The best voiceover microphone
Summary: In this post of [A]mandatory Blog, voice talent Amanda Terman reviews several industry-standard microphone options, and introduces her newest acquisition, a Sennheiser MKH 416.
The best voiceover microphone
One of the most common questions I see from aspiring actors researching how to become a professional voice artist, is what is the best voiceover microphone. These VO hopefuls want a simple answer, but it’s not a simple question.
The best mic for YOU depends on:
WHAT your voice sounds like (and what you want it to sound like)
WHERE you work
WHICH genres you prefer
HOW much you can afford
And all the other factors that characterize your voice, goals, and business
Matching a mic to a voice is an art, and every expert could have a different opinion, depending on the circumstances. You may choose one mic for an introspective commercial, and another for an intense video game.
That being said, there are some popular microphones that facilitate success for a large number of top talent.
Below, I’ll discuss three of the best mics for recording voiceover . . . and tell you why I chose the Sennheiser 416 for my professional home studio.
My new Sennheiser MKH 416 microphone. To see why I picked it, and to hear the mic in action, keep reading below!
A quick overview of microphones
Before we examine specific voiceover microphone models, let’s do a quick overview of microphones in general.
WhaT is a microphone?
Let’s start with the most basic question: What is a microphone?
Mics vary quite a bit in terms of function, appearance, and quality, but they all have some unifying features in common.
Technically, a microphone is a “transducer,” meaning it converts energy from one form (sound waves) to another (electrical energy).
Basically, the vibrations of your voice hit the mic’s diaphragm (a thin piece of material like aluminum). Then, the diaphragm makes the mic’s other parts vibrate, and those vibrations are turned into electrical current that you send to your studio computer.
Types of microphones
Two common types of microphones for audio recording are condenser and dynamic.
Open mics (like this one, where I performed some original poetry) are likely to feature rugged dynamic mics suited to capturing loud instrumentals. Also, these mics are highly directional, which I discuss below, so they avoid feedback.
A dynamic microphone uses a magnet to generate electrical current. Dynamic mics are great for recording loud instruments (like drums) because they attenuate certain frequencies (pitches).
All microphones exaggerate some frequencies and reduce others to some extent, but voice actors usually prefer a more consistent response (called a “flat frequency response”) that captures all pitches equally—although there may be occasional scenarios when you do not want a flat frequency response, like if you’re trying to capture human speech frequencies and ignore background noise in a challenging recording environment. But, generally speaking (pun!) dynamic microphones are less common in voiceover studios.
A condenser microphone uses a capacitor (an electrical part that stores energy) to generate electrical current. A condenser mic is more sensitive and responsive than a dynamic microphone.
This quality means that condenser microphones are generally better than dynamic microphones at capturing the nuances of human speech, and most voice artists use condenser microphones.
Microphone direcTionaliTy
Microphones vary in terms of how sensitive they are to sound waves arriving from different directions.
Microphones can be:
Omnidirectional. Omnidirectional microphones are sensitive to sound waves arriving from every direction. If you’re a single voice actor working alone in a booth, you probably do not want an omnidirectional mic that will pick up sound and reflections from other sources besides your face.
Bidirectional. Bidirectional microphone capture sound from two opposite directions. Again, as a single voice actor, you probably do not want this.
Unidirectional. A unidirectional mic picks up sound from one direction. This is the most common directionality for voiceover microphones.
The specific area where the microphone is most sensitive (known as the “pickup pattern”) can take many shapes. The pickup patterns of voiceover microphones are usually either “cardioid” (which is a loosely heart-shaped space in front of the microphone) or “supercardioid” (which is a long oval space extending on a straight line in front of the microphone).
This is a good position for smiling for a picture, but it is not a good position for addressing a unidirectional microphone.
When a beTTer mic is worse
This blog post is about really high-end mics. They’re awesome, powerful tools. However, if your space is bad, a “better” microphone can actually make you sound WORSE because it’s so sensitive! If you have an acoustically deficient space, a fancy mic could be a waste of your money.
So, before you invest a lot of money in a mic, be sure your recording environment has adequate sound isolation (to keep noises like lawnmowers and kids OUTSIDE the booth) and acoustic treatment (to prevent excessive echo and problems INSIDE the booth).
