Microphone Cost to Performance Tipping Point

"You traded the bluesmobile for a microphone?!? Ok, I can see that." Lol

If they were to want a real U47 I'm pretty sure I could supply one or two - if they didn't totally balk at the rental cost. But since most of them don't get past the cost of tape I don't think it's likely.

Both of mine sound similar, but I'll check them out again this weekend.  That is a good thought.  

Within their line, I really liked Warm's WA-47 and WA-414. (251's are not the best match on me). The U47-ish AA CM48T though, seems quite the bargain!
Chris

You can hear the Atlantis 387 used as a room mic at the 50 second mark in this video. Of course, it depends on how good the room sounds. The Atlantis is a good all purpose mic. 

I haven't used any of the AA mics I'm afraid.   Last I knew they were all small variants of the same CCDA circuit with capsules voiced to approximate the sonic vibe of their namesakes.  I think they're on the clean side and, by most reports, quite solid.  I have a Stellar CM-5, which is the same mic as AA's CM12 but with a resistor clipped.  It's a pretty nice mic, certainly for the money.  The AA stuff costs more but you get Dave along with it who supports his products well.  

The Warm stuff is trying to copy more of the layout and colour of the originals (though they're not identical circuits I don't think).  Different aims though.  I've heard the WA87, the WA47 and the WA84 and I found all of them solid.  You could spend more and do worse in my view.  

I recently sold my Manley Ref C and I don't miss it. I was never THAT impressed by its sound and I had sibilance issues with it on my voice. I am getting by with my trusty sm7b and a cheap blue Spark that i got for free. For some reason the spark always sounds great on my voice (baritone). It's not the prettiest sounding mic, kind of metallic but it always works for my voice. My chain is usually Mic > BAE 1073mp > Distressor. I figure I could buy 2 or 3 midrange mics for the price of a flagship mic like a vintage U87 (i.e. WA-251, WA-47 & a WA-87) and have all the flavors available. But is it worth it? The search goes on...

Here is the problem with this discussion it’s not a about the price it’s about the voice and the particular mic. I know voices that do sound killer on generic the China mic of the month club, others that the SM7b out shines the Holy Grail mics. Some where a 57 is what you want to hear.
Chase what works best for you in the budget you can afford don’t get caught in chasing a specific type of clone, because what a 67 brings to the party on you may just be what’s lacking in that cheap clone.

Of course there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ mic. But surely everyone has a mic or two they see as their ‘workhorse’. A good studio all a rounder.

Hey Jacob,

I’d personally put the CM48T in the same category as Warm’s WA47. They are probably a little sonically different and both fairly solid, but neither one is going to match something like a FleA 47.  When Advanced Audio let me demo the CM48T I already owned their CM12, CM251, CM67LE (with custom vintage mode) and CM49 all of which I have sold over the years. Without a doubt my favorite was the CM49. Its a little more open and lacks the low end of my FleA 49, but without a was a solid offering that I only sold after getting my FleA 49 and only to help fund my TLM170, which as a classical artist makes sense to have. All of the AA mics share similar tube circuits. AA uses different transformers, capsules, tubes, and circuit tweaking to dial in the sound of each mic. They are generally cleaner sounding than their vintage counterparts and have less low end.  They are also not generally harsh on top, but a bit more open than their vintage counterparts. I honestly used the AA mics to help me dial in “my sound” so I knew what I really wanted in the high end market.

When I received the CM48T to demo jtc111 came by with his FleA 47 to try all my AA mics as he was looking for a workhorse mic that was another sonic option to work with his FleA 47 on mid side recordings, etc. We put up a bunch of mics that day and both had some fun. I did a few shootouts with it, the first of which I posted as a video a couple of months ago. 



I think you can can really hear the quality of both the CM49 and CM48T in the video and next to the FleA 47 and my U87ai. Jim and I both felt that the CM48T was more modern sounding than the FleA with less beef in the low mids and less low end all together. I do have some other clips I haven’t posted of it.  I had previously owned a Peluso 2247SE and felt the CM48T wasn’t as bright in a good way, but also didn’t have that bigger than life sound as either the Peluso or the FleA. That said, with a little EQ it was easy to dial a bit of that in. Also, at $599 it’s an amazingly priced microphone. I’ve said it on RGO before, if I had an opportunity to record a big ensemble; orchestral or big band, a pair of these would be great little tools, especially as they come with a built in pad and roll off.   I actually tried to get humblecomposer  over to try it on trumpet, but he was too busy at the time. I felt it could really shine on trumpet, especially with the smooth top end. You just can’t expect to be buying a U47. It’s certainly 47ish, but it’s definitely priced where it should be in today’s modern budget clone market.

Another quick note, after the shoot out Jim chose not to grab an AA mic, but picked up the Lauten Atlantis as his workhorse mic instead. I know he’s really happy with it and with 3 voicings it might be a good choice as a good workhorse. If you really want a 47ish or 67ish mic the best bang for your buck would be a custom build, the only issue with them would be resale if you ever want to upgrade down the road.