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Sweetwater
5.0 (2)
$8,995.00
Guitar Center
$8,995.00
Reverb
$17,999.00 2 available Used
Musician's Friend
4.0 (2)
$8,995.00
B&H
5.0 (1)
$8,995.00
Vintage King
5.0 (2)
$8,995.00

Average Price: $10,386

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$401+

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Price History

Based on price data from 5 merchants for "Neumann M49". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.

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Description

The M49 was the first studio microphone with a continuously variable directional pattern. It used the same large diaphragm capsule as the U47 and ranks among the most sought-after tube microphones of all time.

Product specs

Brand Neumann
Model M 49 Large Diaphragm Multipattern Tube Condenser Microphone
Finish Nickel
Year 1952 - 1974
Made In Germany
Categories Microphones
Electronics Analog, Tube
Microphone Type Large-Diaphragm Condenser
Polar Pattern Multipattern
Wired/Wireless Wired

FAQs

What are the polar pattern options available on the Neumann M 49 microphone?

The Neumann M 49 offers a multipattern design, allowing users to switch between omnidirectional, cardioid, and figure-8 polar patterns, making it versatile for various recording applications.

What type of tube does the Neumann M 49 use?

The Neumann M 49 originally used the MSC2 tube, but later versions were equipped with the Telefunken AC701k tube, enhancing the microphone's signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range.

Is the Neumann M 49 suitable for vocal recordings?

Yes, the Neumann M 49 is highly regarded for vocal recordings due to its warm and detailed sound, making it a popular choice among professional studios for capturing vocal performances.

How does the Neumann M 49 handle high sound pressure levels?

The Neumann M 49 is capable of handling high sound pressure levels with minimal distortion, making it suitable for a wide range of recording scenarios, including loud instruments and vocals.

Can the Neumann M 49 be used for instrument recording?

Absolutely, the Neumann M 49 is versatile and excels in recording various instruments, offering a rich and natural sound profile that enhances the character of both acoustic and amplified instruments.

Alec Brits

Alec Brits

Neumann M49V Demo & Review

Video thumbnail for Neumann M49V Demo & Review by Alec Brits

Neumann M49V Demo & Review

Alec Brits

Alec Brits

Video thumbnail for The Neumann M 49 V by Georg Neumann GmbH

The Neumann M 49 V

Georg Neumann GmbH

Georg Neumann GmbH

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Artist usage

Add artist
See how Paul Simon uses Neumann M49

Paul Simon

Singer, Guitarist

U.S.A. for Africa

...
Verified via Soundonsound

According to this Sound on Sound interview with producer Roy Halee, the M49 was used extensively for Simon & Garfunkel.

"Right from the start, I loved their sound because it had a classical feel," he now says. "It was very beautiful, very legitimate, with these two voices on one microphone. They never worked with two separate microphones, never. It would not work. You couldn't use two [Neumann] M49s, separate those voices and then mix them together."

Halee goes on to explain that the M49 was revisited during the recording of Graceland.

"For microphones, we used the usual selection of tube Neumann 49s, 87s and 67s. In fact, Paul's mic always seemed to end up being a tube 67 thanks to how it helps with sibilance, enunciation and all-around fullness. I tried different mics with him through the years, but I always went back to the standard M49 or U67."

See how Jonathan Davis uses Neumann M49

Jonathan Davis

Singer, Guitarist

Korn

...
Verified via Gearslutz

Used on Untouchables, as stated by engineer Frank Filipetti in this transcribed March 2005 interview.

KORN

"I Did My Time"

Producer: Jonathan Davis of Korn

Engineer: Frank Filipetti

"It's about clarity," says Korn frontman/producer Jonathan Davis, "especially with my stuff cause there's so much low-end and sh-t going on. A lot of mixes can come out not really that clear, and that's one of the reasons I love Frank, because he records great vocals. So any vocals that I do or produce, it has to be about clarity. I have a couple mics that I really like to use; the Sanken is one of my main ones. It's all about not f--kin' with it - just a little bit of compression, that's it."

Signal Path: Tracking

"I was out on the road at the time writing the lyrics," says Jonathan. "I sang a verse in New Orleans and shipped it off to Frank on Pro Tools, so actually we used two different mics when I recorded that. The first was a [Neumann] U 47 with my chain, my preamp [Tube-Tech MP 1A], and the stuff I did at the house [ElemenTree Studios] with Frank was a different process. We used the Sanken [CMU-44]. But with Frank, he totally knows. I listen to it and I really don't have to say anything, 'cause Frank knows me."

"The vocal signal path I used for Jonathan is a Sanken CMU-44, into a TUBE-TECH MP-1A mic pre," adds Filipetti. "From there it went to a Neve 1073, then into the [Universal Audio] 1176, and from there to a GML EQ. Then I brought it into the tape monitor on the SSL 6000, then to the Euphonix R-1. We also used the DBX 160SL on the return on playback to vary the levels slightly, but we didn't record with it. That was part of the chain as well. It's about 85% of what we came up with on the last record with some slight modifications. It's a different console to begin with and a different microphone. The mic we used the last time was an M 49. We chose the Sanken because it just has the best overall combination of lows and highs.

