Neumann Studio & Home Studio

What motivated my choice was the frequency response curve. I wanted them mainly to mix, so I wanted some quality nearfield monitors that were as flat as possible, and I got them. I use them with my Tascam M3500 mixer and a Universal Audio Apollo SOUNDS Very, very neutral. I had the Adam f5 before and, for the price, I was very satisfied with them, but not for mixing, It took me some time to get used to these Neumann, a little over a month. The vocals seemed too upfront, compared to the rest, but now it doesn't seem that way (maybe it was the break-in or my ears that got used to them). Anyway, ever since my mixes sound much more open and precise. Every instrument is in its exact place in the stereo field. Considering the size of the woofer, a 5-incher, it goes pretty deep, even though I don't think it's that accurate. I'd say you can trust them with your eyes closed from 100Hz to 20kHz, below that you'll need a sub (I have the Adam sub7). The stereo image is amazing for monitors this size, they blew me away. They have a good dynamic response, too. OVERALL OPINION It's been four months since I mix with them and it's a real delight, the manufacturing quality is great, you can really tell they are German and, especially that they are Neumann... They are a bit heavy, but I won't complain about that. I have worked with Adam, Sonodyne, Genelec, Graal Audio, Mackie, Behringer... I think their price is a bit high. They should cost the same as the Sonodyne (around $1300), but 250 bucks more aren't the world... What I like best is the precision and the neutrality of the frequency response. What I like the least: You need to be right in front of the monitors for the stereo image to be optimal (they are not the best to edit with Pro Tools when the Mac is next to the mixer, but that's not really a defect, it's just the sweet spot that is narrower than with my old Adams. I don't think that's a defect, quite the contrary, but it did annoy me in the beginning...

The Neumann U87 is a classic microphone that has been around for a while. I wish I could afford to have this mic in my house but there is no way that I can spend that kind of money for my personal gear collection. A local studio that I go to from time to time does have the Neumann U87 as one of the main mics and after using it I can see why. Its just flat out amazing and the quality cant be matched but any other mic in its price range. But that is just the problem, the price range. There really isn’t anyone else that know that can purchase this mic for their house studio without breaking the whole bank account. The mic is just too expensive, but if you are lucky enough to have the money to get it, the quality that you will get just cant have a price tag on it. It will do more than pay for itself, there is no substitute for great quality and the Neumann U87 will provide that if you can afford it. Even if you are looking to get a used one you will still have to pay at least 75% of what a new one cost because the price of the U87 doesn’t just drop even though it has been out for a while now. OVERALL OPINION Brand new the mic is going for over 3 thousand dollars online, I just don’t know who can afford that unless you have a decent studio budget that you can work with. If that’s the case then you will need to get this mic because it is everything you could want and more. If you are a higher tone singer, using this mic is a must or even no matter what your tone it, but higher tones sound beautiful on the U 87.

Microphone Type: Condenser Polar Pattern: Cardioid Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz Max SPL: 138 dB Output Impedance: 50 ohms No low cut/pad. Shockmount NOT included. Wooden, padded, box included. OVERALL OPINION I'm going to start off by saying that, if I were in the market to buy this mic new ($1100), there are many others I'd be looking at in its price range; however, for the price you can get them on the used market, they're fairly well priced. People complain a lot about how these have a brittle high end - I get that. I'm not going to sugar coat it and say that it sounds AMAZING, but it's also not anything a tad of EQ can't fit. What I love about this mic, is the fact that it IS fairly bright. It brings out the character and definition in vocal performances. Beware - This mic WILL show your mistakes, it can be flattering if you're good, and be VERY unforgiving, if you're bad. For the price these things cost, I would really expect for it to come bundled with a shockmount, and not have to pay an extra $50 for it, but I suppose it's not a huge deal. This mic will NOT get you the classic Neumann U series sound, but it's a very nice mic for any studio to have around. In its used and new price ranges, there's other mics that can certainly compete well with it, but being the trusted name Neumann is, it's a fairly safe bet for most.

