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“How music technology both adapts to reflect contemporary musical paradigms and also how it influences them” Reminds me of the loudness wars, and how it led to highly refined, loudness technology, like the limiting algorithms and microphones like the c800g
It's also worth noting that the U47 is still plenty popular nowadays too, for those looking for a smoother, less toppy sound! Thom Yorke of Radiohead uses it almost exclusively as his studio mic, apparently.
was essentially gifted a series of vintage mics, including a vintage U87. i can say it is still a game changer to this day. having something that level of quality has upped my ability as an engineer by a LOT.
This feels like a slap in the face to the legacy of other vintage powerhouse mics like the RCA models 44 & 77 who was direct competition to the Neumann selections 😅
Not intended! Just trying to tie in music tech and gear to the grander musical landscape, I feel like sometimes to tech community can be a little insular ya know :)
@AudioHaze but you're making this far more tabloid than it's needs to be. The u47 might be the best mic ever but it wasn't such a steep development as you say and it wasn't the sole king on the hill and if you listen to what really experienced engineers and producers say they will often list loads of mics beside neumann's that are of the same time. And the u87 isn't the most popular amongst the most professional of pros either. I even heard Tony Platt saying that he prefers the u67, though he used the u87 when recording the vocals for Back In Black. So you got that that wrong, among very many other things, I'm sad to say. The u87 seems to have become the dream of the unprofessionals. Tony Platt says that it doesn't have the warmth of the better low end of the u67. With just some demos I've listened to, I'm sure I'm hearing what he's saying. I can't say what's the difference gets in the end of a mix but the u87 is rarely the favourite either way. And it's not the most used either if that doesn'tgo without saying. I guess there's so much flawd information out there because the u87 looks like the u67 and someone don't realise that the u67 exists and then say that everything that looks it surely is a u87. It's very accessible to just listen to all the hundreds of podcast episodes and so on that exists of these people I talk about. I look so bitter writing this but I can't avoid it, and it doesn't mean I blame you very much.
My dad worked in France when the first U87 were introduced in French studios. Neumann wasn't the go-to at the time, weirdly enough; serenades were falling out of fashion I guess.... but, people like Gainsbourg with his raspy and dark vocals inspired a generation of French singers and engineers deemed that the large diaphragm U87 was perfect for the job and grabbed it the very moment it was released. Coincidentally the first 24 tracks machines could be custom-ordered. My dad also had Urei compressors, Pultech EQ, and spring reverb. And.... well, that's it. No but like, that was really it. U47, U87, and those three things as well as a 24 track reel-to-reel tape machine constituted the entirety of the studio. There were a bunch of those microphones of course, but you had two choices - oh yeah : the studio had been bought by a rich businessman who knew nothing about music and had been told Neumann was the best, so he only bought that, which of course for a mic closet doesn't make sense - although you could make any amount of great recordings with "just that". Anyway, my dad was the janitor when the new owner ask if he could "push all those buttons", and he said yes. He couldn't. He had a 40 years career and became so legendary that people still recognize him nearly 30 years after he went to Canada from France to retire. The end! :) Oh and he has a UA-cam channel, just look up "Batzic"
Absolutely great video. One mic I would add to the list is the Neumann M149 - it’s Neumann first major release in over a decade since U87 and combines all the best parts of the U87 coupled with a small tube to give it additional warmth and character that’s lacking in the U87. I own the U67 and the M149 and can attest to the greatness of them both.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah honestly I wasn't so informed on the history until I started researching, pretty crazy how big of an influence they have over music in general
Great video, man. I've been using a U87 for a few years now in a pro studio setting. It's one of those microphones that is very difficult to make it sound bad. It's not the "best" microhpone on every source or singer, but in a shoot-out it will always stand up. I think this is another reason for its popularity in professional settings - it will always, *always* provide something usable. Also, paired with a good pre-amp it will take processing like an absolute champ. Those engineers at Neumann really knew what they were doing.
Nice!!! Jealous of your mic for sure lol, and maybe this video helps to explain WHY the mic sounds good, maybe it’s the tuning, but maybe it’s because it set the standard for what “good” is
Still. It can’t be that much better than cheaper designs. I’m proud to say I’ll never buy it bc it’s just not unique and small companies are more worth support.
