First vocal mic you would have bought if....

[VRW]

Originally Posted by webstersp

yeah I'll give the blue baby bottle a try
Thanks

You might consider getting a more effective pop filter as the original one is ok
but there are people saying it´s the mic´s only weak point if there´s one.
I even replaced the one that came with my 3000.- Cactus
as it is a quite important part for a good recording too (hard to get rid of
those noises on an essentially good take).
Got this one. It´s a good one.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PS20A/
What´s cool about this is that you could use it with other future
more expensive mics too.
But you might of course just try it with the original first.
Maybe it´s ok.
All the best anyway




MacMini i7Quad, 16GB Ram, MacOS 10.9.1, Apogee Quartet, Genelec Active, Yamaha NS10, Pro Tools 11.1.2, Logic 10.0.6, Waves, MCDSP,
Duende Native, Softube, HOFA, IK Multimedia etc

[Oliver M]

Originally Posted by musicman691

I've got a pair of TLM103's and I would never trade/sell a U87 for them. They're nice mics but I don't care for them on solo vocals. Groups - maybe.

Aha, you would not use a TLM 103 on solo vocals but on vocal groups only?
Care to elaborate?

I made pretty decent recordings with a U87 and a TLM 103, recorded female and male vocalists, voiceover artists etc...

[mesaone]

Originally Posted by CME

Keep us posted.

I've got a session coming up, so I'll just record the vocalist with U87ai and modded 179 right next to each other. I'll post the sound files, you guys can compare the $3,200 mic to the $510 mic.

The vocal examples on Joly's site had me feeling the Neumann was just slightly richer, but then again it's a difference of thousands of dollars. I much preferred the 179 on the guitar samples.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Oliver M

Aha, you would not use a TLM 103 on solo vocals but on vocal groups only?
Care to elaborate?

I made pretty decent recordings with a U87 and a TLM 103, recorded female and male vocalists, voiceover artists etc...

Kind of harsh to my ears on solo vocals. Great acoustic guitar and strings mic.

[Oliver M]

Originally Posted by musicman691

Kind of harsh to my ears on solo vocals. Great acoustic guitar and strings mic.

Without no doubt the U87 is a great microphone, especially when you need all 3 characteristics but to my ears the TLM103 is as good when used for vocals only. It uses the same cardioid as the U87.

Probably the OP should compare the two himself.
I was giving him an opinion only, especially since a U87 is not a must have to start with as it costs a fortune.

[Eric Seaberg]

I'd get TWO! I started back in 1971 and one of the best mics then (and still is) is the Sennheiser MD421. Sounds great on ANYTHING (not just vocals) and you'd have money leftover to grab something like the Shure KSM32. I've got a bunch of Neumanns, including the TLM103, and the KSM totally stands up next to the 103, IMO.

Since you're just starting out, get as much as you can within your current budget. You can always upgrade later.

[CME]

And after some thought. Maybe something like a ksm32 plus a nice pre might be a good idea. It's amazing what a really good pre can do for a mic. I had a pair of summit 2ba-221's. They were really nice and added a nice solid heft and sheen to things. Just a thought.

[Muddy-T]

Hi all, long time lurker & first time poster Mud chiming in -I'll properly introduce myself later.

I too will make a case for the Røde NT2-A, if you're on a budget you will not find a bigger bang for your buck.

(Yessss...! I found the 'ø' thingy..!)

[YYR123]

Great thread

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Oliver M

Without no doubt the U87 is a great microphone, especially when you need all 3 characteristics but to my ears the TLM103 is as good when used for vocals only. It uses the same cardioid as the U87.

Probably the OP should compare the two himself.
I was giving him an opinion only, especially since a U87 is not a must have to start with as it costs a fortune.

The capsule used in the TLM103 is NOT the same as but derived FROM the one on the U87. The U87 is a multi-pattern mic and the TLM103 is a single pattern mic.