Vocal Mic Shoot-out (Neumann,Blue,Rode,Audio-Technica,ADK,Shure) 

00:00 Neumann U87 1:13 Neumann U89 2:29 Rode K2 3:28 Blueberry 4:31 Audio Technika 4050 5:42 Audio Technika4040 6:44 Adk Vienna au 12 7:49 Shure sm 57 you're welcome

I think I'm gonna go with the SM57 and put the remaining $3,300 towards another 33 SM57's

Thanks, now I know what I want. I want Jesus in my life, that's what I want.

I vote for the sm57 just for being the underdog and having the guts to go up against expensive competition.

She's never gonna want to sing this song again. ;) nice voice. 57 held up nicely.

Great singer. Rode K2 was phenomenal, especially for the price.

Came here for a mic competition, and was blown away by the singing talent. Awesome!

4040 killing it. Don't bother with super expensive mics if you don't have a good pre and converters. Defeating the purpose. Great voice.

The blueberry is definitely the smoothest silkiest mic to me. Don't think I would have to do as much to it!! Another vote for the blueberry!!

0:05 - Neumann U87 1:12 - Neumann U89 2:17 - Rode K2 3:22 - Blueberry 4:30 - Audio-Technica 4050 5:35 - Audio-Technica 4040 6:42 - ADK Vienna au12 7:46 - Shure SM-57

A mic shootout that convinced me to buy the only preamp. Nice!

rode K2 is hold up big time

Sorry I was pulled into worship could hear the comparison...I'm going to try again, my goodness she is powerful.

"It`s all about You Jesus" Love it! Oh yeah...I`m supposed to compare mics :) Beautiful singing to a beautiful Saviour!

Praise Jesus, the center of my life! I also do thank God for the SM57! Haters, it's so sad to see you leaving comments bashing people for their faith. Nobody is bashing you for your lack of faith.

4 things impressed me. 1) The girl performed the same take over and over with incredible and near exact delivery each time. 2) The Neve 1073 made all of the mics sound incredible! 3) The Rode K2 was almost as smooth as the U87 which is the go-to mic for most pros (gwen stefani, Fergie, on and on). The K2 had great handling of sibilance and volume changes with no mud. Some of the mics people are raving about became harsh when she sang louder. Moreover many had muddy mid to low range. My second choice in this test would be the Blueberry. 4) How well the 57 stood up. Jim Morrison recorded most of the doors stuff with it. In the end If I were choosing 2 mics under 1k they would be the Rode K2 and the Shure Sm7B (used my Metallica, Perl Jam, Slipknot, Pink and on and on) The SM7B is the most professionally recorded mic in history. Google it. It is ~$400

Man that SM57 is magical.... I love that mic with the good preamp. Voice sounds so clear!

00:07 Neumann U87 1:13 Neumann U89 2:19 Rode K2 3:24 Blueberry 4:31 Audio Technika 4050 5:37 Audio Technika4040 6:44 Adk Vienna au 12 7:49 Shure sm 57

I could listen to her sing this over and over and over... love it

This shows why the U87 has been a legend for decades. No sizzeling, beautiful and neutral midrange, no harshness like i. e. the sm57 (which is amazing for snare and toms), amazing transient response, perfectly in balance.

I love the rhode k2! Never herd of it before... Pleasantly surprised. Also the 4050! And the sm57 give all of them a run for there money.

case in point, she sounds good on any mic

Quite like the Blueberry; Beautiful song!

All the mics are usable (and shows how much the singer actually plays a role in what they sound like!). That said, the U87 is the CLEAR winner for me.

I like her voice

I fall in love with this girl. Her voice is so awesome. No matter the mic she uses, her voice is always so clear...

Awesome... never be Ashamed! How can we be ashamed of our creator? Let his will be done Victory and peace in the Almighty name of Jesus Christ

ADK Vienna sounds so natural. Lovely voice.

Singing from the heart love the passion!!! I forgot this was a mic comparison Your church is blessed to have you.

I think the 1073 wins :)

The 4040 was surprisingly good! Thanks for the video!

An atheist has never jammed to some Christian rock as hard as I have this day. Lovely voice!

I'm in love... and not talking about the microphones :) She would sound like heaven even if you record her on your iPhone.

rode k2 all day. loved it

Never have I seen at such a blatant display how microphone differences have a fraction of the importance that the performance has. Kudos to the girl.