@@AudioHaze For sure. Tech specs aside, familiarity is a heck of a drug. It might be similar to how Telecasters and Les Pauls sound "right" for certain types of music. They dont have to be the best guitars but it's easy to make them sound like a record.
@@chinmeysway These days it might not be. For project studios and solo artists there are probably better suited mics for less money. In traditional studios it's great because you never know who/what you're going to record and it always does a stand-up job.
Note : it's not "less signal to noise ratio", but *better* signal-to-noise ratio. You can't have "less" than a ratio, and it sounds like "less signal..." would be a good thing, while a good signal-to-noise ratio is the invert of that! Just a thought. I know you what it means but I couldn't help my inner audio nerd xD
Awesome video. I’m really thankful that my introduction to studio recording (running live broadcasts for college radio) also introduced me to a pair of vintage U87s. They sounded great but also just felt historic every time you held one
Excellent ! I Used to record dubbing / ADR ( automated dialogue replacement ) for. movies in New York in the 80's and 90 's . The U87 was always the gold standard - however , it actually sounded too good when compared to location recordings , which are very challenging . Number 2 was the Sennheiser 416 , a shotgun mic , also very good but different . Finally we woke up and would ask whoever recorded the location sound what mic they used ( unfortunately , often lavalier body mics ) and would rent the same mic for the session . If I recall , many location recordings back then were done with a Schoeps .
You deserve ALL the subs. Fucking ALLL THE SUBS. Your videos are incredible, man. Well done, and thank you for such a well researched, well presented, and highly informative work of art
Let’s not ignore the workhorse of recording the Sure SM 57. Without any research I’m going to say with great confidence that it was probably used on more recordings than any other. 😃
Your videos are incredible man. I’m a jazz guitarist for a living who dabbles in home recording and finding your videos has really relit the recording fire in me. Thank you for what you do and I’m looking forward to the next video ❤
Have you done an 87 vs “budget” 87 type shootout? I’m sure there are a bunch but you’ve pretty much set the benchmark for mic tests so we’d love to hear/listen to your results.
Hey i know i totally made a comment already but i want you to spot this one also. If you notice, people used to sound older. Perhaps your next deep dive can be about the evolution of tonality changing in vocals
Mikrotech-Gefell played a major role in the Neumann Company. Some argue that Microtech-Gefell should have kept the name Neumann than the Neumann after the company split
11:38 correct and nicely illustrated history. Also because TF stopped to make th VF14 (the U47's tube) and Neumann had to go ahead finding alternatives. 12:27 very true. I owned a U87 vintage for 2 years and 2 U67 for a decade. The U87 was also made for more portability employing new technology. Indeed they could be supplied without a power supply unit, 48V Phantom was a more established standard and (fort that time) it could be supplied by 2 internal 22.5V batteries. o: a lot of features more, less delicate (not tube) and many less issues as you underlined.
Nice video. Ribbon microphones are no as dark as you think, especially when used with the tube microphone preamps they were designed for. Also, they are not meant for close miking. Even crooner like Bing Crosby on and old RCA 44 would be 2ft of more away from them. It reduced the low end. The high end was often boosted through the circuits of the old tube preamps. The U47 was a definite leap though. It wasn't so much that Rock was more aggressive as it was that Rock singers insisted on singing close to the microphones. Before that it was quite common for singers to be a foot or more from the microphone, leaning in and pulling away as needed, as Sinatra was known for. The U47 just isn't good for singing that close, especially if you're going to get shouty. I peaked one out singing opera 2ft away. This issue actually sparked the creation of the M49 which was Neumann's adaptation of the U47 to meet new European broadcast standards and create a microphone better suited for louder instruments and vocals. It's more common to see opera singers of the time using an M49, or if they do use a U47 it's often below or above them, but not right in front. The M49 also has a sloped grill, which aids in reducing proximity effect when miking closer and provides a more focused sound. That sloped grill was refined with the U67, which was the first microphone specifically designed for close miking. The sloped grill, newer capsule design, and built in pad make it the first modern microphone. The U87 is a nice microphone. By far not my favorite, but the sound is instantly recognizable and always usable.
