Neumann Microphones: The Secret to Exceptional Sound Quality Revealed

[@Tony-Stockport]

Year ago an audio engineer friend of mine bought a neumann second hand from Germany for a lot of money. It arrived, he hooked it all up and it sounded terrible. He got in touch with the seller straightaway and was told that it needed to be switched on for a couple of days before use (perhaps dehumidifying from transport). Three days later he hooked it up again and got the best sound he'd ever heard. 'Worth every penny.' There is a reason why they're so expensive and that is quality.

[@pirojfmifhghek566]

I am so jealous that you got to go over there and spend time with all of that really cool tech. Through this whole video all I could think was "man, if I ever won the lottery..." Would an anechoic chamber be good for recording music? No way, but I wanna play around with one anyway. I'd waste all day making "pillow forts" out of reflective surfaces, just to see what kinds of effects I could create. Like what if I surrounded myself with metal bars or crystal class bowls with a resonant frequency in the mode that I'm playing in? Damn, I think I got some drool on my shirt.

[@AudioUniversity]

I felt the same way: “I wish they’d let me just spend a day with this thing!” Too bad there wasn’t time for that to happen… Thanks for watching.

[@victortitov1740]

there is one free (mostly) anechoic chamber - The Outside. It's free, and good, but most of the time, it decides to not play nice, as in: rain, wind, thunder, cars, airplanes, birds.... In terms of being anechoic, it is almost as perfect as it gets, as in, it has only one reflection (from the ground), which can be either accounted for, or eliminated by placing either the source or the microphone on the ground.

[@isaacsitiakalaabwenje]

Very Inspiring to learn how to measure microphones and make sure that you Achieve quality sound during your Gig.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching, Isaac!

[@isaacsitiakalaabwenje]

@@AudioUniversity You are my Tuitors

[@critterpurush2684]

Very Nice work Carl! Thank you for providing such great content!

[@MedicineofSound]

Most of these comments are from people who do not own Neumann or what? 😅 Thank you for continually educating me. I am such a newbie and everything you share helps to piece together my confused and overwhelmed mind. In my eyes you are an savant and I appreciate every one of your videos! And your program is amazing so far too 🎉

[@RichardHerczeg]

what

[@cosmo11cosmo21]

this is fascinating, such great questions.

[@korkenknopfus]

Very interesting. Thank you!

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad you found it interesting! Thanks for watching!

[@BlueBeeMCMLXI]

This is how I would like my mind to be... Especially in the path of social media. Another pearl of an episode! Interesting editing of human speech - the video just drank 13 cups of coffee and ran up a flight of stairs.

[@lawrencegreenwood4002]

This is actually a great example of how dead environments sound bizarre. Great video though, thank you.

[@AudioUniversity]

Great point, Lawrence! I did a full video on this type of room here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3qVnWClncmpjNk

[@mikemahlenbrei5559]

What came first, the measurement microphone or the speaker ha! Real Chicken and egg situation

[@Sherolox]

This video just taught me what Free Field means. Huh. Never bothered to look it up before for whatever reason.

[@donepearce]

I was expecting a demo of a test run.

[@AudioUniversity]

Sorry to disappoint! Hopefully you found the discussion valuable!

[@donepearce]

@@AudioUniversity It was a good discussion. Maybe some day some depth - like how the set of measurements gets integrated into the "sound" of the microphone in a real space. This is, after all, what we buy.

[@RichardHerczeg]

Microtek Geffell is the last microphones I could afford. Bought them when the Berlin Wall fell. The old man was a very good engineer. I'd like to try newer Neumann mic one day. They're supposed to be very good. Hard to know between the marketing, fandom, mythology, etc.

[@emergingloki]

Hello Neumann! (©Podcastage. No challenge intended or implied) 😂

[@davidhiggen3029]

I have heard it said that any loudspekaer introduces at least a few percent of distortion. Which seems plausible since it's a physical non-linear system. So we do seem to have a chicken-and-egg problem of how do we make really accurate acoustic measurements? A small-disgrphram condenser mic might get close, but what would be a 'gold standard' at the level of serious physics? Not really a problem for audio work, of course... just curious!

[@SolarSteveW]

Hmmm... I think he's using the mikes in that black head for the sound on his video.

[@AudioUniversity]

That’s right!

[@pywidem5823]

Nice job on your side, but there isn’t really any specific insight. Microphone measurement is something companies like Lewitt do, too. So what makes this special, what stands out?

[@AudioUniversity]

You're right that most companies test their microphones. The difference is the standard for passing that test. (i.e. there's a big difference between a tolerance of +/- 1 dB versus +/- 6 dB) A smaller tolerance for error means that more resources must go into producing the products. So, more units will not pass the tests, which requires more resources for refinement until they do pass. All tests are not created equally.

[@number6photo]

I was waiting for a jab at the flat-earthers during the explanation of how a really large sphere can appear as a flat plane … 😏

[@chinmeysway]

I mean I’m sure all companies test their products. Still seems unjustified to pay crazy money for a noymann if it’s mostly just prestige and subtle midrange bump. I love supporting smaller companies besides. But great convo/ intro into some things.

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Most companies test their products, of course. But the standards play a big part in the quality and price. Neumann has VERY low tolerance for the quality of their mics, meaning that the tests must show a smaller margin for error than other companies might accept in order for them to send out a product. Don't get me wrong - there is definitely an element of brand and prestige that goes into the price, but there is also a high standard of quality behind that brand and prestige.

[@georgeogrady449]

If you useing 1 Meg to 5 mag

[@gurt-tkoft]

How do they calibrate measurement microphones? It's turtles all the way down 😅

[@georgeogrady449]

Be different each speaker different watts won't have same reading

[@tcttvradio]

Jesus you said Sennheiser in a Neumann vid, rookie marketing mistake. Always stay on their brand and never mention the opposition when you are getting face time with a brand. I love my Neumann bcm 705

[@AudioUniversity]

Neumann and Sennheiser microphones are produced at the same facility. Neumann was acquired by Sennheiser in 1991.

[@jonasweiss5817]

Secret? Revealed? No such content here. So I ask, what makes their mics so special?

[@AudioUniversity]

This conversation and visit taught me that one important secret is to run rigorous testing with very small tolerance for variations between each microphone and to place the careful attention of a skilled and experienced human on each microphone instead of automated machines.

[@silkroad1201]

I still think their mics are overhyped and overpriced

[@tcttvradio]

If you record radio ads on one for years you'd never change, i love using them, definitely overpriced though but good luck building one by hand under $1000..

[@aledum1815]

Cheers.

[@AudioUniversity]

Cheers, @aledum1815!