Thanks for participation in the discussion with valuable suggestion.?

The neve makes them all sound great

So hard to pick. She has such a good voice that she makes all of these mics sound phenomenal.

She touched my ❤. I listened on a good system and a lofi system and the Blueberry actually handled the power of her voice without peaking.

That SM57, as cheap as it is, is quite amazing.

Don't get why people think there's no difference. The U87 (I don't have one, and never gonna, given the price) sits beautifully in the mix right off the bat. The Rode hits the sibilants so hard you want to punch it! Ant though the AT4050 sounds kinda nice, it's kinda weird too from the first "all" and at some points, like adding distance from the singer [which is not the reverb] . The 4040 does not flatter her lowest frequencies. And the Sm57? I own it and would very much like it to sound the best, but come on guys! It's harsh and adds a weird distortion-like mid-range thing at 7.58-8.01. It's unnatural. Sorry, but U87 might not justify the 2000$ difference, but sounds best to my ears (not the U89 though).

Her voice, OMG .. I swear can cuts through any mix with a 20 $ mic!!! what an emotion rings in her gifted natural musically instrument (voice) !! now seriously ..great equipment are made for great voices!! for this Mariah Carey is unique !!

I like the U87 the best. Cant complain about lyrics that are not negative,that don't put down anyone, and are not sappy. I have no problem hearing someone singing about Jesus. Cant imagine why it would even bother anyone.

really liked the highs in the Blue Blueberry

Her singing is amazing how isnt she famous that is if she isnt already!!!!

This video shows that it doesn't really matter what mic you use, coz your voice is really amazing. :)

SM 57 is really a legendary mic.

quite amazing when you switch back and forth between a + $3000 and a $99 mic !

Listening through headphones, I'm really impressed that the 4040 sounds so close to the U87 despite the price differential. Well done, AT!

Listening to this through my Event studio monitors and the K2 beats the others no contest

It was exciting to see a mic comparison, but to hear that lovely praise and worship song was the true highlight!

U-87. No question. Transparency, power, grace...everything is there.

Clearly the sm57. It fits best to her voice.

wow...rode k2 is well worth it!! sound like the $3399 neumann

I rarely see an ADK in a shoot out so I was intrigued. I have the Vienna Mk8 and I love it. Thanks for not overproducing the vocals, too! Great job.

The "Bluberry" mic sounds GREAT on her particular vocal.

Nathaniel, i think it´s a shame you didn´t have posted the full music. I ´ve already knew this music but this arrangement and Christine´s voice were a perfect marriage. Awesomwe! By the way loved the k-2.

u87 is just more solid. more pleasing, no extra hyped highs. perfect.

Wow the blue mics are fantastic! That sounded wonderful.

I watch you video every week. I don't know why.

man! the sm57 sounds awesome!

Wow, such a beautiful singer. It was about feeling and how it came across in the mix. The pre was beautiful. I would have to listen a number of times to make a decision on the mic but the 57 faired very well. Thank You.

I came here to listing how microphone works... but now I'm a big fan of yours!

This girl has a REAL voice. Beautiful! Can't hear much difference in the mikes really. They are all great. FL Jnr (UK).

Having used an 87 since the early 70's, the AT4050 sounded very good. Like another said, the 57 did a good job, except for the loss of 'you', but maybe she was tired by then. God Bless.

You can EQ and compress any differences between the RODE & Neumann. I love the Audio Technica 4040, I think it made her sound the best.

Very wonderful singer and song...;you sing so well...God bless you and all your family....the demo is Top...

Love her singing! Beautiful song!!!!!!!

K2 is amazing, it cuts through background sounds like butter, you barely have to mess with it in post processing. You might not be able to tell with a poor pair of headphones but it's night and day with a good audio setup. The shure sm57 does a good job at cutting through it as-well, but that's what its designed for, to be used with instruments in the background, that's what separates a dynamic microphone, from a condenser microphone.

It just goes to prove a good singer will sound good on any microphone. the neuman U87 kills all the other microphones. BTW i'm jewish and jesus never sounded so sweet.

U87 hands down win! Some others close but not equal!

A good singer makes sound all microphones good.

