Electro-Voice RE20 Broadcast Microphone

[@The-Logician]

I am convinced these microphone tests are merely a ruse for Curtis to show off with his Pickled Purple Peppers and She Sells Sea Shells linguistic mastery. Keep up the good work Curtis.

[@curtisjudd]

Haha! You exposed my secret! Thanks for coming by!

[@Podcastage]

Merry Christmas Curtis! Thank you for sharing your great videos with us.

[@curtisjudd]

Merry Christmas, Bandrew! 🎄

[@williamburkholder769]

I have had the RE-20 microphone since 1980. Your review is spot-on. It has always been my first choice as a narrator of video and AV programs through the years. I first "met one" in a radio studio, where we also had Shure SM-7 (the original) and Sennheiser MD-421U mics, along with an AKG D200E. On my voice, the RE-20 was just right. The Shure and Sennheiser were wooly and boomy, and the AKG was thin and lacked warmth on my voiced. As you said, and I agree, the SM-7B is often better for sibilant voices. I highly recommend getting the EV Model 309 suspension shock mount for the RE-20. It drastically reduces vibration noise when using a Luxo arm mounted to a table or bench. I always liked the RE-20 for micing kick drums, because it can handle a high SPL before break-up if your console has a good input pad or trim control.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@MichaelWynneCAS]

Love the RE20 dynamic mic. It has been the broadcast & radio standard for years! I first used it back in the early 2000’s for internet radio shows ( pre podcast )Also great mic for high SPL sources such as guitar amps & kick drums!

[@curtisjudd]

Definitely a staple 👍

[@huyked]

Hi Curtis, I'm not even shopping for a mic, but it's always great to hear how balanced your reviews are, and how honest they are (and how thorough the comparisons are). I, especially, love how you mention this is my personal opinion, and "you may not feel the same", giving it a caveat, purely subjective feel. I just met a sound engineer, and I'm definitely going to recommend your channel to her. Heck, she may already know of it. Anyhow, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, if you celebrate. Cheers!

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks huyked! 🙏

[@CinePals]

I had this mic for a short time and very much preferred the SM7B. The overall quality of the SM7B not only sounded nicer to my (untrained) ears, but the noise rejection was far superior. And every little bump on the table would get picked up by the RE20 even with a shock mount. Most people don’t have the space or means to treat their rooms professionally (even with consideration to low budget options), so if one had to pick between these two microphones rather than an entry level mic like the SM58, I think the SM7B is the winner for most. Just to make my general preferences fully transparent, I wasn’t a big fan of Sennheiser MKH-416 and found the Sennheiser MKH 8050 and MKH 50 far more favorable. I understand their purposes are not the same, but for both in studio and in the wild, I liked the latter two more.

[@blaklytstudios]

This mic has the Shure SM7B sounding like a phone mic. Wow 😯

[@dryelene]

Nice to see different opinions, but welp i ordered it already, here's to hoping i like it

[@curtisjudd]

Totally depends on the voice. Glad you found which works best for yours. 🎙️

[@DiveInto]

Amazing, what a treat for Xmas eve! Managed to fit this in whilst packing the last presents for the kiddies big day tomorrow. Thanks Curtis, detail is superb as always

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks, James. Happy Christmas 🎄

[@Rivenworld]

Merry Christmas Curtis to you and your family, love the videos, all the best for 2023 🙂

[@curtisjudd]

Merry Christmas to you! 🎄

[@Enlightenment_2025]

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, Curtis! 😀

[@curtisjudd]

Merry Christmas! 🎄

[@Design4Training]

Thanks Curtis! I have a deep voice and use the RE320. It is a bit brighter but keeps the variable D off axis effect nicely and kills a lot of background noise with ease. I use the Scarlet 2i2 and find I need a Cloudlifter to keep it at a super quiet 50 percent gain. I have to speak across the end and not into it or I have to post process the base frequency. Merry Christmas! 🎄

[@curtisjudd]

👍🎙️

[@majahanson311]

I have a 320 too. I've found that to tame that brightness, you can just put a $3 foam windscreen (like the generic kind intended for stage mics like the SM58 or similar) on it. Its stretches over the head and leaves the slots on the side exposed. For such a cheap solution, it really doesn't look bad, and it helps with plosives too. It's just enough to mitigate the harshness without sacrificing too much articulation.

[@gerardhughes]

One downside to the RE20 is that they need to be re-foamed periodically,. The internal wind/pop foams turn to sticky, crumbly muck after a varying number of years and can destroy the mic capsule. Re-foaming requires not just disassembling the mic, but also unsoldering and resoldering a number of connections to allow the lower foams to be installed. EV used to offer this service but no longer does. Lots of people have RE20s with crumbling internal foams and don't realize it.

