Neumann U47

In a twitter Q&A someone asked him what his favorite mic to record vocals is. His answer was the Neumann U47. Calvin is a Neumann collector of sorts, he has about 2 of every Neumann microphone, in some cases, he has had 3 or 4 of the same microphone. The Neumann U87/U87AI in this case.

Used for vocal overdubs on *Dark Side of the Moon*, as mentioned by recording engineer Alan Parsons in this March 9, 2012 *Premier Guitar* interview by Mitch Gallagher. > By the time we got around to overdubs, probably the only mic I actually had set up would be a [Neumann] U 47 so that we could do vocals. I might have stuck that on it, on occasion.

Used for vocal overdubs on *Dark Side of the Moon*, as mentioned by recording engineer Alan Parsons in this March 9, 2012 *Premier Guitar* interview by Mitch Gallagher. > By the time we got around to overdubs, probably the only mic I actually had set up would be a [Neumann] U 47 so that we could do vocals. I might have stuck that on it, on occasion.

In this video, Yorke is using a neumann u47 microphone

Used for the group vocals on *The White Album*, as is visible in this photo from [this June 2012 *Sound on Sound* article](https://www.soundonsound.com/people/beatles-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps). > John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney gathered around a Neumann U47 in Abbey Road, 1968. Photo: Getty Images

Mentioned in a comment on this Instagram post by Benmont Tench. > **jonregen** @benmonttench Tell Ryan I bought John Porter’s U47 that he recorded Love Is Hell on!

Mentioned by producer Al Schmitt in [this June 5, 2015 *VoiceCouncil Magazine* interview](http://www.voicecouncil.com/the-man-whos-recorded-sinatra-krall-and-dylan/). > "The U47 – that’s the one I used on Bublé, Paul McCartney and so many others. (...) For Diana Krall and Paul McCartney (and others) I used a Neumann Tube U47 into Neve Preamp and then into a Fairchild compressor. That, to me, is the ultimate." The U47 was also used for the group vocals on *The White Album*, as is visible in this photo from [this June 2012 *Sound on Sound* article](https://www.soundonsound.com/people/beatles-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps). > John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney gathered around a Neumann U47 in Abbey Road, 1968. Photo: Getty Images

Used for the group vocals on *The White Album*, as is visible in this photo from [this June 2012 *Sound on Sound* article](https://www.soundonsound.com/people/beatles-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps). > John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney gathered around a Neumann U47 in Abbey Road, 1968. Photo: Getty Images

"Weiland, who uses the BAE Audio DMP with a vintage Neumann U47, says the combination "sounds flawless on my voice.""

"We’ve been using Neumann U47s and Shure SM57s – the usual mics – and it seems to work pretty well."

While discussing the nuances of choosing vocals mikes in [this R / E / P forum thread](https://repforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php?topic=20563.0), producer J.J. Blair mentioned his use of the U47 on Cash. > I will choose a U47 typically for a male singer who has any texture in his voice, if it's not "airy." If I use my C12 or Manley Gold on those singers, I can't add compression without bringing out that throat texture in an unflattering way. > > I'll name drop here, simply because you know these voices: I used a U47 on Johnny Cash, because it captures perfectly that granite resonance in his voice. On Rod Stewart, who has texture, but lets a lot of air pass through his throat, I used the C12 to capture that air. His texture was more crackle, where John was gravel. While discussing recording Bob Dylan in [this *Mix Online* interview](https://www.mixonline.com/recording/bob-johnston-365163) , producer Bob Johnston also mentions using a U47 on Cash anecdotally. > I always used three microphones on Dylan, 'cause his head spun around so much. I used a big [Neumann] U47 on him, same as I used on Johnny Cash later. It was also mentioned by Johnston in this *Sound on Sound* "Classic Tracks" interview about the recording of Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". > "What I used on his vocals — and what I used on Johnny Cash, Patti Paige [*sic*], Marty Robbins and many others — was a [Neumann] U47 microphone with a power pack,” Johnston explains. "It was the old one and nothing was better."

Mentioned by sound engineer John Kelton in this *Mix Online* article about *Kickin Out the Footlights... Again*. > "The board was an SSL 9000 J and Starstruck has a good bit of outboard equipment that we used, too,” Kelton says. “For tape we used a Studer 827 16-track for the drums and bass and a Studer 827 24-track for everybody else. That was fed into a Pro Tools HD system. I mixed on an SSL 4056 G+ at Keith's studio and mixed to the new 900 [tape] that used to be the Emtec; this is the first thing we've done on it. We used the Ampex ATR-100 half-inch. For mics, Merle was an old Neumann 47 into a Martech preamp and LA-2 compressor that was hardly used at all. George was an older-stock U87 into a Martech into a Teletronix LA1 compressor that we've used with him for a while. There was no EQ on either one of them.”

