TLM-103 or AT4060...Which one would you keep?

tateros said:
What are your thoughts?
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Definitely the 4060. I've heard it on vocals and e. gtr, and it was a very usable sound.

I find the 103 too thin and harsh for most applications. Though it is a good room mike for drums.

(but the real question is which do you like better?)
 
I'm afraid I have to make it unanimous, unless you are a singer and the TLM103 just works for you. I think of the TLM103 as a sort of a would-be U87, and the AT4060 as a serious tube mic.-Richie
 
Neither mic is one I'd pursue as an 'only' mic. Neither is one I'd pursue as a 'first and temporarily only' vocal mic. (C414, AT4050, KSM44 all cheaper and all candidates in the workhorse 'first and temporarily only' mic category)

Nor are they really competitors for the same niche. Overall I tend to like the AT4060 better for what it does. It is a very decent tube mic. But there are reasons why the 47 fet gained it's reputation as 'the' mic to use on anything. There are times when I'd prefer to not deal with tube mics (currently I've got one, a custom rebuild and have been consistently more disappointed in individual (as opposed to model or manufacturers) tube mics then any other category, including cheap Chinese knockoffs (with 0 expectation it's hard to be disappointed).

While the TLM103 is not, in my opinion, ever (and again in my opinion, deservedly) going to achieve reputation of other, vintage, Neumann mics it, in an unloved stepchild way is a versatile 'workhorse' mic. If it didn't have the Neumann logo, if it didn't have the Neumann price tag it would be a very solid contender as an addition to locker. It's durable, it's pretty easy to deploy.

If you've got a decent range of LDCs and you like your specific AT4060 then I'd join the crowd, sell the TLM103. I have no idea of what AT4060's go for used but if price is right (say 20% more then used TLM103) there are options, particularly in the boutique market to add muscle and flexibility . . . There are offerings based on K47 capsule that while they lack the collectable investment function of the Neumann logo would provide very respectable function and to which the TLM103 would become a decent adjunct addition to cabinet. Some of those options bump up on the edge of getting nearly two for possible price of used AT4060 (well, one and three quarters)

On the other hand if you can get more for the TLM103, then the AT4060 (if you like your mic) becomes a very, very respectable added color to the pallet
 
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I Kept the TLM103

I Listed both Mics on the CLassified Section and the KSM44 was Sold First,So i kept the TLM103.

Now the question is:In your Opinion What would be a Second Mic (Different Sound than the TLM for voices) in the $100-$150 Range (Used Market)
 
100-150 range might be doing good with the AT3035...or AT4033 if you could find it...might be able to do a KSM27...AKG2000.
 
davidguevara80 said:
Now the question is:In your Opinion What would be a Second Mic (Different Sound than the TLM for voices) in the $100-$150 Range (Used Market)
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If you can add $50 to that $150 you could get an SM7B on ebay.

So here's where I'm at:

the AT4060 makes my voice sound really clear, but the bass of my voice really comes out, which I don't like. The other draw back to the silkiness of the mic is that it also makes me sound like I have a sibilance problem, which is probably true. I also feel this mic sounds really scooped.

The TLM makes me sound a bit honky & is kind of mushy sounding - or not clear at all. But it tames the bass & the sibilance.

So am I going to have an easier time removing sibilance, bass & then adding mids to the AT4060, or will I be better off bringing up the high's for clarity & dropping the honky mid's of the TLM? Or does all this deem my voice unworthy of either mic?

I'm leaning toward the AT4060 going through the Chameleon 7602 But I also like the TLM going through the Grace 101. The AT4060 & the Grace sounds way too excited to me & the Chameleon 7602 has an EQ, which will allow me to tweak either mic.

So either I get rid of the AT4060 & match up either preamp with the TLM, or keep the AT4060 & the Chameleon. I'm going to make a few more samples again tomorrow.

By the way, the fact that the TLM is a workhorse does not work in the equation for me since I will never use it for anything but my own vocals.

Thanks for your responses, you guys are great!
 
You could always EQ the bass down on the 4060. Plus a little more distance from the mic and/or a pop filter might help that sibilance. Also bear in mind that proximity gives you a bass bump with some mics.

I'd get the 4060 over a 103. But I'm not a singer.

I've got sort of the opposite problem. My STO-2's lack low end, but take nicely to about a 3dB bump on the low side, tapered down to about 5kHz. It helps make them sound SM81-ish without the issues.
 
Wow ,Thanks for the Reply another question, I Own a Rode NTK and the TLM103 which other mics have the same or Similar tone of the TLM in a lower price range? I am planning to sell it and have 2 mics with that money.
 
I love Neumann mics but tried a TLM-103 and couldn't get it to sound right. Without the additional stuff the U87 has the TLM-103 mic is severely limited.

So far the best sounding mic, although there's very little bass, I've heard is a KM84, and that's the first mic I'd buy if I had none and could swing it.
 
Thats a good choice...if I had a TLM103 Id try to trade it for a pair of shure KSM32 mics and use them for overheads...and on every instrument I have...it also works on voices...but very good ones...it can be very unforgiving for the wrong voice.
 
darrin_h2000 said:
Thats a good choice...if I had a TLM103 Id try to trade it for a pair of shure KSM32 mics and use them for overheads...and on every instrument I have...it also works on voices...but very good ones...it can be very unforgiving for the wrong voice.
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How About a KSM32 And a SM7b? Or a AT4050 And the KSM32?
 
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