[@curtisjudd]

Interesting, thanks for the tip.

[@MyThelema]

How long would you estimate it takes before the foam starts disintegrate?

[@gerardhughes]

@@MyThelema I think it depends on heat and humidity, mine lasted for 2 decades and the foam was degrading but intact enough to remove without leaving much residue. One clue was that the plastic foam lined box it came in also had its foam degrading - The foams are not the same, but I believe that they were both polyurethane foam, and if one has degraded, there's a chance that the other has degraded because of similar timing and storage conditions.

[@MyThelema]

@@gerardhughes that’s some acceptable mileage! Thanks for the quick reply.

[@gerardhughes]

@@MyThelema I have heard of the phone degrading sooner than 20 years, though. Maybe as early as 5 years. But I don't think that's common.

[@cyberdefenseddi]

Hi Curtis, you know I like the Re20 :) awesome review of knowing the re20 for comparisons / details 😎 happy holidays to ya sir

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks and to you, Richard!

[@nimrod7785]

Thank you Curtis, it's my favourite mic for voice overs. Love it. Bumping the mic stand and the mic produced a quite good electronic like drum sound! I will definitely sample it! :D

[@curtisjudd]

There you go! Nice resonance!

[@emcollier]

The shock mount for the RE20 is the electro-voice 309a.

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks for the tip.

[@scottdelaney98]

I've used the RE20 since the early 90's for broadcast, and then more recently in a home studio. It's the perfect microphone for the beginner because it is A LOT more forgiving than a condenser mic, and because it doesn't pick up sound from behind the mic it is also more forgiving of less than perfect studio space, but STILL delivers broadcast studio quality. Spring the extra few bucks for the shock mount and pop filter and you'll never need another microphone.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@lizardkeeper100]

I can honestly say your voice was the first one I ever heard that I prefered on the SM7b over the re20. In general I prefer the re20 but for some people the sm7b just sounds better.

[@curtisjudd]

Yes, one never knows until they try their particular voice.

[@chriscutress1702]

I've used RE20's for many years in professional broadcast studios. Reliable and solid. Not the greatest sounding mic but "not" horrible in sound and texture. Solid build and can take a drop without self destructing. Works best with an aftermarket shock mount and a pop/wind screen to cut some top end harshness. Another faves are the Sennheiser 421 and 441 for certain voices but the RE20 with light EQ can sound similar to them.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@logicbees]

Thanks brother, Merry Christmas 🎁

[@curtisjudd]

🙏

[@Tipsyfr]

i have a really deep voice with alot of bass and i was told by multiple people this mic would be really good to pick it up and accenuate it

[@curtisjudd]

It picks up plenty of bass, yes.

[@wkmpellucid]

Merry Christmas to you and your family.🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

[@curtisjudd]

And to you, Keith 🎄

[@borjamar]

The RE-20 is one of the best microphones for live horns together with the MD-441. The RE-20 has become fashionable between sax players who use to bring their own, which is great.

[@curtisjudd]

🎷

[@patrickchase5614]

Terrific review as always. I think that the RE20 gets unfairly overlooked in relation to the SM-7B, especially by podcasters and similar "influencer types". I have both, and I love the RE20. I've never understood why it doesn't get as much respect from the influencer crowd as from audio pros. I also think that some condensers can work reasonably well in a noisy room if you use them very close and with low gain, and if you add an expander/gate to suppress their inherently greater sensitivity to small impulses [*]. At that point you will probably also want some EQ to deal with proximity effect (a cardioid condenser will be worse at 3" than an RE20 in my experience), so it's more of a hassle, but still easily within within what the DSP in something like an ATEM mini can handle. [*] I've always wondered if the inertia and initial resistance to motion of a dynamic capsule acts like a gate of sorts. I can convince myself from basic physics that that _should_ be the case to at some degree, but I have no idea whether it's a practically significant effect.

[@CallMeChato]

Dramatic difference between your voice using the RE20 and your cohorts. To me you sounded dramatically better with the Shure while the others I actually preferred the RE20 but that was listening on my studio headphones and concentrating. Plus I've been to about 50 rock concerts in the 70s so I can't be trusted at all. 🙂

[@curtisjudd]

I agree.

[@KTHKUHNKK]

Merry Christmas to you and have a safe one and keep up your awesome work. And thanks so much for all your help. Keith Kuhn

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks and same to you, Keith.

[@marcback1]

Thanks a lot for this video !

[@curtisjudd]

You’re most welcome!

