VO Mic

G

ggrantly

Veteran
Hello Listers,

I do some basic VO recording in my home office - "edit suite" for corporate video and am considering some improvements. I have a good quality interface already, so gain is no issue. I plan to do some acoustic treatments and have that covered. I have both a RE50/nb and 4053b. The RE50 lacks the depth I want, and have been using the 4053b mostly. I have a fairly deep voice that projects, and at times the deeper bass response of the 4053b gives me a bit more of a booming sound than I would prefer. So I am considering another mic; either a dedicated VO type, or something else to be determined.

Question: The RE20 and Heli PR get mentioned a lot for VO. Anyone use an AT4040? They are a little less expensive ($300/incl shock mt) and seem the have similar use, so I might consider a pair at that price. Any other ideas in the general price range would be appreciated. I will spend larger (up to $1000) if I could find a huge improvement, but would prefer to be under $500.

TIA
Grant
 
I would say checkout the CAD E-100, it's a reasonable mic (in your price range) & should fit your vioce nicely.
http://cadaudio.com/e100.php

FYI... back in the day, it was James Earl Jones mic of choice for VO work!
(Luke... I'm not your father.) :happy:

...and yes, I have had one for over 18 years and it's still one of my 'go to' mics.
 
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Personally, I think the RE20 has an almost magical, bigger-than-life sound for voiceovers, and I always try it first, but it's not ideal for all voices, especially some females. I often prefer the Heil PR-40 or even a Shure SM58 or Sennheiser MD46 or E835 when the RE20 doesn't quite do it on the high end.

I purchased my RE20 used on eBay for well under $300, and it was in perfect, new condition as far as I could tell. So you might consider that as an alternative to spending full retail. I don't see nearly as many of the other mics on sale there.

No experience with the AT4040, sorry.

- Greg
 
RE20 is a phenomenal mic, as is the SM7 from Shure. And Ev just introduced an update (Sort of) to the RE20 with the new RE320.
also LDC's work great for vO, what's best really depends on the tone of your voice and what part of it you want to emphasize or de-emphasize.
there are a quite a few that you really cant go wrong with, pick one and run with it.
If at all possible listen to several before making your decision, no one mic is universal.
The reality is that there are several that are industry standard and for solid reasons RE20-27, SM7, U87, C414 and a couple of others. part of the great equation is how the mic is connected to the recording system. In radio and alot of studios these mics are typically hooked up thru either a voice processor like a Symetrix 528e which is a very common mic processor used in radio, there are several manufacturers like ART, Avalon, Focusrite, Presonus and other boxes that are similar and do the same things.

Oh BTW. no piece of equipment is Magic on its own, regardless of cost or recommendations all gear still requires proper use and setting to bring the Magic out of it.

good luck, I hope this helps
GG
 
Would anyone offer an opinion on the difference between using a small condenser like the 4053b and an RE20?

Grant
 
The RE20 is by design not as airy as a SDC you prety much have to get up on it with the RE20 due to it being a Dynamic versus a very sensitive condenser that would require considerable pop protection, but would have a more open Airy sound.
The RE20 can with a great preamp sound very much like a condenser. but the proximity behavior will be different.

one of the reason the RE20 is so popular with broadcast is due to its very predictable proximity as well as sounding good on most people, not to mention good rejection of unwanted background noise. condensers tend to be a bit more sensative.
 
In regards to your original question, I had an AT4040 in my last studio in vegas, and I liked it well enough. It wasn't awesome, but it performed well for what it was.
 
Believe it or not, short shotguns can do wonders for VO in a treated room. The 416 has been a staple in Hollywood VO studios for a long time. I know one studio out there that uses the 416 and has done lots of VO work with folks like Linda Hunt, and the late Don LaFontaine and Lorenzo Music. One of their engineers is here now, and uses an NTG-2 for lots of his VO work.

The choice between dynamic, LDC, SDC, and shotgun depends both on personal ear/preference and the environment in which it will be used. (Though, personally, I'd put SDC at the bottom of the list.) If it's not close to a perfect place a dynamic like the RE20 or the SM7 will be much more forgiving. If the room is well-treated, LDC or shotgun will be great... and then it depends on the sound you want to get.

I've used my NTG-3, as well as an AT4050cm5 and a Studio Projects B1. For me, it often depends on the individual voice and may take a little trial and error to figure out which mic fits the person.
 
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