The three most common voiceover microphones
There are three mics that I see most commonly in professional studios:
1. The Neumann U 87 (MSRP: $3999)
The U87 is a top-of-the-line mic that you’ll see in the fanciest schmanciest recording studios. If you have the funds—plus an acoustically pristine recording environment—you can’t go wrong with this guy.
Recording on a Neumann U 87 microphone at Lava Room Recording studio in Cleveland, Ohio.
But remember, a super sensitive mic like this one will capture every tiny little problem in your recording environment. So, a mic like this is less common in a typical home recording studio, which may have solid acoustics, but is unlikely to be acoustically sterile.
Like most VO mics, the U 87 is a large-diaphragm cardioid condenser microphone. As discussed above, this means the mic is most sensitive to sound originating directly in front of it, within about 6 inches or so.
2. The Neumann TLM 103 (MSRP: $1349)
The TLM 103 is an industry-standard mic that is frequently found in both commercial and home studios. When I record at commercial studios, the audio engineer always has one of these on hand.
This cardioid condenser mic offers the rich sound of the U87 (but at a lower price point). Like the U87, it sounds best in a studio with excellent acoustics.
Neumann also offers a slightly lower tier model called the TLM 102 that some voice artists choose for the lower price point (or sometimes because they prefer the interplay between the mic and their unique voice).
3. The Sennheiser MKH 416 (MSRP: $1260)
The Sennheiser 416—or simply “the Senny” as many audio folks affectionately call this industry-standard tool—is a little different than the U87 and TLM 103 because it is a “shotgun” mic (meaning it has a supercardioid—versus simply cardioid—pickup pattern). This means the microphone is really sensitive in a very narrow space, in a line extending straight out from the tip. For this reason, it is often used on film sets where the mic needs to be a little farther away from the actor’s mouth (so it’s not in the frame), and the production team wants to capture the actor’s voice without capturing background noise in the room. These qualities also make it extremely versatile for use in home voiceover studios! When choosing a microphone for my space, this mic won me over with its clear, clean sound, and versatility to record audio for both voice-over and on-camera applications in a wide variety of environments.
Watch and listen to my Sennheiser 416 microphone in action.
What about the cheaper USB options?
The microphones I discussed above are all pretty pricey XLR mics (meaning in addition to buying the mic, you also need to buy an interface box and XLR cables to connect your mic to the computer). If you’re new to VO, you may be wondering, “What about the cheaper USB options that plug directly into the computer?” The short answer is they’re not as good.
Sure, you could start with an inexpensive USB mic—hey, I did! My very first microphone, bought c. 2011, was an Audio Technica AT 2020 USB+, which retails for about a hundred bucks. I booked work with it, and it launched my career. I’ve also heard decent results from the Rode NT-USB, which is another popular starter mic.
When I upgraded from my USB mic, I first switched to a a Sennheiser MK4, a mid-range XLR mic that delivered solid results as my business grew.
But these days—especially a year and a half into a pandemic that prompted all the pros to upgrade their home studios—audio engineers usually expect broadcast-ready audio from your home studio. So if you want to compete at the top of the game, it’s helpful to have a competitive mic.
Choosing your microphone
The three microphones featured in this post are great options to consider when choosing your microphone, but they’re far from the only options available.
Recording an audio drama on a Shure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic XLR mic at the WJCU college radio station.
If you search online, you’ll find fun comparisons (often called “microphone shootouts”) where a person records their voice on multiple mics to highlight the differences.
However, as helpful as it is to hear how a mic captures someone else’s voice, there’s no substitute for testing it with your own. So, look for opportunities to test mics before you buy. Some retailers will lend you microphones to test, and others offer generous return policies.
And regardless of which mic you choose, don’t neglect your space! If, for some reason, you are not satisfied with the sound of your voice on a particular microphone, do keep in mind that your recording environment, mic positioning, and EQ/post-production have JUST as much impact on your final product. Microphones are a component of your sound, but ultimately, a professional-grade voiceover production lies at the confluence of these nuanced considerations.
Good luck on your VO journey, and thanks for reading this post!
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