I underestimated the Sphere... | UA Sphere LX vs vintage Neumann U67 

The most important factor that changes the sound is the Room. Even so, the Apollo with the plugins did a good job. The differences would have been less pronounced if you have recorded both takes in the Studio with the different setups.

What a banger! Love it! Results are close enough for sure.

Many positive things to say about this video. I greatly appreciate the comparison and matching as closely as possible between the two setups. I took a liking to her voice and the song instantly. And lastly, ngl, the results had me pretty impressed. I listened it three times; eyes closed even. Ultimately, there was a very, very, VERY slight difference, but not one that I would have noticed had I not known otherwise. Fantastic video that is incredibly helpful and truly the best comparison video I've seen so far.

Awesome vocalist. I see you know your stuff with Universal Audio. I think you nailed it. Great job

This is f****n insane, the two chains are sonically very close despite the recorded signal is not exactly the same (I still hear some difference) and I can't really tell wich one I prefer. Imo, it could be more than interesting to test this modelling mics with other sources rather than vocals, to see how close they are to the originals models.

Thanks for the great video. These days, most of us have a home studio setting and I very much liked your comparison and how you showed what software can deliver in 2023. Would be still great to see a studio hardware vs studio software challenge (well, this was already requested in several posts below). The limitation with Sphere remains if using Unison on the preamps: to model the real world, the Sphere mic emulation plugin should come before unison 1073 - UA doesn't allow this in unison due to the Apollo hardware layout... well, still good sound. However, my dream is that one day Neumann launches a microphone emulation software based on a fresh & clean TLM mic - that would be my ultimate mic cupboard. Kudos to you and your singer :)

God damn, that was ideal. Many demo didn't goes close enough I could tell that it was close and worth to buy that gear. Your video showed me how close we can go and that was perfect match IMO, nobody will recognize in blind test which take is which. THX, all best.

Awesome work! Thank you very much! I have to use my Sphere LX from now on a little more often. ;-)

Beside the different vocal performances i really love the development of digital tools today. When i have to describe a tiny difference, then the UAD compared to the real chain sounds a bit harsh on the 'S' sounds. But it could be also due to the different performances. The flexibility is king in that situation. You can record a singer at places where they feel most comfortable and the impact on sound will be very tiny. Performance and vibe is king, so i would prefer recording a singer in a lake house with UAD instead of a Studio around the corner.

67 had that record feel imo and the LX was super clean

Glad you did the LX. I got the LX as part of the promotion they did over the last couple of months, so it came free with my Apollo x6. But most of the analysis on RU-vid is for the DLX, which I don't have! I have to say that the sound was very close between the studio and home in your demo. On the louder sections I could still hear the shield a little, giving a bit more presence. But on the quieter sections, allowing for the downgrading of the audio via RU-vid, there was no major differences that would cause any issues. Would have been nice to hear them without the track. With the Iso-thingy, there is also a "voice booth" which I have been playing with while assessing the LX against my real U87ai. Very useful. I don't think I am quite at the point of selling my U87 in favour of the LX, but certainly, I don't think I would buy another one if I needed two! The modelling is very close. A little less so with the 47, but I am not surprised. In a studio I worked in 40 years ago, we had 6 (I think) 47s, and they all sounded different. Their chunky power supplies varied too - possibly just because they were all getting so old! Whereas the 87s we had were far more consistent, and therefore better to model, I suppose.

Love the home studio sound

I have serial #450 of the Townsend L22 (before UAD bought them out) - absolutely incredible.

I will like to see the UAD plugins and mic in the same environment with the real ones! Thank you, nice work!

Was waiting for this one... i own a dlx( actually, the sphere l22) and i love it

That sounds pretty good! I have two Townsends since they came out and I love them, cause they can be anything. Pretty versatile. Anyway, I guess Ginge also sounds good on a 57 😉

The smaller capsule of the LX vs DLX makes a little difference in sound too. I own the LX but I like the sound of the DLX a bit more plus I heard with certain emulations the DLX does better. Along with the room being different and changing the sound like many have said here I think the singer head position singing down on the LX and up at the 67 also made a difference. Thanks for this review however.

