This condenser mic is for studio use only. It has a cardioid pickup pattern and a high tolerance for SPL. The mic has been around since the late 1940s and was an enormously popular mic for years (and still is, although they haven't been in production for quite awhile.) All Neumann mics are highly regarded and this is no exception; in fact, it may be the microphone that has been most responsible in getting Neumann the acclaim that it has garnered over the years. It is particularly good at recording vocals. I've also seen the head engineer from the studio I work at use it as a room mic in many different scenarios (when recording drums, bass, and piano). I've never heard it used on any session where it didn't sound good for whatever capacity it was used in.

OVERALL OPINION

I have been using this mic since I started working part time at a studio as an intern (over six months). I've set it up for a number of sessions and it's really not too difficult to use. Getting a good sound out of it is a breeze. I've heard it with many different preamps, including the ones that come standard with Focusrite mixing boards, and it's always worked incredibly well. It would probably be my go-to for most vocalists unless they were looking for a less clean, pristine sound. I don't own one, but I use it on a regular basis so I would be pretty keen on buying one if I had the money. I would have to advise, though, that paying for one nowadays can cost a fortune. Only use it if you're never going to take it out of the studio and you only let qualified people handle it, because it's also a pain to get fixed. However, it's also arguably the most impressive mic I've ever used. George Martin allegedly claimed that it was his favorite microphone. If that doesn't make the case for it's quality, I don't know what does. I would certainly say that if you can afford it you can't go wrong.