soundelux u195 or neumann tlm 193?

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maskedman72

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ok i am looking at upgrading from my 4033 to something a little better. the 2 mics i am really looking at are the tlm 193 and the soundelux u195. i have not used either mic before and i am wondering if anyone out there has? is the tlm similar to a u87? although i would love to own a neumann but the soundelux looks really good. my price range is $1000-1200. i am open to any suggestions also. i will be using the mic for vocals(the screaming male type),drum kit, djembe,congas,bongos,digeridoos and distorted 4x12 cabs.
 
What other mics do you have other than the 4033? I have found that for screaming male vocals the Shure SM7 is the mic, and at $350 - 400 it's a steal. Also as far as the instruments go, that's a toss up, I just can never justify buying one mic to rule them all, it never pans out correctly and always leaves you wanting something more.

Later,
musik
 
The Soundelux would be a better fit for vocals and as an instrument mic. The TLM 193 was not designed for modern vocals. It's used a lot as an instrument mic for micing orchestral instruments. If you're recording vocals and other modern music, the Soundelux would be a better bet, IMO.
 
The TLM 193 is pretty neutral. It was the origianl "budget" Neumann, back in the days when $1200 was a steal for a name condenser mic. These days, most people who want a cheap Neumann just buy the TLM 103 for half the money of the 193.

But i wouldn't pick either the 193 or the 103 for what you want to use it for. Given the kind of loud sources you want to use it on, I'd buy something with a built in pad. Since you are also using it on vocals, maybe a 414 TLII or a 414 b/ULS - they're easy enough to find and audition. Or the Shure KSM44.

But at the risk of sounding like Ozraves, given your list of applications, I would first seriously look into a large diaphgragm dynamic or maybe even a ribbon mic. The usual list of suspects would apply, including the SM7 which isn't really large diaphragm (kind of like your 4033) but masquerades effectively as one.
 
The U195 will serve almost all your needs exceptionally well. Its a flat out great mic, and versatile as it has the pad, rolloff, and fat switch. Works great for an overhead, great on vocals, including screamers.
Paul
 
tubedude said:
The U195 will serve almost all your needs exceptionally well. Its a flat out great mic, and versatile as it has the pad, rolloff, and fat switch. Works great for an overhead, great on vocals, including screamers.
Paul
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yes, this sounds good. i have been leaning to the u195 more than the tlm. i am hopeing to hear fletcher's opinion of the two.
 
tubedude said:
The U195 will serve almost all your needs exceptionally well. Its a flat out great mic, and versatile as it has the pad, rolloff, and fat switch. Works great for an overhead, great on vocals, including screamers.
Paul
Click to expand...

yes, this sounds good. i have been leaning to the u195 more than the tlm. i am hopeing to hear fletcher's opinion of the two.
 
maskedman72 said:
yes, this sounds good. i have been leaning to the u195 more than the tlm. i am hopeing to hear fletcher's opinion of the two.
Click to expand...

email his ass then...he's always ready to answer questions about gear especially the ones he sells(not saying he shoves shit down peoples throat cuz he sells it, but because there is a reason why he sells it usually because it sounds good)...so he'll all most definitly favor the soundelux over the neuman and might recommend something else...
 
Teacher said:
email his ass then...he's always ready to answer questions about gear especially the ones he sells(not saying he shoves shit down peoples throat cuz he sells it, but because there is a reason why he sells it usually because it sounds good)...so he'll all most definitly favor the soundelux over the neuman and might recommend something else...
Click to expand...

yes i agree! i have bought things from fletcher before. i wonder why mercenary dont carry neumann?
 
maskedman72 said:
yes i agree! i have bought things from fletcher before. i wonder why mercenary dont carry neumann?
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neuman tried to dictate price to their dealers and mercenary was one of them. In short fletcher and the rest of the folks didn't appreciate it so they stopped carrying it... he also mentioned that the newer models weren't as good as the older ones
 
the sounddelux can't handle a high sound pressure, though (125 dB SPL), so I'd be cautious with "screaming" and micing horns.
 
the sounddelux can't handle a high sound pressure, though (125 dB SPL), so I'd be cautious with "screaming" and micing horns.
 
The Neumann isn't horrible, but it's pretty vanilla sounding. Seems better at a distance too. The U195 is one of the best workhorse LDC mic I've ever heard. With the 'fat' switch, it's almost like two mics in one. It has quite a bit of color too, so it makes for some interesting (i.e. not sterile) and very forgiving sounds for rock/pop/jazz.

Nathan Eldred
atlasproaudio.com
 
Giganova said:
the sounddelux can't handle a high sound pressure, though (125 dB SPL), so I'd be cautious with "screaming" and micing horns.
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What? You mean I shouldn't have used it on the horn sections I've used it on... shit... now you tell me.

FWIW, we were pretty much ready to drop Neumann as a line before they tried to ram their idea of how we should price things up our ass... I have never been a fan of the U-89 [flat/boring piece of shit is how I would most often describe it]... and the TLM-193 is a cardioid only version of the U-89... so what you have is a substandard version of a shitty, shitty microphone...
 
Fletcher said:
I have never been a fan of the U-89 [flat/boring piece of shit is how I would most often describe it]... and the TLM-193 is a cardioid only version of the U-89... so what you have is a substandard version of a shitty, shitty microphone...
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Not a bad description... certainly wouldn't recommend it as your go-to main condenser mic for that reason. But flat and boring is sometimes what you need in certain situations. I've had a TLM193 for about 10 years, (I bought it so long ago that I still thought it was a good idea to buy high end gear from Sam Ash!), and it still sees occasional use when I'm not looking to add anything in particular to a source, but my flat small diaphragms still aren't giving me exactly what I'm looking for.

I think the point is, there are probably other mics that would do the job for less money. But if you already own one, like me, it's not like you should just toss it in the trash. "Shitty, shitty" might be a little bit of an overstatement. Perhaps one shitty would suffice.
 
Maskedman72, I live in ypsilanti and I have a u195 so, if you want to check it out before you buy one let me know...Greg
 
Maskedman72, I live in ypsilanti and I have a u195 so, if you want to check it out before you buy one let me know...Greg
 
just around the corner...

Maskedman72, I live in ypsilanti and I have a u195 so, if you want to check it out before you buy one let me know...Greg
 
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