Neumann U 47

The U 47 was a large-diaphragm condenser microphone manufactured by Georg Neumann GmbH during the years 1949-1965.

The U 47 used the M 7 capsule originally developed for the CMV 3 microphone ("Neumann bottle"). Its PVC membranes unfortunately tended to dry out with age, however, and in 1960 the M 7 was superseded by the K 47, a capsule with identical acoustical design but membranes made of age-resistant biaxially oriented PET film. The U 47's circuitry was based on the Telefunken VF 14 M vacuum tube; its discontinuation was caused primarily by the decision by Telefunken to halt production of the VF 14. In essence the successor to the U 47 was the U 67.

The U 47 is well-known for its clear sound, with a distinct emphasis in its upper-midrange frequency response. It has been used in countless famous recordings. The Beatles' producer George Martin used the U 47 extensively in the group's recordings and claimed it was his favorite microphone.

The U 48 was identical to the U 47 except for the available polar pattern combinations (cardioid and figure of eight instead of cardioid and omnidirectional). According to Neumann: The Microphone Company. by Anselm Roessler, the U 48 was not introduced by Neumann until 1957. However, according to representatives at Georg Neumann GmbH, examples of the U48 existed as early as 1950.

The U 47 fet, a solid-state microphone with the K 47 capsule, with a headgrille identical to that of the original U 47 but with solid-state circuitry, was produced by Neumann during the years 1969-1986. It was intended to recapture the sound of the original U 47, but enjoyed only limited success. However, the FET47 became well known among recording engineers as a bass drum mic. If used on the outside of the bass drum (or bass drum head if there was no hole cut in the bass drum head), and in conjunction with a primary bass drum microphone, (which would usually be placed on the inside, or close to the inside of a bass drum or a bass drum head),mixed together with a primary microphone it would make a complete bass drum sound.