NOT Necessarily Your Next Portable VO Rig.

Karaoke for the masses? Maybe. I don't think so.

But if you really want to be in constant touch with a portable rig in case the big client calls while you are away from a studio, give George a call about the latest updates on his VO2GO packages.

We will try to get George to tell us the cold hard specs and get some examples soon.

Some Industry News

You and I may not be directly involved with this information.... Wait, we still use cell-phones and other micro-mics. Some of us techy heads may find it interesting.


Industry News
Microphone makers ready for cheaper, smarter MEMS line

China (mainland) – Microphone makers in the region, spurred on by a huge market demand, are up and ready to ramp up production of silicon microphones with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) processing technology. Worldwide shipment is forecast to reach nearly 1.6 billion units in 2011, growing by a compound annual growth rate of 43 percent from 600 million units in 2008, according to France-based market research company Yole Developpement. The growth is attributed to the booming portable consumer electronics market that includes mobile phones, digital still cameras, laptops, personal navigation devices, Bluetooth headsets and other portable recording devices.
The MEMS microphones market is estimated to have reached nearly $300 million in 2008. The mobile phone segment, with sales nearing 1.4 billion handsets annually, accounts for the lion’s share of this market. In close second is the digital still camera/digital video camera segment, which is expected to seize a major share leading to 2011.

Microfabrication increase yield of smarter products
MEMS, sometimes referred to as micromachines or microsystems technology, integrates mechanical elements, sensors, actuators and electronics on a conventional silicon substrate. Using microfabrication technology, its electronics components are assembled via IC process sequences while the micromechanical components are made by etching away parts of the silicon wafer or adding new structural layers.
MEMS devices are relatively cheaper to produce since it employs batch fabrication techniques. The technology to produce the device further allows the integration of new levels of functionality, reliability and sophistication on a small silicon chip. The technology enables the creation of complete systems-on-a-chip, which in turn leads to the development of smarter products.
MEMS silicon microphones offer the same acoustic performance as that of electret condenser microphones (ECMs) but without the cumbersome size of the latter. Unlike ECMs, silicon microphones with MEMS can withstand higher temperatures during surface mounting processes in consumer electronic products. It also exhibits a better performance in terms of reliability, uniformity, flexibility and power consumption.

Suppliers up capacities for likely demand swell
The significant penetration of MEMS microphones in consumer electronics is expected to begin next year, as pioneers Knowles, Wolfson, Analog Devices, Freescale, ST, Infineon and Omron look to add more solutions incorporating the technology.
China suppliers are closely monitoring movements from these developers. Some makers have begun production of sample batches while others are expanding production lines to meet the surge in demand. For instance, Shangdong Goer Acoustics Technology Co. Ltd has invested $12 million into a new production line with a planned capacity of about 500,000 MEMS microphones per month. Products from this factory are designedmainly for use with laptops and mobile phones. The microelectroacoustics maker has also developed technologies that address performance problems such as stress and conglutination.
Meanwhile, Suzhou MEMSensing Microsystems Co. Ltd will begin mass production of its proprietary MEMS microphones. The company holds six chips and encapsulation design patents for MEMS microphones.
AAC Acoustic Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, which mass-produced its first line of MEMS microphones in 2007, has announced plans to increase investments in MEMS microphones R&D. To ensure further innovation, it has inked a cross-licensing agreement with Knowles and established technological ties with US-based Stanford University.

Could the New V87 be Next Sleeper VO Mic?

MXL has started shipping the new V87 "Studio" mic. If it has the same strong dynamic punch as the V88, it could be the new secret weapon for Voiceover.
If you have access to one and can test it out....let us know what you think.

The MXL V87 is an essential microphone for recording both vocal and instrument
performances. Designed with 8.5 dB low-noise circuitry for critical recording
applications, the MXL V87 combines a large gold diaphragm, FET preamp, and
transformer-balanced output to create a punchy midrange and full round low-end.

Telefunken | USA U 48 Tube Mic

Telefunken | USA's new U 48 tube mic combines precision vintage expertise with modern technology.
In 1957, Telefunken began distributing the U 48, which offered identical specifications as the famous U 47, with one notable difference: the U 48 featured cardioid and bidirectional patterns, rather than the U47's cardioid/omnidirectional combination. This feature let engineers make use of the M-S and Blumlein stereo techniques, that were popular with classical recording engineers.

The U 47 is exceptional in stereo miking applications and a U 47/U 48 set of mics offers engineers stereo recording options that are not otherwise available. When used in cardioid, the U 48 sonic response is identical to that of the U 47, and is often the microphone of choice for vocal recording.

The Telefunken | USA U 48 microphone system is available in both Platinum and Professional editions.

For more information about Telefunken | USA, visit www.telefunkenusa.com or call 860/882-5919.

