(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai - Go Unlimited to remove this message) Y'all ready to be history? Get started. Welcome. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hello, everyone. To the pro audio suite. These guys are professional, they're motivated. Thanks to Triboose, the best vocal booth for home or on the road voice recording. And Austrian Audio, making passion heard. Introducing Robert Marshall from Source Elements and someone audio post Chicago. Darren Robert Robertson from Voodoo Radio Imaging, Sydney.
Take to the VO stars, George the Tech Witten from LA. And me, Andrew Pinkers, voiceover talent and home studio guy. Line up, man, and boot me. And welcome to another pro audio suite. Thanks to Austrian Audio, making passion heard. And Triboose, your booth away from home. And don't forget the code TRIPAP200. That will get you $200 off your Triboose. Now, this week, we're not featuring an Austrian Audio microphone. We're featuring, how many have we got? Two, four, six, eight, nine.
Nine microphones, none of which are Austrian Audio. Sorry about that, guys, but... Sounds German though, nine. Yes, nine. There's a lot of German representation in this test. There is rather a lot of German representation. So this was sent to you, George, is that correct? Yeah, I have a client who sent me a series of mic tests and it was a blind test. So he sent them, you know, just, I think it was six or seven mics, no labels.
And it was, we did, you know, he ordered a mic check, you know, which is where you send me a bunch of audio files and I will listen to them and tell you which I think is the best sounding with your voice and kind of rank them. And so I thought, wow, that was really cool because I get occasional mic tests, but oftentimes they're not very consistently recorded or the mics are all very different.
This was the case where the person, Tim Campbell in this case, did a very nice collection and did a very careful job of recording with consistent mic placement and the whole thing. So I was just going to lift it and use it on the show, but he said, you know, the script was something I couldn't release, but let me do another test for you guys and I'll chuck in even more mics.
So out of, you know, just on his own time, just for fun, he provided us this sample of nine microphones and that's what you're going to be hearing today. I think there's some that sound very different and there's a lot that sound very, very similar. Agreed. So for instance, take a look at these two. Just to begin with, I think here's the biggest difference. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. Or? Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday.
And these have all been equalized as far as average energy and volume. So they're not peak normalized. Can I guess what those two were? Would we like to play the guessing game? Well, I think the first one was the 416 and the second one was the TLM67. You are exactly wrong.
Yeah, I couldn't tell you which mic was which, but I can tell you that the first one, it was sort of a little weaker and a bit thinner and the second one was certainly much more in your face and a much fatter, nicer, rounder sound. The first one was a UAD7, the second one was a 320. Andrew hit it exactly wrong. Oh no, he just had them flip flopped. Yeah, literally. The first one was a TLM67, which to me was amazingly dull. What was that a TLM107? A TLM67. TLM67 to me was very dull here.
Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. And then you compare that to this. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. And that pops out and there's that 416 in your face thing. I don't like the first one, I'll be honest. I don't like it at all. Yeah, the TLM67 did not rank. My comment on the TLM167 was, I believe it was dull. By the way, that's a multi-pattern mic. A lot of people may not know that mic, but that is a...
Yeah, the U87 is the most expensive, but the TLM67 is over 2 grand. Wow, really? So then, what were some other surprising things that I noticed? So for instance, do we want to use the 416 as sort of the baseline? We should, because that's the baseline mic in the industry. And I do think it's the one to beat in this list in a way. There's some others that are close, but it's definitely a standout. So here's the 416. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday.
And then here's some others. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. See, they're close. What was that one? Really close, right? Yeah, what was that one? 102. And the 102, my comment when I first heard it was meaty mids. So the mids are back, I felt like. And then, again, back to the 416. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. And then we got this one. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. That's the 320. I reckon that's the 103.
That's the 103. It is? And that is like a better 102. It almost gives the 416 a run for its money. Your niece wants an Epic... Play the 102 and the 103. Here's 102. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. And? Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. Yeah, it's the 416 of the two, isn't it? And then some of that could be in the energy of the reed, but there's... The 103 pops out just a little bit more. Yeah, well, that's what I've got. My note was on the 102.
I said it was like the 103, but less top end. Yes, my note on the 103 was a bit brighter than the 102. This is why I like the 103 on male voices and the 102 on women's voices. And that's being very generalized. So then we keep on going here and check this out. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. And what do you think those two are? I was going to say the LA320, but I'm not sure now. No clue. What was that?
It's the 107. The 107, really? Yeah, and it's really like the Neumanns just go like 102, 103, 107. They just get better, better, better, like here. So here's 102. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. 103. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. 107. Your niece wants an Epic Fun Fatty Cake for her birthday. The 107 just kind of warms up a little bit. Yeah, it does. It doesn't lose anything.
And that's an interesting mic now because that is, that is a budget multi-pattern mic, as Neumann goes. The 107. Yeah, it's a very unusual one because I thought tonally it's similar to the 103 and I thought it was building the similar topology. I think it's got more low end. I think it was very similar to the 103. We all thought the 103 was a little bit brighter and then the 107 seems to like throw the low end in. But that 107 is very unusual. You have to look at that mic.
