Mic upgrade opportunity

M

Melsi

Padawan
Been using an SE Electronics Z5600a to record vocals for last couple of years and have been generally happy, i now have opportunity to sell it and purchase an Neumann TLM 103 but i have heard alot of bashing on it saying its like a fake Neumann and doesnt compare to the top end Neumanns like the U87 on the other hand i have heard alot of good opinions on it.

Im aware that the TLM103 is only cardiod pattern and my mic is more versatile but im more interested in vocal quality than versatility.

Thanks
 
Melsi said:
Been using an SE Electronics Z5600a to record vocals for last couple of years and have been generally happy, i now have opportunity to sell it and purchase an Neumann TLM 103 but i have heard alot of bashing on it saying its like a fake Neumann and doesnt compare to the top end Neumanns like the U87 on the other hand i have heard alot of good opinions on it.

Im aware that the TLM103 is only cardiod pattern and my mic is more versatile but im more interested in vocal quality than versatility.

Thanks
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Question: If I were to come up to you and say, "I have this mic that I know you've heard quite a few bad things about but I want you to sell the mic you're now using and are happy with so that you can buy this mic," would you do it?

Remember, all mics don't work on all people equally. A mic that might sound great on person A might sound shrill and horrible on person B. My favorite vocal mic for myself is an AKG Solidtube. I'm one of about 8 people in the world that love that mic. Am I going to stop using it because I'm in the minority as to whether it's a good mic? No.

If you want to get the 103, go get it. But I wouldn't be giving up a mic I already like just to try a different mic that I might not like at all. If I were you, I wouldn't give up the SE unless I was sure I liked something else. You could wind up kicking yourself in the ass over it. :D
 
i completely understand what your saying but i want to upgrade, of course im happy with my mic but you gotta understand i only want to get better in this industry and right now i dont have the funds to not sell the z5600a and purchase the TLM 103.

perhaps i should have made more clear - yes im happy with z5600a results but now i want more, so is the TLM 103 the next step for me.

Thanks
 
Melsi said:
perhaps i should have made more clear - yes im happy with z5600a results but now i want more, so is the TLM 103 the next step for me.
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Why would you think the 103 is the next step? I can understand wanting to improve your mic situation if you're only satisfied and not floored by what you have, but from reading your original post, I can't understand why you think the 103 is going to take you to the next level.

Unless whoever you're buying it from is letting you demo it for a couple of days, it's a shot in the dark, isn't it? If you're going to buy a mic blindly, there are better mics to try. You can probably pick up a used Blue Blueberry or an AKG C414B-XL II for a decent price. And I'm sure others here could add to the list if you tell them the price range in which you're looking to stay.

I hope you're not one of those people who think that because a mic costs more it means you're going to sound better using it. It really doesn't work that way.
 
Well this is what im trying to find out, whether the neumann is the next step, how am i meant to know if i can get better than my z5600a if thats the only mic ive had experiance with.

I can get the TLM 103 for $800 which i think is a good deal seeing as they retail at $1200.

I know its not about the cost, but the mic is a Neumann and from what ive read they have a very good rep. But what i want to hear is something who has had experiance with the Z5600a and the TLM 103.
 
Melsi said:
Well this is what im trying to find out, whether the neumann is the next step, how am i meant to know if i can get better than my z5600a if thats the only mic ive had experiance with.

I can get the TLM 103 for $800 which i think is a good deal seeing as they retail at $1200.

I know its not about the cost, but the mic is a Neumann and from what ive read they have a very good rep. But what i want to hear is something who has had experiance with the Z5600a and the TLM 103.
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$800 looks like the high end of what they're going for on Ebay. I don't think it's all that good of a deal. There are two mics on there now for lower "buy it now" prices ($660 and $730).

Before you buy anything, I think you should put a sample of your current vocals up so people can make recommendations based upon your voice. There are a lot of people on here who've been in the recording business for many years and know what mics work well with what kinds of voices. They can steer you in a better direction.

Good Luck!
 
Thanks for your advice, so would do you personally recommend in the $800 - $1000 bracket? doesnt have to be brand new
 
Melsi said:
Thanks for your advice, so would do you personally recommend in the $800 - $1000 bracket? doesnt have to be brand new
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I'd first get opinions on what mics might work well with your particular voice. These will be guesses by various experienced people, but they'll be educated guesses. Then research each mic both at the manufacturer's website and on boards like this.

Next, project what your possible future needs will be. Are you ever going to record anything but vocals? If there's a chance you'll be doing other things, recording guitars or something, you may want to go in the direction of a more versatile mic.