Neumann has always made some pretty good mics and they always get pretty good reviews from their customers. Most of the issues with mics are that they jut flat out are too expensive. Especially if you just want to get some good quality you will have to pay or it which is the reason that most people get held back because they cant afford it. Well Neumann KM 184 could be a solution to you have some great records from home. The KM 184 sounds amazing with an acoustic guitar and even some woodwind instruments. I did some work with a local band and I need to mic them up to record and we got into the discussion on some mics and other equipment. They actually recommended that I get the KM 184 for my acoustic recording, and that’s how I first heard about this mic, though I have been using Neumann for years now for some reason I didn’t have my sites set on this mic because I didn’t even know that it came out. But once I got word on it, then heard them recording with it, I knew that I had to have it. For some reason I though it was going to be out of my budget. It actually was perfect for my budget. So perfect I ordered to of them (they came together in a carrying case ). OVERALL OPINION My next experiment with the KM 184 by Neumann will be to try to use them on some drums and see how they respond. Maybe on a kick drum and a punchy snare jus to see how they respond and then I will make a decision from there if I want to use them for more than what I already am. The KM 184 is a great mic and at a low cost.

This is a recording microphone that is mainly suited for use in the recording studio, as it is a relatively fragile piece of gear and shouldn't be trifled with. Though I'm sure they'd be great for live drum overheads, they're just too pricey to really use in that context, as a venue's acoustics would render all the pristine sonic details irrelevant and you'd be just as satisfied with a cheaper set of mics. It's a small diaphragm condenser microphone made by Neumann, a German manufacturer with a stellar reputation among recording engineers and recording enthusiasts. It requires phantom power to operate so make sure that your preamps have phantom power, or at least that you have an external source of phantom power to make it work. OVERALL OPINION I really enjoy using these microphones in the studio as drum overheads. They are a very pristine-sounding microphone. It worked incredibly with great high-end detail as well as clarity in picking up the entire kit. With a good EQ you can use these to get a wide variety of sounds out of different instruments. Another good use for this is for strings, acoustic guitars, and other stuff as well. I've used them as drum room mics as well. Basically these are great for getting a high end sound that has plenty of warmth. They are much warmer than the KM184 which has essentially replaced them. Because they've been replaced by the KM184 they are hard to find, and are generally kind of expensive. However they are really great and certainly have a more classic sound than the 184s, and are really better than most small diaphragm condensers in general. They're really worth having if you have nice preamps and good converters, as a cheap home setup won't justify the cost of this mic. So studio owners would do well to find these.

This is a studio-only condenser microphone, made by a German company called Neumann. This company is one of the most respected manufacturers of microphones in the world, and many people are familiar with them as a industry standard. It's not very big in comparison to other Neumann mics, but it does have a large diaphragm. The pickup pattern of this microphone is cardioid. It has a clip and comes with a nice case. Being a condenser mic, this microphone is pretty sensitive, so be careful when handling it. OVERALL OPINION I think that this is probably not my favorite Neumann mic that I've tried, but it's the only one that I could use regularly as it isn't as expensive as the other ones I've tried. I actually like using it on acoustic guitars a whole lot, but I've used it on some vocalists and have had pretty good results. I certainly would tend to use a nicer Neumann if it was an option, but it isn't always, so I have to resort to this, which in all honesty is more than enough for the relatively low maintenance projects I sometimes work on. I'd certainly say that it works better on male vocals then female, although I haven't recorded every range of female vocalists with it, and the male vocalists I tend to record are baritones/tenors. I have tried using it in tandem with other mics on pianos, but I wasn't impressed. I don't think that it is meant to be used for those. All in all, the mic is solid. I'd say that if you are willing to spend a lot of money for the best Neumann mics, you should aim higher up, they are certainly worth it, especially for vocals. However, since for most people finance is an issue, I'd say that this is definitely a good purchase.

