The Myth of the Microphone

Another new mic comes out. The manufacturer gives it the name from a classic mic from years ago, which creates this idea that if I have just the right microphone, I’ll be more successful. That if I just had the right piece of gear, then things would be better. 

I want to dig into the topic that seems to dominate way too many conversations in the world of voiceover – the microphone.

It seems that almost every few weeks, some company releases another new microphone model into the market.  The specifics aren’t as important as the act. New microphones keep appearing with “old” model numbers on them.   This often creates confusion among voice actors new and old. A question I often get asked is whether this a new version of an old model – or – why can’t mic makers come up with different names?

These are great questions, and they get at the “Mythology” of certain microphones, and how that can lead you astray. 

Among the microphone cognoscenti…. or as we might say, “mic nerds”… these new models with old numbers on them – specifically something with “87” or “67” or even “47” – are supposed to be struck from the same mold as very classic microphones. Those original models were the 47, 67 and 87 from Neumann. 

A quick condenser microphone history lesson

Georg Neumann produced the first commercially available condenser microphone. After World War II, his company continued to refine that design and came out with the U47 (initially branded “Telefunken”).

These condenser microphones were a technological shift from the ribbon microphones which had been commonplace in radio broadcasts and early recording. 

Ribbon mics are still made and used today, but the ones I’m talking about were those big, square ones you see in those pre-World War II radio broadcast photos.   Like this one below:

These new condenser microphones replaced the earlier microphones. Through the 1950’s and 60’s, studio recording technology was improving at a rapid pace (sound familiar?), and Neumann U67 and U87 models were absolutely in the right place at the right time. 

They were in Abbey Road Studios for the Beatles. Those specific mics captured a huge number of memorable performances as rock and roll was being born. Other studios noticed this and made sure they had them in their mic lockers. Those models developed a bit of an aura. 

Why are there so many 87’s?

So when a new model uses that same name – we know logically what they are trying to do.

They are trying to convince you that they have that old school mojo – something hard to quantify but easy to put a price upon. I mean, if you could have the microphone that John Lennon sang into, wouldn’t that give you an edge?

The interesting thing is that there actually are not that many types of microphone capsule designs – basically that’s the part that captures the sound – arguably about 4. 

And there is a fairly limited number of ways you wire them up in order to get sound to come out the business end. 

Of course any microphone manufacturer makes a number of choices along the way which affects the sound characteristics of their models. Models are created to capture percussion or brass instruments or string quartets.

That means they are all aiming at a fairly specific target. A narrower set of demands – they don’t have to deal with thumps from a caffeinated drummer chunking a kick drum at it, or a glass-shattering blast from a trumpet.

The ones we care about as voice actors are all designed to make the human voice sound good. I’m not about to say that they are all the same. But microphones designed to deal with the human voice are going to have similar characteristics. They will focus on a certain part of the frequency range and assume a certain amount of volume coming from our instruments.

Are these new mics “clones” of the old models? Rarely. Most new ones don’t sound exactly like the originals. When you do some A/B testing under blind conditions, most people can tell the difference between them.

But is that difference important?

This is where we shift from history and mythology to actual “myth”.

What matters in VO microphones

The myth is that you need to have a specific microphone model to be a working voice actor.  One of the first things I do in my Intro to Home VO Recording class is dispel that myth.  I get some strange reactions sometimes. But to a large extent, the microphone doesn’t matter. 

The best mic for you? It’s the one you have.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not against quality gear. 

But there are two key components you need first. 

As voice actors we work in a predominantly audition-based business. Anything that distracts from our performance also gets in the way of the person making the decision to hire us. 

The mic in your booth needs to faithfully record what you put into it. It needs to sound like you. 

That should indicate that you can’t get away with a $50 microphone. There is a certain level of investment you need to make. You do need gear which won’t distract or annoy us. Once you get “good enough” though, then you start spending more and more money for less and less improvement in quality – it’s the law of diminishing returns. 

Good microphones getting cheaper

We live in a time of riches – at least with respect to the quality of the gear and what it costs. You can get good quality for a reasonable investment. These days, if you have two to three hundred dollars, you can easily find a microphone to produce quality work.

(And if I ever had a situation where a client actually required a specific microphone model – or any particular hardware – that stuff is just an expedited delivery order away. Hasn’t happened yet for me… )

The fact is that you never have to tell the client what you used. And you certainly don’t have to impress other voice actors or sales people. 
But here’s the thing. That “faithfully record whatever you put into it” thing? 
What you put into it… is your performance and the room in which you record. 

Put a five or ten thousand dollar microphone into a nasty, echoey space?

It will accurately capture all those flaws. 

Our brains are wired to filter out the background noise when we are talking with one another. We don’t notice what we aren’t paying attention to.
Microphones do not have that ability.  

Don’t get me wrong.  I like quality equipment. 

But, the first thing to worry about in your recording setup is the space you are in. Those little echoes you easily ignore will be very audible when you record. The hum of your refrigerator through the wall will be there in all its glory on your audio.

Now let’s take another figurative step back.  Any decent microphone will faithfully render the worst performance you can deliver.  Which means that before you invest in a microphone, or start worrying about what room you want to take over for your recording space, spend some time with a good coach.  Learn the craft. 

Then, when you step up to a decent mic, in a controlled space, what we’ll be focusing on is your performance.

If you are looking for my 6 Part Series on Voiceover Microphones with specific model recommendations – that starts here. Recommended USB Microphones for VO. Recommended Large Diaphragm Condenser XLR Microphones for your voiceover studio.

JustAskJimVO.studio Podcast

This article originally published through the JustAskJimVO.studio Podcast “The Myth Of the Microphone” – Episode 1. The full podcast episode also answers your questions and other VO tech topics. You can listen below, or subscribe through iTunes, Spotify or iHeartRadio to make sure you catch every episode. If you enjoy what you hear, please take a moment to share a review – Thanks!

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