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It’s no secret that the U 47 is one of the most celebrated microphones in recording history, but owning a vintage mic isn’t always feasible. Fortunately, manufacturers like Heiserman Audio offer thoughtfully engineered recreations that capture that classic full-bodied, rich tone at a more accessible price. Enter the H47tube.
Since its debut in 2019, the H47tube has established itself as one of the most respected U 47-style reproductions available today. That acclaim stems from Heiserman Audio’s meticulous approach to design, with a circuit that closely follows the original and a carefully curated selection of components, including custom-built BV08 transformers, NOS tubes, capacitors, and more.
And let’s not forget the capsule! Heiserman designed two options for the H47tube to reflect the capsules used in U 47 microphones. The Heiserman HK47 capsule offers a more balanced tone that works well for both vintage and modern sounds, while the HM7 closely follows the original M7 design. It has a slightly rolled-off high-frequency response for a smoother, more classic character.
We recently gave a Heiserman H47tube to Vintage King’s in-house engineer Bryan Reilly to put to use during a tracking session. Hear the results below to get a sense of how the microphone sounds across a number of sources, including male and female vocals, electric guitar, drums, and more.
For tracking these sources, Bryan utilized a Heiserman H47tube with an HK47 capsule through an UnderTone Audio MPDI-4 into a BURL Audio BAD4 analog-to-digital converter daughter card. No EQ or compression was used on the way in.
When recording drums, Bryan used the H47tube in three different positions: as a mono overhead, on the hi-hat side of the kit, and as a room mic. Below, you can hear examples of the microphone in each position using cardioid and omni patterns.
Drum Kit - Overhead Mic: Placed about 3' above the kit, centered between the kick and snare. MPDI-4 gain set at -25 dB for both cardioid and omni examples.
Drum Kit - Hi-Hat Side: Placed about 3' away from the hi-hat stand, pointing towards the snare. MPDI-4 gain set at -25 dB for both cardioid and omni examples.
Drum Kit - Room Mic: Centered on the kit about 8' back, capsule about 6" above the shell of the kick drum. UnderTone Audio MPDI-4 preamp gain set to -30 dB.
In the bass examples below, Bryan shares two different takes, both recorded through a vintage Ampeg SVT amp. One example features a Fender Jazz Bass, while the other uses a Fender Precision Bass.
Fender Jazz Bass: Played through the vintage Ampeg amp with the mic centered about 1' from the cabinet. MPDI-4 gain set at -10 dB.
Fender Precision Bass: Played through the vintage Ampeg amp with the mic centered about 1' from the cabinet. MPDI-4 gain set at -10 dB.
Bryan utilized a Martin 000-16 for the steel-stringed acoustic guitar example. For set-up, he placed the Heiserman H47tube about 2' from the guitar and aimed the mic between the soundhole and neck joint. The MPDI-4 gain was set to -40 dB.
There are two examples of Bryan using the Heiserman H47tube on electric guitar, with the only differences between them being the pickup selection and playing style.
Electric Guitar - Slow & Picked: Bryan plays a Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro through a HiWatt amp and 2x12 cabinet, with the pickup selector in the middle position, combining the neck humbucker and bridge single-coil pickup. The Heiserman H47tube is positioned between the two speakers, approximately 2' from the cabinet, while the MPDI-4 is set to -25 dB.
Electric Guitar - Strummed: Bryan plays a Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro using the bridge pickup through the same HiWatt amp and 2x12 cabinet setup. The H47tube is positioned between the two speakers, approximately 2' from the cabinet, and the MPDI-4 is set to -25 dB.
Our good friend Olivia Dear is back in the vocal booth at the Scramble Shack, where Bryan captured two vocal takes using the Heiserman microphone. The first example is in cardioid, followed by a second in omni. Both were recorded in Bryan’s vocal booth, with the MPDI-4 set to -40 dB for the cardioid take and -45 dB for the omni take.
As with Olivia’s vocals, Bryan had Mike Leslie track a few passes through the Heiserman H47tube in the Scramble Shack vocal booth. For the cardioid take, the MPDI-4 is set to -30 dB, and for the omni take, the preamp is set to -35 dB.
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