How a Neumann U87 microphone is manufactured

[TheOrderoftheOwl]

I have been racking my brain to try and figure out how the classic recordings get that great sound they do. For example, Some groups still use reel to reel to record albums and get that good analog sound but it still doesn't sound like for example, an recording made in the 60's. It doesn't even sound like a recording made in the 70's. So I came to the conclusion that the vintage mic's where the secret to getting that sound, I'm not sure though, maybe the secret is in the tape..

[postingoldtapes]

@TheOrderoftheOwl Personally, it was the acoustics of the recording studios and the practices of the time. I started recording in the late 70s, and remember how we got that "70s drum sound". It was all about paper towels, and duct-taping the drummer's wallet to the snare.

I prefer to record digitally, and dump tracks to analog as an effect. You're not going to lose the best characteristics of digital, and have a choice of how hard to saturate the tape after the fact.

[postingoldtapes]

@TheOrderoftheOwl Don't forget too that the players are different. I did sound for Ray Charles in the 80s, and he wanted to recapture the sound of his big band from the 60s. Only vocal mics. The problem is the young players really did not know how to play quietly in a band like the 60s guys did (who learned from the players of the '40s). So I had to sneak a mic in under his piano after sound check (which was a shitty thing to do to a blind man, but what can you do?)

[tubular618]

Sounds expensive.

[tubular618]

This thing on?

[deadbirdsings]

I would agree with the commentators here who say that Neumann mics are overpriced, but OTOH, Chinese-made mics, with few exceptions, make my ears bleed.

[coffeeairplane]

I find it odd that the BGM done in the video was recorded without any microphones at all.

[skarbu]

damn...i wish i had that capsule, i would build the rest :(

[TheoTsanas]

Thanks for the handy steps. Just made mine.

[milesgaines]

@TheoTsanas hows the quality? i want to make mine

[BSanders2088]

I would kill for tha mic

[souldogdave]

Funny thing about the U87 mic. There are other mics that might give you a certain sound without the other tracks that might sound better. But when you want to set the vocal into the mix, that's where the U87 earns it's usage/popularity in the professional realm. As far as the "simplicity" of the capsule, no one in the world makes them close to Neumann, except maybe Thiersch, who is ex-Neumann from way back and does only custom work.No-one puts a Peluso capsule in a real Neumann.U87.

[djk2ugc]

Wow!

[sepillin81]

hey guys, my microphone is getting rusty on the metal casing area ...what kind of cleanig product should i use?....answer please. thanx

[StarChildGME]

Ok so after watching this video many times, I'm still stuck with the question of why does this mic cost sooo much??

[whatthehellimbored]

the jz black hole mic kicks this mics ass

[Michael55443]

The U87 is a standard in the music industry, but it's not the best sounding mic ever made. I've certainly heard better and heard worse. Some of the better I've heard are cheaper than the U87. It's all preference really. The U87 doesn't shine on 100% of what you put it on.

[droid740]

Yeah, you can get some stunning audio just using a room full of bookshelves to eat unwanted crap. And out of tune is out of tune. Plus after all this german brlliance, if it goes through a lousy preamp, you lost all your benefits. Record with your ears, not your wallet.

[simonbjr18]

@lafterlife Who said that, that I didn't hear how this mic sounds like? I said: the U87 has a crappy sound without eq and compression...(and it's very expensive too...)/I think you hear that too!/

But if you don't, please, visit a doctor, for an ear research! If you don't have the passion for your job, to experiment with other mics you are just copying... and thats not PASSION! Buy all the equipment, buy all the expensive mic if you want... But don't call your self a "real" engineer... :)

[dhyphenBils]

The holy grail of mics

[TargaryenX]

anyone else notice how the background music was most obviously created in reason? concert grand piano + brush kit lol

[JamRecords2009]

Дедушка Мороз, подари мне такой на новый год!

[UrbanMuzikVEVO]

Nice Microphone. Someday ill have it too!!! someday...

[eerereps]

wow! this thing is actually a turn on! - sooooo sexy! every mic is hand crafted!

[jampop77]

best mic ever!

[foztee]

love that mic.. 

[gillenpantera]

these are great mic's but if you want a great sound for less money and arguably better quality check out the AKG solid tube.

to me the solid tube sounds better on guitars and vocals but the solid tube is cardioid only, the u 87 does cardioid, omni and figure 8 ...so try out both they are great

[heroineworshipper]

Only in Germany can this precise, intricate, manual assembly be done. Still can't believe all that work goes into a transistor based mic.