The Neumann KM 64 is a small diaphragm condenser microphone that should only be used in the recording studio. It isn't the type of microphone that you would want to use outside of the studio because it is fragile and old. The mic has a standard cardioid polar pick up pattern and will pick up frequencies between 40 Hz and 18 KHz. OVERALL OPINION The Neumann KM 64 is quite a rare microphone as it definitely isn't one of the most accessible mics that Neumann has to offer. It is similar in sound and in look to many of the small diaphragm condensers that Neumann has put out throughout the years like the KM 84s and the 184s, but does have a slightly different tone. Like other small diaphragm condensers, the KM 64 is best for recording acoustic instruments and for any application where you would want a good amount of high end presence in your tone. I've only used the KM 64 for acoustic guitar as I haven't had the chance to use this mic extensively, but I can say for sure that this mic is useful way beyond just this applications. I'll also say that as far as using this microphone for recording acoustic guitar goes, it has been one of my favorite mics for this applications. I find that I'm able to get a smooth and silky sound that both cuts through the mix and sits in its place very well. These mics are hard to find as I've only come across the single one that I have used in a recording studio and haven't seen any other ones out there. The KM 64 isn't the type of mic that you seek out, rather it seeks you out and hopefully you are lucky enough to stumble upon one of these as it is a really special mic. Neumann is the best at what they do and the KM 64 is a great example of the fine craftsmanship that they have to offer.

The Neumann PEV is a parametric EQ that very hard to find. I've only ever seen one of these in my life and only got to use it the one time. Since it was already set up and racked in the recording studio that I used it in, I'm not sure what type of connections it has. This is an analog piece of gear and isn't rack mountable in a traditional rack mount. UTILIZATION Using the Neumann PEV is very simple, and as long as you have basic knowledge about how to use a parametric EQ, I think you'll be okay. The unit simple has three bands - one that you can choose the frequency on, and two that are at fixed frequencies at 60 Hz and 10 KHz. That is all that there is to this EQ, so as you can see a manual probably isn't necessary and would probably be quite hard to find anyway. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality of the Neumann PEV is superb. It is both clean sounding and adds a bit of grit to your sound as well. Neumann isn't known for making outboard gear like this, but if you can imagine what a Neumann mic sounds like and translate that same quality to a piece of outboard gear, this would be it. This isn't to say that tone wise they are similar as you can't really make a comparison like this, but I'm saying that they're of the same high quality. The PEV is suitable for any and all genres and applications as it is a sound that translates well and simply does its job well. OVERALL OPINION While the Neumann PEV is an extremely hard piece of gear to find, if you are interested in unique and rare pieces of outboard gear, this would be quite a find. I'm sure that the price would cost a lot, but I haven't looked too deeply into the price as these are few and far between. All I can really say is that if you ever have the chance to try out the PEV, definitely give it a shot as I think you'll be pleased with what you hear. Neumann does make a variety of other outboard gear, but the PEV is one of my favorites that I have tried.

The Neumann KM 54 is a large diaphragm tube condenser microphone that is suitable for a number of different applications. The mic isn't suitable for live shows at it is old and fragile and needs to be treated with the utmost of care. The mic has a standard cardioid polar pick up pattern and comes with a power supply that is unique to this and maybe a few other microphones. OVERALL OPINION Both in sound and in looks, the Neumann KM 54 reminds me of an AKG C12 which is generally known as one of the best tube microphones ever made. While they do have both their differences and similarities, both are outstanding microphones. The KM 54 is no longer made and is probably one of the rarest Neumann microphones that I have the privilege of using. I don't have extensive experience with the KM 54, but I've used it a few times to record vocal parts both for myself and for a client and in both instances I was extremely impressed. Neumann is the best in the business when it comes to manufacturing and designing high end microphones and the KM 54 is definitely a fine example of the craftsmanship that they are capable of. The KM 54 has both a warm and a wide tone that is perfect for picking up the subtleties in the human voice, whether it be for a male or a female. While it isn't as clean sounding as some of the newer Neumann tube microphones, where it lacks in clarity it makes up in character. I hope in the future I'm able to try the KM 54 on some other instruments as I think it is a special microphone that can definitely be versatile, I just need to try out and prove this theory. Like all Neumann microphones, the KM 54 is expensive but this one is definitely harder to find than most out there. For this reason I wouldn't advise seeking one out, but if you come across one either for purchase or in a studio, definitely consider trying it out.