Jon Protege

I bought the u87 Ai to replace my Neumann TLM 102. To my ears, the u87 sounded richer throughout the frequency range and more musical and "three-dimensional". Having been a music producer who has recorded and mixed my own stuff for over 10 years and having owned and used different mics (AT3035, KSM32, SM7B, Stellar CM-6), I've learned that a lot of it is based on feel and experience; you just know when you hear it. High-end mics have euphonic details and tonalities that can't be replicated through processing with cheaper alternatives. I would not trust mic shootouts online because it's much different when you actually start using it.

I used this preamp with a Neumann TLM 102 to record all of the vocals for my solo debut album entitled "Favorite Life", which is available on streaming platforms. I think it helps my vocals to sound full, clean, and natural. I now use it with a Neumann u87 Ai.

I don't know why these were discontinued because it's a nice compact unit with good quality converters. I've been using this for more than a decade now and I'm surprised that it's still running with no major issues. I have had some annoying firmware issues though and also the connector for the power supply is nearly broken now and needs to be wiggled into a certain position to keep it powered; but considering that I got so much mileage out of it, I am very impressed.

I used this mic plugged into a Focusrite Isa One preamp to record all of the vocals for my solo debut album entitled "Favorite Life", which is out on streaming platforms. There is something about this mic that makes it sound like a cross between a large-diaphragm condenser and a dynamic; it almost sounds like a more open and airy version of the SM7B.

There is just something about the way music sounds on these speakers that I love and can't live without, especially from a mixing perspective.

I use one of these in mono as a reference during production and mixing.

I've been using this to power my NS-10s. The unit itself is super bulky and heavy, which has been a hassle whenever I needed to transport it. I've also had to get it repaired more than twice now because it stopped working properly (I would lose sound on either one or both speakers).

These headphones are great for vocal work, whether tracking or mixing, because they're able to highlight problems in the sibilant range. I had to replace the ear cups after a couple of years since they started peeling, but other than that they're sturdy enough to last more than a decade.