Best Voice Over Mic for Women? It's Not That Simple

Is there actually such a thing as the best voice-over microphone for women?

It sounds like a simple question, but once the Pro Audio Suite starts pulling it apart, things get much more interesting.

This week, George, Robert, and AP look at why choosing a microphone based on whether the talent is male or female probably misses the point entirely. What matters far more is what the voice is actually doing.

Is it bright or dark? Sibilant? Mid forward? Deep and chesty? Does it have a lot of mouth noise? And does the microphone complement those characteristics, or simply exaggerate them?

The crew gets into why a bright voice may benefit from a smoother or darker microphone, why a big baritone does not necessarily need even more bottom end, and why certain microphones can sound fantastic on one voice and downright horrible on another.

Along the way they get into the Sennheiser 416, RØDE NTG3 and NTG5, Austrian Audio OC818 and CC8, Audio Technica AT4047SV, Neumann U47, U67, U87 and TLM 149, ribbon microphones, the Gefell M930, Grace M101 and even the dark art of matching microphones with preamps.

They also look at how much you can fix with a little sympathetic EQ, why ribbons can sometimes be a brilliant solution for bright or aggressive voices, and why auditioning a few microphones on your own voice, in your own space, still beats buying something because somebody on the internet called it "the best".

In this episode

• Why there really isn't a "male mic" or "female mic"

• Matching the microphone to the characteristics of the voice

• Bright and sibilant voices versus darker microphones

• Why deep voices don't necessarily need more bass

• The 416 versus the RØDE NTG3 and NTG5

• Why the Austrian Audio OC818 makes a compelling desert island VO mic

• The AT4047SV and transformer character

• Why an expensive U87 can sound awful on the wrong voice

• Using ribbon microphones for difficult or aggressive vocal tones

• Condenser versus dynamic microphones for voice over

• How microphone transient response can expose mouth noise

• Matching microphones and preamps

• Why auditioning microphones is still the smartest way to choose

Sponsor and Production Credits

Thanks to our sponsors

Tri-Booth
The portable VO booth that works. Save $200 with code TRIPAP200.

Austrian Audio
Making Passion Heard.

Recorded using Source Connect.
Edited by Andrew Peters.
Mixed by Robbo.
Tech support from George the Tech Whittam.

Got your own audio problems?
justaskrobbo.com

Join the conversation, suggest a topic or just say g'day at:

theproaudiosuite.com