The best part of your videos is the historic dimension you provide about gear. You definitely will grow on this platform. I'm glad I'm among the first 300. 🙂
I really appreciate you and this comment! I'm trying to do something a little different than just a spec check and vocal test. Just wish my studio players were more available for demos, they're making up for lost covid time on the road still. Thanks so much for supporting this endeavor.
I love my RE20's I have both the OG tan and the new black both with the 309A shock mounts. I love the sound and the classic sound is unmatched to me. Now I do miss the proximity effect that I used to use on my AT2040 so since I dont have "free bass" anymore I had to spend extra coin and put a DBX 131s in my signal chain to boost the bottom end a smidge.
Picked up an RE20 in black and it's the only mic I'll use for my pod. Incredible sound - like it's EQ'd out of the box. My other mics have become paperweights. Fantastic video. Subscribed (fellow NY person - Long Island guy here)
LI here too!! The RE20 is my fav broadcast mic hands down. The 7b just doesnt do it for me. The RE20 has “it” in all the right places and you dont have to be directly in front of it all the time for it to sound good. Thanks for the sub and checking out the channel!
Thanks for watching, i know its a little long winded but I think its fun to look at where these things come from and who's put them to work. There are mics that have come and gone and haven't left much of a mark on the industry (some are just liner notes in old catalogs).
Great video! enjoyed the history segments. I got into these mics awhile back when I learned that Paul Wolff used them on overheads with a pair of API 312's, 550's and a 2500 compressor. since then, I've bought 6 more. keep up the great content!
Man, Pauls name keeps coming up for me for some reason. Maybe I need to do a dive into his work. Thanks so much for watching the video and checking out the channel!
We've recently started using an RE20 for our cartoon voice acting (when there's too much background noise to use our condensers), and it sounds perfect. Very interesting to see the inner workings of the mic explained too!
As an ex-radio guy, I've owned an RE-20 since 1980 when I left radio to do AV/Video production. I laughed when you showed the foam deterioration, as I need to send mine in for reconditioning! It's been my go-to vocal mic for decades. I've used the SM-7B and the Sennheiser MD-421U, but neither of them is right for my voice. I agree with your overall assessment. The RE-20 is fine for most people's voices, especially folks who don't know how to sit still in front of a mic. You can still get some proximity effect, but it's subtle and controllable. I'd use a Shure SM-57 for guitar cabs, and the RE-20 for kick drums and bass cabs. I think the SM-7B is good for some female voices who need some added intimacy during "quiet lamentations." I would use a good pop filter, as the SM-7B isn't as effective at killing plosives as the RE-20. I'm amazed at how good mic designs from the 1960s, '70s, and '80s have held up. Nice review!
Wow, thanks for the great comment here, I really appreciate you checking out the channel. You can probably take the mic designs back another 20 years to the 40's. One of the most revered mics of all time, the U47 was released in 1947 and the 50's saw some pretty amazing mic releases as well. I just re-foamed the PL10... what a mess. LOL. I was going to do a video on it, but might hold off for a bit since I've done a couple of EV mics in a row and have more planned in the future. Thanks again for the comment!
@@meistudiony Hi, please don't hold back your video on reforming the PL10, I just got one and wanted to see how you did it! By the way, thanks for the great content. Subscribed!
@@BenjC1979 Its probably going to be next weeks video with the holiday, not going to have much time to do a full review video this weekend. ;) thanks for watching and the sub really appreciate it!
I've gone for an RE20 and ART Voice Channel for a radio application where the audio bandwidth is limited to 4kHz. I learned a long time ago that fidelity over even a narrow band can be absolutely noticeable. I carry a decent audio system when travelling and it blew my colleague away with the detail he could hear even with a very reduced hearing range. So for me, this mic seems to be the best of what I have looked at and considered. I went for the ART because it has a digital TOSLINK out that I can connect straight into the transmitter. Should be arriving next week and I may do a video on it. Great video - the RE20 is just wonderful on guitar!
Thanks for the input! Im doing a new video on “effect” mics. A couple of the ones i have are old HAM standbys (and i mean old) the rca 6206 and the shure 520 (green bullet). Both mics have the limited bandwidth intended to use over radio. I was going to ask some operators if having equipment that is specced outside operable bandwidth makes a difference and it seems youve answered that! Thanks!