Slack VOa Hacks Get Whack!!

Find more videos like this on voiceover universe presents...

(Only 3 microphones were injured in the making of this video)
Find more videos like this on voiceover universe presents...
Trailer Narrators Hip Hop Nightmare, shared by Beau Weaver of Paul Wintner Artist Management

Can the Old German Heritage Continue?

We all appreciate the genius, skill and dedication that developed the technology for the "Hitler Mic." We may or may not agree that Neumann may have set a standard for a certain style and sound for high-end microphone technology. But isn't it interesting that those original ideals continue on in various incarnations?

Georg Neumann established his first factory in Berlin in 1927 to repair electrical appliances. However, it was damaged by an incendiary bomb in 1943 and so he set up a new repair factory in a disused textile mill in a small town called Gefell close to the old border between East and West Germany, near Dresden.
The first microphone made in this factory was the CMV4a 'bottle', which used Neumann's M7 condenser capsule (later used in the U47 and M49 microphones, as well as in several of Microtech Gefell's current models).
After the war, Neumann eventually returned to Berlin and started the Neumann microphone company we all know and love today. His former technical director, Mr Kuehnast, and most of the original staff remained in Gefell also making microphones, and the two facilities remained in close contact.
However, when the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, all communications between East and West stopped, and as a result of communist ethos, the names of the former company owners were obliterated in 1972, and the name became VEB Mikrofontechnik Gefell.
The company continued developing various advanced technologies through the '70s and '80s, including solid-state microphone amplifiers and government-funded development of high-powered industrial lasers. In fact, the company still uses a laser engraving machine to mark the model and serial numbers on the cases of its microphones.
When the East German government finally collapsed in 1989 and the Berlin Wall came down, the Berlin Neumann company offered to co-operate with Microtech Gefell once again. As part of the co-operation deal, the Neumann factory in Berlin tested the various Gefell microphones and the Neumann engineers were surprised to discover microphone technology more advanced than some of that available in the West! For example, Microtech Gefell were using hybrid FET amplifiers in the 1970s, a decade before the same technology was adopted in the West.
The M900 and M910 microphones use a capsule made of a ceramic material moulded under high pressure and plated with chromium — technology developed in Moscow, perfected by Microtech Gefell, and unlike anything currently found in Western microphone designs.
Eventually Georg Neumann's heirs reclaimed a share of the old company as former owners, and when Sennheiser acquired the Berlin Neumann company in 1991, all links between the two companies were severed once again.
Microtech Gefell is now privately owned by the Neumann family heirs and has continued to develop high-quality microphones for studio, broadcast, PA and measurement applications.
Currently under the technical supervision of Kuehnast's son, Microtech Gefell still produces the M7 capsule in exactly the same way Georg Neumann taught the elder Kuehnast in the 1940s — hand drilling each hole in the backplate, making the PVC membrane, and gluing it all together by hand just as Neumann specified!

John Weeks has a new Microtech Gefell M930.... and he sounds great on it. He presents his tests of his various set-ups. He says,

"I got a Sound Devices USBPre for my "travel" set up. I've attached a some files for you.
Gefell M930 into Sound Devices USBPre
Gefell M930 into GML 2032 preamp into Lynx L22 soundcard
Gefell M930 into GML 2032 preamp into Neve Portico 5043 into Lynx L22 soundcard "

I was under the impression that the U71 is the Gefell "voiceover" mic. John's M930 sure sounds good. Let me know if you use or have used other Microtech Gefell's for VO.

Have You Seen the New Blue USB Converter?

(musicradar.com)

Icicle adds USB compatibility to any XLR microphone
Converter works with dynamic and condenser models

USB microphones are now a dime a dozen, but what if you want to plug your standard XLR model directly into your computer? Blue Microphones has the solution in the form of Icicle, an in-line USB converter and preamp.
Designed to work with dynamic and condenser microphones, Icicle is a plug-n-play device that offers a 48V phantom power option. There's an analogue gain control, and 16-bit/44.1kHz conversion.
Using the Icicle is simple – just plug your mic into one end and the USB cable into your Mac or PC.
Commenting on the product's launch, Blue Microphones President Skipper Wise said: "Today's musicians live in both the analogue and digital worlds, and Icicle bridges those worlds with sophistication, an understanding of how musicians work, and a clean, simple style".
Icicle should be available around the world in December and has a suggested US retail price of $60.

Have You Heard a Shure SM7b Test Lately?

A lot of Voiceover folks, especially ones coming from the broadcast side, fall back on the good ol' Shure SM7B Dynamic mic.

Gearwire.com does an interesting test. By the way, I appreciate when they do test with the actual mic being discussed.

Video Test Demonstration of Shure SM7B