Neumann U47 FET Microphone

Used on the album "Lazaretto". I recorded Jack’s vocals mainly with a Shure SM57. Sometimes we used a Neumann U47, as well as an RCA 77D and a Shure SM7, and I often pushed his vocals hard through an 1176(...)

Used with Pink Floyd for an unspecified session, as mentioned by producer William Wittman in this November 16, 2006 R / E / P forum post. > The only Floyd session I ever saw, they had U-47fets set up for vocals. Given Wittman's career, the U47 FET could have been used on any session from *The Final Cut* to *The Division Bell*, which overlaps with the beginning of sound engineer Andy Jackson's work with Gilmour. In fact, a U47 is mentioned by Jackson in [this interview from Vol. 6, #7 of *Resolution* Magazine](http://www.davidgilmour.com/press/2007/october/Resolution_October07.pdf). > Well David's very easy, he sounds good on anything, he sound pretty good on a 58, but it's the Sony C800G with the heat sink, horribly expensive, but they're fantastic. I've tried lots of things, and it's really good, it has an openness and a size. We've done all sorts of things over the years, 67, 47, I had him on a Brauner for a while — they all work, he's got a good voice and good technique, so it's not that difficult.

Kick drums for Daft Punk's Random Access Memories were recorded using the Neumann U47 FET mic, since it has "...more low end and less attack."

Mix engineer Tommaso Colliva on recording Drones : "For the final takes [we used a] Neumann FET47 and SM57 on the Diezel VH4 with Mills cab."

“For acoustic guitar parts, I mostly used the N22. ‘Ordinary World’ was done before I had that mic, though, so I think I used a [Neumann or Telefunken] U47 on that one."

James can be seen recording with a U47 FET during the making of the Black Album at 12:45 in the video.

Microphone can be seen from the beginning of this video above the piano Thom plays.

He also used cabinets fitted with Celestion G12M speakers and Neumann U 47 microphone.

Mix engineer Tommaso Colliva on recording Drones : “The mics on the bass cabs were a Neumann FET 47 with a [Shure] SM57, Beyerdynamic M88 or Electro–Voice RE20 on the clean amp."

"I remember the guitar parts being very easy," Hedges says. "Robert had most of them worked out and the overdubs were simple — they were double-tracks, guitars with more effects or embellishments here and there. However, there were very few over-overdubs. They were mainly just single overdubs, and there was very, very little comping on that album. In terms of the vocals, which Robert performed into a Neumann FET 47, we'd do just one track and if it wasn't right we'd redo it, and if it still wasn't right we'd maybe drop in one or two bits, but generally there was very little comping. We didn't really have the time. There might have been two guitar tracks comped into one and there might have been two vocal tracks comped into one, but generally everything was as played or as sung.

Mat Zo on Instagram: > I decided to treat myself to getting one of these u47 fets, and I do not regret it! This thing sounds like cream

Used on John Mayer's *Continuum*, as stated by recording engineer Chad Franscoviak in this October 1, 2006 *Mix Online* interview. > To capture Palladino's bass, his instrument typically went into either an Ampeg SVT or B-15 into an Avalon U5 mono instrument preamp and DI. “I took the throughput into his amplifier and usually put a FET 47 close up, and on occasion an RE20. Then I almost always put an NS-10 on his bass cabinet to get the ultralow stuff,” Franscoviak explains. “I would compress the DI and the FET 47 lightly, not in any way that would effect the dynamics of his performance, only for tonal reasons. I would never put a compressor on the NS-10.”

At 5:25 in this video Mike says "My vocal chain is a U47..."

From the official Neumann website: "The list of renowned artists who have created musical masterpieces with the sound of the U 47 fet – including AC/DC, Kate Bush, Bruce Springsteen, and later R.E.M, the Pretenders, a-ha, Dire Straits, Metallica, Michael Bublé and many others – can now grow longer ..."

"Generally we have three microphones on each cab—either a Shure SM57 or Heill PR 30 next to a Sennheiser 421, and then either a ribbon mic like a Royer R-121 ribbon or a Neumann FET47, to capture a fullness of sound." - excerpt from Premier Guitar interview.

"Dom loves that mic because of its clicky feel, and also uses it live — and we had a [Neumann] FET47 on the outside kick drum, which was placed kind of exactly in the middle of the hole in the resonance skin, and because you get that blast, we had to put a pop filter on it." - Colliva about "Drones" recording.

There is also 'modern' audio gear in the racks: two Avalon VT737 input channels, two Chandler Germanium compressors, a Demeter Stereo Tube Direct and two Urei 1176 compressors, along with some vintage Ibanez (AD230), Ensoniq (DP4), Korg (SDD2000) and Roland (SBF325) effects — an essential ingredient of the AIR sound from the beginning. In the studio itself, there's a Yamaha grand piano, a drum kit, a vibraphone, some kalimbas, a Neumann U47 microphone and Godin's collection of guitar and bass amps.