[coolbraz]

holy shit this looks amazing

[wildhard]

made in china or malaysia or japan

[faji187]

@wildhard its Made in germany

[JFreshsounds]

a 4000$ piece..

[ricturtle]

These microphones are normally used for studio, I used one for live...... for miking up an accapella Group. It did not need much tweaking and it sounded awesome. Each to his own. i swear by them others may not and use something else.

[Theshamham]

id blow someone for that thing.

[ytxcg]

Anyone know which is the expensive part that makes the mic cost 4 grand? or is it just overpriced?

[heylookimswedish]

Neumann, woho! The best michrophones in the world, handmade and comes in a wooden box. Now THAT'S classy. I want one!

[kingklick77]

i want mine now

[superiorsoundstudio]

I love the haters out there. Ive come to find that the people who dont have one or cant afford one simply hate. All you need to do is go to gearslutz low end section to see the haters. This mic is a great mic not for everything but no mic is. Ive had 2 for about 4 years as well as a c800 and they are all great for specific apps.

[BestivalFan]

WOW, lets hear it for Microphones?!

[DormagenInk]

i got one and its awsome :-)

[tsironakos]

I find more attractive the TLM103 and 102 models and they cost like 10 times less.

[Jesseprit]

Now that was a good documentary. I learned some new words like Carousel, Anechoic. Sveet!

[brandon3459]

fuck this! i dont want a history on this shit just give a fucking review cock fuck

[xorezx1]

F'N COOOOOOOOOL!!!!

[aleciocosta]

Get a TLM193. Much cheaper and it has that great sound Neumann is famouse for. Forget the TLM103 for vocals. It tends to add sibilance on most vocals. Well..this is my opinion...

[BelaliandSevdali]

very nice

[mr2000jp]

you can get a 99% or a 98% voice quality for a lot less than that so why spend 3000$ on just the mic , i can build a whole studio with this amount of money

[SOUTHBOUNDTRAPBOYZ]

its 3000 dolllars but very rare microphone but just made out of metal lol

[LuminolBlue]

Nice vid.

[GeorgeBrooks09]

$7,000

Don't think so matey!

[simonbjr18]

Yeah... but why this mic is the best? I've listened to it (without any compression, and eq...) and it sounds horrible... for that price... :-( so you spend a lot of money for a mic, and for a good channelstrip? Give me a break... :-D okay... it has a smoth character... so what? I don't get it...:-(

[postingoldtapes]

@simonbjr18 See my earlier comment that people should shop for mics blindfolded. To a great extent, audio guys are fetishists. If you look in some studios, you wouldn't think that anything has been built since the late 60s.

My view might be prejudiced by the fact that I cannot afford to buy a $6000+ mic. But I've achieved excellent results with a $99 one. I've worked (back in the day) with microphones that have since become "classics" and it's more about where you place it than the model.

[C20rules]

@postingoldtapes

You'r so right - and many audio guys also thinks the price will change the physics. For example when they think all cheap small diaphragm microphones is crap.

My Panasonic WM61 is a lot better for my recordings where high frequency sounds often comes from all directions. It has to do with the capsule dimensions (6 mm) and that it's free, without a microphone body that distorts the sound.

The only advantage of large diaphragm mics is low noise - the other properties is poor.

[TIMOMUKKY]

@postingoldtapes so do everyone a microphone?

[BluePaisley]

@postingoldtapes - Agree totally... There are some cheaper Chinese Mics that seem to do a pretty good job! And Mic placement is everything moving it a couple inches can change the sound a lot.

[sgtpepper1138]

@simonbjr18 well, I guess engineers all around the world haven't had an issue with the sound for over 40 years.

[blilsmith]

@simonbjr18 the gold...

[griploc1981]

@simonbjr18 I believe its the character that the u87 has that keeps it so desirable. I just bought one and I think it really depends on your signal chain that the mic is going through that will truly allow the user to appreciate its quality.

[simonbjr18]

@griploc1981 Nowdays... I see your point of view! :) Everyone tries to create the "big label sound..." But I still think it's a very expensive mic... And yes... the signal chain is also an important spot. :D And I must agree, the U87 has a great speach/singing clearness... (after a bit of compression and EQ) I hope you are happy with the U87. :) And if you have results, I would be happy if you share with us. :) Best wishes. B.

