Rode NT2-A vs AKG C414 vs Neumann TLM 103

Basilosauridae

Basilosauridae

Member
Hello friends, long time no talk. :)

I'm thinking of finally getting a LDC mic for my voice over work (I currently use an EV RE20) and am seriously looking at the Rode NT2-A and AKG C414. I'm not particularly on a budget, I'm hoping to get something that will be a "forever" mic. I was originally leaning towards the AKG C414 but I heard some samples of the Rode NT2-A and liked it a lot. I think I like the AKG C414 more than the Neumann TLM 103 specifically for mid range female voices, but the TLM 103 is often compared to the AKG C414 so curious what you guys think. I also considered saving up to get a Neumann u87i but I'm not sure if I hear enough of a quality difference between that and the AKG C414 to justify the price jump.

Any thoughts or other recommendations are appreciated, thanks!

Edit: changed TLM 102 to 103, that’s the one I meant :)
 
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Hi Fiona. Hope things are going well for you.

Unfortunately, I don't have any of the three you mentioned so I can't help with that. I'm sure someone here has at least two of the three.

All three should be similar in noise floor which can be important. They all spec 6 or 7dB A weighted. What in particular do you find lacking in the RE20 for your voice over work? The reason I ask is that condensers can pick up room noise that the RE might not get. If room noise is an issue, you might also look at the Sennheiser MKH416 which is a shotgun mic. It will be very directional, so it should reject noise from other directions.

In the end, your best bet would be to listen to at least a couple of options.
 
TalismanRich said:
What in particular do you find lacking in the RE20 for your voice over work?
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Hey there, thanks for your thoughts

To answer your question a big reason I want to get an LDC is because they are the standard for VO work and I know there have been times I’ve been passed up for work for not having the “right” equipment. it’s also going to be an issue when I start submitting for agency representation.

I do also like the way they sound and want to see what a difference once would make in terms of vocal nuance.
 
Try something really sensitive. You might like the power of high MvPa's. That will help with 'nuance'. A MXL Revalation is extremely sensitive not considered professional. Try it. It might lead you in a direction.
 
Orson said:
So the only way to get work is to have a top notch studio and the best/most expensive mic you can buy? I dont think it works like that.
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It's not about top notch, it's about cardioid vs large diaphragm condenser. I mean, there are some opportunities that do require "top notch" gear, but like I said in the OP, LDC mics are considered the "standard" mic for VO and it will be more of an issue when I try to get agency representation. Like just the other day I was signed up for an open talent roster and it had a spot for "microphone" and I felt a bit silly in a sea of Rode NT1s and TLM 103s. Regardless of if my mic is perfectly fine, it does make me stand out in a negative way.

It kind of like if you wanted to hire someone as a drummer but they only have a cajon. Sure, it gets the job done and may even be a better choice for some situations but its not what you think of as a "professional drummer" set up and if you responded to a metal band looking for a drummer and said "I play cajon only" some people would laugh you out of the room.
 
No man, she wants a LDC. Your example is..say a dynamic instead....forget it.

Hey, if you like the bigger diaphram. Get the bigger diaphram. Fuck it. Get the biggest. 2" diaphram like 30+ MvPa. You gotta be happy.
 
It’s a myth that condensers pick up more room noise than a dynamic. The only reason they do that is because you’re farther away from the mic. If you matched the gain on a dynamic so that you are the same distance from it as your condenser, it would pick up just as much noise and probably more self noise, too.

Regarding the mic, we don’t know your voice well enough. The only way you can truly pick the best mic is if you try all of them, pick one, and send the rest back.

If it’s just for looking good on paper, pick the Neumann.

i actually just used my RE20 for vocals on my latest song over my more expensive Neumanns and Telefunkens, and the result was great!
 
Well - I have had AKG 414s for years and were always my goto mic. I had some money to spend (or the tax man would have had a chunk) so I bought a U87 as a sort of investment, and the expected magic did NOT appear. It's nice. It is warmer than the 414s, but I'm back with the 414s for everyday stuff. I spent the rest of the money on the TLM103 and had just a few days to try it before I moved to Belfast to work for ten weeks, so I don't have these mics with me - but I'm trying to see if I can get into my home server from here to download the files - I did a couple of comparisons, but never finished them off.

