AKG C414 B-ULS / B-TLII comparison for my needs

[BeBop]

Any one with experience with these mics (and I'm sure there are) that could steer me toward on or the other.

I will record through an ART pro MPA into a VS1680.

Mostly recording acoustic instruments, vibes, marimba, orchestra bells, crotales, frame drums, small percussion.....

I love the sound of ECM records from the 80's...warm and full. I love the sound of tubes...I don't plan on recording anything harsh (mic'd gutar amps, screaming vocals.....)

I'll want a pair to do stereo micing of the vibes and marimba...

Any thoughts of what would suit my needs best on these two beauties??

BeBop

 

[Harvey Gerst]

I probably shouldn't even be answering this post, since I'm not a big fan of the newer 414s, but if I had to choose, I would go with the TL-II. I find the ULS to be too harsh for my needs.

 

[ausrock]

According to AKG, the ULS is oriented towards instruments while the TL II has "vintage" characteristics that make it more of a vocal mic. I know when we did a shoot out some months back, the TL II (we didn't have a ULS) was awful on acoustic guitar. The U87, C1 and AKG C3000 were far nicer on the night.

 

[PinkStrat]

I have compared both C414s and like Harvey, I would recommend the C414B-TL-II as the nicer sounding microphone. However, before you buy those, I would check out the AKG C 4000 B condensers if I were you. This is a much warmer sounding microphone than either of the C414s [to my ears]. It has a lot of soul to the sound. I too, love the ECM recordings and have been a big fan since the when the label began. Let us know what you find out?