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Kayli Mills
Recently I've been really interested in the difference using different mics and preamps makes in a recording. I also wanted to know what might suit my voice best. Austin agreed to try a few of each out with me. We set up the Neumann U87, Sure SM7, AKG 414 and Neumann U47.
The U87 was probably my favorite overall,it had a very even tone and a warm sound. My voice is very bright on its own, so I felt that mic could bring the most out of my sound in most situations.
The Sure SM7 had a much darker tone, especially being a dynamic microphone, but sounded great even for a radio spot with a little EQ to bring up the high end. I would have liked to try the SM7 on its own and utilize its sweet spot along with reading something a little more intense to show off the SPL the SM7 can handle.
The AKG 414 was also I mic I can see being really reliable in a lot of situations. I felt it didn't capture the detail in my voice quite like the U87, but it was still a great mic and I can tell why it's used so often in commercial work.
The U47 had a very unique sound to it that I would best describe as open and airy. It sounded very big and captured a lot more of the room and everything in general than the other mics. The script I read was a commercial spot about a home and gardening sale, so I thought the open sound of this mic fit quite well also.
I was most surprised by the difference each preamp made. For example, some preamps, like the Grace, were much more even toned and captured the sound most naturally. The Neve gave everything a very big and colorful sound. Both sounded great and I can definitely see the value of having multiple preamps in a studio for different purposes.
Being able to hear the differences first hand in reference to my own voice was incredibly eye opening for me. It definitely has trained my ear more in hearing subtle, but important, differences in a recording and will help me in choosing a good mic and pre for future clients!