As a professional female vocalist... I look for something that is true to the quality of the voice. I like more warmth and depth in vocal quality personally... but everyone has a different preference. I don't like many recordings these days because they're too sterile... that 'cd' quality feel that loses it's depth and sounds too processed. The more expensive the mic, the more processed and glazed it can sound. The kind of mics you might want to use on pop music. My top three were the Rode K2, Blue Blueberry, and Shure sm57. The Blue Blueberry although gives a great tonal depth... I noticed it is sensitive to "s" sounds... making it a bit snakey. She could have been too close to the mic on that one... but it's my first one ruled out. The Rode K2 you really can't go wrong with. It maintains authenticity and a real vocal sound while polishing it only ever so slightly. It would be my first choice for recording a professional track/cd. My personal preference in the line up for my own vocal quality though... would be the Shure sm57. I'm a blues/folk singer primarily and I like having a little grit and maintaining a very real vocal quality. Ultimately though... overall... I think the Rode K2 is best quality and performance of the bunch. For similar quality at a much lower price...I'd go with the Shure sm57.

I LOVE this song thanks to this review for introducing me to it. I would love her full cover of this song

Listen carefully and you will hear greater clarity with the ADK Vienna; it is an amazing Mike!

Gorgeous voice! She has a wonderful heartfelt voice. Love all the mics.

The BlueBerry and the U87 are nearly identical and just from this on headphone audio I can tell a minor loss of warmth on the Blueberry from the U87...great comparative value...The Audio Technica 4050 has a warmth that is desirable but has an audible reverb on highs (effects were on?)...the k2 is a great choice as it virtually eliminates ALL noise, but its almost too clean...and as the shure may have great vocal sound, the pickup is too sensitive (not typical for a dynamic mic or it could just be that performance) as I could hear clicks, echo/room reverb, and plosives...but it IS the best value.Thanks for the video, it is helping me in my decision of purchasing new mics.

she sounds amazing.

Отличное видео - люблю такие обзоры - по крайне мере знаешь что покупать!

rode k2 hands down!!!! the clarity plus warmth cant loose!

For HER voice.... Rode K2 Shure sm57 Neumann U87 Blueberry Neumann U89 Audio Technica 4040 Audio Technica 4050 ADK Vienna

1. Rode K2 2. Blueberry 3. AT4050 4. U87ai I just don't care that much for the high end of the U87, but otherwise it sounds fine. The K2 brings out the best in Christines voice in my opinion. But the Blueberry is also a favorite.

There is a special tone in your voice when you drop from one range to another.. that tone literally moves me. You have a wonderful voice, even if you sing without a microphone, you would still sound as amazing. lol

She sound great, the blueberry smoothly brings out her voice over all

U87 sounded like butter compared to the others, blueberry was close. Beautiful voice btw.

Wow Amazing how well that K2 holds up against the U87! Very impressed! And Christine's voice is AWESOME! Can I write something for her please?

This will now be the soundtrack of my nightmares. Awesome.

Praise Jesus love the song

I'm impressed at how much less expensive mics dominate this shoot-out. Even shure sm-57 which is not supposed to be made for vocals, loses a bit of gain when she is away from the mic but collects the high frequencies nicely. I'm an atheist by the way and it's a very good song for the task because every mic was tested under similar musical structure and vocal sounds.

For her voice specifically, the Rode, the ADK mic and the two Audio-Technica mics sound best. Each has a certain character that is a synergistic match for her vocals. If I had to pick one, I would say the Rode K2. The big surprise of course, is just how well the SM57 fared in this comparison. Through high end preamps and converters, the old workhorse sounds pretty darn good. :)

The Rode K2 sounded clean and warm on the soft intro. The shure Sm57 sounded great on the aggressive parts.

Just here for this performance. Had to hear it again. She's sooo good!

Great video - I preferred the Røde K2 (cost/perf). Great vocals!