[griploc1981]

@simonbjr18

I certainly will throw up a link on a song or two I will be doing with the U87 on vocals. my signal chain is U87-mogami gold 2534 quad cable with neutric connectors-avalon M4 or UA 610 solo or both-mogami gold 2534 quad cable with neutric connectors-apogee ensemble-protools. i will post soon!! so you know i do hip hop/r and b music and record anything from rock to classic.

[simonbjr18]

@griploc1981 Nice gears! :-o

[griploc1981]

@simonbjr18 to hear an audio sample of the U87 type MIMS FT GRIPLOC- Winters My Summer(3rd verse is me) or MIMS FT GRIPLOC - Vroom Vroom(2nd Verse is me) feedback is appreciated! or you can take a listen to them both in higher quality at my reverbnation website linked on my youtube homepage, just click on my name griploc1981, CHEERS!

[sifs4]

@simonbjr18 That's a really silly comment to make man. If you've heard a proper recording of virtually anything with a Neumann U87 sit in a professional mix through a good set of monitors you would see why it has its reputation. There is no question that it's incredible how decent the cheap ones have gotten, and the gap has certainly closed a little, but the U87 is still mountans better. The U87 sounded horrible you say? What were you listening to it through? Who recorded what with it///

[enacra101]

@sifs4 when you think about it, most high end gear, even though much better most of time, only shows its true potential through extremely expensive monitors and listening rooms, which 99.5% of the masses do no have... which is why in recent times low fi recording in indie has caught on so much, since low end is getting better most people can barely tell the difference anymore besides trained professionals.

[sifs4]

@enacra101 you certainly have a point, and re-reading my own comment I can't believe I spelled mountains without the i XD or the fact that I wrote that the gap has closed a little, it has closed a lot. But i still think that the public would notice if all the recording studios started using budget gear. but all of this goes to show that its the people more than it is the gear...

[chrisgr00ver]

@enacra101 ignorance is bliss!

[darksith36]

@simonbjr18 YA ITS ALL BULLSHIT OVER PRICED CRAP.



[chrisgr00ver]

@darksith36 This video doesn't explain why the microphone is better than anything else. Theres a point where the human ear can't tell the difference anymore.

so yea, its all over priced bs. :D

[darksith36]

@chrisgr00ver Yes i overreacted ,I'm sure its good but really the reason is because so many people praised it,and pro studio's over the years only wanted them, jacking up the price so i don't blame them when this happened for charging so much.

[chrisgr00ver]

@darksith36 i was totally in the weirdest way agreeing with you though. in some cases it is overpriced crap, but we are so conditioned to think that price = quality. I work in retail, I know how much stuff REALLY costs :) so I know whats super overpriced and whats moderately overpriced. infact im gonna check out the U87 and see what it costs.

[moproducer]

@simonbjr18 Maybe not the best, but for many, preferred. Nowadays you can buy a very good mike for $250, and there are dozens of names. When I got into the biz, it was Neumann, AKG, Beyer, Sennheiser, Shoeps, RCA...that was about it. A U87, as seen in this vid, was considered a poor replacement for a U67 back in the 70s. I'd still take an M49, U47 or KM86 over a U87. But times have changed, and I'm surprised how well my $100 MXL performs. Not as good as a U87, but for the money...

[SonicOrbStudios]

Looks like the U87, an outstanding mic

[LeX93100]

Интересное видео, спасибо автору!

[videosouthafrica]

and the speech on this recording is so awsome .... so clear ... Neumann win by far .... im gonna buy me a dozen

[RythmTR]

@videosouthafrica you say that on every neuman video?

[EricHYSBMach]

@videosouthafrica

but there was absolutely no deesser in their processing chain, those ess's were raping my ears.

[elite2437]

he didnt say 7k he said several! that doesnt mean 7 it means more than 3!

[crackshotnoodles]

not quite 7k! but still one Pioneer of a mic!

[Shifftee]

2Pac Recorded His "All Eyez On Me" Album Uzin' Dis Mic...

[blindboyblake]

ha, think someone could actually make there own?

[eggory]

Haha i love how they completely gloss over the most interesting part of the making of a microphone. "they put these metals together in such an such a way for whatever reason who cares.. then they add the DEFINING ELEMENT OF THE MICROPHONE.. then"

[postingoldtapes]

Seriously though, if you've taken a microphone apart, they really are that simple. Also, this is for a general interest TV show, not a special-interest audio program.

[audiotrax2000]

That's it?? When you see what it's made of, it shouldn't be that hard to reproduce. My iphone is way more complicated and it cost only a fraction of that.