It literally has a joystick on the front and it has this very strange, you know, controller that lets you set all the different functions on it. So it's a whole different design philosophy and I think it's around 1500 US. So yeah, it's sort of a Goldilocks mic, right? Like multi-pattern and good sounding. Is it remote multi-pattern? Is it kind of a big one? No, I don't believe. It's like a, it's like a control. It just, they use a digital controller on the front.
It's got a goofy control that's going to break on you one day. That's the thing. It's a little nerve wracking having something like that. All right. So here, check this out. Back to our reference. Your niece wants an epic, fun, fatty cake for her birthday. Your niece wants an epic, fun, fatty cake for her birthday. Wow. That's the 320, isn't it? That was the 320. That's not. Wow. Why am I not getting this one? Oh, it could be the 67, the MK67. Nope. But there is one number that's correct.
Oh, the T1167. No, we've already done that. We've already rolled that one out. Yo, so one of those is the 87? That's the 87. Really? Really, really mids. Like that 87 is, it's not bright. I always think of mids when I think 87. I think mids, not a lot of low, not a lot of high. It's more of a mids mic. It's a terrible mic for Australian accent, I've got to say, because it's honky. It's a honky mic. Oh, you know what their most honky mic is, in my opinion?
Because I've heard it enough times to identify it, is the TLM49. I do not like the sound of that mic. It has this mid-range honkiness. I'm like, why? Yeah. Really? Anyway. Moving on now. Your niece wants an Epic Funfetti Cake for her birthday. You said no problem. Your niece wants an Epic Funfetti Cake for her birthday. Okay, so now we're comparing a 416 against a, is that the MK67? That is.
Okay. So, and the MK67 should, you would think, if it's trying to be like a, you know, 8767, but here's an 87 to a MK67. Your niece wants an Epic Funfetti Cake for her birthday. Your niece wants an Epic Funfetti Cake for her birthday. And they are more similar to each other than they are to that 416. Your niece wants an Epic Funfetti Cake. Which has that sizzle at the top. Is the MK67, that's a mic I know nothing about, I haven't even googled it. I think it's a modded 67.
So, I mean, is it a TLM or is it a 2? Is it a 2, MK67? You know what, I don't know. I just assumed it was a modded U67, but hold on. Well, a modded U67 would be a 2 mic. Yeah, it's like a modded 67, I thought. It's a genuine... Does this guy have the budget for that kind of mic? That's like a $10,000 mic. I think Andrew asked the same question. How the heck did he get all these mics? And that's a question I do not know the answer to.
I do think they sound similar anyways, and that's why I thought it was also that. Because like really, here's the 87. Your niece wants an epic funfetti cake for her birthday. Your niece wants an epic funfetti cake for her birthday. And that was the 67. I think they sound similar, and they should. Yeah, that's that one, Mike. That Mike's way outside of my area of understanding. I just never heard it before. And okay, I found a listing. It says the TLM67 with Max Kirchner U67 mod. That's the MK67.
So it's a TLM67 converted into a tube mic. Is it an actual tube mic, or is it just like a fake tube? It's a drop-in circuit. How could it be... If it's just a drop-in circuit, it can't be tuned. Well, they have that. Inward audio had a drop-in for your U87 that would make it a 67. Yeah, you're right. It says it uses a 7-pin cable. So yeah, that's what it is. It's just adding a tube circuit to a TLM67 is what it is. Expensive kit there. Yeah, you can buy one on Reverb for
$28.50. But it makes sense that the 87 is the continuation transistor version of a 67. Yes. So they should have similar capsules. I'm sure that that tube mic gets the transformer back. The 87 is the evolution of the U67, right? Correct. That's my understanding. The original 87. It's a transistorized 67. And the one in this test is the U87 AI, which is not the same as the original U87. It's pretty close. It's just a lower noise. No, it's the same. Same capsule? It's this lower noise circuit.
Okay. Same capsule. The 87 capsule and the 67 capsule are the same except a little bit for the spacing because the 67 has more voltage going through it. But I think in some of these modified tube versions, they don't quite put the voltage high enough to make it a necessity to have different spacing, I think. I don't know. I know there's a KK67 and a KK87 capsule. Okay. We're going off the rails. What's the... What's the...
There was a couple of mics we've missed or we haven't talked about yet and that we re-initially thought were really good. Yeah. So here, let me play some more here. So here's our reference. Your niece wants an epic funfetti cake for her birthday. Your niece wants an epic funfetti cake for her birthday. All right. I'm going to have a crack at this one because finally I think I've got it right. LA320. Yes. And that's bright. Yeah, very... That's a pretty bright mic there.