To sum up, the 414 is a workhorse. You can put it on any source (so far) and it does a great job with all the polar patterns available - although cardioid is still my most common one. The 87 works better on a few sound sources - where it flatters a little, but equally it is not so nice on sound sources it doesn't like. I don't wish I hadn't bought them - for fun I also bought a cheap Chinese 103 copy - and it's pretty harsh and unflattering on everything - as a cheap cardioid I suppose it can certainly be used for podcasting and stuff like that, but it's not remotely nice.
 
For the 1-2 of you waiting with bated breath, I went with *drumroll*

an Austrian Audio OC 818 and an Apollo Twin X

neither of which I think I brought up here as potential contenders lol. I know you guys will think the Apollo Twin X is overkill for what I do, which is true, but I have some lofty goals for the next 5-10 years which include setting up a more professional studio space and expanding to help people record music as well, so ideally I'm buying gear that I will grow into and not need to upgrade for those goals.

I'll post samples when I get a chance. Just hearing the difference on my EV RE20 on the new interface was startling, sounds like a brand new microphone.

Anyways, just figured I'd say hi and post an update :)
 
Basilosauridae said:
For the 1-2 of you waiting with bated breath, I went with *drumroll*

an Austrian Audio OC 818 and an Apollo Twin X

neither of which I think I brought up here as potential contenders lol. I know you guys will think the Apollo Twin X is overkill for what I do, which is true, but I have some lofty goals for the next 5-10 years which include setting up a more professional studio space and expanding to help people record music as well, so ideally I'm buying gear that I will grow into and not need to upgrade for those goals.

I'll post samples when I get a chance. Just hearing the difference on my EV RE20 on the new interface was startling, sounds like a brand new microphone.

Anyways, just figured I'd say hi and post an update :)
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Did you say what interface you were using before? Preamps can certainly make a difference, and I think the Apollos contain Unison pres.
 
I'm worn out by watching the videos, reading the available technical material and reviewers I trust.

I don't think I've changed my viewpoint on modelling preamps at all. I have some radio mics with modelling hand helds - they're Line 6, and as I'd had good results from their guitar kit, I bought them. Switching between them, I could hear a difference between the different 'mics' and they did sound like what they were emulating, but EQ and some compression changing really also did the same thing.

The reviews for the Apollo have no negatives, but it was interesting that the respectable, trusted reviewers hit on the technology - the processor types, the CPU loads, the latency and technical features. They made no attempt to comment on the 'quality' or the sound. That's interesting. One of Apollos videos played loads of clips of Y-Split mics to real hardware, vs the simulations. Clearly, the simulations sounded to my ears, the same.

I suppose we have two very different things going on. If you have good sound sources, then the critical factor is capturing them accurately, and all the original mics mentioned in this topic and the eventual winner do this very well, with listener subjectivity making the decision - as in, you buy what works best for you. You can then process this with hardware or, now, plugins in the computer, or in the interface. A grand for an interface seems a lot of money for two channels, but how much would you spend on hardware or software plugins, if processing like this is your thing?

It's good we are being sensible and have stopped (mostly) the silly claims of 'quality' - because even cheap preamps are now technically really good. We can always disagree now we are being open and talking about processing of a signal to make it nicer.

My only concern with these new methods is longevity. As the preamp is doing lots more than just amplification, what happens when development stops? Your preamp might die - you would have to search for a second hand one to carry on, because in five years time, there would be a new device, and yours would be a useless legacy product, totally unsupported. The Lexicon Alpha (not even expensive) I have cannot be used on windows now, and who knows how long I have on an apple computer left? Will one day soon a new OS make it dead for macs too?
 
rob aylestone said:
It's good we are being sensible and have stopped (mostly) the silly claims of 'quality' - because even cheap preamps are now technically really good. We can always disagree now we are being open and talking about processing of a signal to make it nicer.
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Not sure Rob. The quality is there.

I think of the preamp, and compressor as a team.

Slouching Raymond said:
I can't see one brand of mic being better than another, just for voice.
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Oh, I can.

Fiona , I imagine you are going to like it..because you picked it out. It did something or had something you identified with. Go with it. The Apollo has a bunch of unison models. Thin veils placed over your voice to enhance character. I recommend the basic Neve unison model.
 
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