"Jonathan has a very powerful voice," he continues, "especially when he starts to get into it. Some mics pick up the low level detail very well and some mics can hold themselves with screaming really well, but this seemed to have a good combination of both. We were able to get a nice quality between Jonathan singing softly and Jonathan screaming out full-bore. After comparing a lot of other mics, we ended up with the Sanken. In fact the top two mics were the Sanken and the [Audio-Technica] AT4060."

As for the other key components in the chain, Filipetti explains: "The Tube-Tech provides the presence. It has more presence than any other mic pre that I've used and it has an incredible midrange. The 1073 was there just to add a little bit of that Neve crunch - we ran it pretty hot. And I also used a tiny bit of the low frequency and the high frequency EQ. Then I went to the 1176; after trying out a bunch of compressors on Jonathan's voice, the 1176 worked out best. It just seemed to hit him properly. We used that real high-end stuff on the GML, which added that over-end air, which it does incredibly well, and then brought it into the console. On some tracks at the end of the chain we added a DBX 160SL. On a couple tracks that just added a punch that worked out really nicely."

Vocal Philosophy

"My objective with Jonathan is what it is with everybody," says Filipetti. "Basically, the song lives and dies with the vocal. I tend to gravitate toward and work with singers who have real personality. I'm not looking for dancers who are singers. My approach is to make sure that all of that personality comes out; I don't want anything to get lost. I'm looking for all the little quirks and the harmonic things in their voice that make them special, and I look to bring that out. Sometimes it's a matter of just putting the proper mic in front of them. Sometimes it's a matter of adding more things in the chain, but basically, like I do with everyone, I always listen in the room to the singer and then try to capture as much of that as I can through the vocal chain."

See how Nathan Followill uses Neumann M49

Nathan Followill

Drummer

Kings of Leon

...
Verified via Soundonsound

Used as a room mic for some of Only by the Night, as stated by producer Jacques King in this December 2008 Sound on Sound interview.

"I had half a dozen mics up for the room sound: a Neumann U67, M49, AKG C12, RCA 44, and/or a Royer SF12 in the echo chamber. I'd leave the door to the echo chamber open so the sound of the drums was happening in there as well, and I'd move the room mics around to get the sound that I wanted for a particular song. I would then bus different combinations to the two room tracks, depending on the song. In the case of 'Sex On Fire' I used a U67 and an RCA 44 for Room 1, and an RCA4 4 and an SF12 for Room 2. Some of these mics went through Neve preamps, some through an old RCA tube mic that Blackbird customised. The combination of room mics was bussed through a Fairchild 670."

The Blackbird Studios condenser microphone list has both the M 49 and the M 49 B. Given that lack of King's specification and the fact the microphones are aesthetically different enough to distinguish each other (which would otherwise encourage specification anyway), the version used was most likely the original.

See how Miles Davis uses Neumann M49

Miles Davis

Keyboardist, Composer

Charlie Parker Quintet

...
Verified via Photo

Visible in this photo of Davis from the Porgy and Bess sessions.

In this article, LondonJazzCollecter states that the M49 was the only mic Davis used for himself on Kind of Blue:

The M49 was a favourite of recording studios in the 1950s and 60s and was the standard microphone used on smooth pop and soulful jazz recordings during the era. (...) Miles Davis was said to have exclusively used this microphone on his best-selling album: "Kind of Blue".

See how Norah Jones uses Neumann M49

Norah Jones

Singer, Guitarist

Puss N Boots

...
Verified via Uaudio

Used for vocals on Come Away With Me, as stated by producer Jay Newland in this September 2003 Universal Audio WebZine interview.

The single from the Norah Jones record “Come Away With Me” was actually a demo track that was cut in a small live room at Sorcerer Sound, with the entire band live. It was recorded with a Neumann M49 Mic thru a Manley pre amp and Vari-Mu compressor limiter. Newland used LA-2A compression very subtly on the vocal in the mix. “The LA-2A for me is sort of a default that I always go to. It always works great. I’m just getting into using the 1176 more for more of that in your face vocals. For the jazz stuff, the transparency of the LA-2A is sometimes nicer.”

The M 49 is also mentioned by Newland in this transcribed March 2005 interview.

"The first time I heard Norah Jones sing at a rehearsal before our initial sessions, I knew she had a truly great voice," says Jay. "I only mention this because it's the crucial first link in the chain. The recording chain for 'Don't Know Why,' as well as most of the rest of the record, was a Neumann M 49 microphone into a Manley tube mic pre. We tried other mics, a [Neumann] U 47 and a [AKG] C12vr, but the M 49 had the right amount of 'air' while maintaining a real fullness and warmth. The tube pre was also warm but a little less colored than, say, a vintage Neve pre, which I love in many cases. This went into one side of a Manley Vari-mu compressor with a fast attack and release setting. The threshold was high so it was barely hitting the compressor. The Vari-mu can also be very transparent, which is why I liked it for this application. This went to BASF (Emtec) 900 analog tape at 15 ips on a STUDER A820 with Dolby SR. Although I like Pro Tools HD, we did not use Pro Tools on this session. No Auto-Tuning. The console is custom built by Al Fierstein, owner of Sorcerer Sound, and is called Acoustilog."