Mentioned by producer Bob Johnston in this *Mix Online* article. > I always used three microphones on Dylan, 'cause his head spun around so much. I used a big [Neumann] U47 on him, same as I used on Johnny Cash later. I would put a baffle over the top of his guitar because he played while he sang lead vocals. I didn't use any EQ on the band, just set the mics up right to make each instrument sound the best it could. I used some EQ on Dylan's voice. Johnston stated the same in [this *Sound on Sound*](https://www.soundonsound.com/people/bob-dylan-sad-eyed-lady-lowlands-classic-tracks) "Classic Tracks" interview about the recording of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". > "What I used on his vocals — and what I used on Johnny Cash, Patti Paige, Marty Robbins and many others — was a [Neumann] U47 microphone with a power pack,” Johnston explains. "It was the old one and nothing was better. I put a baffle over the top of Dylan's guitar so he could play while he sang, and I also used some EQ on his voice, but I never tried to change his sound. All I did was change sounds in terms of the mechanics. Whatever Dylan did — from Highway 61 through Blonde On Blonde, John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning — happened because he himself had changed. I never knew what he was going to sound like and I never cared. He was growing.”

In his Instagram story, Luke Hemmings can be seen in the studio using a vintage Neumann U47 Tube Microphone. The clip was uploaded to his story on May 16th, 2017.

"That's Jeff Bass playing guitar on 'Lose Yourself'. I mixed that — I was there from the beginning. We were on the set for the movie [8 Mile] when Marshall did his vocal. He would come in on his lunch break, which was usually 15 minutes long. The vocal that ended up being the final vocal was the first take. He tried to sing it a few other times, but just couldn't beat it because he had some kind of other energy. He was making them wait — he came in and said, 'Okay I gotta do this real quick.' He did it real fast and laid some doubles on it like he usually did. You can hear it's in one of those vox boxes in a trailer — the floor is kind of hollow. But the emotion he put into that particular performance was awesome — we were all like, 'Oh my God!' That guy is super talented, brilliant. (...) The vocal chain was always an Avalon preamp, Neve 33609 compressor and a Sony C800G tube mic. Earlier with Marshall I used the Neve 1073 preamp and a [Neumann] U47." — Steve King, sound engineer and writer for the *8 Mile* soundtrack

In a photo on this page, Cohen can be seen recording with a Neumann U47.

"It's not a big surprise to find a Neumann U47 and Telefunken 251 being used, unfortunately they're out of production and these vintage mics command a hefty price on the second hand market (when they turn up!)."

Humberto Gatica, who produced Bublé's "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" and "Stardust", states that "with Michael I use a vintage tube Neumann U47". Al Schmitt, who produced *It's Time*, *Special Delivery*, *Christmas*, *Nobody But Me* and *Love*, stated in [this July 15, 2015 interview](http://www.voicecouncil.com/the-man-whos-recorded-sinatra-krall-and-dylan/) that he also used a valve-based U47 with Bublé: > The U47 – that’s the one I used on Bublé, Paul McCartney and so many others. (...) For Diana Krall and Paul McCartney (and others) I used a Neumann Tube U47 into Neve Preamp and then into a Fairchild compressor. That, to me, is the ultimate. Lastly, a valve-based U47 can be seen throughout various "Studio Clip" videos on Bublé's official YouTube channel. Its label can be seen up close in [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUSY9UohMhU) for Bublé's cover of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You". The label reads "M7 Capsule Nov2006", offering that it contains the M7 capsule typically associated with vintage Neumann U47s.

According to producer Dae Bennett, Neumann U47s were used to record Bennett and his guests on *Duets II*. > "My vocal setup for the recordings with the quartet consisted of two Audio-Technica AT4047 mics, going into a Neve 1073 and then a [Urei] 1176. I normally like to use the classic Neumann U47 for recording vocals, but they would have picked up too much of the room. The AT4047s have a tighter cardioid pattern and also sound very good. In the sessions when the vocalists sang to the locked two-track edits, I did use two Neumann U47 mics." > > (...) "We set Tony and Amy [Winehouse] up with playback speakers and two [Neumann] U47 mics, and what you see in the video are the actual vocal takes that I selected for my edit. The signal chains were the same: Neve 1073 and then an 1176 and then going into Pro Tools. I recall that they did about five or six takes. You can see some mutes in the vocal takes, which is where there may have been too much leakage or too much of the sound of the room. But in general I left the spill. The string arrangement was added later."

