Skip to main content

Hi

Can anyone guide me as to how will the AKG C214 microphone will be suitable for voice-overs.

Anyone who has used the mic, or owned it.

Have not found many reviews on the same, if can guide.

Comments

moonbaby Wed, 06/09/2010 - 09:26

I tried the C214 out last month. It is supposed to be a single-pattern 414 (cardioid only), but when I compared it to my 414LTD, it didn't measure up; it seemed to emphasize sibilance issues moreso. I use my 414 in the hypercardioid mode for female VO's, and the 214 was more strident and not tight enough in a reasonably treated room. I tried it on my voice (baritone) vs. what I usually use for VO work ( an E-V RE-20, a Heil PR-40 and a Beyer M160 ) , and it seemed harsh and too ambient.
It really helps VO work to have a mic with a pretty tight pattern to keep things "dry".

moonbaby Wed, 06/09/2010 - 15:35

That's not what I said...
Cardioid is, IMHO, NOT "more than good" for VO work. A tighter pattern is almost always desireable. Look at the RE-20 and the Beyer M160 that I listed, these are hypercardioid. And many professionals use a shotgun mic for even less room pick-up... The C214 wasn't that far off from my 414, but people think that it's the same sound as the 414 in cardioid, which it really isn't. That's because the 414 uses a dual-diaphragm capsule design to vary the patterns, the 214 has a single diaphragm, and this will cause slight changes in timbre between the 2 models. And remember that the environment you are doing the recording in will have a big effect on the final outcome...

anonymous Wed, 06/09/2010 - 23:51

moonbaby have considered your suggested mics, yes the shotgun mics are the ones to look out for but the Sennheiser ones are expensive.....yes sure the AKG 414's are not similar to the AKG C214, but again the 414's are far more expensive. Yes the environment will have a huge effect on the type of mics. I understand by what you mean by a tighter pattern will be better, but I will use the AKG C214 in a soundbooth.

Any more experiences with the AKG C214

RemyRAD Mon, 06/28/2010 - 11:53

There have been so many permutations of the 414 series that it's hard to compare them to each other. Some are flatter. Some are tailored more for human vocal use. Some have Transformers. Some don't. Why they keep calling it a 414 is beyond my comprehension. I thought the Austrians were smart but isn't that where Hitler was bred? Not smart. And besides the 414 will still provide you with a rather crispy sound in comparison to its Neumann U 87 kissin' cousin. So much smoother sounding. So crispy or smooth? That is the question.

I have both because it's necessary
Mx. Remy Ann David

Tom Fodor Sat, 10/23/2010 - 06:47

A Neumann TLM 67 would be nice coz the top end is very very smooth. It's not hyped, nor heavy in the bottom end so it's easily controled. It was designed with digital production in mind ( to combat the brittle nature of digital recording ) so it won't sound too sharp. A good ribbon Mic would do the trick too, a Beyer would be a great choice.