Used on the bass drum for some of *Only by the Night*, particularly on "Sex on Fire", as stated by producer Jacques King in [this December 2008 *Sound on Sound* interview](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/inside-track-kings-leon-sex-fire). > "The microphones on the drums changed a lot from song to song. On the kick it could be a Beta 52, sometimes it was an RE20, or a [Sennheiser] 421, or a [Neumann] FET 47, or an NS10 [i.e. the driver from a Yamaha NS10 monitor used as a mic], or a combination. It depends on what I was trying to achieve. The mics were usually in front of the kick, or just barely inside. On one song, 'Crawl', I did put a U87 on the batter side of the kick, next to the pedal, which gives a very attack-orientated sound, with a Led Zeppelin-ish quality. On 'Sex On Fire' I used the 52, FET 47 and NS10 on the kick. I had all the kick mics on a Neve BCM10 sidecar and I'd submix them and run them through a GML EQ and then to one track on the tape. I didn't want to keep them separate. It was a matter of get the sound, make the decision, and move on. > "The snare was recorded in similar fashion to the kick. I had the option of various mics that all went through a BCM10 and were submixed, through a GML 580 EQ, then a [Empirical Labs] Distressor, just to give it some control and make sure the snare hit the tape at the right level. On the track sheet a transformerless Shure SM57 is indicated. It was something I read about a couple of years ago, and it's a really good thing. It gives a nicer, more transparent, usable sound that requires less EQ. You lose a bit of level, but typically the things that you record with a 57 are so loud anyway that it doesn't matter. So I asked the people at Blackbird to take the transformer out of one of their 57s and they were gracious enough to do this. After recording I also ran the snare and kick through an Eventide DSP4000 on a Big Muff setting, and recorded that in Pro Tools during the transfer to the computer. > "The toms were recorded with three Josephson E22S mics, which are a modern type, and they're fantastic on the toms. There were a rack of toms plus two floor toms, and I also submixed the tom mics via a BCM10 to a stereo pair, panning the toms as was appropriate for the track. The overheads were recorded with a Telefunken Elam 251 going through a Neve 1081 preamp/EQ, then an Urei 1176, and then to tape. The ride cymbal and the hi-hat were recorded with RCA77 ribbon mics, the ones that David Letterman used to have on his show. When I use a mono overhead, as I did in this case, I like using ribbons, for a good stereo spread between ride and cymbal. > "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."

Used for the bass and the B3 on *Anthem of the Peaceful Army*, as stated by mix engineer Al Sutton in this January 2019 *Sound on Sound* interview. > "I recorded the bass DI, and the bass cabinet with a Neumann FET 47 mic. I miked the B3 Leslie with a U87 at the top, and a Neumann FET 47 at the bottom, and I had used a DI for the small vintage guitar amp we used for the other keyboards."

> The overheads were Neumann 87 or 47, and on the hi?hat I used a Neumann KM84, which gives a nice crisp sound, but also has enough body in it. Mike Fraser, Sound on Sound interview, 2009.

About the recording process of "Fallen" When it came to recording Lee's vocals at NRG, the group tested out three mics: the Telefunken Elam 251E, the AKG C-12 and the regular Neumann U47 tube mic. The U47 won. “That one seemed to have the classic presence,” reports Fortman, the producer.. “It sounded really good on Amy's voice. I love having that type of luxury, where you can record something from each mic, have everybody sit down and take time to choose.”

What mics were you using for vocals? > I pretty much do all my vocals on a Neumann U 47. Johnathan [Schenke] told me that one's best for my voice and I've always trusted him since. For the Parquet Courts record we just did in Texas, I ended up doing a lot of the vocals on a handheld Telefunken mic [M80]. I was able to get into the vocal part a bit more just by having something in my hand.

In [this article](http://patricksisson.com/gang-signs-post-punk-legends-gang-of-four-revisit-old-principles-and-crank-up-the-transistor-amps-on-content/), while talking about his drum micing technique, Andy says, "The kick had a D112 inside and either a Neumann 47 or 67 outside, usually placed about one-and-a-half or two feet away."

"On the whole, the *Dreaming My Dreams* sessions were cut live. (...) 'The studio was small, so there wasn’t a lot of space between places,' [studio engineer Kyle] Lehning says, 'and Waylon was at the center of all of this, playing electric guitar and singing live vocals into a Neumann U47 FET. Sometimes he would fix a vocal later, but sometimes it would be that live vocal on the track. The vocal chain would have been the preamp in the Flickinger console through an LA-2A and the FET U47.'"