"For vocals, Jimmy Buffett has an amazing Neumann U47 and it's George's mic of choice. George has his own U47, but he prefers this one.”

Used for "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", as mentioned by recording engineer Ron Lenhoff in this June 2014 *Sound on Sound* interview. > "While I recorded Melvin Parker's drums with a tube [Neumann] U47 overhead and a kick mic, I also tracked James's vocals with a 47. The only time he ever did anything other than hand-hold the microphone was when he did overdubs. When he hand-held the microphone it was like he was on stage. It wasn't a studio performance; it was a stage performance. He had a great mic technique right from the very first time I met him, so we really didn't get the problem of his voice phasing in and out. We didn't always get everything the first take, but the first complete take that he was satisfied with. If he was happy with it, we'd have it on tape. I knew I had to work that way. > > "We did add echo, but that was usually done on the session, and at that time it was 100 percent live echo. We'd use anything to give him an edge, and later on we did use echo plates. Both James and I preferred to always aim for as clean a sound as possible, with plenty of separation on the instruments.

The microphone that was used most often to record Amy Winehouse was the U47.

Used for the vocals on *Volume 3*, as mentioned in this April 15, 2015 *Electronic Musician* interview. > Deschanel usually sings into a Neumann U47. “I have done a number of mic shoot-outs to see what we liked best,” she says. “But we don’t always universally stick to [the U47]; I love an RCA 77, too.” > On this project, [producer Pierre] de Reeder placed U47s for Deschanel and Ward; both also went to Neve 1073 mic pre’s, and Deschanel’s vocal took a small amount of 1176 compression. “Nothing’s heavily compressed,” de Reeder points out. “It’s just barely rocking the needle and making sure everything’s in control.” > All of the other inputs went through preamps in Sound Factory’s custom API console, then straight to a Studer A827 24-track tape machine.

Elliott uses sometimes for vocal parts (Figure 8 songs written in Abbey Road studios). He uses too in electric guitar with a Leslie (and 2 SM 57's in 130 degrees)

"But [songwriter and producer Glen] Ballard’s latest project, an acoustic re-recording of Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill required techniques a bit more delicate. Ballard’s collaboration with Ms. Ironic on the original was both artists’ biggest commercial success, and they commemorated the albums’ 10th anniversary by revisiting the songs unplugged. The acoustic instruments were captured at Westlake Audio Studios (where Ballard once jammed on the synth of Michael Jackson’s Bad) with his cherished standbys — a vintage [AKG] D12, and a trio of Neumann mics — a 49, 47, and 67. These went through outboard Neve 1073 preamp, a classic Neve BCM-10 'sidecar' console."

Used for vocals on *Ganging Up on the Sun*, as is visible in Episode 3 of the documentary "Joe's Place" at 1:25.

Jonathan Wilson explains his use of great microphones at an early age

At 36:33 of this documentary, Smith can be seen singing into a Neumann U47.

"Jónsi’s layered vocals are a Sigur Rós trademark, and they’re not arrived at easily. He typically sings through a Neumann U47..."

Used for the vocals on *Volume 3*, as mentioned in this April 15, 2015 *Electronic Musician* interview. > Deschanel usually sings into a Neumann U47. “I have done a number of mic shoot-outs to see what we liked best,” she says. “But we don’t always universally stick to [the U47]; I love an RCA 77, too.” > On this project, [producer Pierre] de Reeder placed U47s for Deschanel and Ward; both also went to Neve 1073 mic pre’s, and Deschanel’s vocal took a small amount of 1176 compression. “Nothing’s heavily compressed,” de Reeder points out. “It’s just barely rocking the needle and making sure everything’s in control.” > All of the other inputs went through preamps in Sound Factory’s custom API console, then straight to a Studer A827 24-track tape machine.

After the guide bass and rhythm guitar parts had been replaced — Adam Ant's Fender Telecaster being miked with a U87 microphone — his vocals were recorded last, with a combination of Neumann FET and valve U47s.

INCORRECT SUBMISSION. PLEASE DELETE.

Mentioned by sound engineer Bob Johnston in this *Sound on Sound* "Classic Tracks" interview about the recording of Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". > "What I used on his vocals — and what I used on Johnny Cash, Patti Paige [*sic*], Marty Robbins and many others — was a [Neumann] U47 microphone with a power pack,” Johnston explains. "It was the old one and nothing was better."