Thanks! I worked at an fm radio station where the announcers would walk in the booth with their great voices while i recorded them through a u87 and that defined for me the sound of fm broadcast.
Not only mics influenced music, but the playback systems did as well. I realized that when I heard Perry Como on someone's large Bluetooth speaker. I could just imagine what it sounded like on those large floor-standing radios with the big speaker cone. Later, kids were liberated from their parent's music with transistor radios - many of which were 2.5" speakers. Seems like that matches the rise in folk and other music where the "meat" is in the range that worked on small speakers. Heavy rock came when people had large stereo system (picture the Maxell commercial) that could handled loud bass. I'm sure there's more.
Great history lesson Ricky! I should try to do something similar about photography and its origins. (I've moved away from music production/mixing/recording on my current UA-cam channel.)
Thanks for this! I'll be sending this vid out to our former students from our apprenticeship program. Looking forward to digging into more from your channel.
Great perspective, how the technology shapes the genres.... it's an interesting thread to pull on. without Autotune, affordable guitar delays (Memoryman/The Edge). Am I the only one that broke into cold sweat at the thought of cutting a track LITERALLY to wax.... how good must pro musicians have been back in the early days of recording?
They probably had to rehearse a lot to be able to play a whole song perfectly on the first take; since every take expended a whole wax cylinder, you literally couldn't afford to fail too many times.
Very informative video, thank you! I have quite some experience doing voice-overs on the U87 and other mics, like the TLM170. I never liked the U87 very much, because it took out the 'power' in my voice. I always felt I was fighting it. The best audio engineer I've known, and friend, Bert Penninx (God have his soul), always replied: "It's for singing!". I agree with that. A studio builder I once talked to described it like this: "When you get close to the U87, it pushes back a bit." So, to me, for voice-over the TLM170 is better, but I can totally see that it's the king for singers.
Its definitely a legend! Whether you think its worth the price has to do with so many variables, it can definitely be a status symbol or a signaling tool at times
Fantastic video, I loved it. I would love to see similar videos about the progression of other microphone lines. Obviously the one I'd love to see most is the Unidyne capsule, but I'm sure there are others people would like to see.
Hey, nice video, however I do not understand your argument about vocals slowly getting dominant in music... at which time was not vocals the dominant in music? I would even argue that the opposite is true. If you listen those old records in your video, what you could mostly hear is the human voice and some very selective music, because they already prioritised vocals, so the simple recoding equipment could not handle a large music group behind the singer well. As the recording quality improved, so was able the engineer give us more from the music while not distorting the vocals. In modern music you hear and get a lot more from the instruments as earlier. In short, as the equipment improved we got more music, not more vocals. Also, the microphones were only a small portion of this big change...
Just a "small" but important spoiler - actually Neumann got bought by Sennheiser back in 1991 (just after the unification of Germany and for reasons unknown to me but maybe because they feared Neumann may unite with Gefell - the East German Neumann step-brother) and since then the new models are let's say it mildly - different... So the U87i and U87Ai are NOT U87s - they differ in many major areas one being that the diaphragm is different, but there are other important factors as well. There are some U87 "copies" out there and the more expensive ones MAY at least sound closer to a real "Made in West Germany" 87. Does it says "Made in China" as some claim BTW? But seriously - make a comparison between the Lauten and the 87Ai. I personally own an Atlantis which I like very much. Some guys claim that on "neutral" setting it resembles a 87 so the Clarion, which should be close to an Atlantis in "forward" mode maybe comparable to a 87Ai (eventually with some EQ in the heights). Highly appreciated!
@@AudioHaze Worth every cent. Every artist loves their vocal sound and the sound of the productions overall, everything just sounds expensive all of a sudden.
Generally it's a great entertaining introduction to the history of vocal recording for the last century. Did you study the topic in a college/university or you researched it yourself?
Thanks to Flexispot for sponsoring this video! Don't forget to check FlexiSpot's anniversary sale now and up to 50% off on their website - bit.ly/3E8qN6P
U87ai has always been My fav mic and the TLM103 has the same capsule as the U87 just different circuitry
5:21 "it had less signal to noise ratio" slip of the tongue. It had less noise, it had a higher signal to noise ratio.
