Neumann - TLM 102

Funny, I think the TLM-102 is underrated. Honestly really great mic for the price and incredibly convenient since it is super tiny and has a built-in pop-filter. I've compared mine back to back with my U87 Ai with the same high end Neve style preamps. I found the 102 to be a worthy opponent despite being a third of the price.

I think it's great, it's on a whole other level than the TLM 102. The 102 is still great and very useable though. Mine paid for itself many times over.

Shure Beta 98AD/C. They sound awesome on toms and percussion, and are super tiny so they can get into tight spots. I also tried them and loved them as room microphones, so I got the clip version (Beta 98H/C) for that and because you can clip them onto bongos and stuff. Not a lot of talk about them online and not a lot of videos on youtube about them, but I am glad I gave them a chance. I second the Beyer Dynamic TG D71, which is phenomenal as a kick mic. I'm sure it would be great for other purposes too. Also just gotta give some love to my TLM102, which sounds good on everything except my raspy voice sometimes. It holds it's own even directly compared to my U87 Ai.

I don’t have good knowledge of mics internals but I own a Tlm 102 I upgraded from the rode nt1a and I’m not gonna lie I really don’t like the 102 sound it sounds thin / too bright for my voice (preferred my rode) so I’m thinking of selling it, I noticed your saying things like fet47 and km86s etc if you don’t mind could you please educate me? And also if possible could you recommend a good mic for 500? I don’t care if it’s a clone (I don’t know about capsules but I hear people saying there are different ones) and I’ve seen on a topic before people recommending a clone mic because it had a “good capsule” i forgot what it was called tho unfortunately.

I got mine for 200, sounds good even without professing

I love my tlm 102

Yeah me personally, I think it kinda sounds like a tlm-102 but worse. Considering that 103 is actually more expensive it's mind blowing.

Hey I'm not trying to offend anyone. Okay maybe it's not actually mid-scooped. But I do wanna add tlm-102 was the mic that I used as a main mic for the longest time. I was always not happy with the mid information on that mic. To my subjective ears (and ears don't recognize objectively flat frequencies as flat), it lacked midrange, and had a bit too much air frequencies to my taste.

Have you tried singing on high-end microphone on other studios? Some audio engineer once told me it's like someone who never had a girlfriend in his life saying "I don't need a girlfriend because I'm happy as I am now". I guess his point was that you should at least try and listen before you can confidently say you don't need to upgrade. My opinion is that different mics sound different by definition. But at the same time, I recorded a song with Neumann TLM102 and hated how it sounded, and had to re-record it with SM7B. Other songs, they were the opposite.

I'm a big believer in trying out as many pics as you can with your voice. My workhorse is the SM7B, but lately been using the RE27 N/D. Even over my TLM102. Most of your voice is going to be EQ'd anyways, find what works for you.

* TLM1xx would be on my list too - I think they sound "cheap in an expensive way", if that makes sense. * The SM57/58, largely because it *cannot* be as versatile as people ascribe. I still have people regularly tell me "you can track a whole album with it!" when you could do that with any mic. And there are other dynamics I like more, just as durable and sometimes even cheaper (though usually not, I'd always take an m201 over a 57 for instance). * On that same sacrilegious note, I don't like the U87 much, either (Ai or original flavor). I'm not going to say it is a *bad* mic, and I've owned three over time, but there's a reason I don't own one anymore. Like the 103 (which I actively despise rather then merely dislike), there is something about them that sounds like a stripper driving a Bentley to me (weird analogy, but I think it gets the point across). * RE-20 is too big and can be hard to get to sound right. Don't love or hate it, and I do have one, but people are way too attached to it. * Same goes for SM7, with the caveat that it *only applies for VO*. For music the SM7 can be great, I'd usually grab one over a 58 or RE20, but it is a tricky bugger for VO. * Neumann pencil mics (KM8x/18x) are just not that great compared to a lot of modern versions. It isn't a tech with "vintage prestige", the manufacturing has improved, so the KM184 in particular just comes off as overpriced, even compared to the *actual* industry standard SDC's these days in Schoeps, DPA, and Earthworks (and so on). I prefer either pure or colored SDC's, and the Neumann doesn't do either. * I have never understood the appeal of the MD421. One of the few mics I refuse to own/stock because of its idiotic mounting clip, and I just think other similar mics are better at doing what it says it does. * Pretty much every "unobtainium" mic is overrated, to me - yes, a great U47 or 251 is a really cool thing and piece of history, but you can get similar results with other mics. But I'm something of a "vintage-is-better" iconoclast... I'm sure there are more, and I know it sounds like I'm picking on Sennheiser/Neumann, but really every "hyped" mic has been a disappointment to me and those happen to be the ones people strive for so are more prone to being overrated.

Choosing a mic is like choosing a wine. There is a price range and that drives what you would look for in a microphone. I'd say used is best use of funds. The $200-500 range on reverb has a lot of interesting choices. $500 - ADK Hamburg (pair - solid state 67 clone ) or pair Singular Audio 48 (u47 fet clone) or Neuman TLM102. sE z330a $400 - Avatone CV12, Warm Audio WA-87, Audio Techinca AT4050 and Weird Audio Little Red ( I own 2 of these myself - nice mic ) Lauten Audio LA-320 $200 - Oktava MK-319, Cad Equitek E100 ( look for American on 90s ) or CAD Conneaut Audio Device Equitek II (Early 90s) You can also look for 'modded mics' in this price range. Those should be upgraded mics with new components. Michael Joly used to do this about 10 years ago, but he stopped modding mics. There are other mic modders out there. Not a bad way to go take a $100 MXL and mod it.

I have an mxl condenser mic that works well, but just bought a Neumann condenser mic off Amazon. In the studio, they always said they used the $4k Neumann on me. Not sure that it is a knock off, but supposedly the same one Billie eillish uses and it sounds great. Under $400.

Cool gear list! With those options, I would try the ela m on the 12th fret and use one of the ribbons on the sound hole. I looove the options and flexibility of having a fast mic for the strings and something a bit darker for the body, really great options for blending. I would default to 1073s because they never really let ya down but I am really curious how the TG2s would sound on guitar, I imagine really iconic, so if it's more of a nostalgic or vintage sound the artist is after, I would definetly try that! I like your idea of XY 67s with coles as room mics, I can't imagine that not sounding wonderful. I find that XY is really amazing if you love the room sound, and also great for phase stability if the artist sways a lot during performance. I generally have preferred the results close micing with two drastically different styles of microphones and the fun blending options that follow. My go to for acoustic guitar is a TLM 102 on the 12th fret with Royer 121 on the sound hole into 1073s and I really do like that sound quite a bit. I place the mics about as close to the guitar as I can get away with and then check for phasing. I haven't used a M160 in years, but I really did love using it, so if I had access to that mic, hell, I'd love to hear it on guitar through the api and distressor. I imagine it would be a unique and dark sort of sound that would probably be more suited for grunge or punky sort of stuff, but still might be really cool if the accoustic is too bright. Best of luck and happy recording!