Pretty awesome that Neumann's U 67 tube microphone first introduced in 1960 is back and meticulously reproduced to original specifications to sound and work like the mics made from 1960 to 1971.
Often called a "desert island" microphone for its universal versatility, the U 67 retains its three selectable polar patterns: omni-directional, cardioid, and figure-of-8 plus separate low-cut filter and -10dB pad switches.
My experience with the U 67 as an outstanding vocal microphone for both male and female voices goes back to my early days as a recording engineer--the U 67 always delivered. I also found it great for most all instruments such as: strings (particularly violas), woodwinds, brass (trombones), piano, drums (overheads and floor toms), acoustic and electric guitar (close in to amps with the pad switched on), bass guitar and upright bass.
The U 67 was Neumann's first microphone equipped with the famous K 67 capsule that has since become associated with "the Neumann sound" and continues to be used in its successor, the transistorized U 87 A. The U 67 uses a carefully selected EF86 tube in a clever pre-emphasis/de-emphasis scheme to minimize inherent tube noise. Using its attenuator pad, the U 67 can handle sound pressure levels of up to 124 dB SPL without distortion.
The U 67 comes in a vintage case hand-made in Germany. Besides carrying the microphone, there is room for an elastic shock-mount, a microphone cable and the NU 67 V power supply. The new NU 67 V automatically adapts to the local mains voltage and it and the cable are fully compatible with older U 67 microphones.
The Neumann U 67 sells for $6,995 MSRP.
Barry Rudolph is a recording engineer/mixer who has worked on over 30 gold and platinum records. He has recorded and/or mixed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs and more. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and loves teaching audio engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. He is a lifetime Grammy-voting member of NARAS and a contributing editor for Mix Magazine. barryrudolph.com