It´s important to like the video before watching.
Thank you thank you :)
It’s important to like this comment before watching.
Certainly did so!
It’s important to like this comment before reading
Done! 😃
A history of Shure mics would be cool too (and I'm betting a lot cheaper to deal with lol)
I’ll check out some articles!
Sm58 ~ the Telecaster of mic world
I agree I’ve always like the sound of Shures so would love so see AudioHaze’s take on it!
“How music technology both adapts to reflect contemporary musical paradigms and also how it influences them”
Reminds me of the loudness wars, and how it led to highly refined, loudness technology, like the limiting algorithms and microphones like the c800g
It's also worth noting that the U47 is still plenty popular nowadays too, for those looking for a smoother, less toppy sound! Thom Yorke of Radiohead uses it almost exclusively as his studio mic, apparently.
YES it’s so amazing on Thoms voice as well, I think he uses it on Videotape right?
Interesting. I’d love to hear a side by side recording of U47 and U87 with Thom’s voice
@@HerveBoisde We all do. ;-)
was essentially gifted a series of vintage mics, including a vintage U87. i can say it is still a game changer to this day. having something that level of quality has upped my ability as an engineer by a LOT.
This feels like a slap in the face to the legacy of other vintage powerhouse mics like the RCA models 44 & 77 who was direct competition to the Neumann selections 😅
Not intended! Just trying to tie in music tech and gear to the grander musical landscape, I feel like sometimes to tech community can be a little insular ya know :)
@AudioHaze but you're making this far more tabloid than it's needs to be. The u47 might be the best mic ever but it wasn't such a steep development as you say and it wasn't the sole king on the hill and if you listen to what really experienced engineers and producers say they will often list loads of mics beside neumann's that are of the same time. And the u87 isn't the most popular amongst the most professional of pros either. I even heard Tony Platt saying that he prefers the u67, though he used the u87 when recording the vocals for Back In Black. So you got that that wrong, among very many other things, I'm sad to say. The u87 seems to have become the dream of the unprofessionals. Tony Platt says that it doesn't have the warmth of the better low end of the u67. With just some demos I've listened to, I'm sure I'm hearing what he's saying. I can't say what's the difference gets in the end of a mix but the u87 is rarely the favourite either way. And it's not the most used either if that doesn'tgo without saying. I guess there's so much flawd information out there because the u87 looks like the u67 and someone don't realise that the u67 exists and then say that everything that looks it surely is a u87. It's very accessible to just listen to all the hundreds of podcast episodes and so on that exists of these people I talk about.
I look so bitter writing this but I can't avoid it, and it doesn't mean I blame you very much.
So... you didn't really watch the video apparently. Why is the internet filled with reactions to stuff that didn't happen? SMH
A SHURE or AKG vid would be sooo nice as well!
I was thinking all the time on the AKG-C12 / Telefunken ELA 250
My dad worked in France when the first U87 were introduced in French studios. Neumann wasn't the go-to at the time, weirdly enough; serenades were falling out of fashion I guess.... but, people like Gainsbourg with his raspy and dark vocals inspired a generation of French singers and engineers deemed that the large diaphragm U87 was perfect for the job and grabbed it the very moment it was released. Coincidentally the first 24 tracks machines could be custom-ordered. My dad also had Urei compressors, Pultech EQ, and spring reverb. And.... well, that's it. No but like, that was really it. U47, U87, and those three things as well as a 24 track reel-to-reel tape machine constituted the entirety of the studio. There were a bunch of those microphones of course, but you had two choices - oh yeah : the studio had been bought by a rich businessman who knew nothing about music and had been told Neumann was the best, so he only bought that, which of course for a mic closet doesn't make sense - although you could make any amount of great recordings with "just that". Anyway, my dad was the janitor when the new owner ask if he could "push all those buttons", and he said yes. He couldn't. He had a 40 years career and became so legendary that people still recognize him nearly 30 years after he went to Canada from France to retire. The end! :) Oh and he has a UA-cam channel, just look up "Batzic"
That's an awesome story! I'm from the States and have been living in France for heck of a long time...
