Neumann - U 47

Yeah. I’ve done a lot of studio work and they are almost never used. 414s are way more popular. FET47 is the real go to for that kind of mic. When you have access to KM86s, 54s, U47s, etc. the 87 doesn’t leave the drawer very often.

Hard to narrow down, but here’s 5+ mics I like more: Voiceover: TLM49 or TLM103 depending on the voice ADR: Schoeps CMIT 5U, MKH416, Cos11d Music (vocals): C12 (or any of the C12-inspired mics), SM7b, U47 tube or fet, and then completely out of my price range but of course a great mic is the Sony C800G

I'd get a Neumann U47. Of course you will need an external converter too; things aren't always simple.

Fortunately, I’m in a position where I get to tell the artist which vocal mic we’re using. I work some high caliber artists that trust me to get the sound they want, so 99% of them have no opinion on what mic we use for anything (although I did have one huge artists tell me recently she wanted to sing into an SM7 over my U47). For vocals, it’s U47, c12, u67, m49, Sony c-800, or an SM7 (which of course I got the OG 1970’s one).

Vocals - start with 4 of the following up: U67, 251, c12, u47, c37, and maybe a u87, SM7. Patch each into your choice A vocal chain, and pick whichever works. Sometimes the U87 or the SM7 win For the character of the song. Or just go with what you got and make it work.

I have an mxl condenser mic that works well, but just bought a Neumann condenser mic off Amazon. In the studio, they always said they used the $4k Neumann on me. Not sure that it is a knock off, but supposedly the same one Billie eillish uses and it sounds great. Under $400.