Which mic, was planning on Neumann tlm 103 now not so sure...

C

captshiznit

New member
Hi,

First off to say i'm going to be new to home recording I want to record some covers with my friend acoustic + vocals. I decided to gun for the TLM 102 but none are ever on sale 2nd hand in the UK so I decided on the TLM 103 which is roughly 900-1000 dollars used.

Am I going overkill here or is it a worthy investment? I want as good a sound as I can possibly get of course, but wondering maybe a budget condesor mic might do the trick. Sometimes it seems extra money is worth it then sometimes not, like the difference between the 102 and 103 seems so slight for example. But hey i'm new to this so what do I know just going by youtube videos of mic shootouts.

I'm unsure, any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers.
 
Hey and welcome.

What's the plan? Just room mic and play live, or record guitar then record vocals over the top?

I think the 103 is a marmite mic, and IMO it's pricey for what you get.

What kind of interface are you using?
 
Steenamaroo said:
Hey and welcome.

What's the plan? Just room mic and play live, or record guitar then record vocals over the top?

I think the 103 is a marmite mic, and IMO it's pricey for what you get.

What kind of interface are you using?
Click to expand...

Multitracking (is that what it's called?) record guitars first then vocals over it was the idea and layer it. I don't have an interface yet only just recently started looking into them. I won't need a huge interface with lots of ports I assume? cause as I said record each part seperately.
 
Ok fair enough.

There are cheaper options, but i guess it depends on your needs.

If your room is bright sounding, or if your guitar or singer are even bordering on bright/harsh, I'd take a look at other mics cos the 103 has a reputation of really highlighting the highs.

Do you have the opportunity to audition any mics, or do you have experience with any? This is the best way to answer your question.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Ok fair enough.

There are cheaper options, but i guess it depends on your needs.

If your room is bright sounding, or if your guitar or singer are even bordering on bright/harsh, I'd take a look at other mics cos the 103 has a reputation of really highlighting the highs.

Do you have the opportunity to audition any mics, or do you have experience with any? This is the best way to answer your question.
Click to expand...

Yeah i've heard that about the 103 thats why I thought hmm maybe gun for 102 or something else as we both play taylors which are very bright guitars as it is. Singer he sings in quite a high pitch / key.

nope only ever seen mics on youtube that's all I really have been able to go on.
 
If that's the case, maybe consider the 193 if you can find a bargain?
I snagged one for £350 a while back but that was a proper lucky one.


People say it's dark but in my opinion it's not. I think it's quite neutral.
Oktavas are pretty cheap (mk219/mk319) and also have a reputation for being dark but, but again, I wouldn't go that far.

If i have an overly harsh sounding singer I'll probably reach for something like that.
 
Steenamaroo said:
If that's the case, maybe consider the 193 if you can find a bargain?
I snagged one for £350 a while back but that was a proper lucky one.


People say it's dark but in my opinion it's not. I think it's quite neutral.
Oktavas are pretty cheap (mk219/mk319) and also have a reputation for being dark but, but again, I wouldn't go that far.

If i have an overly harsh sounding singer I'll probably reach for something like that.
Click to expand...

Yeah sounds lucky it's a grand brand new! bloody hell. And also seems very few used ones floating around at good price (unless I get lucky) so reckon thats gonna be a no go.
 
Going rate used seems to be about £700 but you get them lower than that once in a while.


IDK, have a read around and see what other people are doing. There's an mp3 mixing clinic on here so you can hear how people do and then ask what they've used.

Some of the MXL mics get a surprising rep on here but I've no first hand experience.
Moresound is the man if you're interested in those.
I think he built his house out of them. :p

Hope that helps.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Going rate used seems to be about £700 but you get them lower than that once in a while.


IDK, have a read around and see what other people are doing. There's an mp3 mixing clinic on here so you can hear how people do and then ask what they've used.

Some of the MXL mics get a surprising rep on here but I've no first hand experience.
Moresound is the man if you're interested in those.
I think he built his house out of them. :p

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

hahaha! thanks for the advice i'll take a look.
 
No sweat.

BTW, completely different route, but I did some mobile sessions last night with acoustic singer/songwriters.
Sm58 on vox, sm81 on guitar and presonus firestudio mobile interface.

You're probably looking at about £350 -£400 for all that gear and it sounded surprisingly good.
If you wana hear an mp3 that's cool.
 
Steenamaroo said:
No sweat.

BTW, completely different route, but I did some mobile sessions last night with acoustic singer/songwriters.
Sm58 on vox, sm81 on guitar and presonus firestudio mobile interface.

You're probably looking at about £350 -£400 for all that gear and it sounded surprisingly good.
If you wana hear an mp3 that's cool.
Click to expand...

Yeah that'd be good if you have a link.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Some of the MXL mics get a surprising rep on here but I've no first hand experience.
Moresound is the man if you're interested in those.
I think he built his house out of them. :p

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...



Now I have to ask what's the best microphone for under $100. to build a chimney out of? and what would be the best microphone to shingle the roof with? :D
 
captshiznit said:
Hi,

First off to say i'm going to be new to home recording I want to record some covers with my friend acoustic + vocals. I decided to gun for the TLM 102 but none are ever on sale 2nd hand in the UK so I decided on the TLM 103 which is roughly 900-1000 dollars used.

Am I going overkill here or is it a worthy investment? I want as good a sound as I can possibly get of course, but wondering maybe a budget condesor mic might do the trick. Sometimes it seems extra money is worth it then sometimes not, like the difference between the 102 and 103 seems so slight for example. But hey i'm new to this so what do I know just going by youtube videos of mic shootouts.

I'm unsure, any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

...to see how the TLM 103 performs, I'd recommend reading/listening to this:
Stellar CM4 CM6 Review | recording hacks

...and these, to explore less expensive aternatives:
Mic shoot out at London Sphere studios. - Gearslutz.com (w/TLM 102 included)
Entry-level $200 Condenser Microphone Shootout | recording hacks
 
captshiznit said:
Hi,

First off to say i'm going to be new to home recording I want to record some covers with my friend acoustic + vocals. I decided to gun for the TLM 102 but none are ever on sale 2nd hand in the UK so I decided on the TLM 103 which is roughly 900-1000 dollars used.

Am I going overkill here or is it a worthy investment? I want as good a sound as I can possibly get of course, but wondering maybe a budget condesor mic might do the trick. Sometimes it seems extra money is worth it then sometimes not, like the difference between the 102 and 103 seems so slight for example. But hey i'm new to this so what do I know just going by youtube videos of mic shootouts.

I'm unsure, any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

The TLM 102 is a pretty new mic. and people tend to like it a lot - so once they have bought one they tend to keep it.

The 102 and 103 sound quite different - in no way is the 102 a cheap 103, it's a great mic. in its own right and many prefer the 102 over the 103.

If you want a good quality affordable LDC cardioid, then the new Sennheiser MK4 may be worth looking at.
 
I actually own a 103 (used to use it for a lot of voice over work) but, a bit more than 2 years ago, bought an SE2200A and found myself reaching for the SE for a lot of things in preference to the Neumann. I've since bought another 2200A so I can use it as a stereo pair as well.

The SE is certainly worth auditioning before you buy the TLM103.
 
And if the Se2200a is as good as Bob says it is that will be a $1000. savings on the purchase between the 103 and the 2200. ;)
 
I've said it many times before:

The TLM 103 is a good mic, BUT not for the price it's at.

You can buy something simular for much less.
 
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