KU5A here

[lppier]

Hi, I just received my KU5A. Did a comparison here between this and my current fav sm7b.

Both mics are recorded at the same time, it's the same singing.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3vRkcuB1Sc (replaced with the non-clipping track)



Will reserve my personal thoughts first, just like to hear your opinions

[keith.rogers]

Originally Posted by lppier

Hi, I just received my KU5A. Did a comparison here between this and my current fav sm7b.

Both mics are recorded at the same time …..



….

Showing YouTube embed.

[KevWind]

I listened on my MacBook Pro which has fairly good speakers for a laptop
And they were pretty close

I then listened on my studio mixing open back head phones and still fairly close But I felt the KU had a bit more presence and depth and was a tad smoother

[rick-slo]

Sound the same to me for all practical purposes. Doubt I could blind test it.

[keith.rogers]

The clips are a bit "hot" - not sure if you changed the channel and master faders for the audio I was hearing, but you can see the master out is at +2.2, and that's with mostly every plugin turned off (save one, that I don't know what it is).

I do hear a difference, but the level has me wondering if the "resonance" I'm hearing, especially on the SM7b parts is just the whole thing having been recorded too hot, or if there's that much difference. I honestly kind of prefer the SM7b when it's in the softer areas, but when you clearly go into clipping areas, the Shure sounds worse (e.g. right around the 0:29-32 and then at the 1:14-17 spots). It's more annoying and visually obvious on the 2nd clip in the loud parts. At least when I listen on my DT770s.

What's your recording space like, and what level are you setting your peaks at when recording? To me it looks like you've got zero headroom in that before you even start to mix.

[lppier]

Point taken - I'll re-record some clips backing off the gain!

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

The clips are a bit "hot" - not sure if you changed the channel and master faders for the audio I was hearing, but you can see the master out is at +2.2, and that's with mostly every plugin turned off (save one, that I don't know what it is).

I do hear a difference, but the level has me wondering if the "resonance" I'm hearing, especially on the SM7b parts is just the whole thing having been recorded too hot, or if there's that much difference. I honestly kind of prefer the SM7b when it's in the softer areas, but when you clearly go into clipping areas, the Shure sounds worse (e.g. right around the 0:29-32 and then at the 1:14-17 spots). It's more annoying and visually obvious on the 2nd clip in the loud parts. At least when I listen on my DT770s.

What's your recording space like, and what level are you setting your peaks at when recording? To me it looks like you've got zero headroom in that before you even start to mix.

[lppier]

Here is the re-recorded version, without clipping. (hopefully)
No FX except for slight compression on each track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3vRkcuB1Sc

[lppier]

Ok, will pen some initial thoughts after a week of getting this mic.

Firstly, YouTube compression removes much of the differences I can hear between the ku5a and the sm7b. The differences become much subtler in the YouTube video, hence I’m basing my observations on what I hear in the daw. So if your eventual medium is YouTube - [emoji848]

1. This is a character mic imo - it kind of softens the voice and makes things sound more lofi, for lack of a better word. Maybe that’s the characteristic of a ribbon mic? This is my first ribbon mic. I found myself putting a high shelf to boost the upper frequencies to get it to what I’m used to hearing in pop.

2. The mic itself has plenty of gain from its active electronics, no trouble there.

3. Compared to the sm7b, it has more lower mid range presence, and has much less highs than the sm7b. I take the foam filter of the sm7b off usually and it makes a big difference in the sound. The sm7b has a Shure sound - duh- that I recognise.

In short, I think for songs that are more retro, and you want to recreate a time where things didn’t sound so hifi, this is the mic. Think tape machine.

Personally, I prefer the sm7b - I think I’m just used to hearing how it sounds and this may be blasphemy - I think the sm7b sounds slightly smoother than the ku5a on my voice. It depends on the source i guess, as so many folks are raving on this mic.

I’ve found that with some eq I can get the ku5a to sound similar to the sm7b. In a mix, one would be hard pressed to hear a difference.

[j3ffr0]

Although I don't have the KU5A, I do have four ribbons, a SM7b, and quite a few other mics. As far as the response of the mics, I heard pretty much what I expected to hear:

-SM7b has more highs, almost a bit of scoop. Also more grainy, but the KU5A is really smooth
-KU5A is a really smooth, nice sound... quite thick in the mids.

I think both offer nice sounds for your voice. If using the KU5A, I would scoop some mids (maybe a few db around 1k with a q around .7 or .8) and add some air. SM7b would need less eq to finish the mix. However, it's not a contest to use the mic that requires the least EQ.... It's what ends up sounding the best in the end. So yeah, the SM7b seems like a pretty good fit for you, but don't run all the way past the smoothness and the thickness of the KU5A. It could come in handy here and there or be pure magic with EQ and compression in a mix.

[lppier]

Originally Posted by j3ffr0

I think both offer nice sounds for your voice. If using the KU5A, I would scoop some mids (maybe a few db around 1k with a q around .7 or .8) and add some air.
SM7b would need less eq to finish the mix. However, it's not a contest to use the mic that requires the least EQ.... It's what ends up sounding the best in the end. So yeah, the SM7b seems like a pretty good fit for you, but don't run all the way past the smoothness and the thickness of the KU5A. It could come in handy here and there or be pure magic with EQ and compression in a mix.

Thanks for the tip for the eq-ing. Currently i'm boosting a high shelf starting at 8khz on the KU5A. You're accurate that the SM7B needs less eq to my ears, with the foam cover off and using external pop filter.

I also recently playing with the low cut switch , looks like it’s useful for close miked vocals.

Yup, I think the KU5A is a good mic, and it looks pretty cool as well. Maybe in time I'll come to appreciate it better, so far i've only been using it one way, vocal upfront with very soft instrument backings. There must be some reason folks are raving about this mic!