also just buy a 414 and still have money for an sm7b

 

Thank you so much for the suggestion.
By the way, what other channel strip/preamp around the price of the Avalon would you also recommend?

 

one of my favourites is the Universal Audio LA-610 it has a compressor and a bit of eq but the colouration on it is beautiful
it doesn't have as many features but it's nearly 1k off and sounds a lot better.

anything less money wise is going to sound fine, but as you know the more you spend the better the quality. (even if the jump in quality is small)

for the price of an avalon you could also buy a couple of 500 series pre amps and eq's.

but it all depends on your needs. to me the avalon is just something that hip-hop artists lust over for no reason. when most console pre amps sound a lot better.

i remember engineering at a gig, and the artist was the singer from the lighthouse family, and he had brought with him an avalon, to put through the venues desk which was a Yamaha LS9 and i think the pre amps and eq on the LS9 sounded better on the backing vocalists than the main guy :L

i also know a guy who was forced into buying one for his studio because it was requested so much (because of rappers and the like)

but thats just my opinion!

you might like it, it might suit you but if you're looking to drop some serious money on a new microphone you should somehow test it with your pre amp.
because the avalons DO have a specific sound and not every microphone will sound the same through it

 

The AK-47 will give you big sound putting you in front of the mix and is a great mic. The TLM 49 is a great all a rounder, killer on vocals matched with the right voice and supper on low end sources like kicks and double bass. The U87 is what we all know vocals from a million records, push the mids and also cool on lots of sources. I don't know the Lautens- My odd suggestion is a newish ribbon mic called the Samar vl37. OMG at 749 dollars, stunning, but like a 90 day wait if you want one. Check out the reviews.

 

great, thank you guys! i'll check the stuff out,

 

I personally like my AKG Solidtube but it doesn't beat the Neuman U87. For me as a german, whenever I read Telefunken, my hair rises... to me Telefunken is one old fashioned company. Gruesome!!!! muahahaha.. But Seriously. if you are willing to spend 2000 on a mic, i would really really consider buying the U87. in germany its around 2.300 Euros. In my opinion its a once in a lifetime investment depending on your skill level as an engineer.

 

Thank you Well, maybe it is worth the wait, since the "Neumann" u87/47 is the one that i really want, maybe i should wait a bit and just get that...Ohhhh Mr.Neumann, you're going to cost

 

Neuman U87 or bust..

MM... we need a couple of singing smileys!!

 

By popularity vote, I think you got your answer. I vouch for the U87 as well as that is what I own. You say your first pick is the 87. You also stated you're willing to spend 2G's. Add another 100-150 and buy a used one off Ebay. It's in your price range. That is what I did and it was well worth it. I used it with the avalon in the past as well. Got some good vocals out that combo. A clear, transparent sound. For me, however, I was going for forward and aggressive (hip hop/rap/rnb) so i ended up selling the avalon. Great unit though. Miss the compressor... now I find myself looking for a new compressor to replace it as I have none .

 

You know, there are so many great mics out there, it depends so much on what sound you're after and what singer you have. There is no such thing as "the" best mic for a certain budget.
Even the MD 421 can be a good mic for certain singers.
Sure, you can buy a U87 and use it for everything, if you want to sound like everybody else and are after uniformity.

If that's not what you want, there really is one thing to say:
Know the sound you're after, know the singer(s) you're working with, know the frequency response of the microfones you want or like and then experiment. Any good retailer will let you test the mic in your studio before ponying up 2000 bucks.

 

Brauner Valvet X?

 

Thank you guys!, this really helps!! Yes, i know the hype about the u87 and there are also many people that will say "you can get better for a bit less" or something better with a different color or range. I'm working with a dealer for a while but they don't carry the Brauner or other brands, so i need to decide either to stick with Neumann or choose something else from another dealer, we'll see...How good is really the Brauner compare to the u87?

By the way, any guys here have feedback regarding these Channel Strips: "Focusrite ISA430 MKII Producer Pack" or the "SPL Frontliner"? I'm curious how you put these compare to the Avalon 737.

 

For context, I have zero experience with high end mics - the best thing I've recorded on is a c414, so I'm just parroting what I've read. But one that repeatedly comes up as a superb vocal mic on gearslutz is the Telefunken CU-29 Copperhead. I believe it's 1200-13000 dollars

 

That Avalon will make any mic sound pretty damned good. For $2000, you could get a medium price large diaphragm and pretty decent ribbon, and that Avalon will make them both shine. Ribbons sometimes add nice qualities to male vocs. and are fun to tinker with. (or 20 shure SM58's ha ha just kidding.) If I had that budget and already had the Avalon, I'd buy a ribbon, a lg dia., and a really nice dynamic, too! One of them would cover any vocal (or any) situation. Dynamics like a Sure SM7 (about $350 US) or a Sennheiser MD441-U ($900) are also great vocal mics. Royer, Beyer, Cascade, for ribbons would be my choice. My Rode NT2-A and Blue Reactor both sound way more pricey through my ART pre, and it's not nearly as nice as that Avalon.....jealousy, envy, and drool.............. here's Brittany of the Alabama Shakes using a Senn. live in Columbia Studios C-Nashville.

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2015

Great mic, wish I had one. But it has never been my favorite for recording my voice. And I'm not the only singer I know who feels that way. I like when I go to a real studio and the engineer lines up a few different mics to compare on that particular singer's voice in that booth or room. Such audiophile luxury, more drool.

 

Again, if the Brauner (which one? C1?) fits the singer and the song perfectly the C1 is good and the U87 is bad. How should we judge it?
Every microfone has it's own frequency response and characteristics which make it the right choice for a certain purpose.
I believe you're looking at this from the wrong angle.