Lovely little add! The story and his courage to run the wave wight when it came is priceless though!
The tube and FET explanation was very enlightening! And the editing is getting top notch. Great job as always, man.
Thanks dude! Glad you enjoyed the vid :)
I remember the first time I got to sing into a U47. I couldn’t believe how great it sounded in my headphones. It’s a beautiful thing!
Nice!!
Yeah but it’s no behringer xm8500 amirite
Congrats on the sponsorship bro bro, really cool that non audio brands are helping you out
when you factor in price, it don't even come close what a legend.
Absolutely great video. One mic I would add to the list is the Neumann M149 - it’s Neumann first major release in over a decade since U87 and combines all the best parts of the U87 coupled with a small tube to give it additional warmth and character that’s lacking in the U87. I own the U67 and the M149 and can attest to the greatness of them both.
Neumann M49 and the latest version Neumann M49V
sheesh, i know neumann had a big grip on the market, but i never knew they were this influential. I learned a lot today! great stuff man!
Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah honestly I wasn't so informed on the history until I started researching, pretty crazy how big of an influence they have over music in general
Great video, man. I've been using a U87 for a few years now in a pro studio setting. It's one of those microphones that is very difficult to make it sound bad. It's not the "best" microhpone on every source or singer, but in a shoot-out it will always stand up. I think this is another reason for its popularity in professional settings - it will always, *always* provide something usable. Also, paired with a good pre-amp it will take processing like an absolute champ. Those engineers at Neumann really knew what they were doing.
Nice!!! Jealous of your mic for sure lol, and maybe this video helps to explain WHY the mic sounds good, maybe it’s the tuning, but maybe it’s because it set the standard for what “good” is
Still. It can’t be that much better than cheaper designs. I’m proud to say I’ll never buy it bc it’s just not unique and small companies are more worth support.
@@AudioHaze For sure. Tech specs aside, familiarity is a heck of a drug. It might be similar to how Telecasters and Les Pauls sound "right" for certain types of music. They dont have to be the best guitars but it's easy to make them sound like a record.
@@chinmeysway These days it might not be. For project studios and solo artists there are probably better suited mics for less money. In traditional studios it's great because you never know who/what you're going to record and it always does a stand-up job.
Damn good video, it felt like a documentary. It took my back to my days of studying music history in college! Thank you.
Thanks yeah I'd love to do more music history style videos in the future! So we'll see how this one goes over :)
0:40 Great studio indeed! Complete with sound absorbing fluffy cats!!! 😸😺 😆
literally drooling at this studio
Same. The entire time.
Note : it's not "less signal to noise ratio", but *better* signal-to-noise ratio. You can't have "less" than a ratio, and it sounds like "less signal..." would be a good thing, while a good signal-to-noise ratio is the invert of that! Just a thought. I know you what it means but I couldn't help my inner audio nerd xD
Awesome video. I’m really thankful that my introduction to studio recording (running live broadcasts for college radio) also introduced me to a pair of vintage U87s. They sounded great but also just felt historic every time you held one
WOW those are some schmancy microphones for a college radio :)
Excellent ! I Used to record dubbing / ADR ( automated dialogue replacement ) for. movies in New York in the 80's and 90 's . The U87 was always the gold standard - however , it actually sounded too good when compared to location recordings , which are very challenging . Number 2 was the Sennheiser 416 , a shotgun mic , also very good but different . Finally we woke up and would ask whoever recorded the location sound what mic they used ( unfortunately , often lavalier body mics ) and would rent the same mic for the session . If I recall , many location recordings back then were done with a Schoeps .
Great video and nice history. I'm actually about to put mine 1983 U87 on sale as I'm stepping down on recording.
Dang sorry to hear that! Hope you get what its worth at the very least :)
Had the pleasure of using a Neumann TLM 103 recently and OH MY GOD does it sound so good.
I mean, it made me sound good right out of the mic.
Yeah they’re definitely good at that lol, my Lauten does the same, I pretty much never have to EQ it unless it’s fighting a lot of other instruments
This is the best explanation of this I've seen. Mics changed music and music changed mics, but yes so well stated.
