VO: 1-A Harlan Hogan Signature Series Microphone - The Voice Over Microphone!

My previous microphones were the Audio Technica AT2020 & Studio Projects C1. Both of these microphones are FANTASTIC microphones, and I've earned the $$$ with both of them in the beginnings of my voice over career. Now as an intermediate professional, I wanted something different.. something that brings out my own voice better. I noticed the Studio Projects C1, while it sounded fantastic, it has this sibilant high-end on it that I think was killing my auditions over others.Now I've only tested this mic (Harlan Hogan's) over a period of a day, but I can tell you that I heard a difference for the BETTER right away. No more sibilance, there's a nice NATURAL sounding color to my voice now, it's not colored up in such a way that's distracting at all in the low and mid-range. I do a lot of animated character voices, and when I get high, or loud.. STILL sounds natural and not harsh on the ears, and it stands out and just FEELS more lively... I know in the animated voice industry, their standards are either the Neumann U87, or the TLM-103. This mic at $300.. I dunno how Harlan did it, but the specs he hit out with MXL are on the money. This is just great for running natural vocals, no matter the range of you're going to toss at it.I'm really wanting to test this out on singing as well. But I can tell you.. you can't go wrong here. I've not seen a bad review on this mic yet, and I was skeptical about that. "Hmmm.. are all these Amazon people getting paid by Harlan, the reviews seem kinda COMMERCIALLY... haha" But no.. in fact, it does sound fantastic.. but remember as a professional, you should always know that different mics sound great on different people. This one just so happen to be great on me... and I love it. I hope my clients love it too. Thanks Harlan. My studio is made up of all your equipment so far, and it looks like I'm just going to have to continue buying from you because none of your equipment (Headphones & Port-a-booth) has failed me yet.

I do radio production for 6 commercial radio stations and voice-overs from my Pro home studio. I spent a lot of time researching microphones before buying this one. This is excellent quality! I am very impressed with the depth of audio I get with the VO 1-A. I have a deeper voice range and this mic gives my voice great presence without being muddy in the low end and gives my voice more fullness in the midrange while maintaing pleasant high range as well. I bought the metal mesh pop filter to go with it and I'm finding that I have A LOT less problems with sibilance and plosives! I've read reviews that are negative about this mic, I can't find any negatives about it! Especially for the price, this microphone will not dissapoint you! My previous mic was a Behringer B1. I run through a DBX 676 tube mic pre-amp strip and I left the settings the same when plugging in the new VO 1A. I made test recordings with each and the the VO 1A was obviously head and shoulders better audio quality. My friends with 40 plus years experience in the business and my voiceover coach all agreed that this microphone does a great job and produces the high quality that anybody would use for any voiceover project at any level. This is a genuine review from a real working voice talent and commercial radio station producer.

I record voice overs in Spanish and this microphone gives my voice a special warmth and sharpness I've not heard with other more expensive mics. If you are looking for a good microphone, this one will give you great quality and the best bang for your buck. Now, if you use the MicPort Pro USB, see that you have the phantom power on. One day my mic suddenly stopped working and I couldn't figure out what was happening; I finally decided to write Harlan Hogan and he replied within 5 minutes telling me: "If it's defective we'll get you a new one, but make sure the phantom power on your Mic Port Pro is on! It's a tiny push button and glows orange - dynamic mics don't need phantom power but the VO: 1-a does". That was the problem! I was relieved and happy, not only because I got my mic back to record an important audition, but also because Harlan's customer service was awesome! Thank you Harlan!

High value for money. Good quality reproduction, especially for my voice range (baritone), but with good reproduction across the spectrum. Very sensitive, demands elimination of background sounds.

A good XLR microphone for voiceovers, podcasts, screencasts, etc. It works very well with a Shure X2u preamp for phantom power. It is rather sensitive to plosives and essing, so you might want to invest in the MLX windscreen for it. The metal pop filter made just for this is sort of expensive. I would not dream of using this mic without a shock mount. I currently have it with shock mount (included in the selling price) and on a Heil boom stand.Be aware that this isn't plug-and-play with a computer. You will need an interface in order to connect it to your computer. The Shure X2u or Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 will do the trick on the budget end. I think you'll prefer the ease of the Shure.If plosives and essing are an issue, I would try speaking into the mic off-axis a bit before getting a pop filter or wind screen. One of the issues of blocking plosives is that they block part of your voice as well. I guess the more I sound like Haran Hogan, the better, so I'm using it without any filters. :-)

I have worked in radio for almost two years. Have done promos, etc. Want to start doing voiceovers. So I bought this mic - and, for me, and my studio, it is waaaaay too noisy. It picks up every mouth sound, etc, and I can't get a good quiet floor at the Audible standard of -60 dB. If I turned the gain way down, my audio wave was really flat. If I turned it up, the mic could pick up my eyes blinking. Even with a foam and pop screen, plosives were messy, and finally, I had to work too close to the mic to get the sound AND the noise floor I need. I'm sure it will be fine for some, but not me. I am now using an Electro Voice RE-20 Cardioid Mic  Electro Voice RE-20 Cardioid Microphone  and OH MAN WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Spend as much as you can if you're serious about recording your voice.

Crystal clear recordings with this microphone, I absolutely love it a lot!