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Mic choice is a lot more nuanced than is indicated in the review. Heil, EV, Neumann, Shure, and other manufacturers have a variety of mics for a variety of situ
by geerlingguy 10y ago
Mic choice is a lot more nuanced than is indicated in the review. Heil, EV, Neumann, Shure, and other manufacturers have a variety of mics for a variety of situations, and I bet there are some other reasons besides cost why the RE20 is such a popular studio mic across the US.
Also, rooms, talent, and equipment are often much more influential than mic selection in making a 'signature' sound. But mics are to audio engineers as languages are to programmers... Everyone has a favorite, and opinions border on the religious.
Source: worked in radio engineering for 4 years before starting programming, live audio engineering 4 years after that, and have worked with dozens of mics and varying degrees of on air talent in many environments.
- tacos 10y agoAgreed! Unlike the U87, the RE20 is a dynamic mic so it doesn't need power. Quieter, less to go wrong, built in pop screen, smaller but still big enough to look "important", and you really can't break it. It's less boomy by default and so you get a more natural sound when you close mic things with it. Likewise I'm sure you could swap a U87 on person X with a RE20 on person Y and it might even sound "more like NPR" depending on the natural sounds of their voices.
- geerlingguy 10y agoAgreed on all points but the "really can't break it" — it's not some crazy indestructible capsule like the SM58! :)
- riprowan 10y agoPeople use SM7s and RE20s as kick drum mics all the time, they're really, really durable compared to a U87.