You deserve ALL the subs. Fucking ALLL THE SUBS. Your videos are incredible, man. Well done, and thank you for such a well researched, well presented, and highly informative work of art
Let’s not ignore the workhorse of recording the Sure SM 57. Without any research I’m going to say with great confidence that it was probably used on more recordings than any other. 😃
Oh it definitely was! In terms of condenser mics though, these were all paradigm changing in their own way :)
This is a great video! Glad to see you post again, always fun to see your videos!
Glad you like them!
Your videos are incredible man. I’m a jazz guitarist for a living who dabbles in home recording and finding your videos has really relit the recording fire in me. Thank you for what you do and I’m looking forward to the next video ❤
That makes me SO HAPPY, at the end of the day if I can inspire people to record music, that's a life well lived :)
Have you done an 87 vs “budget” 87 type shootout? I’m sure there are a bunch but you’ve pretty much set the benchmark for mic tests so we’d love to hear/listen to your results.
I've never had the chance! maybe sometime in the future, thanks for the idea :)
Yes , U87 vs Roswell K87@@AudioHaze
Naw cause I’ve seen clones on Temu and I’m tempted.
the Warm Audio WA87 is the closest thing I've used
great storytelling man ..really enjoyed this back in time with you :)
5:20 less SNR -> higher SNR
YES sorry if I misspoke
Dude, I just wanna say, you are my new fav channel. YOUR VIDEOS SLAP ONGGGGG
WOW thank you!! Its hard for me to even register that my channel could be someones favorite lol
@@AudioHaze DAWG YOU ARE SO FREAKING WELCOME. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MY BOI
brilliant piece like a mini documentary
Thanks my friend :)
Hey i know i totally made a comment already but i want you to spot this one also. If you notice, people used to sound older. Perhaps your next deep dive can be about the evolution of tonality changing in vocals
Truuuuu, yeah vocal quality and timbre changed a lot as well, although I don't feel super qualified to talk about that tbh
Me: *Sees cables under the table* 🤔
Him: "DON'T TALK ABOUT MY CABLE MANAGEMENT!!!"
Mikrotech-Gefell played a major role in the Neumann Company. Some argue that Microtech-Gefell should have kept the name Neumann than the Neumann after the company split
More like this. Loved this
I'd love to do more like this! Specifically exploring more instruments like synths or drum machines or guitars, who knows :)
@@AudioHaze you should do the history of tape and tape machines and then into daws
Sweet video. I'm always interested to learn how we got to where we are today in music history.
Yeah hope you enjoyed it!
11:38 correct and nicely illustrated history. Also because TF stopped to make th VF14 (the U47's tube) and Neumann had to go ahead finding alternatives.
12:27 very true. I owned a U87 vintage for 2 years and 2 U67 for a decade. The U87 was also made for more portability employing new technology. Indeed they could be supplied without a power supply unit, 48V Phantom was a more established standard and (fort that time) it could be supplied by 2 internal 22.5V batteries. o: a lot of features more, less delicate (not tube) and many less issues as you underlined.
got that epic desk moment
It is necessary to an effective video.
Looked at the thumbnail and immediately recognized the mic. The legacy of this thing is crazy.
Absolutely, before researching I was honestly not aware of how large of an influence it had
this is such a great video dude thank u for this
Thanks man glad you liked it :)
That was excellent. Very much enjoyed that history lesson. Bravo!
Nice video. Ribbon microphones are no as dark as you think, especially when used with the tube microphone preamps they were designed for. Also, they are not meant for close miking. Even crooner like Bing Crosby on and old RCA 44 would be 2ft of more away from them. It reduced the low end. The high end was often boosted through the circuits of the old tube preamps. The U47 was a definite leap though. It wasn't so much that Rock was more aggressive as it was that Rock singers insisted on singing close to the microphones. Before that it was quite common for singers to be a foot or more from the microphone, leaning in and pulling away as needed, as Sinatra was known for. The U47 just isn't good for singing that close, especially if you're going to get shouty. I peaked one out singing opera 2ft away. This issue actually sparked the creation of the M49 which was Neumann's adaptation of the U47 to meet new European broadcast standards and create a microphone better suited for louder instruments and vocals. It's more common to see opera singers of the time using an M49, or if they do use a U47 it's often below or above them, but not right in front. The M49 also has a sloped grill, which aids in reducing proximity effect when miking closer and provides a more focused sound. That sloped grill was refined with the U67, which was the first microphone specifically designed for close miking. The sloped grill, newer capsule design, and built in pad make it the first modern microphone. The U87 is a nice microphone. By far not my favorite, but the sound is instantly recognizable and always usable.