It sounded to me like the home studio one was slightly louder(reverb & all). If you lowered the volume by a db or so, it might actually completely fool my ears with the music playing. With less background music, it becomes slightly more noticeable that the studio sounds better but not by a lot. It definitely competes & the sooner one finds satisfaction in that alone, the better they are(unless they have time & money to blow).

wow, not looking at the screen with earphones in, I couldn't hear a difference between the studio and home setup! some fantastic stuff

Well I thought it wasn't even close, the studio had a brightness and a clarity that was missing singing into the purple clam. I have a similar device and it certainly gets rid of my room. My guess is that the room tone in the studio with all that diffusion and pro treatment helped with the sparkle and sheen. I appreciate you doing this test Thomas! I wonder what the difference in sound quality is between the LX and the DLX? Thanks, Tod in Vegas

PHENOMENAL the only difference i hear is depth idk how to explain it but the hardware sounds like id have to reach into the song to touch the vocals where as the plugin seems a little upfront

Nice comparison! Maybe these Sphere mics are a worthy option at a fraction of the cost. (Good song too).

When you walk into Best Buy and see tvs next to each other side by side you can see the difference. Yes there was a slight difference in this a/b comparison, but the non - studio sounded great. Of course it was mixed well and the girl singing had a phenomenal voice, but it sounded great and I don’t believe you could tell that it was recorded in a home studio. Totally professional

Has the song be released yet?? Would love to hear that whole arrangement!! By the way my DLX is on its way! Can’t wait to put it thru the paces!!

I absolutely love this I have all the plug-ins in the same microphone from Universal audio can you please do more universal audio plug-ins and this microphone vocal chains? I added you. Gonna watch every video you do. What’s did you put on the master I see one plugin

You nicely did a/b showcase, however I wish there was more of your feedback on results. What where the differences? Does it matter that much? What you liked and disliked in both solutions? I feel like it would be much better video with your opinions in it

I can hear the studio chain is sharper, places the vocalist back a tiny bit like i find hardware does, and has that finished mainstream record sound. So what i listened for is how well the plugins could pass as a mainstream record sound, and i felt the track was grooving so hard and the vocal is so good that i can't imagining it sounding like a lesser product to the listener - but the plugins delivered well enough to pass.

sounded like there was a little more muddiness in the low mids on the home recording, but that could be due to the room and the performance nuances, and im sure that could be tamed to match better with a dynamic eq. for a tenth of the cost (edit: actually a 15th, wow), i'd take that tradeoff lol. great vid

Wow, this girl really can sing ❤

Wonder if this mic or the dlx is a good purchase for an rme user/non ua interface users. Cant seem to find much about that. what would be your take on that?

i mean i dont have the Most trained Ears But i Almost want to say The Main Difference is just the Real U67 has like a bit more Grit (idk how to explain it) and little less Low mids potentialy honestly cant tell Much of difference But Honestly the Sphere LX did amazing

does 55db gain on the apollo neve emulation equal 55db gain on the physical one? I noticed that when setting all unison preamps to for example 55db gain, some will be much much louder or quieter than others (although i assume thats due to it modeling the hw impedance, which will impact the voltage/gain)

Hello, I bought a new uad sphere dlx, but do I have to record my vocals in stereo? Will I experience any losses if I switch it to mono later? I know it's always better to record in mono and mic collection doesn't allow that :(

l'intro est très très drôle ! merci ^^

Man, that’s a funky track, Fa real

Yeah the Home studio version sounded great but I can hear that sought after "3d" weighted feel to the professional studio chain. That being said, It's madly close. I fall somewhere in-between with a U87ai and a UA Twin X + Plugins. Recently found a never style plugin that slightly outshines the UA 1084 too. Crazy how accessible everything has become.