[MikeyTSH]

Actually, it's quite odd watching this when you know what REALLY goes on - this is far over simplified. Obviously it was done for the audience, but still...

[beardyman9]

Great Vid but why does this guy say sodder instead of solder?

[bassphase]

Because that's how it's pronounced--the "L" is silent

[postingoldtapes]

Right. Although it may be an American pronouncation, I've been soldering for 30+ years, and it's always been "sodder".

[tooosweeet]

why is this 10 times as expensive as other similiar mics? quality control, materials?

[CALICOTV301]

Sound and performance quality, durability, and name

[CALICOTV301]

But how much this mic is really worth?

Probably $10 bucks at the most. They take it and sell it to you for 1000s.

[rivercraig]

@CALICOTV301 You pay for products, craftsmanship, design and innovation not parts.

[bellumcarmen]

Similar mics cost the same. Such us AKG C12VR etc. ''Similar'' means to me ''the same quality''

There are several qualities in condeser mics. This is one of the best. Even thought, you can't tell that is the best mic generally. The ''best'' depends on your needs.

[romanoskar]

It might seem expensive, but when you look at a studio where the rest of the signal chain is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars - the microphones price is very moderate in context.

When you record the goal is not to reproduce the natural sound exactly, but to make it blend into the other audio sources in the most desirable way.

That could mean that sometimes a technically inferior microphone will be better suited for some situations.

[dudewhosaysarrh]

@romanoskar Thats the3 main reason why Motörheads Lemmy still uses a Shure SM 57 as a vocal mic. They are most commonly used as pickup mics fur guitar amps.

[romanoskar]

What you're paying for is not so much the build quality and materials, it's decades of design, and a unique sound characteristic.

That said, the U87 being - one of the or the - most expensive production microphone is still on the expensive said... But the target audience would pay even more.

There are a lot of manufacturers that say their products sounds 'like' neumann - but not only do they fail to reproduce the sound - much more dragically they fail to sound unique which makes them useless.

[experiment0003]

yea... but the u87 is still moderately priced compared to u67, which goes for about $8,000 used on eBay.

OR the Neumann U47, which you'd be extremely lucky to find for $10,000.

OR the Telefunken U47 and the Original AKG C12, which you won't even find anywhere lol.

OR the Sony C800g ($7,000).

[adamangler]

longevity bitch

[1060893]

The real question is : How much do the workers get paid to do this?

[CALICOTV301]

cents probably

[duncaninchina]

A work of art and just as expensive 8-((

[staplepod]

Is this off of "How It's Made"?

[gutterchrist]

im pretty sure it is

[sonego82]

and how much does it cost?

[postingoldtapes]

Too. Damn. Much.

There is a lot of fiddly work in this, but honestly I can't say that there is any less in a $300 Rode microphone.

[VanSensei]

Depends. Brand new, like, $3000.

[Kado7467]

2500-3000 euro

[12khmi]

I cant believe how simple the capsule is.

[icallyournames]

Yeah! But it took ages of research...

[LuGMZth]

que belleeezaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa­aaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

[notrombones]

I want one!!!!!!!!

[Linksimpson]

Great VId, thanks for that!

[LILYAIG]

dang, i cant afford this mic. close to $4000 i dont have that much money so im trying to sing, but i cant get a good mic. all the good ones are outragously priced.

[postingoldtapes]

Here's a suggestion: Visit a cooperative dealer. Have them set up an array of mics in a quiet room at a wide range of prices. Have them all run into a mixer. Then, try them one at a time listening through headphones. And here's the tricky bit - do it with a blindfold on and with nobody giving you any clues what mic you are singing onto at any time.

I predict that you'll find any number of mics in the $300 and under range that will sound amazing.

[dhampex]

LOL I wish there was a DIY U 78 posted .I love this mic along with the U47!!!! Ultimate Mic!!!

[darealkeen]

The Neumann U87 is one of our favorite microphones to use at Phantom City Studio.

Every recording studio should have at least one Neumann U87 and one Avalon mic pre to match.

Thank you for the video!

[TheGibbousPhase]

Wow...this is really cool. Never seen this episode.

[myspacecomgjoneto]

my favorite mic in the world...thanks for posting this up...i always wondered how they made it.

[postingoldtapes]

Hopefully there is enough detail in the video so you can make your own! :-)

[faisalm1991]

cool

[mediawest]

cool