This is awesome.
Glad you liked it :)
Thanks! I worked at an fm radio station where the announcers would walk in the booth with their great voices while i recorded them through a u87 and that defined for me the sound of fm broadcast.
Wow thank you so much!
Very cool. I appreciate the context. Thanks!
Love my u87, thanks for the history lesson!
Thanks for checking out the vid! And enjoy the mic, I'm jealous :)
The quality of this video production is incredible! Really good stuff
Not only mics influenced music, but the playback systems did as well. I realized that when I heard Perry Como on someone's large Bluetooth speaker. I could just imagine what it sounded like on those large floor-standing radios with the big speaker cone. Later, kids were liberated from their parent's music with transistor radios - many of which were 2.5" speakers. Seems like that matches the rise in folk and other music where the "meat" is in the range that worked on small speakers. Heavy rock came when people had large stereo system (picture the Maxell commercial) that could handled loud bass. I'm sure there's more.
AMAAAAZING vid!
Wow this was fantastic
Thank you, thanks for watching :)
Great video. I thought not another u87 video 🤣 but then you brought quality unexpected content that i really enjoy watching ! Thanks man 👍😎
Thank you for helping my therapeutic music 🎶 🍿📻
Awesome, awesome tale my man. And a perfect bridge between your old and new audience. We all want more.
Yeah that's what I was thinking! And we'll explore more gear from this angle as well, may not be mics but it'll be cool :)
The U47 also had the advantage that it could recharge its batteries while still fully submerged
Fantastic history. Thank you for sharing.
This is probably why I dig the Sterling FET151 mic
Nice, is that an emulation of the 87?
@@AudioHaze I am not sure, I just know it's FET power mic just like the video, it sounds amazing, was surprised how good it sounds for the price
Great history lesson Ricky! I should try to do something similar about photography and its origins. (I've moved away from music production/mixing/recording on my current UA-cam channel.)
Yeah well if you end up making the vid definitely send it my way!
@@AudioHaze Will do.
Thanks for this! I'll be sending this vid out to our former students from our apprenticeship program. Looking forward to digging into more from your channel.
Wow I'm honored thank you! Glad I could help educate a little bit :)
Sm7 is rocks microphone
Hitting that like button right now. Great presentation man ! Well done
Thanks Ed!
I love that you said wax is the audiophile way. Well not in those words but I get it! 😃
Danke!
Thank you so much Rainer!
@@AudioHaze You're welcome!
very cool doc
Great perspective, how the technology shapes the genres.... it's an interesting thread to pull on. without Autotune, affordable guitar delays (Memoryman/The Edge). Am I the only one that broke into cold sweat at the thought of cutting a track LITERALLY to wax.... how good must pro musicians have been back in the early days of recording?
They probably had to rehearse a lot to be able to play a whole song perfectly on the first take; since every take expended a whole wax cylinder, you literally couldn't afford to fail too many times.
The nueman is absolutely legendary
Absolutely! As I try to exhibit haha
Cable management! 😮💨🤣🤣 there I did!
LOVE this videos
Glad you liked it man!
Very informative video, thank you! I have quite some experience doing voice-overs on the U87 and other mics, like the TLM170. I never liked the U87 very much, because it took out the 'power' in my voice. I always felt I was fighting it. The best audio engineer I've known, and friend, Bert Penninx (God have his soul), always replied: "It's for singing!". I agree with that. A studio builder I once talked to described it like this: "When you get close to the U87, it pushes back a bit." So, to me, for voice-over the TLM170 is better, but I can totally see that it's the king for singers.
Thanks for making this video, I really enjoyed learning about the different mics. Keep up the amazing work!
