9 Affordable Warm Audio Mics Based on Classics: Compared on Vocals, Guitars, and Bass

00:00 - Intro
00:52 - Overview of Microphones
6:40 - Female Vocal
11:10 - Male Vocal
14:38 - Electric Guitar
17:04 - Acoustic Guitar
19:57 - Bass

[PhoctorDill]

Wow that 251 sounded incredible on vocals

[phuzbrain]

They all sound very good to my ears. Surprised how good the 47jr. sounds for the price.

[foxdropp]

This is amazing! Super useful to hear what's actually happening with each mic in the same space with the same source; definitely helps to contextualise the 'buzz' words used to describe these mics and make it all less abstract. Especially when you don't have access and need to choose where to start; thanks again guys - much appreciated!

[BobSicotteMusic]

Favorites: 1) WA-CX12, 2) WA-47, 3) WA-87R2, 4) WA-251, 5) WA-84, 6) WA-47JR. All the mics are wonderful but these are my favrorites based on this amazing video. Thanks for this incredible comparison video. So much feeling going on!

[liammm]

I feel like my SM57 is getting self-conscious seeing me watch this video

[sapienalien]

didn’t know what to expect with joe doing vocals, but that dudes got some beautiful pipes

[OverdriveMusic]

I just did a blind test on the WA-87R2 vs a Neumann U87ai, and in some cases, such as on drum room and acoustic guitar, I preferred the Warm. Vocals, were still great with the Warm, but I could tell which was the Neumann based on a resonant tone. I've owned a Neumann U87ai and a Manley Tube Cardioid for over 4 years. I never thought to even look at Warm, because I was put off approx 10 years ago. Their gear wasn't the same back then. But man, I'm so impressed now with their new lineup of gear. I just don't know which one to choose out of the 47F, or the 87R2. I'm sick of replacing tubes, and dealing with noisy tube mics, so will go with FET.

[saxyrep]

OK, I'm so thankful for this mic shootout because I didn't expect to fall in love with one of those but the 251 is amazing. The level of precision from top top bottom on all instruments and voices is insane. Also, the 84 and 47Jr win in the value category for me. Props!

[anointed]

The CX12, the WA 67 and the 47 sound awesome!

[TheAndrewforbes]

I haven't historically been the biggest fan of the WA mics (although I LOVE their outboard gear) but these two new mics are really something. They did a great job with them. They are getting better at this. I hope they will continue to iterate on their older mics.

[ЗВЕРОБОЙ-фь]

Great test! Best! Thank you very much!

[bobophone]

The male singer distance from mic to mic is very inconsistent, so no real test there. The female singer sounds great on every mic, but exceptional on the WA47:)

[buhlir]

great vid but man I wish these were all compared as drum overheads. that would be an incredible way to tell the differences.

[GrumIsMe]

A lot of great tones, but the one that surprised me most was how much I liked the WA14, particularly in light of the price.

[jones]

Wow the WA-84 KILLS on the acoustic. You really have to go with that SDC for the acoustic! Of the LDCs, the 14 and the 87 sounded best to me. The WA-47 is surprisingly good all around though. Especially killed on the electric, where it had a richness and smoothness in the low mids that the others were missing. The 14 was extremely versatile though. And the 87 probably had the most detail across the spectrum. Beautiful sense of presence and intimacy on the vocals. I suspect all the LDCs are good, it's just a matter of the specific application you're going for.

[kickit]

Ah, ‘ol Elephants Gerald. Amazing artist

[stanvidgg]

Wa47 tube is winner on vocals, CX12 close second.

[studiodsr]

This video really helped me fall asleep last night

[EricMarinko]

Nice video, although I wished the male vocal performance on the CX-12 didn't stray so far from all the other takes. Seemed he really wanted to sell that particular mic lol.

[geoffschuller]

That was incredibly useful! Thank you! Do you have the individual audio files somewhere so we can download them and compare the best ones head-to-head? That would be awesome.