EV RE20 - Still Good?

[seanmoore]

I'm building up a mic collection (slowly, so far, umm...one!), and what collection would be complete without the EV RE20?

Somewhere along in my research, I came across a message from someone saying that the famous RE20 is no longer as good, now that ElectroVoice is owned by Telex.

Is this true?

I have not used a newly manufactured RE20 myself, so I was wondering what others thought.

The RE20 is appealing for it's all-purpose-ness. Radio voiceover sure, but if you do any music stuff, it's also pretty good for: kick drums, guitar amps, vocals, horns, acoustic guitars, etc.

One more thing, how much competition does the RE20 face from a mic like the Heil PR40? I've read that it's "The New RE20."

Your thoughts appreciated!

 

[Dylan Paul]

I've always been a fan of the RE20. Never owned one, but have talked thru plenty. We have our on-air and prod studios outfitted with Neumann TLM 103s. They cost around $1000, you deffinatly have to gate them for on-air use, but they sound AWESOME! We deffinatly have the best mic sound in the market.

Other hot mics I would consider...

Sennheiser Shotgun
Blue Bottle

Dylan Paul
Creative Services Director/Imaging Voice
WLUM Milwaukee

 

[Emmett1057]

Was the RE20 ever a good sounding mic?

IMO, the RE20 is one of the worst sounding mics on the market. For the same price, there are countless mics that sound better. Stations keep them around because they're consistant and virtually indestructable. The RE27 sounds somewhat better, but still very much like a tin can with a transducer. It takes a brave engineer to load an air studio with Neumanns. I would think jocks would tear them to bits.

As for the PR40, yes, it sounds worlds better. The only complaints I have ever heard, are that The PR40 is very prone to interference from CRT monitors and televisions. As long as you've got LCD's, you're fine.

Emmett

 

[VODood]

I agree about the RE20. Hate it! I'll take the RE27 over the RE20 anyday.

With that said. Charlie Van Dyke uses the RE20 with a Symetrix 528E. Works for him. Then again. Charlie can talk through a tin can and still sound good.

Staying in the dynamic mic category, for LESS money you can get a Sennheiser MD421 or the Shure SM7B. Both better mics than the RE20/27.

 

[Lee_Sackett]

+1 on not liking the RE20. I just saw a funny post at gearslutz.com, something to the effect that it sounds like someone forgot to take it out of the box first. To me it sounds like a dull, lifeless mic, and I can always tell who doesn't have RE20's in their air chain.

That said, they can be good for screamer spots, and they fit certain female voices like a glove. If you're not just recording yourself, but other VO and music as well, by all means get one - or two or three. The current production ones, for better or worse, sound just like the older ones.

But don't even consider an RE27.

 

[DeadAudicy]

I've successfully mic'd naturally louder males whose voices would be considered in the higher range with RE20s. They are typically better on stage for the same reason, belting mid to high range (thus "PL20"s, for no good reason except to dileniate performance from recording...stoopid EV!). Anyway, they are fine for that app, as the diaphragms are made out of cast iron. But you got warmth? You ditch RE20.

BTW, for a good "outside" ambience while not leaving the studio, RE20s are cool. Just be sure your room is very dead, direction is straight ahead, and you're shelving lows on the mic and anything over 5k on eq, and talk above the "street noise".

 

[Radio Pro]

I've got to add my 2 cents worth. Re-20's are a terrible production mic.
If you can, demo the Shure SM series.. great all-round prod mics. Or Sennheiser as suggested..another great mic.


Of course, it all depends on the voice. The RE-20 can sound great with certain voices..but I believe it must be matched with that particular voice.
Too darn touchy.

 

[menotti1]

Generally the sennheiser 421 was for AM stations, most FM's went to the RE20.i guess i may have one of the few FM"S that still run the 421.It just sounds better to me.Now the Shure SM7 is another excellent choice.Never cared for the RE20.

 

[BobSacamano]

I was on the air for 28 years, and for about 20 of them, I was talking into an RE-20..I always thought Sure SM-7 was a better mic, but the RE-20 DOES have a loyal following..

 

[jefflaurence]

EV observations:

RE20 is supposed to be bulletproof...and "looks" like a broadcasting mic. Rush has a gold plated one! OOOoooh!

It looks good..when people see pictures of your place it will look good.

All the pictures of Paul Harvey recently have him saying "Good Day" into an RE20.

I have a broken one to place in photos so it looks good. Nobody would like some of the mics that I have used..they don't look good.

CKLW used to have an old RCA velocity intercom mic that they would drag out when there were pictures taken on the studio to cover up that they used a Sennheiser MD421. So did KHJ and KFRC.

The line about not taking it out of the box was hilarious!

It does look better in the box.

 

[BenTehelenbach]

I've never had a problem with the RE20 as a production mic, although I prefer a good condenser. The most challenging set-up I've had to use is an RE-27 with a Symetrix 528E processor. It's difficult to get it to sound like something other than a 32kbps mp3 file.

 

[Nelz]

I think an RE20 in the arsenal is a good idea...I'm not a huge fan in the home studio/VO environment (for my voice), but on-air the RE20 is a great choice...I used an RE27 at one of stations where I worked, and I liked it a lot. You can't beat good processing. For production, a condenser mic is tops. I love my Senn MKH416.