[@joseluisruiz3789]

Great review! I do have a question, if my any chance you have a Rodecaster Pro II, have you had a chance to test the RE20 with the RCP2 with their setting? I have an RCP2 and noticed that rode has a Preset for the RE20 and the SM7B. But i have a Procaster Mic so i use the preset for that and wondering if im missing out on better audio? My Rode Procaster seems to have a bit of a nasaly sound with a bit of distortion on the higher frequencies, ive tried adjusting the EQ and it does help a bit.

[@curtisjudd]

I have. I would recommend customizing EQ for your voice and mic like you did. EQ presets are just a starting point.

[@pablomarin1746]

With the mixpre3 is necesary to add the cloudlifter?

[@curtisjudd]

No

[@hhectorlector]

Great review

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@bilebauer4593]

amazing! thank you

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@ChroniclesofGhoul]

Hey Curtis, what are your thoughts on the foam disintegration issue with the RE20?

[@curtisjudd]

Haven’t run into it yet and we’re coming up on 10 years…

[@ChroniclesofGhoul]

@@curtisjudd I sent back my SM7B and got my RE20 back from the store. Absolutely love it.

[@curtisjudd]

@@ChroniclesofGhoul 🙏

[@mohamedelshafey5559]

Can use it for voice over for tv announce?

[@curtisjudd]

Of course, yes.

[@HarunAKSAYA]

Thanks for this great video. I have a short question for you. What should be the Lufs value for the podcast, what would you recommend?

[@curtisjudd]

-16 LUFS stereo.

[@HarunAKSAYA]

​@@curtisjudd Thank you for your response.

[@bzboii]

Lots of podcasters recently been switching from the sm7b to the re20 I've noticed

[@curtisjudd]

Go to see a bit more diversity out there. I love them both for different voices.

[@thegeneral2049]

such a great mic!

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@jimshaw899]

Good comparison and samples. One issue that the RE20 seems to excel at is control of 1st reflection off a table or desk. This can add an objectionable timbre difference, and it can get annoying. Perhaps it's the EV's pickup pattern that gives it an advantage in a typical broadcast studio environment. Or, perhaps it is my imagination.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@helmanfrow]

I'll underscore the sentiment that there is no perfect mic. While I think that most broadcast mics will be good enough on a broad array voices most of the time, there are certain outlier voices which are simply incompatible with certain mics. I'm speaking from my experience with broadcast hosts I worked with regularly in a previous life. One presenter had a particularly shrill, siblant tenor which would just about take your head off on an RE27 or RE320. The station didn't have any darker mics so I had to compensate heavily with processing in his console preset.

[@John-e4p1x]

There is a perfect mic, its the neuman TLM102.

[@helmanfrow]

@@John-e4p1x Well, obviously I meant that _with the expedition of the TLM 102_ there is no perfect mic. No need for pendantry.

[@curtisjudd]

Agreed. Same in our video studio.

[@misha4422]

I get to work with a Jazz bassist at summer music festivals who loves and always asks for the RE20.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@Statist0815]

In Germany many of this classic microphones have nicknames. The nickname of this mic referes to the reproductive organ of a male elefant 😂

[@helmanfrow]

What's the word?

[@curtisjudd]

😳

[@brockmannolaf7182]

😂 Yes! Der "Elefanten-Penis"... Hatte ich schon fast vergessen.

[@teashea1]

very good presentation - I chose an RE20 instead of the Shure for my recording studio. I think it is bit better for vocals/singing.

[@curtisjudd]

👍 happy recording!

[@mylifeisbroken34]

Will the Zoom P4 be enough as a sound card? Do you have a recommended sound card?

[@curtisjudd]

Should be enough, yes.

[@ChroniclesofGhoul]

Hey Curtis, would you say if you have a very sibilant voice, you should stay away from this mic, if so, what mic in this range would you recommend?

[@curtisjudd]

I use a SHURE SM7B instead.

[@ChroniclesofGhoul]

@@curtisjudd ah ok, thanks. Do you recommend the SM7DB nowadays for the extra gain to avoid needing a cloud lifter?

[@curtisjudd]

@@ChroniclesofGhoul Depends on the preamp/audio interface/recorder that you use. Many of the latest generation preamps can supply 65dB of gain. If you're working with one of those, you probably do not need the dB version of the SM7. But if not, then yes, the SM7dB is a good idea.

[@stevetimko1461]

Any thoughts on the Electro-Voice RE27N/D not needing something like a Cloudlifter?

