Acoustic Guitar Tube Mic Recording: Neumann U47, MXL Revelation, sE Gemini II

[BohenLebrox]

Gemini

[kingdong001]

the gemini is good for the cost

[richbrutus]

U47

[CHARLIEgerman]

MXL má skvělý náběr na středních a basových frekvencích u GEMINI je zvuk poměrně hodně vyvážený, jak teplotou zvuku tak hutností a Neumann, ten má zase teplotu a charakter ve středech a výškách

[eyeheartchrist]

@eyeheartchrist I believe the difference is clear between the U47 and the Revelation: U47 has more warm and undercarriage, whereas the Revelation is a little thinner and contains more presence.

[eyeheartchrist]

My ears are still good.Call me crazy, but it sounds like the Revelation "pops out" much more than the Gemini, and is more realistic & pleasing to the ears.Compared to the U47 the Revelation has slightly more presence. It definitely sounds like it has the digital clarity that is, very often,sought after,and the U47 has the vintage warm and velvet.Though it's not as present as the Revelation it depends on what sound the artist/recordist is listening for.Bassy?That's why high pass filters exist.

[foketesz]

in this test the 47 is considerably lower in volume, and if you correct that with your playback level it clearly surpasses the other two (quite good) mics

[redcarsarasota]

The MXL sounds like ass. I have two Martins and a Taylor, the mic that seemed to capture the tone best is the U47. The Gemini II sounds a little bassy, same like it does with vocals.

[audiotrax2000]

Forgot to say that the Gemini II sounded best for me. Also, I could get very similar results to the first two with an SM57 and a decent channel strip. It has a similar "live" response, unlike the harsh sounding MXL.

[audiotrax2000]

The MXL sounded kind of flat and 1 dimensional somehow to my ears. More than an eq thing. It wasn't really bad, just would sound kind of lifeless on extended listening.

[FreaqyFrequency]

Any of you who don't think you could achieve what the mic is doing with EQ make me laugh. Take a look at the frequency response charts for each of these mics one day, and you'll see that they're quite different. You can achieve EXTREMELY similar results if you know the points at which to EQ. Any preference beyond that is due to the fact that you can read the nameplate on the mic. Try telling them apart in a blind test post-EQ, and you won't find it so easy.

[VitalyKoshevoy]

SE sounds very good for its price!)))

[beaukim15]

mxl is the best

[laddiemusic]

Jakdedert, there is no way you could get the gemini to sound like the u47 with eq

I agree the revelation is quite nice...

although scooped... definately doesn't sound in the same class as the u47, but it's nice...

[jakdedert]

Six months down the line, and I still like the Revelation a lot. It's just much more 'present' and defined than the U-47, and much less harsh than the Gemini. Maybe that means I don't have Golden Ears; but I think if I eq'd all of them, I could get much of what I'm missing from each, from any one of the others...but that I'd use less eq (if any) on the MXL. I've used U47s in the studio (and even heard them live) to great effect. Am I deaf?

[HerbertJYoung]

All sound good in their own way. It always comes down to the player, the room and a good clean signal chain. I've heard $200 mics sound great when the right person's playing.

[Poopfemur]

None of them sounded as good as my blue Blueberry mic, at least to me

[iwokeupthismorning2]

The u47 sounds very natural to me, the gemini is brighter I prefer the revelation, to me the u47 sounds best than the other 2 mics.

[saulosmash]

El U47 suena más cálido para mi (o "warm" como dicen los gringos), los otros llegan a tener un sonido más incisivo en la zona de 3 a 5khz, sobre todo el Gemini II, sin embargo el MXL es el que mejor se aproxima al U47. La diferencia entre un micrófono de 8,000 dolares y unos de $400 - 1000 está en la calidad de transducción, no tanto en la claridad ni en el color, en los más caros se escuchan detalles que en los otros no, sin resaltar siseos o problemas de consonantes (en caso de una voz).

[Acolon77]

U47 sounded crystal clear....Gemini a little muddy on the low end to me...the Revelation was nice and lively and just as clear as the U47. Glad there's something comparable...

[chitarradell800]

El U47 es el más opaco de los tres, pero sobre todo es "plano" el sonido no tiene cuerpo ni presencia. No es enorme la diferencia entre el Gemini y el Revelation, los dos con un color más agradable, más brillo y mejor presencia de graves. De los tres micros el que me gusta más es el Revelation, da un sonido más abierto con una gama dinámica mayor, un color más seductor y una claridad o trasparencia superior a los otros dos... creo que nadie esperaría eso de un MXL... sorprendente...

[Michael55443]

The Gemini and MXL sounded pretty similar, with the Gemini being more dynamic and slightly smoother. I didn't care for the dead sound of the U47 at all.

[jakdedert]

U47 didn't seem to have much presence, but it was all there, and very smooth. Hate to say it, but I liked the MXL best, I wonder though, if the sound would get tiring on extended listen. It was very defined, with all the 'wood' sound I like in an acoustic. The Gemini? I didn't like the way that certain sounds--even individual notes--seemed to pop out at me during the piece. It was at the same time boomy and bright. Not pleasant....

[famousPhotog]

@jakdedert Yes, the MXL would be fatiguing, which is exactly what you don't want if you enjoy listening to music for long periods. The U47 just lets you listen fatigue free, which is a HUGE benefit.

[djfrank59]

The U-47 has the classic sound which is recognizable in one pluck of the string, but the MXL was the smoothest sounding, a slight dip in the mids...Something I would use on a Jazz bossa nova session...Big difference in price also...

[BootyStackr]

u47 for folk

gemini for rock

mxl for pop

[Johnfrooshlover]

I personally like the u47 because its not toooooo warm. The others are nice as well, but the Gemini is a little too harsh. Idk about the gemini and the revalation, but if you want to hear a telefunken in an actual recording, look up John Frusciante - The Past Recedes

[miltonhatchling]

thing is. the u47 sounds like you in the room and the guy is playing accousticly but the others sound like a recording

[nair0bij0nes]

U47 is such a soft sounding mic.. It's like they go from hard to soft sounding.. all sound good. I'd like to know what pre's and impedance setting where used ??

[65Debs]

Thanks for posting!

For us apart from the obvious tone difference the U47 has more focus and image

which is why its a better mic..

Regards

[imaginarytube]

what mic pre did you use?

[InfinityEnterprises]

*personally* I say it's between the 47 and the MXL. I just have never really liked the harshness of the Gemini, but that's just me.

[reggimaksthscene]

On its own, I would say the gemini... but if you want the guitar to sit better in the mix the flatter sound of the u47 is probably going to be a go to.

I could be wrong, however, the gemini has good picking definition. Which with some affective eq could really sit well.

[chilidog1001]

the telefunken doesnt pick up the low ends as much but i dont like the lows on the gemini either

[SingJazzWithSoul18]

WOW! thank you so much for posting this! I was just recently shopping for a mic, and I definitely had my heart set on the telefunken from the get-go. This helped a lot!

You are also GREAT at the guitar! :)