VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

JeffK · T-Shirt Joined: 22 Dec 2005 Posts: 276 Location: Oz

That would be great information George. Thanks!!

Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Chicago, IL

About modding mics for VO....

I've had two great experiences, and one very bad.

I had an MXL 909 modded by the guy who is probably the biggest name in mic modding, and was quite unhappy with the result. I sent a file with 2 different reads using the modded mic vs several other mics in my closet, and folks whose ears I trust better than my own also didn't like it. I also had problems with hum and plosives that were not present in the unmodded mic. I sent it back for a refund, but the deal we worked out was that the modder kept my MXL 909.

I'm not mentioning his name because I don't think he's a bad guy - maybe his mods were more suited to musicians and singers than to VO.

Later I decided to take a chance on a modder I found on eBay and sent him my AKG 200 to be modded for only $45 plus shipping. I was VERY happy with the results this time. Then I sent him my beloved Rode NTK (w NOS Amperex tube) to be modded for $100. At first I was not pleased - it sounded so very different - but I quickly warmed up to it. I think it sounds terrific now, but I rarely use it since buying my Gefell M930.

Bottom line, IMHO mic modding vof VO can be a crap shoot.
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Dayo · Cinquecento Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 544 Location: UK

We have a Joly modded NT1 in the locker here. Certainly a big improvement on the stock model. Nice and quiet too. Don't expect the sound of a U87 but it's ok for the money.

Mike Sommer · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 7:57 am Post subject:

If you want the sound of a U87.... get a U87. It's just that easy.
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JTVG · Backstage Pass Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 433

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

I agree.

There are some other mics that sound good and are perfectly suitable for professional level voice work----and I have tried a good number of them-----but IMO there still is only one path to the true 87 sound.

Monk · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:26 am Post subject:

few more big gigs and I'll be able to make that investment...

Right now we're moving forward and building up the base.
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Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

As has been said here on many occasions, there are plenty of VOs who appear to be

quite successful without a U87 in their mic locker.

The Sennheiser 416 is much more affordable and works for a lot of folks.

Gefell M930 is also in the 87 league and much less $$$$$

Monk · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 3:27 pm Post subject:

sure sure sure, that's true. And the mic mod from Joly might turn into a bust and I have another microphone to record piano or strings with.

Right now I'm just looking to expand beyond my RE20 and it's limits, the NT1a with a Joly mod sounded attractive so I went for it. Total investment, less than 400 dollars.

Am I expecting it to sound like a U87? naw. Will it be my new go to mic for a read? Maybe. we'll see. I have a couple of Studio Projects B1's that I use for recording piano, a MXL 990 that sounds good on guitar, some older RE-11's for other instruments, yet I haven't found a good mic for my voice, which is in the baritone range. (I do sing some tenor, but my voice teacher has been pushing me to baritone where he feels my strength is)

I'll keep my eyes peeled for a Gefell and see if I can test one out and see how I sound on it. But there's a certain "Holy Grail" kind of aura around the U87, and I like to dream.
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Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:39 am Post subject:

i tried a rode nt1a joly-modified and thought it was super spiffy and sounded excellent. so i got one from a vo-bb colleague at a great price and likely will have it modified by joly. maybe insurance is the way to go to CMA if it gets completely destroyed ...
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Mike Sommer · Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:18 am Post subject:

Monk · Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:15 pm Post subject:

The voices in my head are a lot meaner and they say silly things about me.

I completely agree it's the room, which is why I've been using the RE-20. The SP B1 sounded ok, but, it sounded scooped. It was lacking in midrange. It sounds great on the piano and female vocals, but seemed to be missing something to me.

I'm fortunate to live on a dirt road surrounded by woods and neighbors are few and far between. The house is also cemented to the ledge, we're right on the rock, they must have used dynamite to dig the hole. So the house is quiet.

The NT1a should be back in my hands by the end of the month, so we'll see. Hopefully my schedule lightens up for a second for me to measure out my room plans and we'll get it into a decent space for recording.

I've been hearing my voice on recordings for years, I know what I sound like, watching myself on TV... now that's really odd. I thought I was younger and thinner... (and less gray)

As far as G.A.S. maybe, some of my stuff is getting older and that darn Sweetwater catalog and Parts-Express catalog is so teasing. The dog gnawed on my 8 channel snake, and I have to fix that. My old boss has finally decided to sell me the studio ProTools rig that had been in storage since the company shut down, and the timing was right for a better microphone and Joly's website with audio samples sold me.

My studio handles all sorts of independent artists, singer songwriter, small ensembles and what not... so ya, gear. (no kids, and a wife that's a musician, even more gear!)
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Bill Campbell · DC Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 621

Mike said...

Another problem folks tend to run into when moving away from the RE20 to a condenser microphone, is that they believe they sound thinner on the condenser. That is because the RE20 is colored, and the closer you work the RE20 the more colored your voice will be due to proximity effect.

Well, here's the bad news, even with a cruddy condenser mic you are more likely to be getting a more accurate representation of what you truly sound like, than with the RE20. This is where you need to get over the fact that you do not sound like the voice that you hear in your head,

While I don't disagree with you on the above, an RE20 sounds great on some voices.
That thicker, meatier sound with clean sssss, and its performance in less than great rooms, is perfect for some talent, especially females.

I like the RE20 better than any condenser mic under $1000. I use a 416 for TV commercials, a Neumann TLM-193 for narration, and an RE20 for hard sell commercials ( I do a bunch of these).

Different horses for different courses.
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Monk · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:41 am Post subject:

Okiedokie!

The Mike Joly modded Rode NT1a has arrived and I'm running into the college vocal booth to give it a whirl. (ol' college try?)

Here's the signal path.

Microphone/Soundcraft mixer/Tascam US122/iMac

recorded to Audacity in the Wenger vocal booth. 4'x8' booth.

First up. The EV RE-20. (pardon the pop, I was excited...)

http://monksvoice.com/MonkDemos/EVRE20TEST.mp3

Then we'll see how the school's Shure KSM44 sounds..

http://monksvoice.com/MonkDemos/ShureKSM44TEST.mp3

Moving on to the Mike Joly modded microphone..

http://monksvoice.com/MonkDemos/MikeJolyNT1aTEST.mp3

and finally, just for fun, an MXL 990 which I have to record strings and acoustic guitar sometimes..

http://monksvoice.com/MonkDemos/MXL990Test.mp3

SO... the modded mic has a much darker tone for sure... I'm going to go play with it some more!
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Eddie Eagle · M&M Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 2393

Consider a consultation with Klaus Heyne if you want to mod a mic.

I don't use mic stands at all. My mics hang.