Bon Scott singing in the Studio with a Neumann U47 FET

From the official Neumann website: "The list of renowned artists who have created musical masterpieces with the sound of the U 47 fet – including AC/DC, Kate Bush, Bruce Springsteen, and later R.E.M, the Pretenders, a-ha, Dire Straits, Metallica, Michael Bublé and many others – can now grow longer ..."

In this video teaser of Ice Cube's Arrest The President, it appears that he is rapping into a Neumann U47 FET.

In this screenshot from Zayn's snapchat (zayn) where he is recording PILLOWTALK - the living room session, he is using a Neumann U47 Microphone.

"I don't ever use dynamic mics on a drum kit if I can help it: it'll either be ribbons or condensers. The exception would be an [Electro?voice] RE20 inside the kick, but I tend to try to use a [Neumann] U87 or 47 outside, and a Yamaha NS10 driver on the bottom. I try to line them up equidistant, so that theoretically it would always phase?align. I'll use [Neumann] KM84s on snare, top and bottom."

jon use the neumann for recording in studio.

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

From the official Neumann website: "The list of renowned artists who have created musical masterpieces with the sound of the U 47 fet – including AC/DC, Kate Bush, Bruce Springsteen, and later R.E.M, the Pretenders, a-ha, Dire Straits, Metallica, Michael Bublé and many others – can now grow longer ..."

Used on "Linger", as mentioned by producer Stephen Street in this March 2019 *Sound on Sound* interview. >"I might have used a [Neumann] U47 FET inside the bass drum." (...) Similarly, Mike Hogan's bass rig was very much of its era. "He was using a Wal bass at the time," Noel remembers. "He had bought it from a guy here in Ireland who'd got all the parts from Wal and built it himself. He had an Ampeg [SVT] cab at the time. That was pretty standard for the '90s. If you got a bit of money, it was a no?brainer." > "We definitely would've taken a DI," says Street. "But then it would've also been an [Electro-Voice] RE-20 and U47 on the cab and then play around until it felt right in terms of the phase and so on. But relatively close to the cab."

According to a list of equipment which is used in his studio, Crowdspacer, Joakim is also a user of Neumann U47 microphone.

Used for vocals on Zedd's "Illusion", as stated in this September 8, 2015 *Mix Online* article. > Echosmith recorded vocal tracks for Zedd’s song "Illusion" with producer Jeffrey David and engineer [GG] Reynolds, using a vintage Neumann U 47 FET for vocals...

John Paul Jones' bass parts were re-amped through Alan Moulder's custom Audio Kitchen bass amp, miked with a Neumann U47 FET

Three mics picked up the bass drum: a Sennhesier 602 in the kick, Neumann U47 FET on the outside, Yamaha NS10 subwoofer for low frequencies.

Used for the bass drum on "Linger", as mentioned in this March 2019 *Sound on Sound* interview. > In regard to drum miking, Stephen Street's approach was fairly standard for early '90s recording. "Yeah, pretty traditional in a sense," he says. "I might have used a [Neumann] U47 FET inside the bass drum. The usual kinds of Shure dynamic mics on top of the snare and under. Sennheiser [MD] 421s on the toms, KM84 on the hi?hat, and the overheads would have been two U87s. That tended to be my go-to set-up back in those days."

"Earl Harvin's kick drum, double-miked with a Neumann FET47 (left) and Yamaha NS10 woofer." - [Sound On Sound](http://www.soundonsound.com/people/inside-track-sam-smiths-lonely-hour)

Visible in this photo of Franklin, as well as [this one](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56b8f8efab48debb2efb2ef5/t/58b2bc89bf629ae26da54868/1488108706483/Aretha+Franklln+1967). According to [this R / E /P forum thread](https://repforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php?topic=36604.15), the U47 FET was used for *Who's Zoomin' Who*. > "For what it's worth, the Aretha Franklin album 'Who's Zoomin' Who' is said to have used a 47fet [*sic*] in one of the Mix Magazine [*sic*] 'Classic Tracks' articles."

Article about recording favs

Used for the baritone saxophone on Donald Fagen's *Morph the Cat*, as stated by mix engineer Elliott Scheiner in this August 2006 *Sound on Sound* interview. > According to Elliott Scheiner, the following mics were used on the *Morph The Cat* recording sessions. > * Kick drum: AKG D112. > * Snare: SM57 (only on top). >* Hi-hat: Neumann KM81 or 84. > * Toms: Audio-Technica ATM25. > * Overheads: Neumann U67. > * Room mics: Electrovoice RE20. > * Electric guitar: Shure SM57 right on speaker cone. > * Piano: 2x AKG C12 mics, about 12 inches from the strings. > * Trumpet and trombone: Coles ribbon. > * Tenor sax: Neumann U67. > * Baritone sax: Neumann FET47.