Another thing to consider is the environment in which you're recording. Are you in a treated room? If not, you're probably going to get better recordings if you sing close to the mic. In that case, you'll probably want a mic that has a bass roll-off switch.

Like I mentioned earlier, the people around here are pretty helpful if you ask some questions.

As for price, that's all going to depend on what you decide to buy in the end. The one thing I would highly recommend is that you buy a used mic. That way, if it turns out it's not the right mic for you, you can resell it without losing money.
 
Yeah, I listen to the advice given. Pretty spot on IMO. The 103 is not very well respected, and I think 'ol Georg would not approve of the Seinnheiser line of mics.......

There are certainly better mic's for the money.
 
If you have $800-$1000 to spend on a mic, you have a lot of choices. AEA, Bock, Blue, AT4060, eg. Go somewhere where yo can try as many as possible and compare to what you have.
 
thanks for the feedback guys, i found a company who rents mics, and im purely looking for a mic jus for all round vocals heres a list of mics they offer -

AEA R84
AEA R92
AKG C451B
Audix D6
Beyer M160
Brauner Panthera
Brauner Phantom Classic
Brauner VMA
Coles 4038
Crowley & Tripp El Diablo
Crowley & Tripp Naked Eye
Crowley & Tripp Naked Eye Roswellite
Crowley & Tripp Proscenium
Crowley & Tripp Soundstage Image
Crowley & Tripp Studio Vocalist
Electrovoice RE20
Gefell M300 Matched Pair
Gefell M930
Gefell UM92.1
Josephson C42
Josephson C617SET
Josephson C700A
Josephson e22s
Neumann KM184
Neumann U87
Oktava MKL5000
Shure SM57
Shure SM58
Soundfield SPS422
Soundman OKM2

which ones do you guys recommend trying out?
 
I'm not the guy to pick from *that* list, but can you try them out at the store, narrow it down a little, then rent more than one? You could become pretty well edjumacated in the process.
 
I'm nervous to even reply because I'm so new here and new to recording. But one thing I've learned here, at other forums, and from looking at what my favorite bands record with is that spending a huge amount of money on a vocal mic doesn't always pay off.

Granted, most vocalists use something well above the 'budget' mics usually recommended. But, I've read many posts from vocalists saying that though they own much more expensive mics, they end up using $300-$500 mics (Rode NT1, Modded Oktavas, etc.) because they just flat-out sound better on their vocals.

Again, not speaking from experience --just conveying what I've learned here thus far.
 
apratsunrthd said:
I'm nervous to even reply because I'm so new here and new to recording. But one thing I've learned here, at other forums, and from looking at what my favorite bands record with is that spending a huge amount of money on a vocal mic doesn't always pay off.

Granted, most vocalists use something well above the 'budget' mics usually recommended. But, I've read many posts from vocalists saying that though they own much more expensive mics, they end up using $300-$500 mics (Rode NT1, Modded Oktavas, etc.) because they just flat-out sound better on their vocals.

Again, not speaking from experience --just conveying what I've learned here thus far.
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Welcome to the board! It's okay to speak up, really. (Just don't say anything stupid, or we'll shred you to tiny little ribbon of quivering flesh! :eek:) No seriously, that's good advice.

It's true for me on a lower level. I don't have any $2000 mics, but I do have some "few-hundred" dollar mics. I just snagged an AT3035 for a bit over $100 from someone here on the board and I'm genuinely surprised. I'm not done with the detailed comparisons yet, but so far I'm thinking this sounds better on my particular voice then lots of my other mics.

FWIW, YMMV, IMO, FBI, CIA, etc...
 
Melsi said:
thanks for the feedback guys, i found a company who rents mics, and im purely looking for a mic jus for all round vocals heres a list of mics they offer -

which ones do you guys recommend trying out?
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If the company is local, ask them if you can pay them to try them out in their facility. If they say you can, research the mics on the list and shorten it to the ones in your budget range (find used prices on the boards and ebay), then bring your SE with you for comparison and go try them out. Maybe you'll find something you really love in your price range.

And again, no one can tell you what mic is right for you for two reasons: 1 - we've never heard you; 2 - all our ears are different.
 
I've had experience with the 193 and the 103. I like the 193, but the 103 sounds harsh in comparison. Just my experience.

If someone were to tell me I could only own the z5600A or the tlm103, I would choose the z5600A for versatility reasons.

Other than that, follow the advice given. Try before you buy.
 
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