LDC test files

G

ggrantly

Veteran
Hello Listers,

After hearing some recent discussion here about mic tests, I thought this might create some interest. Attached is a dropbox link to some mic test files done by Sweetwater. These are available for free on their site. I attached six of the many files and wanted to have a little test of your ears. In no particular order, the mics included are:

AT5040
U87
AT4040
AT4050
Neuman TLM103
Rode NTG1

Can you identify the file with the mic? Can you differentiate between a $3000 mic and a $300 mic. Your ears are on the line. I'll identify the mics in a near future post.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ka5byh93g6djdko/AADqf3R9b5YfozC4KxDVenhJa?dl=0
 
Listening on my personal computer via mobo sound through a set of Behringer MS40's (hardly audiophile listening conditions), I found it difficult to tell them apart. 4 sounded the most "there" to me. Less like a recording and more like the man was standing right in front of me.
 
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Tests like these have been conducted in the past, and I feel like it's always near impossible for most people to tell the difference.

It's easier to see quality than hear it. A $100 on-camera Rode mic made for DSLRs could sound amazing if you're speaking straight into it 12 inches away.

When you get to that top-of-the-line microphone level, I'm assuming you must be paying for other things than just overall sound quality. (Whether it's the build/durability, company name, highs/mids/lows, rejections, etc.)
 
If that were true, how much more is name and build quality worth? An AT4040 costs $300 and a Neuman U87 around $3000, a factor of 10. Why would anyone buy a U87 if you can't tell the difference when compared directly. These are LDC mics, mostly used in studio or for VO. In normal use, they are used under ideal circumstances. If you can't tell the difference, why would anyone spend the extra $2700?

I get what your saying about performance under ideal vs less than ideal circumstances, but how else would you conduct a test? How would you prove the worth of the more expensive mic?
 
ggrantly said:
Why would anyone buy a U87 if you can't tell the difference when compared directly.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what's happening in the video world, haha.

Many cameras are overpriced and are thousands of dollars more compared to cheaper options that offer very similar quality. And each year people spend less money on the higher-end systems and invest in mid-range cameras as the technology and hardware continues to advance.

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If you sit there and listen to microphones day in and day out and your ears have been trained for years (or decades), I'm sure you can hear the difference.

I'm not saying all of them sound EXACTLY the same, and you'd definitely know better than me, but do you personally think that normal people would be able to tell the difference unless they are hearing a test where each microphone is played one after another and they are hearing it multiple times over and over?

Those $3K+ microphones will be used by people at the top of their profession.

But even something like a RE20 is going to sound extremely professional to most.
 
NorBro

I'm not disagreeing with you at all. When I listened to these mics in a blind test, I could tell the difference in the high end mics, but it was not as big a difference as I thought it would be. I am a video generalist and no audio pro, but I do have a reasonable DAW (LS308s) and for myself, wouldn't see the value in the most expensive mics. For the typical poster on this board, would the very modest improvement in the expensive mics even be noticed. Recently, I purchased a set of AT4050s and was curious if the AT4040 would sound as good. IMHO, they do, but they don't have the extra patterns, so the 4050s do have a bit more value.

So I posed the question, for those who have professional ears, can a pro tell the difference. I'm calling you audio pros out, can you tell the difference? Just thought I'd have some fun stirring the pot.

Grant

Edit: and I would love to see a similar test done with shotguns. I can really tell the difference between my AT875 and Rode NTG-3. I wonder if there is as much difference between a NTG-3 and a high end shotgun. This might really prove the old adage about double the price for a 10% improvement.
 
Not many people bit on this challenge so I better post the results before I lose my notes.

#1 AT4040
#2 AT4050
#3 AT5040
#4 TLM103
#5 U87
#6 NTG1
 
It's difficult to hear the difference with an unfamiliar source. Generally, different mic work with different folks. For example, I did a VO session 20 or so years ago with very famous deep voiced actor/VO artist, and used a U47... only because I was new to VOs and it sounded so good on the last vocalist I recorded. It really didn't work with his voice though and I really disliked the sound afterwards. It still comes back to haunt me on CNN every so often.
 
Point taken Rick. This was really more about the relative value of mics. In this case, there is no doubt the U87 and AT5040 sounded great and at $3000, they should. But I thought on this guys voice, the TLM103 was my favorite.

Question: For field audio for video, does anyone ever pick a mic for the voice of the talent? It is kind of a silly question since if you are booming, you probably don't want to swing a LDC. Do you ever pick different SDCs for the quality of the talents voice or do you just rely on the best mic you have for a given circumstance? I don't, I pick the best mic I have that is most suited for the conditions at hand.

G
 
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