The skinny on CMV563

[losthighway]

One of these days I'm gonna have to get a series chunk of Neumann microphone, and I don't see myself affording a U47 as soon as I would like. The CMV563 seems like a pretty accessible top shelf microphone. But I have a few questions for people familiar with it:

*What would be a reasonable price range for one with capsules? Without?

*Are the other capsules as great/useful as the M7?

*Should one need to get a vintage mic of this type serviced where would he look?

[drumsound]

There is an M7 for CMV 563. I have a refurb'd 563 with an M7 and I really dig it. It's got that classic Neumann mid presence and a great solid feeling low. It's pretty dark, but I like that, I do often add a little high shelf while tracking. Soloed it sound kind of odd, but it often sits great in a mix.

There's a Russian guy who does refurbs and they sound really good. That's what I have, Garges has two of them.

[cgarges]

Yeah, both mine have restored M7s. That's pretty much the classic 563 sound. It's thick and forward sounding, but not as forward or detailed as a well-maintained U47. Similar in overall character, though. I have a pretty decent collection of mics well-suited for vocals at my disposal and the 563 winds up winning the side-by-side auditions WAY more than I would have expected when I bought them.

When I got my 563s, I happened to have a Red Type B and a couple of capsules on hand for review, which I was able to audition with both mic setups. The Red M7-type capsule sounded like a slightly brighter and more modern version then the original M7s. The vintage M7s were a little more exciting sounding and had a little bit more of that "larger than life" thing going on. Still, the Red capsule sounded great. I also had the Red C12-type capsule, which was nice, MUCH brighter, but pleasantly so.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[Marc Alan Goodman]

Yep. What they said. I'd also like to mention that i LOVE them on percussion, particularly mallet instruments. With the M7 I feel like they're very similar to the UM57. I never loved the other M capsules but the K55 or whatever it's called omni is pretty amazing too.

[joel hamilton]

I have a couple.
The M7's and the Mk55 omnis are great, but the M8 (fig as a blumlein thing can be really killer also.

They sound really good on certain things and voices. Great as overheads sometimes. Great overall mic.
Marc is right about the character... they sound like UM57's really, just without being able to switch the pattern without switching the bayonet (capsule).

[DallasRecordingStudio]

in the $1300 range with the capsules...


www.thetrackstudio.com

[E.Bennett]

if you have one or know of one with capsules for $1300, please let me know.

[Lumin]

ive got a 563 and have to say i use it mainly for vocals, but it gets some love when i record handclaps and various other percussion. love how rich it sounds. sits very well in the mix on its own, but a bit of eq in the 3K region gives it some additional presence.
mine came with the M7 and M9. havent been able to use any additional caps although i am curious to hear how the various Red capsules sound paired with the mic. hasnt really been a priority of mine since im happy with what i have.

have any of yall used your cmv on kick duty?

[cgarges]

in the $1300 range with the capsules...


www.thetrackstudio.com

Could you possibly rework your signature to a more appropriate size?

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[Lumin]

also where the hell do you see these mic going for $1300 with capsules? thats crazy talk if they are fully functioning.

[nick_a]

Chris, would you say the original M7 is enough of an improvement over the Red/blue R7? It's definitely more expensive...

[cgarges]

The original M7 has a fuller, more forward sound. The R7 is clearer and more modern-sounding. Not necessarily bright, like the R6 capsule, but just clearer. It sounds like I'm saying that the M7 is hazier than the R7, but I'm trying not to. The M7 just seems maybe a bit larger and "Classic."

If I had the R7 and had never experienced a real M7 capsule, I'd be SUPER stoked about having it. It's a terrific sounding capsule and it's pretty much "that thing you want" for typical male rock vocals, etc. (I'm speaking in very general terms here.) The real M7 is kind of a step up from that.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[joel hamilton]

in the $1300 range with the capsules...


www.thetrackstudio.com

Could you possibly rework your signature to a more appropriate size?

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

I second that request. It is like an incredibly huge billboard for your studio, almost to the point of spam, which doesnt seem to be taken well around these parts....

And I havent seen a CMV563 (that works) for under 2k in a few years.

I have all the capsules X3 because my RFT 7151 uses the same capsules but with a slightly different polarizing voltage. I tried the R7 and thought it would be an awesome choice if i found another CMV without capsules for a good price.

[Marc Alan Goodman]

I don't think it's his signature... it's above the signature line.

[@?,*???&?]

We had 3 of these at Master Control and they are totally awesome mics. You can use all of the Blue caps with these mics too, so don't sweat getting all vintage Neumann stuff in that regard.

As for $1300 mics, here's a set (sans caps) going for $1199 on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEUMANN-CMV563-CMV- ... 4aa20a8e76

Note, that there is an adaptor for this mic to allow for the bayonet style caps to be used. That appears to also NOT be included in that set.