Jones revealed in this February 1, 2010 Electronic Musician interview that she bought the M 49 personally for Come Away With Me and also used it on Feels Like Home and Not Too Late.

I bought the Neumann M 49 from Sorcerer Sound where I made my first record. It has a quality with the way I sing that just works. I realized on my second record [2004’s Feels Like Home] that it was pretty special. I couldn’t get that same quality as easily with another mic. I love the M 49 and I also used a Telefunken ELA M 250 on my third record [2007’s Not Too Late]. It depends on the type of song and the way I am singing for which one sounds better. I love the 49 ’cause it gets all the grit and warmth, but sometimes it can sound a little too muffled if I am singing a certain way. Then the 250 gives some nice high end and a lot of air. And I like to be close to the mic to catch all the nuances.

An M 49 can also be seen in the promotional video for Seth MacFarlane's Music Is Better Than Words at 2:09, revealing that it was used for Jones' vocal feature on "Two Sleepy People".

See how Bruce Kulick uses Neumann M49

Bruce Kulick

Guitarist

Kiss

...
Verified via Photo

"Nice vintage Neumann M49, got quite the workout yesterday! Stay tuned for more... #newsong #recordingstudio". One of his favorite microphones

See how George Michael uses Neumann M49

George Michael

Singer

WHAM!

...
Verified via Soundonsound

Used for Michael's vocals on Faith, as mentioned by sound engineer Chris Porter in this March 2013 Sound on Sound interview.

"The microphone he used on that album was a Neumann M49 at Puk that I ended up buying and still use today for quite a lot of vocal work. It's got a nice, controlled top end, so it's not harsh at the top but very, very open. One of the problems with early digital recordings was that you did tend to get quite a harsh top end that was a bit unforgiving. That has improved a lot over the years, but back then the Sonys and even the Mitsubishis had a ceiling on the top end that was almost like a glass wall. I found the M49 gave you a lovely warmth, a lovely depth with a controlled top end, which you could then accentuate without it becoming too metallic and unnatural.”

See how Céline Dion uses Neumann M49

Céline Dion

Singer

...
Verified via YouTube

In this video, Celine recorded the vocals for the songs Water to a Flame and Didn't Know Love on the M49 off of the album "Loved Me Back To Life".

See how Steve Perry uses Neumann M49

Steve Perry

Singer, Music Producer

Journey

...
Verified via Tapeop

According to this interview with Steve Perry, he has an extensive home studio that includes "three old M 49s that [he] bought from Klaus Heyne [German Masterworks] back in 1984"

See how Art Garfunkel uses Neumann M49

Art Garfunkel

Singer

Simon and Garfunkel

...
Verified via LondonJazzCollector

According to LondonJazzCollector, "[f]or the vocals on Simon and Garfunkel’s 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', producer Roy Halee used a M49 to mic Art Garfunkel."

Halee said the following about recording Simon & Garfunkel in this Sound on Sound article:

"Right from the start, I loved their sound because it had a classical feel," he now says. "It was very beautiful, very legitimate, with these two voices on one microphone. They never worked with two separate microphones, never. It would not work. You couldn't use two [Neumann] M49s, separate those voices and then mix them together."

See how Tony Bennett uses Neumann M49

Tony Bennett

Singer

...
Verified via Photo

Visible in this photo of Bennett.

See how Dave Jerden uses Neumann M49

Dave Jerden

Music Producer, Audio Engineer

...
Verified via YouTube

At 26:36 in the "Alice in Chains: Inside the Song with Dave Jerden" video by Produce Like A Pro, music producer and audio engineer Dave Jerden discusses his use of the Neumann M49 microphone for recording vocals at Studio A, Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, CA, specifically for Alice in Chains.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Neumann M49, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

Neumann U67
Neumann U67 Condenser Microphones
3
Neumann U87
Neumann U87 Condenser Microphones
3
AMS Neve 1073
AMS Neve 1073 Preamps & Channel Strips
3
Shure SM57
Shure SM57 Dynamic Microphones
2
Sennheiser MD 421-II
Sennheiser MD 421-II Dynamic Microphones
2
Neumann U47
Neumann U47 Condenser Microphones
2
AMS Neve 1081 Mic Preamp & Equalizer
2
Electro-Voice RE20
Electro-Voice RE20 Dynamic Microphones
2

2 alternative and related items for Neumann M49, curated by the Equipboard community.

Neumann TLM 49

$1,456.37 - $1,995.00

newer

Newer version: https://en-de.neumann.com/tlm-49

The TLM 49 brings back the vintage tone of Neumann’s post-war classics. The TLM 49 uses the same K 47 capsule and the iconic large headgrille design of Neumann’s legendary M 49, but instead of electron tubes the TLM 49 relies on trouble free FET circuitry with a special sound design for smooth vocals and acoustic instruments with timeless elegance.

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