I've got hyped top end was my comment. Mike, my comment was bright. And that's a budget tube mic. Made by who, by the way? Loughton. Loughton. Yeah, Loughton. So yeah, kind of bright. It was my favorite. And then let me give you one more. This one you can all get by deduction. Your niece wants an epic funfetti cake for her birthday. Your niece wants an epic funfetti cake for her birthday. Okay. That's the KSM32 then. Yeah. And that one surprised me. I thought it was really well balanced.
I said... And I have a 44 that I like a lot. And so... Brighter though. Isn't it brighter? I always thought the 32 is brighter than the 44. The 44 is a pretty neutral mic. And the 44 is a multi-pattern, right? Multi-pattern. But I think it's different enough that they sound different for some reason. But it's a multi-pattern. The 32 I have recommended many times to female voice talent because it's very, very smooth. It's got a nice low end to it. Yeah, it doesn't hype the top end.
It has a nice low end to it. What's the price point of the KSM32 compared to the TLM107? Oh, it's like half the price. Or 103 actually would be the better comparison. The 32 is like $499. And the 103 is like a grand? $1200-ish. Yeah, I think the 32's got a nicer low end. I mean, here's the two. Your niece wants an epic funfetti cake for her birthday. Your niece wants an epic funfetti cake for her birthday. Now do the 102. Your niece wants an epic funfetti cake for her birthday.
I think the 32 and the 102 are more similar. I think so, you're right. And they're a very similar price point. And that's the problem. Because the 103 is a bit brighter than the 32. If I'm going to tell someone to spend $500 or $600 on the Shure when they can spend a skosh more and get a Neumann. I mean, Neumann. It's so hard to say it's worth it because, frankly, at the bottom, you know, unfortunately, it's true, though. Brand recognition and microphones is kind of a thing.
So you have Neumann in your studio. I agree with you. They are very similar. And if they're at the same price point, it's like, I'll buy the Ferrari. But Shure made a really good showing with that, I felt like. It's not quite a Corvette versus a Ferrari. Because a Corvette is like a third the price of the Ferrari. No, the problem is, if the KSM was like $100 or $200 under that. What's the price difference you said? The 102 and the KSM 32 are so close in price.
I mean, they're only like $100 to $200 apart. So that's the problem. 200 might make the difference. You know, 200 might. I think, honestly, I think the KSM has the edge. I think it sounds better. I think it's warmer. I think the KSM sounds like the 107. See, I'm off price. I'm off base on the prices because things have changed and gone up. The KSM 32 is $599 without the shock mount. If you buy it with the shock, now you're getting, yeah, it's going to add another $100.
And now you're getting up there with a TLM 102, which does not come with a shock mount either. But you can add the shock mount, right? So they're basically within a hundred bucks of each other. They're very close. I think KSM sounds a little bit warmer, but it doesn't have that brand name. Don't forget that. The 102 is really compact. And I think that's kind of nice. It's just nice to have a smaller mic. It's easier to position it. And I don't know. Andrew, have you used the 102 at all?
No, I haven't. But I was thinking about the 102. And that reminded me of the M930, the Microcheck to fill. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, very similar. That's a beautiful mic there. And you don't see them around very much at all, which surprises me, because everyone that has ever used one loves them. They sound great. And they're small, so they're perfect for not getting in the way. But I still think of all of them, that 416 has got that sound. Yes, it does. It does. I know. Crazy.
Well, it looks like the 416, once again, is the mic to go for. Isn't that crazy? I think it comes down to this. We are just so accustomed to the sound of that mic. It is deeply burned into our psyche. But you see, that's what we said last week when we were doing, we were talking about setting up at home. Like, invest the, chuck the money at it now. Just buy the 416. If it's the only mic you can afford, just do that one, because that's the standard. That's it. Blind taste test. Ready, guys?
What's best? This one? Your niece wants an epic, fun, fatty cake for her birthday. This one? Your niece wants an epic, fun, fatty cake for her birthday. Your niece wants an epic, fun, fatty cake for her birthday. Which one are the three? Yeah, I'd go with second. Second? TLM 107. Oh, really? There you go. That's interesting. I would agree with AP that, you know, that sound is, and well, and George, that that sound is right. But I reckon you can still fake it. Well, we can make it.
We've proved that, you know. You can fake it to make it. You don't have to have the 41 since. Well, we did. We've done it twice now. We've done it with the OC 818 through with the 4K button on the SSL. And we also did it years ago. The NT1 from Rhodes sounded like a 41 .6. And the sphere fake 41.6 sounds like a 41.6. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can buy the spheres now for $7 .99. The basic base model mic has dropped in price.
So maybe the tip is if you're looking for a mic, then that 4.1.6 sound is what you need to look for. No matter what you're going for, look for that sound and you're on the right track. I just had a thought. Imagine the NT1 through the SSL with the 4K button pressed. Come on, come on. Why buy ears? It's like an NT1F. That's right. We proved that. Well, that was fun. Is it over? The Pro Audio Suite. Thanks to drivers. And Austrian Audio. Recorded using Sauce Connect. edited by Andrew Peters.
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