Great comparison, thank you so much! It's so rare to find singing examples for females, even more so without (or little) effects! Also big thanks to the brave Lady, singing the same song apparently in one day, but each time with good energy! Just today I purchased a microphone, and I spoke with a professional before who suggested mics to me that go well with females, especially those who want a warm sound and no accentuation of sibilances (I got an issue with those). More about that for those who are interested in my comment here, sorry for being a lot to read :) Depending on your voice and what you need a mic for and how your budget looks like, the K2 can be a good pick, for hobbyists with the goal for higher quality, as long as you don't need a fully "neutral" mic, but love a warm sound for a good price, even more so compared to the Neumann mics' price range. In case you find the K2 a bit "too muffled", lesser "open" than other mics, you can adjust that a bit in the post-edit. For me personally, the highs and mids seem strong enough, especially for people with a sibilance issue. If someone reads this who searches a mic that goes well for females or anyone with a sibilance issue (sharp sssßßßSSSßßßss, scchhchhhh), here what I currently know: As long as you don't mind the mic not being "neutral" (neutral means: no real frequenvy emphasis on lows, mids or highs), so you wouldn't mind a warm-coloured tone, plus might have issues with sibilance: The K2 does a good job so you won't have to fiddle much, if at all, with De-Essers. Although it's better to manually adjust each and every sibilance in your recording, at least going bythe professionals I've heard. The K2 doesn't seem "muddy" in the mids and highs despite being so warm/emphasizing the lows, it still got some things going in the mids and highs to bring sufficient clarity, without amplifying one's sibilance-issue. If the lows are too much for you, you can remove them a bit, but for me that's less work than fighting all instances of sibilance in my recordings. The professional also told me the K2 can go very well with Rock singers. I found some videos here on YT where it was used for Rock/Punkrock, male voices, but also a great "Nessun Dorma" classical recording. Each time the voices sounded warm, never had the feeling of "shrieking", "hissing" or so (I watched videos where no, or close to no effects were on the voice, or a comparison of before-after adding them, plus instruments). I was also told that the 8-characteristic would sound even better than just cardioid. To briefly explain that: The K2 comes with a power supply to feed the K2 tube - means you don't need an audio interface for/with 48V phantom powering, but just at least to get it into your device. On the power supply is a knob with which you can set the direction characteristic of the K2. Mostly, cardioid (looks a bit like a butt) is chosen for speaking and singing solo; you don't want sound coming usually from sides or behind, so "cardioid" makes it so the voice just is recorded from front, and goes more and more silent towards the sides; the K2 also offers omnidirectional (circle symbol, means, mic records in all directions) and 8-form (looks like an 8, means, front and end of mic get recorded, e.g. for dialogue or duets). A potential secret tip: A couple females who tested those characteristics while singing solo, said that you should chose cardioid characteristic, BUT THEN slightly move the knob towards the 8-figure for about 1/4! That would give it a wonderful colouration. You'd have to test it of course with your own voice and room, and maybe you'd have to adjust it more or less to cardioid or the 8-figure - but definitely test it! As I currently don't have the K2 here, I can't confirm it, but I suspect maybe it gives a bit of a "fake stereo" sound of sorts, or a small effect as if you sang twice, with 2nd audio track having a minimum of delay, which usually leads to a sound of more "fullness".. I don't know, but in any case, I'll test that! It is also recommended to have e.g. a mattress / thick foam or similar behind the K2 when you sing solo. I will also have my back side be shielded, but if you can only do that on one side: Do it towards the direction you sing to, behind the mic. The K2 is a tube microphone, the tube itself costs maybe around 20€, in case it ever goes bad. When this will be the case, is unknown, could be 5 years, could be 50, to exaggerate (maybe) - I know people who used their K2 for ~15 years already. You can switch the tube yourself, there are videos for it here on YT, it's really easy. If you can replace bulbs and similar at home, you can also on the K2! It should also be mentioned that - at least in my country - if you register your K2 within 30 days after purchase, the guarantee gets extended to even 10 years! And from those I've read, Rode seems to be quite good and nice regarding repairs and the likes - at least for the K2. To what extent the K2 is also goof for voiceovers (e.g. YT videos), I can't say currently! For singing it's clearly great value for the price. If you can't afford the ~600€ for a K2 tube mic plus search for a bit more "neutral" mic, plus got issues with sibilance, a condenser large diaphragm mic alternative for about half the price (atm ~290€) is the