Got a free LX with my new X6 from Sweetwater as part of a UA June promo. I love it. Are the sims as good as the hardware? No. But for an a home studio owner like me, the difference per unit cost is silly.

Very very close, but.... not the same. The difference is in that sweetness, everything has a softer texture. UAD Sounds like a very high quality Demo. The analogue chain has that 'Dua Lipa thing' like the radio. Great video. Great voice.

Pretty darn close especially coming out from iPhone speakers lol😂 Will check it out later in the studio. Edit: It sound really close on the monitors, I most likely wouldn't tell a difference in blind test. Try to make it sound and react like a "251" cuz my results was rather disappointing.

1. How does it compare to Slate VMS? 2. How does the UA chain compare to Focusrite liquid mix? 3. How do these vintage emulations compare to modern classics like Violet Design and D. W. Fearn?

They both sound great, buuuuuuuttt, the high end of the studio setup sound so smooth...

Oh wow... that song is a BOP!

Thanks for the video. From what i have been told, the audio output from UA's console software is "dual-mono" and not stereo when using the Sphere mics. So you can actually record single channel(mono) takes into Protools by using either channel 1 or channel 2 instead of both. Again that's ....Sphere mic >> Apollo >> Console Software >> dual mono audio. Also, have you tried bringing your Macbook/Apollo setup to the larger studio and recording both mics at the time?

Too bad all shootouts don't have a great engineer like you....I closed my eyes , & could not tell which was which w AirPods Pro WiFi, then bluetoothed from my TV. I'd bet serious $ that Thomas could cut all vocals w the Sphere ITB at his apt, & it would not detract in the least from a song being a hit. I have a stam 47 MK 2, & just got a 1073 lb, & am keeping my Distressor. in my home studio..Great, Thomas! Thanks for all of this!

There is some difference between those, but in my opinion sphere/plugins did a great job. I wish there was a blind a/b test, and also software setup vs hardware setup, but al in the studio with mics recording at the same time.

Wow!

Got any information on the singer, what's her job role, is she a for hire vocalist?

Hii Sir pls make a video on How to Copy paste(fly hook/chorus) how to Edit Music on grid for long duration track or for short duration music track

sick

listening to the studio vs home comparison on a pair of altec model 9 speakers and marantz all valve set up....hmmm the sample comparison section is not particularly long so quite hard to judge - it's a bit confusing when the song jumps from chorus to verse as the source changes too....would be good to hear the same section played one after the other so that you can truly hear like for like. there are some sections of the song that seem to sound virtually indistinguishable - so I have to say that is an amazing result. I just got a used L22 mic and now starting to think I need to look at an apollo for my home set up! only two channels - but what quality eh homestudio sounds a bit thicker and less airy - that is possibly a disadvantage as the vocal will be occupying more room in the mix. but don't trust my ears...can't wait to get into using my L22!

Close enough once it all gets played on mp3 audio out someone laptop or phone with it jammed into a solo cup they will never hear the difference. Even here in my studio it wouldn't even be a question of if its good enough, it would be a question of slight flavor difference.

Please do another video recording of the vocalist singing just once, in the studio room, and splitting the signal going into the studio set up and to the Apollo (using both microphones simultaneasly, of course) so we can really hear the same room in the recording. My take is that the room is influencing a lot more than the mic and plugins are.

There is a sound that a studio setup should aim for, so maybe you can achieve it with a home studio setup? When you think about it, a studio setup is ideal and should be the standard.

Very close but U67 chain sounds a bit thicker, warmer, smoother and saturated in a pleasing way. But the cost to get something like a 10% improvement in quality is a personal/financial choice that may not be worth it to most. Comparison using the same signal chain would likely bring them much closer. Too bad you weren't able to compare the mics only using the same signal chain.

What song is it? going to order it 🙂

Low tones it sounds almost identical which is very encouraging sign but when the dynamic of her vocals increased in the higher notes the home system lost the control and didn't have that warm control. Still it's quite a good result. However you kind of understand perhaps you can't get that perfect vocals in the home studio environment no matter how nice tone your voice have maybe!

comparing those chains in two different rooms doesn't really make sense to me.. why didn't you compared the two chains in the Studio?

