Neumann MCM114

[@DapperDanLovesYou]

Always excited for another video! What a great dive into Neumann's history :) These little suckers are impressive. As someone who largely uses LDC mics, it's always funny seeing tiny mics sound rich and full!

[@meistudiony]

These were really surprising to say the least. I should have expected a good result from Neumann but for something the size of a pencil eraser… really next level. I have sm98 (not beta) and some c418’s that are in the same ball park size wise… these kind of trounce the sound.

[@Maly_Suk]

We are using these on lead Trumpet and Snare.. Its amazing how capable this mic is in terms of handling these hight pressure/volume instruments..

[@meistudiony]

Nice. I had done a trumpet demo but my chops are still bad and i couldnt get one of my horn players in in time for the video. Im really interested in using these on drums. Im trying to see if we can get another pair to use on a 5pc kit.

[@bobdhoffnar]

Another great video !

[@meistudiony]

Thanks for checking it out. I love these mics!

[@ObscureMics]

Hey it's Pags there!

[@meistudiony]

Itsa me. Mario!

[@ObscureMics]

When you spoke of the named folks.....I thought I accidentally switched to a Julian Krause video

[@meistudiony]

Shoulda asked him to read them for me instead of embarrassing myself

[@JimmyReid-er2qx]

I’ve got an odd thought and question, how do you think it would do on a bass drum ?

[@GraysonCreely]

I’m definitely torn between these and the DPA. I’m thinking I’ll mostly use it for live concert recording on acoustic guitar, especially in the context of a louder or more electrified rock band. For folk and bluegrass, or any all acoustic bands I’ll probably do more farfield ribbon recording.

[@GraysonCreely]

These mics did sound great on drums and percussion. Wasn’t thrilled with the piano recording compared with some of the other videos you’ve done.

[@meistudiony]

These definitely got me excited on drums. Ive been using a pair of really old sm91 (not beta) forever on toms and i think these surpassed those. Im trying to talk my session guy into using these for tour (hes playing huge stages 6-8 mo out of the year) would be a great quick setup and the rejection was just phenomenal on these.

[@joevegna]

I used these live on grand piano. Sounded great and not a lot of bleed from other instruments. These are on the “buy when the economy turns around list”.

[@meistudiony]

The rejection is REALLY good on these. Not sure if the economy "turns around" or we just get used to it over time. Kinda like real estate...

[@joevegna]

@@meistudiony I'm afraid you are right. Thanks for great content :)

[@meistudiony]

Thank you for watching! Appreciate you!@@joevegna

[@JimmyReid-er2qx]

Mcm 114 on the kick drum ?

[@julianpedro3215]

It would be good to compare with other microphones! thanks!!

[@meistudiony]

The only mic id want to ab this with would be the DPA’s which are a very similar type of mic. (I dont own those). Putting these up against LDC, SDC or even dynamics seemed like a bit of a disservice, but i get your point.

[@julianpedro3215]

@@meistudiony i have a Tram tr-50. very good for violins and acoustic guitar

[@meistudiony]

@@julianpedro3215 interesting. Using an omni lav for that. Do you have any recordings of it. Would be interested in hearing it.

[@julianpedro3215]

@@meistudiony not yet, I have not finished my studio yet and I am only doing home tests

[@elhpasu]

Can I use this mic with my Sony a7iii?

[@meistudiony]

You would need phantom power for the mic and an onboard preamp. I dont believe the sony will facilitate the balanced input one would need for this mic either as it only has a 3.5mm stereo jack. However, you CAN use something like the saramonic smartrig ii which can power the mic and change the xlr to trrs to go into the sony.

[@BadChizzle]

I’m surprised by the self noise level. But… on the other hand, if this is ok for Neumann, maybe some of my other “noisy” mics aren’t so bad. (?)

[@meistudiony]

The figure is high on paper... but in actual use, I haven't noticed it. The output (sensitivity) is good enough that you dont have to crank a pre to get a good level. I had to pad the mic for use on the drums. Piano and bass i barely needed any gain at the pre without the pad (20db or so). Problem is more when you have a high self noise and a low sensitivity that things start getting out of hand. Vintage u87's can have this issue. The output is not great and the circuitry wasn't the quietest thing ever. They tried to rectify this with the AI circuit but they wound up over hyping the top end and the mic now kinda sounds "not good".

[@BadChizzle]

@@meistudiony Makes sense to me. I have some great sounding mics with high self noise ratings… and they too are very sensitive.

[@BesharALAzzawi]

As always such a great video! I have the DPA and while it sounds fantastic on almost all my guitars including a custom handmade flamenco, the build quality of the holder and the whole design sucks! Very flimsy and even bad quality. However the sound is just awesome and barely needs any EQ! I want to add the Neumann 😅

[@meistudiony]

I have the DPA clips, which I was told were interchangeable with the Neumann... turns out, not so much. The DPA clips, which are like half the price of the Neumanns, are very loose. Im guessing you're finding the same thing using the DPA mics with it? I wound up just biting the bullet and getting the neumann drum clips and guitar clip for them. I still use the Bass clip though since I like the design DPA did on that one better than what neumann did (just needs a little tape to keep in place when recording so it doesn't slip). I would love to shoot the DPA out with these at some point. $$ lol. Thanks for checking out the vid! :)

[@BesharALAzzawi]

​@@meistudiony Man, the prices on these clips are just ridiculous-both companies! The DPA mic sounds incredible, but that's where the positives end for me. The guitar clip is poorly designed, falls off easily, and even the mic’s tiny 'shock mount' broke. Really disappointing. That said, the DPA still sounds fantastic, no matter how I position it.

[@JimmyReid-er2qx]

Mcm 114 on the kick drum ? 20:04

[@meistudiony]

I'm looking into picking up more of these actually. Mainly for snare and toms. The problem with kick is where to mount it? Inside, outside? While it can certainly handle the SPL, The low end this mic has is something i haven't seen on just about any other mic in the collection.

[@ninjalightning2631]

To MCM or DPA that's the Question

[@meistudiony]

Indeed. Id like to get my hands on the DPA to compare.

[@garyembar4774]

Informative video as usual….and I only wish that it was tested for spoken word; something that you’d usually do.

[@meistudiony]

Not sure what I'd clip it to since theres no standard stand mount available. I will say, it doesn't do well at a distance of more than a few inches from source. Gets realy roomy, real quick. I can see about putting together something quick for you next time im in the studio filming.

[@garyembar4774]

@ You’re the only one who has, would and could do a spoken word test and reveal any microphone from that standpoint. Exactly why I look forward to it! This one MAY do well as an up close and personal VOICE OVER microphone in a well treated space; although it wasn’t made for it! And if it shines at it, this could be one of the inexpensive Neumann one could buy for VO….Well, a bread knife slices tomato better than other knives…who knew? 🤙

[@meistudiony]

@ lol! that is true about the bread knife!

[@garyembar4774]

@@meistudionyand for me, your deep dive on the relevant heritage/history of microphone/s alongside “spoken word test” is anchoring; this is what separates you from other channels (podcastage, obscure mics, audio haze, audio hotline, etc). So please retain the differentiation you’ve carved and the edge you’ve earned…

[@Sagerydian]

It all started in the 8th century, when Vladimir the Great conquered the Rus east side of the Dnjepr...

[@meistudiony]

man... if i had to go back that far in some of these videos... hard enough getting info on the actual subject hahaha Thanks for checkin out the video!

[@JimmyReid-er2qx]

Mcm 114 on the kick drum ?