Sennheiser MK4. It does have a small emphasis on the highs, but it still isn't causing "shrieking" or "hissing" issues, is what I was being told. MK4 shall be way better than the NT1, which seems to be a bit hyped. The MK4 is crystal clear. If you like or prefer its brightness and get no issues with sibilance, got more of a softer voice, the MK4 seems good. I also requested intel about the: - Rode NT1000: Ttoo much emphasis in the highs for my voice, it'd cause more sibilance issues; considering it costs about the same as the MK4 [~300€], of course I picked the MK4 over it - Warm Audio WA-47jr: Would have slightly also gotten a problem with my sibilance issue, as there is an emphasis in the 5k Hz range, but then again it gets droppped a bit around the 6k-10k range - if you know where your audio issues are located, this info might help you. The WA-47jr costs atm ~310€ in my country, reduced from ~370€. Just giving you few more mics in that price range for comparison, as not everyone has got a sibilance issue after all :) Here recommendations of XLR audio interfaces that fit well for the MK4, plus also especially people with sibilances issues, because there are also preamps inside those audio interfaces which can have a "colouration" and thus potentially increase e.g. sibilance issues, or make your voice or instrument sound differently, e.g. warmer: - Behringer UMC204HD (not the cheaper 202, but the 204!) - Its preamps are more accentuated in the mids, hence it doesn't make your sibilance worse, but instead gives a bit more of a "body"; at time of typing: ~90€ for the 204HD. I myself currently have got this Behringer. If you're not on a tight budget, for about double the price you could chose: - MOTU M2 - good mic preamp, it sounds very natural, means, no huge accentuation, according to the professional I spoke to. Means, it doesn't make your sibilance worse, and if you need to change anything as for accentuation in your recording (lows-mids-highs), you can do that easily via using EQ in your editing program; at time of typing: ~200€ - Audient iD14 MK II - Its preamps are more accentuated in the lows, means it makes mics sound "warmer". So if you got a mic that accentuates your sibilance issues, or you just want to sound a tad warmer, this would be one of the reasons to pick this one. At time of typing: ~200€ That being said, of course you shouldn't be all too "stingy" in buying a cheap audio interface, but then a more expensive microphone, because a bad interface can potentially make your mic sound worse. But you also shouldn't reverse it and put in lots of money into an interface, for a microphone that's very cheap. Try to find a balance - I personally will always invest more money into the microphone itself than an audio interface. As hobbyist recording in a normal room the audio interface is not that super important to me, but important enough to make sure also the interface fits to a) my voice/vocal issues or requirements, and also to the microphone I've chosen. ^ Keep in mind, all suggestions here are made with someone having sibilance issues and trying to smoothe those out a bit without having to invest extreme time in post-edit - what fits to YOUR voice and circumstances specifically, will often differ. Each audio interface got its own goods and bads, e.g. some are also good to plug in and record various instruments with, while other interfaces might be more focused on microphones in specific. And there are many thngs more those interfaces can or cannot do, but I can't go into more details here, it's gotten so long already. Trust your own ears, try to test microphones and, if needed, audio interfaces, and prefer "dry"/"naked" audio examples over those with effects, so you can also better evaluate how it sounds like with your voice. Keep in mind that more often than not male and female voices are different, even with those males who got a more high-pitched singing voice, or females who got a low-pitched singing voice. Try to find singing examples with voices that match your range/voice key, and preferrably also for the type of songs you want to sing (Classical, Jazz, Ballads, Pop, Rock, Metal etc. pp.) If in doubt, try to find a specialist (ask for them!) in shops who offer that helpdesk/consultant service. Whew, that's all for now! Hope it helps someone :) Take care, thanks again to the provider of this video! Meri

I am so glad to be lucky enough to use a U87 through a 1073 for female vocals. Just wish that all the singers sounded as good as Christine. This mic is very good at giving sparkle without too much sibilance. The bottom sounds rich and warm on her. The reverb on her voice interferes with the shootout IMHO since this colors the mic sound.

The Blueberry sounded best to me. It had a nice warm and full sound.

i'm impressed to how it goes when recorded with SM57. Preamp may be the issue but it rocks. But for this song I voted K2 and U87.

I wonder how many of these same comments would appear with the blindfold test, i.e. listen first. And then look to see what mic is being used after you make your decision to what sounds best.

I love the song, she is very gifted and I totally agree with the message!

This girl sounds good on any Mic she gets her hands on! Her voice made me purchase the Rode k2. Thanks guys!