Mentioned in this February 12, 2015 article from the Vintage King website. > 2015 was a remarkable year for Vintage King clients involved in the music industry, as we had over 30 artists, producers and engineers we work with nominated for Grammy awards. While we all know how secretive sonic creators can be about their work process, we asked a few of our favorite studio workhorses to divulge the secrets of their Grammy-nominated vocal chains. > > While Chris Stapleton may be a new face for many music fans, producer Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson/Jason Isbell) and engineer Vance Powell (Jack White / JEFF the Brotherhood) are no strangers to creating amazing records. When deciding what gear to use during the recording of Stapleton's Grammy-nominated album, *Traveller*, Cobb asked Powell to select what would be used in the vocal chain. > > The end results saw Vance opting to use a vintage U47 and running them through vintage Neve 1073 and an Esoteric Audio Research 660 for compression/limiting. The vocals were all cut live with the rest of the band playing in the same room at RCA Victor Studios. The only exceptions were two albums tracks that were recorded outside the front of The Castle studio, thus the sound of passing cars and crickets.

"[Producer Rudy] Van Gelder was one of the first Americans, let alone engineers, to acquire the German Neumann U-47 condenser microphone when it became available in 1949. Van Gelder sought to bring a more intimate sound to small jazz groups. This required placing a microphone closer to the instrument in order to capture the subtleties that traditional recording techniques missed. When Van Gelder initially used the U-47 microphone, he found the sound was easily distorted and unusable. However, a friend of Van Gelder’s, Rein Narma, was able to reconfigure the circuitry of the U-47, making it ideal for close range recording. The result was a detailed, warm sound that many would imitate but few would master. The difference in sound is quite clear when comparing albums Davis recorded with and without Van Gelder. "Half Nelson" from Davis’ “Miles Davis All Stars” was recorded in 1947 at Harry Smith Studios in New York City. Davis’ talent is undeniable, his vocabulary is progressive, his temperament is wholly his own but—he sounds far away. Davis’ voice exists in the mid range of the mix, and is overshadowed by the shimmer of Max Roach’s ride cymbal and the high end of John Lewis’ piano overtones. The sound heard on "Solar" from Davis’ album “Walkin’,” recorded in 1955 with Van Gelder, is markedly different: his voice is at the front of the mix, his subtle inflections are captured perfectly. The once intangible details of his playing style are captured, thanks in no small part to a modified U-47 and of course, Van Gelder’s mastery."

A Neumann U47 is seen in the background multiple times, including at 1:05.

You can see the U47 around 0:18 min mark in the attached video.

Mentioned by sound engineer Bob Johnston in this *Sound on Sound* "Classic Tracks" interview about the recording of Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". > "What I used on his vocals — and what I used on Johnny Cash, Patti Paige, Marty Robbins and many others — was a [Neumann] U47 microphone with a power pack,” Johnston explains. "It was the old one and nothing was better."

The gear they used included an Apple Mac G5 running Digidesign Pro Tools; a bevy of period keyboards including an ARP Solina, Korg MS20, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Wurlitzer, Memorymoog, Moog Source and Minimoog; a classic Roland TR-808 drum machine; and some modern synths such as an Elektron Monomachine and a Manikin Memotron. They patched and mixed everything through a 24-channel Trident Series 65 console, and also employed a '70s-era Rogers drum set, various MoogerFooger processors and three Neumann U47 mics.

Visible in this photo of Haley.

Mentioned in a comment on this Instagram post by Benmont Tench. > **jonregen** @benmonttench Tell Ryan I bought John Porter’s U47 that he recorded Love Is Hell on!

Used as a room mic on *Toto XIV*, as mentioned by producer CJ Vanston in this March 5, 2015 *Mix Online* article. > On the kick drum he placed a Sennheiser 421 and a Yamaha subwoofer, and on the snare drum a Shure 57 with another Shure 57 underneath. On the hi-hat he switched between a Neumann KM 84 and Shure SM81. > > “For overheads I used a pair of AKG C12As,” Petocz says. “Tom mic’s were 421s and for room mics I had a 47 mono room mic very close to the drums, halfway between the kick and the snare. Then for the more traditional room mic drum sound, I used a pair of U 67 Neumanns and occasionally a C-24 from the back, just sparingly. They all went through the beautiful vintage 8068 Neve console, the best sounding Neve in town. And some compression on the snare when it needed it, but only slightly. Then what I did is go direct out when I could instead of busing it, just for that added purity.”