I wanted to buy the DLX but the cable kind of turns me off so opted for Telefunken TF51 Tube which is basically a remake of the 251

its very close home studio had a bit more reverb

I was under the impression that you were not to use a unison pre amp with the modeling mic as it confused the modelling … I heard the pre amp should use as plug in after the fact … is that not the case

it's quite hard to say since most of the difference could come from the different rooms . Why haven't you chose to record all your takes in the studio ? I am a happy townsend owner and i would be very insterested by this shoutout in the same context

I can hear the difference in Home setup where it sounds more isolated and deader than recording openly in the Studio room. Otherwise quite close

Having a hard time listening to this due to the volume difference. Can’t determine what is loudness and what is difference between the two chains.

couldn't hear any difference with the gear use...Only with the reverb part of the songs. Maybe, it wasn't properly gain to each other. Great track!

tbh i'm not convinced however lets look at the facts. it costs money, and gas and time to go to the studio each time you want to record and sometimes if you have a moment of insperation and just want to dive in by the time you drive take your wallet out and pay for studio time you will probubly not even be in the mood or even forget what you had in mind. while this modeling mic may not capture 100% of the sonical nuances of the real thing. its still a good option for $1,500 and may even retain its value should you decide to resell it. you may resell used for 1,200 or more after 5-8 years of usage. you get tons of modeled mics to choose from. you can choose them after you record as well. you get to choose any polar pattern you want for mics that never even had polor patterns. you get control over some iso reflextions in the settings tab. idk seems like pretty good stuff to me. the question is when your clients come over assuming you record other people, will they like it? if they ask for a u87 do you feel confident in this dlx that your customer will be satisfied?

LX was a great still has great sound. U67 with all the analog great just got a slightly tighter sound

My dude, just get you the Manley Reference and you don’t need ELAM and C800G no more. I can say as the past U87 user and lot of different mics, mostly Neumann, the Manley is just something else!

Analog sounds in that way better, that I want stop hearing it. Digital, sounds good, but can’t transport the real thing that touch the soul. I had the Townsend. I sold it and bought an Golden age 261 MK2 into a 1073, into a bluey, into an LA2a or only through a UAD LA 610. Better. The Townsend is a beast, but it’s hard to tracking with analog gear then. That was the only reason to sell it.

The purple clam darkens my vocal a lot …and I’m assuming hers . Would like to hear without that

obviously there is no 42k difference. But I would still like to hear the isolated voices.

why you didn't use unison mode for recording. I think it would have been better

Sonar suena igual la diferencia es las reflexiones, siempre lo mas importante ha sido la acustica

wow, i think people really underestimate the importance of a dry treated room

The sphere is missing that Neumann low to mid range thickness. It comes off harsh to my ears.

I need to steal a bank

It would be very hard to tell the difference if we had to guess..

Thanks for the video. The sphere is way too essy like the slate one. Chinese capsules are a no go to me for that reason.

pretty close

No one would know listening to the song if they played A/B every day I understand why the studios are closing.

Now switch it to the Putnam Sphere 67, different ball game.

when I produce an artist, they do not get to sing a word until they have learned their parts in their entirety. I don't want you reading off your phone to get the lyrics at the expense of the performance. cause she is actually singing at an angle that isn't toward the mic but instead off to its side. one of those takes I saw her perform and I could hear a clearer intention but other than that it was just stale and flat. huuuuuuge pet peeve. sing into the mic, not the direction you’re reading

If i asked for a vintage mic and someome pulled out a sphere dlx i would just leave

I heard a $30 difference. Maybe $35. :-)

The DLX is way better than LX

A good microphone, but not Neumann and never will be, it is not possible to simulate the nature of the work of the capsule

The hell is wrong with y’all ears? Man the high end was quiet and clean, home studio was airy and too noisy

I wish they had made the actual mic look cooler. It’s such a boring looking mic…