 

[Lee_Sackett]

The most challenging set-up I've had to use is an RE-27 with a Symetrix 528E processor. It's difficult to get it to sound like something other than a 32kbps mp3 file.

The RE27 is not just an RE20 with more highs; it's an almost completely different animal, and a not very well domesticated one at that.

 

[Lee_Sackett]

The most challenging set-up I've had to use is an RE-27 with a Symetrix 528E processor. It's difficult to get it to sound like something other than a 32kbps mp3 file.

The RE27 is not just an RE20 with more highs; it's an almost completely different animal, and not a very well domesticated one at that.

 

[ruger22com]

I have used re20's for years in both on air and production facilities. The are a great mic IF the room has a good dead sound with no hard surfaces. re's have a very nice proximitry effect to play with if you have a good set of natural deep tubes. The problem is so many people don't know how to really use a microphone, and its proximitry effect.

The best mics I have used were Neumann's and the old rca dx77 series. I used a mic that was an rca dx77 type, only it looked more like a ball than a capsule (removed from the old WDEE-AM DETROIT STUDIO), and it was the warmest mic I ever used....EVER.

One station I worked on-air (WCZY-FM Detroit) at in the late 70's, actually had built the entire studio around a u47 neumann, where the mic was actually positioned 3 feet away from the announcer (easy listening format), and you gently spoke to it from that distance. the room absolutly soundproof and completely dead, and the result was amazing.

I do NOT know if the technology has changed on the RE20 since the company changed hands, but they would be crazy to kill a good thing.

 

[Mike Walker]

I'm a mike slut, but I don't think there are bad mics. Yes there are mics that sound bad for certain uses, but there's always a particular sound that is just right for a particular mic. Hell, even my 20 dollar Behringer is great for some things (NO, it's not a high-end condenser). I keep an old EV omni that's "been to war" for situations where I want to record a sound effect in a way where the mic might be damaged (a really up-close recording of water being poured is a recent example). YES, I like to roll my own sound effects, too. I'd much rather ring the doorbell, walk across the room, and open the door than look up the sfx in my library. Weird, huh? At least I know I won't hear the same sound effects anywhere else!

 

[Sgeirk]

In a completely dead production room, the RE20 with Symetrix processing does sound good.

I much prefer my voice through an SM7 with the same processing. I love the SM7's proximity effect, to me, you gotta eat the thing, but the end product on the air sounds has much bigger legs than the RE20.

Anyone but me notice the same thing with the SM7 proximity?

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Great discussion. My voice sounds lousy on every mic I own, so take my observations with a grain of salt.

The RE20 is a stock mic for radio stations, I swear it comes with the wallboard. Never liked the RE27s because I found them a pain to EQ. In radio station settings, given the choice, the RE20 was preferable to the RE27. The shop I work in now is loaded with RE20s. Stations buy 'em because jocks often behave like the Samsonite Gorillas.

The at home studio has a Shure SM7 that I use without the wind filter. It's works OK if you're light on the plosives. If you're heavy on the P-pops, throw one of your wife's knee highs over it, preferably before she's worn it.

Lately, I'm using an AKG Perception 100, a poor man's Neuman. But I like the warmth.

I traded in a Sennheiser 421 a few years ago and regret it. Liked the variable EQ ring on the back end. I know a lot of stage guys and roadies who love the 421 for kick drums.

I would love to have "appropriated" the RCA DX77 I used at a station many years ago. What a superb, sweet sounding mic. Somebody beat me to it when the station changed format and the new PD had, you guessed it, RE20's installed everywhere except the men's room. First thing I looked for when I returned to the station years later was the DX77. Gone! Lousy bastards! (as Bender would say)

If you're starting a mic collection, try the SM7 over the RE20. Of course, you could always start with a basic SM57 and play around with it to find out where your range is.

Now my question: Do you gentlemen (and ladies) recommend the dbx 286A or should I go nuts and invest in the Symetrix 528E? Wish I could say "money is no object," but I'm in radio, so it is.

Your feedback is appreciated.

 

[Emmett1057]

There are better options than both. I actually prefer the 286A over the 528E. Hate the 528E...HATE IT!!! I hate it almost as much as I hate the RE20. There are quite a few options other than the 286A and the 528E. What about the Focusrite Voicemaster Pro, Aircorp 500PH/TV, Aphex 230 or Drawmer Front End? At the $200 mark, you won't find anything better than the 286A.

I don't care for the SM7, but I just plain don't like dyanmic mics! I'll still take it over the RE20 any day!

Emmett

 

[calguy]

The RCA that the RKO Top 40's used was the BK5B with the big bulb windscreen. I've know several former RKO jocks and they say that they really did use that mic, not the Sennheiser, but my friends worked on the west coast as well as NYC. Since Telex bought EV the quality has dropped with more plastic parts inside. We had new RE27ND's installed in one of our rooms and they were pulled within 2 days. Distorted and horrible. They were decent mics that were built like tanks in the old days, but I would take an SM7B any day over the EV now. My two favorites are the SM5B and Sennheiser MKH416.
The former is no longer made and the latter is on the pricey side, but I felt good using it. My experience with the Heil is that with the right processing it can be okay on the air, but can really be a terrible production mic if not set up just right.