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MK-U47
May 27, 2016 17:59:11 GMT -6
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Post by indiehouse on May 27, 2016 17:59:11 GMT -6
Does anyone have experience with the MK-U47 compared to the like of a Flea or Bock?
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Post by yotonic on May 27, 2016 18:23:21 GMT -6
I had an early Flea and I loved it. What I discovered I liked about it the most was Ivan's capsule design. I've owned just about every type of U47 Neumann, Telefunken and on and on. As a singer I'm always looking for that sweet spot in the low mids of my vocal register and Ivan has his own backplate design on the F7 capsule that I found had a little more extension which I like. So I used his F7 capsule in my MK-U47 build and I love my MK-U47. I'm glad I didn't sell it, which I almot did a few weeks ago to buy back an old Neumann of mine. I need to stop drinking Cabernet.
I might have a comparison of the MK47 with Flea capsule and my old long body Neumann. I'll look.
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MK-U47
May 27, 2016 18:37:38 GMT -6
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Post by indiehouse on May 27, 2016 18:37:38 GMT -6
I had an early Flea and I loved it. What I discovered I liked about it the most was Ivan's capsule design. I've owned just about every type of U47 Neumann, Telefunken and on and on. As a singer I'm always looking for that sweet spot in the low mids of my vocal register and Ivan has his own backplate design on the F7 capsule that I found had a little more extension which I like. So I used his F7 capsule in my MK-U47 build and I love my MK-U47. I'm glad I didn't sell it, which I almot did a few weeks ago to buy back an old Neumann of mine. I need to stop drinking Cabernet. I might have a comparison of the MK47 with Flea capsule and my old long body Neumann. I'll look. Cool. Don't you have the MK47, not the MK-U47? Different body/headbasket & different transformer?
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Post by yotonic on May 27, 2016 19:05:48 GMT -6
I haven't kept up with whatever Max is up to with his design, so I don't know if he has a different body & headbasket. But body and headbasket don't mean much seriously, unless you're just into playing around with gear which I have been guilty of.
Mine is "basically" like everything else I have owned except maybe the Neumann, whose bodies are always nothing to write home about. Capsule, circuit design, build quality, power supply, cables. That's the only stuff I pay attention to.
At the risk of sounding jaded, I really don't hear any noticeable difference anymore in any of the 47 variants. (I used to waste A LOT of time with that, so I sympathize, but it's a fools errand)
Now that I'm older and more experienced I can do more for a singers vocal and my own, through technique than a microphone. And even more through a good rewrite LOL.
You can sound great on so many microphones today if you have a good singer with good technique and self awareness. The MOST important thing is not picking the right microphone, but picking the right key or register for the singer and the right song. You won't get those low warm mids if the hook is dropping on the notes that fall in the wrong part of a singers register. It's a big waste of time. More often than not I can't even stand to listen to most writers tracks if the song is poorly composed and the singing sub par. No gear can turn a dandelion into a rose. Nonetheless I like having a MK47 and a Neve in my writing studio because it makes me feel good. Until I have to play the scratch track for someone and I am jolted back to an embarassing reality.
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kcatthedog
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MK-U47
May 27, 2016 19:29:47 GMT -6
Post by kcatthedog on May 27, 2016 19:29:47 GMT -6
hmm Tony C and cat5 could weigh in way more knowledgeably than me here but I think max's 2 47s, mk-47 and mk-u47 have some significant differences with the mk-u47 being arguably a more authentic recreation. Electronic typology semantics aside , due to the 2 tube vs 1 tube design, my understanding is that everything else in the mk-u47 is an exact replica of the original mk-u47 schematic/design and with a flea head basket.
I know peeps love their mk-47s too so I am not putting those mikes down at all.
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Post by yotonic on May 27, 2016 19:50:52 GMT -6
Max gave me a similar pitch when I had Toby Foster build my 2 tube MK47. Maybe the new one is even a closer recreation but honestly that doesn't mean much in my experience. I like my MK47 better than the vintage Neumann 47 I owned, the Neumann sounded retro and compressed. Ultimately you want to find something that inspires you in your work. And the ONLY place in my life that I've even heard head baskets discussed is on forums (which I enjoy) and it's pretty much amongst guys like us who enjoy shooting the shit about shades of grey - and nothing wrong with that.
Amongst musicians and people making records for a living it rarely comes up. "try that 47 in the cabinet, nope throw the u87 back up not sure what it's doing but it just sounds better". NO ONE is talking about head baskets, capsules and circuits. But then that's not really the point here, I understand that. This forum is for shooting the shit and the pleasure of pursuit, and I also enjoy and respect that. That said, the best sounding U47 I have ever owned was an Andreas Grosser Voxorama with M7 capsule. But the guy I bought it from didn't feel the same way LOL!!!