Yeah hopefully we can expand beyond mics and learn all the ways other gear has influenced history as well :)
In regards to this video, are there different quality mics that are better for instruments? I'd love to learn more about that. @@AudioHaze
If I had the means to get this mic, I would. It's a pretty penny to get it. But so worth it.
Its definitely a legend! Whether you think its worth the price has to do with so many variables, it can definitely be a status symbol or a signaling tool at times
Great video man 😁
Thanks dude!
Nice. You have a new sub from an old audio engineer.
Eyyy, welcome to the community!
Fantastic video, I loved it. I would love to see similar videos about the progression of other microphone lines. Obviously the one I'd love to see most is the Unidyne capsule, but I'm sure there are others people would like to see.
Yeah potentially! I want to try and include other gear as well though :) you may some vids on famous synths, guitars, etc
Hey, nice video, however I do not understand your argument about vocals slowly getting dominant in music... at which time was not vocals the dominant in music? I would even argue that the opposite is true. If you listen those old records in your video, what you could mostly hear is the human voice and some very selective music, because they already prioritised vocals, so the simple recoding equipment could not handle a large music group behind the singer well. As the recording quality improved, so was able the engineer give us more from the music while not distorting the vocals. In modern music you hear and get a lot more from the instruments as earlier.
In short, as the equipment improved we got more music, not more vocals. Also, the microphones were only a small portion of this big change...
Oh Yess.... Hell of a Mic and The U47 Also (Wish I Could Afford to Get at Least One of Each)
Super in depth!!! Please do also telefunken or sony 😊
I’ll check it out!
This is 1A Content. Period.👍
Thanks so much!
Brilliant video!
Great job!!!
Thanks!
Has always been my favorite mic. The TLM103 has the same capsule as the U87 just different circuitry.
great video man!!!
Thanks dude!
Great! Great! Great! And you tell a story sooo good 🙃.
Thanks man!
@@AudioHaze are there good budget friendly alternatives for the u 47?
Just a "small" but important spoiler - actually Neumann got bought by Sennheiser back in 1991 (just after the unification of Germany and for reasons unknown to me but maybe because they feared Neumann may unite with Gefell - the East German Neumann step-brother) and since then the new models are let's say it mildly - different... So the U87i and U87Ai are NOT U87s - they differ in many major areas one being that the diaphragm is different, but there are other important factors as well. There are some U87 "copies" out there and the more expensive ones MAY at least sound closer to a real "Made in West Germany" 87. Does it says "Made in China" as some claim BTW? But seriously - make a comparison between the Lauten and the 87Ai. I personally own an Atlantis which I like very much. Some guys claim that on "neutral" setting it resembles a 87 so the Clarion, which should be close to an Atlantis in "forward" mode maybe comparable to a 87Ai (eventually with some EQ in the heights). Highly appreciated!
Good job on the video 😀👌
Thanks man!
Cable management!😂😂😂🎉
Superb video. Your videos just get better and better. Best of all, your ORIGINAL. Please do one for AKG. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Wow! Thanks for such a concise and clear explanation! Awesome!
Fantastic and informative video, really helped my understand the importance of the microphone that so many talk about.
You mean to say that the Neumann bottle had a *higher* signal-to-noise ratio (which equates to less noise) 🤓
Fantastic. What a history lesson. Thank you so very much.
Been a while since I watched a vid but the quality never keeps getting better and love this peek into mic and music history
Hey well welcome back! Thanks for the kind words my friend :)
awesome history lesson
Im a pop producer and i have a u87ai and its the best thing ever
Worth the price? 😅😅
@@AudioHaze Worth every cent. Every artist loves their vocal sound and the sound of the productions overall, everything just sounds expensive all of a sudden.
I heard if you engage the pad the AI sounds like the vintage u87s -- have you experienced this? thanks!
So awesome, thanks for the content!
Generally it's a great entertaining introduction to the history of vocal recording for the last century. Did you study the topic in a college/university or you researched it yourself?
i'd argue the reisz microphone was also a pretty big deal back in the day
Thanks 👍 I learned a lot. Now I know why Podcastege always compares with this mic . Its an ideal that others might dream of reaching one day...
It IS the tuning, not the tuning that sounds the best basically 🤷🏻♂️