[@curtisjudd]

I believe it has a few more dB than the RE 20 which I needed 62 dB of gain to peak at around -12 dB. So it depends on your preamp. I’d say if yours supplies 60dB or more clean gain you’d probably not need a cloudlifter.

[@kurokid2441]

Again...I will still pick up the SM7B to be my main mic...While I also own other dynamic mics like Podmic, sE V7, M201TG. but I recently get interested in RE27, maybe I will try this out nearly.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@puddytat62]

Yes great mic. Not sure where made. But there’s lots smaller and warmer. BTW. Misspelled the word broadcast in summary

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks

[@JasonBuchanan]

if you do a review of the RE27, please turn OFF the high boost - pull the 3rd switch down toward the XLR connector. yeah, the label for the switch implies flat response when up but this was a feature for radio, not podcasts. trivia: the RE27 was Imus' preferred mic from the time it was first marketed until he retired.

[@curtisjudd]

I don’t think I’m going to. Seems like a bad idea for my sibilant voice.

[@helmanfrow]

Over my desk at the moment I have an SM7B which I bought recently and an AT4047 which I've owned for like 27 years (my God I'm old). I thought I'd be using the 7B more but I the 4047 is too good. I have a hankering to get an RE20 because somehow I've never owned one. After watching this I think maybe it's about time.

[@helmanfrow]

Also, I'd be furious to see your review of the 4047. I know it's not exactly the most common broadcast or field mic but I feel like it doesn't get enough KZbin love given it's been around for so long.

[@curtisjudd]

I’d like to try it, too.

[@chrisw5742]

AWESOME mic. EV mics are sweeeet. I have a 635 n/d-b.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@kylelowe]

I love the way the RE20 sounds, but I hate it's mount. Even the EV shock mount falls apart too easy as well. At my work, we have the RE27 and we had to get a Heil shock mount to handle the abuse of many different people handling the mic.

[@curtisjudd]

👍 Thanks for the tip.

[@aeonlancer]

Too big for me for my taste. After watching lot of videos about the MKE 600, including yours, I decided to buy one for me and I'm happy with it; although, I'm still learning to use it. Compared to those big fat creepy podcast mics, shotgun mics look stylish, I think. And if I could buy a gray Schoeps MiniCMIT, I would.

[@curtisjudd]

Glad you found a mic which suits you.

[@tom_k_d]

RE 20 has more of a baked-in sound then SM7B - while this RE20 variable-D structure is nice for spoken word, it can get in the way when recording vocals.

[@curtisjudd]

Vocals as in singing, I assume you mean?

[@tom_k_d]

@@curtisjudd Exactly - good singers tend to exploit the proximity effect for their benefit - which doesn't work with the R20: instead in proximity there is a distinct, somehow 'artifical' coloration due to the variable-D structure's interferences. But it's said to be a great mic for kick, double bass and sax. And Stevie Wonder used it on vocals, too, in a 'live' setting - as he plays the keys simultaneously and thereby moves a lot, the variable-D might even be an advantage.

[@curtisjudd]

@@tom_k_d Thanks for bringing the music perspective 👍

[@markrussell.]

I got one, ❤

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@pierre.a.2982]

I personally think the RE-20 sounds much better on you-fuller and cleaner. Of course, this is totally subjective, but it just feels right to me. Based on everything I’ve listened to so far on KZbin, the RE-20 consistently sounds more refined compared to the SM7B.

[@curtisjudd]

👍🎙

[@fixedfocusmediaofficial]

The fact that a dynamic mic failed (especially a nicer one) is very bizarre and downright unheard of. It's nice that they honor their warranty but still.

[@curtisjudd]

And I handle my mics gingerly so it was quite unexpected. But I do appreciate how well they handled it.

[@fixedfocusmediaofficial]

@@curtisjudd At least they fixed it up. I treat my stuff nice to. I like my stuff without scratches.

[@EugeneMaynard]

👍🏾🙏🏾

[@GOOSESTORIES]

Я на днях купил себе electro-voice re38 n/d

[@curtisjudd]

Happy recording!

[@hankkingsley9300]

I worked for a radio station that had a fire and everything was destroyed they wanted sm7 I said no way in hell you got to re20

[@curtisjudd]

Ok, I hope they make a good come-back.

[@sugarbait]

RE20 sounds slightly better than the rest.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@DeathGodOfBlood]

All of them sound just about identical lmao

[@curtisjudd]

For most audiences, especially those on phones, the difference is inconsequential.

[@RustyTube]

Why, oh why, did you wait all these years to review it? Just to think for how many years I could have sounded so much better in my videos.

[@curtisjudd]

I do my best with the time I have available.

[@RustyTube]

@@curtisjudd 😀