Get a good mic but focus on making good music and recordings or the magic hour will pass you by.
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Post by kcatthedog on May 28, 2016 6:38:30 GMT -6
I am most interested in trying to write good songs and learning how to better record them and how to best use my limited gear (not having a mike locker with 50 mikes or whatever). Better understanding the characteristic of the mikes/gear and some of the why they sound the way they do, is important to me. So I picked the studio 939 C12 build with the Campbell cap and max's mk-u47 with the Thiersh blue line, believing that the would give me two very good recreations of two premier mikes, ironically for the reason that you state: " Get a good mic but focus on making good music and recordings or the magic hour will pass you by. ", so then I could learn to use them and forget about the details Over the last 3 years, I have read many different opinions, all valid, about why everybody prefers their particular 47 build. I think its now abut 10 different 47 builds; I conclude they are all right , if their mike works in their application. As max's mike's are essentially provided to the diy community, I think it probable that the majority of those builders are interested in the details , as opposed to just buying a mike. I am pragmatic too and was actually just responding to the question from indiehouse about the differences between the two mikes, as he and I had been discussing the mk-u47 mike offline. Prior to buying max's mk-u47 kit, I did a fair bit of research and actually the head basket is big part of why the original 47 sounds the way it does. I have seen graphs of the freq response of the capsule by itself and with the head basket on and the head basket completely alters the sound of the mike. If someone simply wants a good sounding mike that works for them and their workflow, (pro or amateur) just find one that does and don't worry about the technicalities. If one is interested in a very good recreation of the original 47, then I think these details do matter to that person, but I do agree wth you that mikes are really just tools and simply use one that works for you. And, of course, now we have the new slate vms and pros saying they can't tell the difference between the real mike (47) and the slate plug: it never ends.
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MK-U47
May 28, 2016 8:03:13 GMT -6
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Post by indiehouse on May 28, 2016 8:03:13 GMT -6
I guess my question is more about the differences between the likes of a Flea or Bock compared to the MK-U47, given their price difference. If one is capable of DIY, then it seems like the MK-U47 would be the way to go if one was after a 'no compromise, high-end' U47. Is that a fair statement? Just kinda wondering out loud if there would be any regrets choosing the MK-U47 over the Flea/Bock/etc builds?
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MK-U47
May 28, 2016 8:22:48 GMT -6
Post by Martin John Butler on May 28, 2016 8:22:48 GMT -6
Oh boy, the mic that suits me perfectly that enables me and inspires me to sing better costs $3,500.
My budget topped out at $2,000, so basically until I can get to that higher price point, I'm screwed. No matter how good my current mic is, and it is really, really good.
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MK-U47
May 28, 2016 9:57:14 GMT -6
Post by kcatthedog on May 28, 2016 9:57:14 GMT -6
I understod your question in 3 years of reading these different mike threads never saw one person who had all three of these 47
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Post by yotonic on May 28, 2016 13:22:56 GMT -6
I guess my question is more about the differences between the likes of a Flea or Bock compared to the MK-U47, given their price difference. If one is capable of DIY, then it seems like the MK-U47 would be the way to go if one was after a 'no compromise, high-end' U47. Is that a fair statement? Just kinda wondering out loud if there would be any regrets choosing the MK-U47 over the Flea/Bock/etc builds? There are definite differences. But in my experience the "main" use for buying any one of those microphones is vox. If that's the case then the differences that you probably want to know about are the "audible differences". These audible differences can come not only from the parts used but the quality of the build and the power supply, which is why MK-U47s can sound different. But generally, in my personal experience of using 47s, the thing that I noticed that seperated a $7,500 mic from a $3,500 one was a density, and subtle euphonic sound. I found that with the Neumann I owned there was almost this built in compression on the voice that I have only ever experienced on a real TFunk 251. But that wasn't always something I liked or needed for my "personal use" (meaning my vox). But on some female artists I used it with it sounded freaking glass. The other characteristic that I called "density" is most closely related to what one hears with high quality conversion, where you notice more content, not necessarily detail, just more captured. This characteristic became so negligible in a mix that it became a luxury I'm not sure anyone would ever notice by the time your track reaches itunes. If I was recording Diana Krall then it would be worth it. My advice is to demo all of the microphones you mentioned if you care that much, it's easy to do today.
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Post by sozocaps on May 28, 2016 13:38:13 GMT -6
THIS makes me want a u47...
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