What is the BEST microphone for VoiceOver? (TLM 103, TLM 102, U87ai, MKH 416, ETHOS, SM7b) 

Yeah…I think I’ve read that somewhere.

Thank you kindly! Yeah the 102 is hard to beat, especially for the price

Thanks!

Much obliged!

Very true. It certainly does help to close that gap in the higher frequencies. Perhaps I’ll do a comparison with that in the future!

That sounds like a great mic!

It’s definitely one of my favorites too

For the cost, the NT1 is hard to beat for sure!

Usb mic over the legendary u87? You're smoking good stuff. 👍

Thanks! That made my night

Of course! I hope you found it helpful.

@@jaymyersvoiceover Of course. Thank you. The conclusion is clear. Good voice. And good microphones

Nice!

Much appreciated! Thanks for the kind words. And I'll contact RU-vid regarding the mustache to see if we can get a second sub button for ya. ;)

@@jaymyersvoiceover Sounds good! When you get a chance, please do a video discussing the vocal chain you use to record and process your vocals. Plugins, hardware and whatnot... That would be super helpful. Thanks again!

You got it! I'll put that towards top priority.

Thanks for the thorough reply! The detail and consideration is much appreciated. I agree on most all counts, and am pleasantly surprised the sm7b was a competitive choice for you on my wife’s voice.

Ethos for me played so as a fake dark sound, what does not the shure sm7b,definitvely for podcast and youtubers shure sm7b wins with great distance. Neuman are outliers,for voice overs top of the tops, i appreciate the mkh 416 so much.ciao max from italy

Thanks very much! I'm running everything thru a UAD Apollo Solo, and am indeed using the 770s which are 250 ohms. The interface does drive the headphones well, though were I to purchase again I might consider lower ohm headphones as my daily drivers just to have more flexibility with volume control. They sound great, however my interface's volume output is at about 85% with these to get a usable level. If you're considering a new interface, I'd also let you know that UAD--while they do have wonderful preamps and plugins available--they have been a bit of a pain to use. Requiring frequent troubleshooting with my Silicon chip Mac. So while they offer great audio, they're just pretty high maintenance in my experience--so much so that I often consider switching to a different interface despite the sound quality. For what it's worth!

Thanks Jeff! Well put. There is a satisfaction in trying different microphones once you start to become interested in the nuances in the engineering behind them, but from a practical perspective you don’t need much for killer sound and everyone has a different angle. I hope the recording of your books is going well!

@@jaymyersvoiceover Thanks, man!

@@jaymyersvoiceover Oh, picked up a U87 a few days ago. Finally succumbed to the war within. Haha. But it’s seriously awesome.

@@jeffstewartauthor Glad to hear!

@@jaymyersvoiceover Thanks, man. It’s, well, different, than the 103, isn’t it? Time to REALLY learn eq. But the U87 sound is beautiful. Sounded a lot better from the pro room where I bought it from a producer. Took it back to my VO fort and started surfing EQ videos immediately.

Particularly when you’re using it for multiple different voices for different use cases.

Indeed! My personal take, I prefer the Earthworks Ethos over the SM7b, but couldn't agree more with all of your points. Well put.

It's a good one!

Thanks for the note! I haven’t had the opportunity to personally try SE mics, but from the samples I’ve heard and the specs I’ve seen, they do seem like great options!

Hey Michael! Great question. Here's an audio file running thru the different options. www.dropbox.com/s/mcudnplwug4w2br/SM7b%20Test.mp3?dl=0 Also for clarity, (you may already know this but just in case others get confused) the SM7b has two switches: a Presence Boost and a High Pass Filter. The Presence Boost adds additional volume (dB) to the higher frequencies the mic records, and the High Pass Filter reduces the mic's sensitivity to lower frequencies (allowing Higher frequencies to "pass" thru)

Solid question. To answer it, first I think ANY mic is a good starting point to get the ball rolling and to begin learning the ropes. With that said, yes to many in the industry the SM7b lacks the detail that condenser microphones give to a performance-specifically large diaphragm condensers. Essentially, the SM7b is designed to ‘hear’ in a very specific way that omits a lot of valuable information in a performance, particularly in animation and video games. That said, condenser mics are pretty affordable, some high quality ones being less than the SM7b in fact. The Rode NT-1 is my go to recommendation for a starter mic. Hope that helps, and best of luck!

UAD Apollo Solo :)

Thanks for asking! The interface is a UAD Apollo solo, using a Mogami cable.

@@jaymyersvoiceover Thanks for your answer 👍👍

It certainly works for it! By many accounts a large diaphragm condenser is ideal, but it’s not a rule by any stretch.

@@jaymyersvoiceover Problem is that my recording room is right at the street, it’s a rented place, so there isn’t much that I can do on blocking the sound, or reduce it to a point where it doesn’t affect my recordings. The room is treated with acoustic blankets and rockwool acoustic panels, that’s about it. I own an MK4. Considering my scenario, a dynamic mic MIGHT be the solution, since I’m hearing all sorts of opinions about dynamic mics and voice acting.

@thesilencer6736 Many of my colleagues with similar situations in NYC use dynamics for the exact same reason. If the folks you’re working with are really set on a condenser, since you have one you can throw it on for certain gigs or they’ll send you to a studio. :)

If you wanted it to sound closer to the 103, a bump around 5khz would certainly bring them closer. Up to personal taste.

Yeah the 103 and 416 are wonderful. And for sure, if budget is a concern the u87ai isn’t the best option :)

Not to mention most folks are listening to audio through phone speakers these days.

Obviously not - but they feel the difference.

That’s interesting! In all honesty I’m not sure. It could be either that the microphones just behave/sound different with her frequency of voice, or it could simply be that she didn’t read the sentence with the same consistency across samples. Interesting to note though!

It does! It’s certainly a good option. However, more often working voiceover artists use Condenser microphones as opposed to dynamic mics (like the SM7b) simple because of the higher sensitivity they offer. Hope that helps!

If you’re asking my opinion between the two, I’m not terribly familiar with the sphere. Though if you want or need flexibility it may be worth a try!

Interesting! I’ve had engineers specifically ask that I use the 103 on certain projects. Though I agree you can find mics with comparable sound for less, or second hand.

@@jaymyersvoiceover like the 87 it's fairly predictable, which maybe explains your engineer experience (not mine mind you lol) but there are so many other mics that sound so much better. I guess my main point was that so many VO folks seem to go oooh 103 but actually if you hang round mics much it's kinda meh. Even 87s are famously honky on a fair few voices (mine included).

@zeitakulobusta9708 gotcha! Very true

@zeitakulobusta9708 do you have a mic you prefer instead?

@@jaymyersvoiceover Brauner Valvet X, Sanken CU51...Sennheiser MKH 40 is really nice too. There are mics that sound gorgeous ie Bock 251 but it's not really the best flavour for VO. More than this/that brand it's the right mic/voice combination- Michael Jackson could have used ANY mic in the world and ended up on an SM7 because that was the one that worked for him for singing. There's no one-size-fits-all 'best' VO mic - styles/flavours that tend to suit the end use yes, but beyond that try a few and get the most suitable you can for your budget.

It’s definitely a top contender for podcasts/streaming/audiobooks and the like I agree.

@Jay Myers Voiceover I have a tlm 102 ,103 and the sm7b. The Neumanns are fantastic. And, Howard Stern uses a 103 I noticed. But the sm7 is a beast for the price. 👌

Dead on. 👍