Vocal Mic Comparison: Shure SM7b, Neumann U87, Rode NTK

[ecz]

So here's a very short clip of these 3 mics. All mics were as close as possible on the same spot so I could record them all in one take. Afterwards I normalized the levels, so the levels should be very even.

Can you guess which one is which? Which one do you like best?

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/16585626/vocal mic comparison.mp3

edit: the preamps are from a trident 80b console, converters are metric halo 2882. No locut or treble boost on the SM7b.

 

[~BURNY~]

I'd say
1 U87
2 SM7b
3 NTK

But I never used/heard a Rode NTK.

 

[KHE]

nr2 for me, has the best balance imho. but no idea which one it is... ?

 

[Melodeath]

SM7
U87
Rode

Is the U87 a U87ai or a vintage?

 

[BLUElightCory]

I'll play (on laptop speakers so uhhhh yeah).

1. NTK
2. SM7
3. U87

 

[ecz]

nr2 for me, has the best balance imho.

Yes I think so too, it was the one I used in the end.

Is the U87 a U87ai or a vintage?

Actually I have no idea (it's not mine).

 

[xTomx]

1. SM7B
2.U87
3. NTK

 

[infectdsniper]

1.NTK
2.SM7B
3.U87

I'v only used the sm7b so I'm just guessing on what I expect the others to sound like. Hopefully I at least got the sm7b right though

 

[Skaldir]

1. SM7B
2.U87
3. NTK

I'd also go for this after a quick listen. NTK must be the brightest I'd say.

 

[ecz]

So I think it's time reveal the results. Actually ~BURNY~ got it right, the right order is:

1 U87
2 SM7b
3 NTK

I think its remarkable how close the U87 and the SM7b are in this example (considering the price difference). I did a similar comparison between these two mics on rap vocals some time ago and the results were quite similar.
The Rode NTK has way too much highs for this kind of singer but I could imagine it sounds quite good on clean vocals.

 

[~BURNY~]

Yay!
My thoughts when listening:

1 Smooth High, natural airy sound = U87
2 Broadcast pre-eq'd type of sound with a "jumpy" signal (= dynamic mic) non-sibilant = SM7
3 Sibilant and bright cheap LDC type of sound = Rode

If you like the U87, the oktavamod NT1a is an great cheap alternative btw.

 

[ecz]

In the end I thought the difference between the SM7b and the U87 is so small that it doesn't matter which one I take. The SM7b also offers the possibility that the vocalist can hold the mic in his hands, which often leads to a better performance, so I decided to take the SM7b.

I should have mentioned earlier that the NTK used in this comparison is also modded but I don't know what exactly was done.

 

[slo77y]

sm7b for sure is an awesome mic for every "metal" type of vocals. the only mic i know that can keep up with condensers but at the same time doesnt have to be de-essed like crazy in the mix.

 

[Ermz]

If you do one with solely clean singing and seat it within a mix you should find that the condensers gain a bit of an advantage. The SM7 works very, very poorly with certain clean singer voices. The U87 I've found to sound great on just about anything short of voices that sound very shrill and sibilant.

 

[~BURNY~]

I should have mentioned earlier that the NTK used in this comparison is also modded but I don't know what exactly was done.

Certainly doesn't sound like the capsule has been replaced which is a huge part of the modifications from oktavamod.

 

[Skinny Viking]

The SM7 works very, very poorly with certain clean singer voices.

When you say certain clean singers ... more in line with a Stratovarius kinda vocalist or a Russel Allen?

I'm guessing the former but would be interested to hear your thoughts since I'm kinda looking at both the SM7 and the U87

 

[RevoltStudios]

In a real world application and in a dense mix, the sm7 just won't win usually. Of course there are singers who work well with ala Haley Williams on the last Paramore album. But a U87 has always had a magic when it came to mixing and especially when hitting mastering. The glass top end comes out with a good mastering job. A suggestion, process those 3 clips for a mix and see how different they really are.

 

[Ermz]

When you say certain clean singers ... more in line with a Stratovarius kinda vocalist or a Russel Allen?

I'm guessing the former but would be interested to hear your thoughts since I'm kinda looking at both the SM7 and the U87

I can only give you examples from artists I've worked with where we weren't too thrilled with how the raw vocals were captured. Two good cases in point are:



and



It works if there's a gravelly edge to the vocals, otherwise you tend to get this bizarre mid-junk that doesn't work too much for cleaner singers.

I agree with RevoltStudios regarding the full mix perspective.

 

[DeclanWhite]

^ agreed. ive had some guys sound good with my 7b, but a bunch (including me) who sound horrible haha just got an at4040 as an alternative, and then im getting one of those advanced audio c12 clones or something similar next.

 

[ecz]

In a real world application and in a dense mix, the sm7 just won't win usually. Of course there are singers who work well with ala Haley Williams on the last Paramore album. But a U87 has always had a magic when it came to mixing and especially when hitting mastering. The glass top end comes out with a good mastering job. A suggestion, process those 3 clips for a mix and see how different they really are.

Challenge accepted I will do a comparison with both vocal tracks in the mix, as soon as I'm done with mixing the band. I'm excited to know if there really are audible differences in the end.

@Ermz, I totally agree that the U87 might be the better mic for clean vocals, but for screaming and rap vocals the SM7b is very close in my opinion. And as I already pointed out, some vocalists (mostly shouters) feel way more comfortable when they can hold the mic in their hand just like on stage, which results in a better performance. And this is way more important as small differences the sound I think.