THe final battle approaches!

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CyanJaguar

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Ok, I've been doing more listening and it appears to me that the mics that give the best results(to my ears) are either the TLM 103 or the AKG solidtube.

I would like to get opinions from everyone who has used one or compared the two. THe primary application is VOX.

Opinions please.

Is there any other mic I need to be aware of?
 
Shure KSM 44.. multi patern{omni,cart,8} its about the same price give or take as the TLM 103..Also check out the AT 4060 tube
I dont know about the price on it but I've heard pepole talk highly of it....Good Luck...


Don
 
The RODE NTK is the way to go.

I compared it side-by-side against the TLM 103... and it really does sound better!

Tube warmth............. mmmmmmmm, sweet! ;)
 
buck62, you promised you would let me hear a vocal sample.

THe ntk is good. I almost thought I would save $200 and get it instead of getting the tlm 103, but listening to the 103 samples I have, they sound quite a bit better than the ntk. Maybe its cos the samples were using preamps like the tube vmp2 or TL audio.

So if you would let me hear a sample, a great one, maybe my opinion might be changed concerning the ntk. Right now, my opinion of it is that I can hear some hash in the high frequencies and it sounds rather fluffy, as if the sound is so airy its just waiting to be carried away by the wind.


Right now my leaning is more towards the tlm 103 than the solidtube, but I am waiting for all the testimonials before committing.
 
The best mic I've ever used on my voice is the NTK. Most people at 3DAudio (pro board) think it's as good or better than the 103. A difference of opinion exists, of course, but compare the prices! Maybe it isn't right for your voice, though. That's the bottom line. Try it through a good pre and see.
 
hey Dobro,

Did you buy it? ALso, did you compare it to the tlm 103? the mic pre certainly makes a difference. Which one were you using.

The thing about new mics is that people get excited and gush about it. Its not until the initial excitement wears off that the real responses come out. Pokeefe at musicplayer has started thinking less and less of his ntk. He owns an elam 251 so he is accustomed to good mics. He started out saying that the gush review that the prorec guy did was not evengood enough, that the rode ntk was better than the guy described it. But lately , I read him basically saying that the ntk is good for its price/you get what you pay for.

The tlm103 is tried and proven neumann goodness though.

hey, if you have the ntk, why not email me some samples for comparison
 
Yeah, I bought one, and although I'm putting it through a VC6Q right now, it sounds better through the Mindprint Envoice. No, I haven't compared it to a 103. One thing I like about it is it's pretty forgiving with positions. It's good tilted, off-axis, although it seems best close to straight on. Not like the AKG C480B, which I'm using on my guitar - damn! Move it an inch and you get a different sound!

If you've got a bit of patience, I might be putting mp3 material up fairly soon. I've been threatening to do it all year... :D
 
I honestly think the major difference between the Rode NTK and the Neumann TLM103 is that one's a Neumann. Rode seems to be suffering a bit of an image problem based on the inconsistent, over-hyped NT1. I already sent you my NTK samples, which were heavily compressed through a Joemeek VC6Q on the way in. Even with monster compression and pretty close to the mic, I think the vocal sound of the NTK for my stuff competes with & beats the TLM 103.

I could also just be a jaded consumer bargain hunter... but I think a good 40% of the Neumann price (and more on the more desirable mics) is hype. Yeah, the best mic I *ever* sang into was a U47, but frankly, it didn't sound like it was worth 20 times what an NTK is... maybe 4x or so. Maybe if I had tracked my NTK vocals through a Neve you would have liked them better! :) .
 
I concur on NTK

I've tried SM58's, NT2's, NTK's, CAD's,

My favorite is the NTK - hands down.

real cool part is it's got it's own power supply (unfortunately, also propritary mic cable) - so if you're doing that real home recording (translation...real lo grade equipment) - you don't need phantom power.

I've ended my vocal mic search...still looking at preamps though.

RB
 
CJ,

If I wasn't so retarded when it comes to computers, I'd be posting a few samples of some songs in which the NTK was used on vocals and acoustic guitar.

Unfortunately, I can't figure out this damned MusicMatch Jukebox thingie. It won't let me rip any songs, and I'm just plain stumped at what to do about it. :(

The wifee said she'd help out "when she gets a chance" (she's better at this stuff), but it could be a few days.

Suffice to say, the NTK is simply awesome.

I have the same set-up as dobro.... NTK and a MindPrint Envoice.
This combo, simply stated..... TOTALLY ROCKS!! ;)

Pro results are easily achieved with the two of them together.

So far, the NTK has done wonders for EVERY voice that I've recorded.... which is the signature of a great microphone.

Believe me.... the NTK will make you smile every time you see that little blue light go on and you hear it's beautiful, warm and crisp sound.

Buck
 
Yeah, I think I've reached the famous Point of Diminishing Returns with the NTK. I can believe there are mics that sound better, but I think for what I'd have to pay for them, I'd be able to buy a whole lotta other gear, so I'm satisfied with the Rode for homerecording purposes. If I want something better, I'll go into a studio, and get EVERYTHING better. The NTK, the AKG C480B and the Mindprint Envoice are the three only pieces of gear I'm completely satisfied with. But like I said, try it on your voice through a good pre. Different voices need different mics.
 
I agree about the NTK. I have mine going through a Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro, and the sound gives me a woody everytime I use it. I paid $760.00 CDN for it, and I think it is worth every penny. I was going to go for an AKG 414, but I can't see it being worth $500.00 more than the NTK, even though it has the other patterns and the rolloff. If I want to roll off the bass, I just need to press a button on the 1202 and voila. At this point, I don't foresee a need for a multi-pattern mic.
Sure beats the crap out of the Radio Scrap dynamic I used to use...

:cool:
 
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