The Experts team wondered what we thought people would want to find behind the windows of a dream studio advent calendar. Some of the things we own, some we wish we did. Owned or not, we think any of the things we name in the next 11 days would be a gift to a professional studio owner
Day 14 - Neumann U87 Ai
Paul Maunder chooses the Neumann U87 Ai condenser microphone.
If there’s a large diaphragm studio condenser microphone which should need no introduction it’s the Neumann U87. Originally introduced back in 1967, the U87 features three polar patterns; cardioid, omni and figure-8. It also provides a switchable low cut and a 10dB pad.
The design of the U87 remained unchanged for 19 years until the revised U87 Ai was released in 1986. The capsule of the microphone remained the same but the output level is higher on the U87 Ai and the signal to noise ratio is improved. The U87 Ai is also slightly brighter sounding than the original U87.
I should point out that I don’t personally own a Neumann U87 Ai but I’ve chosen to include it in this dream studio advent calendar for a few reasons. I’ve used them a lot over the years at various studios and the build quality of the U87 is superb. It certainly feels more solid than most other microphones, and I’ve never encountered a single fault with one. Also, it sounds great on voiceovers and vocals, thanks in part to the presence lift which allows the voice to cut though a mix easily. The frequency response is otherwise flat, aside from a gradual tail off in the low end. Looking purely at the published frequency response graph, you might expect the Neumann U87 Ai to sound much like other microphones with a similar response. However, the U87 Ai seems to have its own distinctive characteristic sound. This may be due to the microphone’s transient response. Transient response relates to how fast and accurately a microphone responds to the dynamics of the sound source. I don’t purport to know exactly what’s going on in the U87 Ai in this regard but it feels highly responsive and I’m sure that this is one factor which contributes to the quality and characteristic of sound this microphone produces.
It’s tricky when writing about something as ubiquitous as the Neumann U87 Ai not to just reiterate other people’s views. Many describe it as versatile because of the combination of polar patterns, 10dB pad and high pass filter. You could say this about other similarly specified microphones though. One thing that’s undeniable about the U87 however, is that it has endured over several decades. Its popularity speaks for itself, and the U87 has been used on thousands of recordings including spoken word, broadcast and music of all genres. The fact that its design has remained largely unchanged over the years is testament to the engineering quality of this microphone. Neumann have very high quality control standards and the consistency in both build and sound quality is superb in the U87 Ai. For me it’s always a safe bet because I know what I’m getting and the quality of the sound it produces is excellent. For me it’s more than worthy of inclusion in this list of dream studio gear.