@@meistudionyHave a look into eSSB and Voodoo Audio. Quite a few people have been using extended bandwidth SSB and can get some really good results in fidelity. I'm not looking to go any wider than 4kHz and will only use more than 2.7kHz on quiet / not-so-packed bands as I think it's a bit antisocial. I'm not sure how limited my colleagues hearing is, but he was adamant that he didn't think he would be able to appreciate my audio system, but the look on his face when he put the headphones on was a picture. The system was based on a Chord Hugo 2 and a pair of Audeze EL-8 planar magnetic headphones.
Yeah, Bosch, i get the feeling, doesn't REALLY wanna deal with this and makes it JUUUST under the cost of buying a new one. Some of the mics like the ND66 they WONT repair at all. Thanks for checking the video out! Appreciate it!
Love my PL20. I re-foamed it myself (I'm a pro audio tech) with Bosch foam. Thing sounds great, even with my voice. You're right, the 309A is ridiculous, but it works. BYW, I don't think you mentioned the RE16. It used variable-D, too. Subscribed.
Yeah, there were a lot of mics that used the VAR-D over the years. There were other 6XX mics that used it as well, too many lol. The 309A is a modern marvel of engineering. To be able to hold the weight of the RE20 from all the way at the back is nothing short of amazing. (which is probably why it costs so much). Thanks for check out the channel and the sub! Really appreciate it!
That’s really interesting about marketing insisting the RE20 be bigger than it needs to be. So typical of marketing. I agree the PL20 would be perfect but marketing would again find a way to ruin a reissue. They’d say well it’s just for podcasters and cripple it. But it did seem to me like the PL had more plosives. Also I think podcasters choose the SM7B because they *want* the proximity effect to make their voice sound deeper.
The PL doesn't have as much foam between the grille and the diaphragm so thats kind of to be expected. But could certainly be remedied in a new version of it. Most of the people i see using a 7b are using it wrong anyway (talking into the side of it or have it like 1' away from their mouth... streamers are fun! lol). The 7b needs serious amplification for it to be "right", as does the RE20. However, if you move off axis of a 7b you're lost, the RE20 is way more forgiving in that aspect, which is why I think I prefer it for broadcast applications. And yeah... marketers are gonna market lol. Never met a group with more {fill in the blank} envy than anyone else lol. Everything is a competition. Thanks for checkin out the video!
@@meistudiony Yeah sure, you see them like everywhere - I'm just wondering how it came this far. IMO there are so many microphones that have a less EQ-requiring sound out of the box. And especially most of these people would benefit from a mic which is less dependant on post processing. But yeah, it is what it is.
I feel similar with the sm58 and in away the sm57 also. There should be a study in sociology, psychology and marketing combined about the Shure effect on people. For years I can’t understand the “you want a vocal microphone for live? - Get a sm58” while it fits at most 2/10 vocalists that use it, and every mixer I know (including me) that works at live performances feels a terror when someone they don’t know how they perform and how much volume they need on their monitors brings a sm58 as their mic, etc. Now with all of the streaming boom, we have the same phenomenon with the sm7 b , it is like no other mic exists in this world. Yet an other cultural , social etc phenomenon They have a very specific sound that it is common and familiar but still I don’t get it
Can I use a standard mic stand without shock mount, also if I use shock-mount can I use standard stand (desk stand) If I can’t can I get a recommendation of a stand, that I can use with shockmount
The 309a (shockmount made specifically for the RE20) is built with arm stands in mind. Its stupid expensive though for what it is. The yoke is positioned such that you can hang the mic from above below or from the side. Any stand you use is going to have to be able to handle a decent amount of weight as this mic isnt light. The shock mount adds even more weight to it. With a regular boom stand, id suggest grabbing one of on stages counter weights. Im not really up on desk mount stands, though bark over at @obscuremics has reviewed several of them over the years. Maybe check out what hes used. Anything that can handle the sm7b should be good with the re20.
The PL10 would be a great re-issue, especially in the streaming platform. The Shure SM7B has it's smaller clone by the company for streaming, EV could definitely do the same with this. Unfortunately, to buy a use PL10 you are looking at wsy too much money vis rarity... unless you just keep looking until one day a reasonable price on comes up. You're going to need a microphone in the mean time though
Agree 100%. They could make a smaller shock mount as well. I think it would do quite well in the current market around like $200-$250 w/ shockmount. Having a mic with little to no off axis coloration in smaller package... can't see how you couldn't win with that.
