Neumann TLM 103

I've been recording music for 6 years now, mostly death metal, hardcore, metal, rock on computer-based systems (Nuendo 3, Ableton Live, currently learning Samplitude) on this setup:
-RME Fireface 800 interface
-Blue mic Kiwi (X2)
-Neumann TLM-193
-FMR Audio RNP pre-amp
-Focusrite Octopre/w adat output
-Emes Kobalt 5 monitors
-Sennheiser HD650 headphones

The TLM-103 is a large diaphragm condenser mic with a cardioid pattern. I've tried it on vocals and acoustic guitar, on axis and close-mic caption. I find it a bit too bright and harsch for the price you paid. If you are looking for a neutral-sounding mic, I'd invest the same amount on a c414-XLS

I bought this mic because I heard that Neumanns were the best mics for recording vocals and because of the Neumann name, but I must say, when i tried the mic out on a few recordings, i was not that impressed. The mic has a very bright sound, just too bright for my taste. It also has a lot of natural reverb in it. I tried adjusting it to several positions running thru a pre amp and even straight to the board, but i just wasn't pleased with it at all. I ended up going back to my $200 Rode NT1 mic and the sound on it was so much sweeter.
I guess paying more money doesn't neccessarily mean better sound. At least not in this case to me.

Plan on selling mine on Ebay and trying out something else. Any suggestions on a good resonably priced mic that has a good sweet sound for vocals. Hit me up.

Pro session musician, recording engineer and own/operate a small studio. Own gear like API/focusrite pres, drawmer/focusrite/dbx 160 compressors, and mics by gefell, sennheiser, shure, Audio Technica, Neumann, AKG, CAD, Peavey, EV, and more. 40 years old, pro musician entire life, two degress in music performance, not a spring chicken here.

I feel the tlm 103 is a rather under rated mic in the pro audio supremist type of community. What astounds me is that EVERY SINGLE RECORDING STUDIO I've worked in over the past 6 or 7 years has owned at least 1 tlm 103 in the sessions I've done, and in almost every one of these sessions they pulled out a tlm 103 and used it on something vital to the mix, whether it be vocals, room, drums (toms etc), amp cab, or strings or sax. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking this is mic is looked down upon by anyone other than the few loud mouths who feel that everything made by neumann in the last 10 years is junk compared to vintage neumann microphones. This is an amazing mic, I use it on violin, sax, and lead vocals ALL the time and it's my money maker. At any price I would still take it over many other more expensive mics, I prefer it to the U87 (this isn't 1967 any more, we need low noise, clean crystal treble and still want that neumann velvety sheen right? THIS is the mic that provides that!). THis mic has a ton of character while remaining very clear and flat/smooth over it's range other than the fact that from 5khz up it's about 4db hotter than the lower part of it's range. GREAT vocal mic, GREAT sax, Good string mic, GREAT amp mic, GREAT tom mic. Goto for all of those things, although for violin sometimes I prefer to use an RCA ribbon or something similar.

At $600 used or $1300 new it's a great value, just get one (or more) and use them. Don't be influenced by poor judges of microphones who live in the past... this is THE greatest achievement and best built mic to come out at this price point until the competitors started trying to match it. The major competitor, Gefell, made the 930 to beat this tlm103. I actually own both. The gefell 930 is missing the charm, velvety magic of the tlm103. the gefell is NOT as good a vocal mic, NOT as good a sax mic, period. It's equal on toms etc, and it is smaller which is neat, but not important in most situations. For the money, get a tlm103 over a gefell 930.

-Recording for 15 years professionally
-using DAW based programs and plugins from sonar, steinberg, protools, wavelab, universal audio as well as giga, reason, motu,
recording into a motu 2408 mk II using an Avalon Vt737SP pre

It is interesting to see the comparisons in these reviews between The TLM 103 and various mics such as the U-87, at4050, etc. I would like to add what I hope is fairly balanced perspective on this mic. I love mics, and I own several, uncluding a Gefell M92, U-87, tlm 103, C414 uls, and then some good but less expensive mics such as the Rode NTK, Shure KSM32, and one of my all time favorites, the AT4033. I do mic comparisons all the time both with my own collection and other trial mics. first lets talk myths. Those who say the tlm 103 is "bright" either have something wrong with their preamps, monitors, ears, or got a bad mic. Either that or they have loaded their collection with darker sounding mics and are not used to the 103's detail. There are a lot of bright mics out there, especially the lower cost blue mics, which are simply out of control, and while this one falls in the "above average" category in high end response, I think "detailed" is a better adjective. I a/b'd the 103 with my U-87, and found three things:
1. It was a bit "brighter" than the U-87, but I think that added up to greater detail and clarity
2. It was certainly weightier in tone than the U-87, with better low mid push
3. The high mids were forward, but more pleasant than the U-87. I hate the word "honky" used to describe a mic, so I think a better word for the U-87 is "aggressive." However, I prefer the smoother mids of the tlm 103.

The only other thing I would say is that it is unneccesary to knock points off the 103 because of a lack of pads and roll offs. This can't be your only mic. If you need more versatility, spend extra and get a multi pattern condenser with pads and filters. I believe the simplicity of the 103's circuitry IS a feature in and of itself. A small, tight, full, sensitive and detailed mic with VERY low noise and great sound.

One final note: Some mics sound great with their own sonic character, but then, try to change the character slightly and tailor it to your song and the mic screams at you. On the other hands, the 103, and even the u-87, while not having the immediate sex appeal of some other mics on the market, are very MIXABLE mics. Roll off some high end from the 103, and it warms right up. Roll out some forward mids from the U-87, and it smooths right out. I made the mistake of being ooh's by the alluring first impression tone of a certain other mic manufacturer, only to find that the mic would not sit well in a mix, nor alow itself to be shaped sonically. Personally, I believe the 103 is a full, fat, loud, detailed mic that will get great results on many sources.

I have been recording music professionally for approx. 5 years working in a recording facility in Vancouver, BC.

I record to Nuendo 3, through an Allen & Heath board, primarily with Vintech 473 & Vintech x73i channels for crucial tracking. For compression i use primarily the classic 1176 & the extremely flexible Distressor.

As far as condenser mics go in the price range, this mic can't be beat. I have A/B'd it against several of my other favorite mics, including the AudioTechnica 4050 & the Sure KSM 32. It comes out on top every time.

After reading the negative reviews people have written regarding tone & frequency response, i have a simple explanation. USE PROPER PRE-AMPLIFICATION! This mic, especially because of its transformerless design, requires high quality preamps to truly shine. I use it with Vintech (Neve 1073) with very little (if any) EQ and it shines for both male and female vocals. The closer the source, the bigger and deeper it sounds.

This mic features so much proximity sensitivity that you must be careful...but it can be used very effectively.

Regarding this mic being too bright? Hardly....consider your placement and preamp choice. If anything, watch out for too much low-mid's and compensate with EQ or multiband compression afterwards.

I highly recommend this mic.

ive been making records for 43 yrs!!ive used and owned just about every mic known to man and the 103 is like any of them ,a tool that has a defined purpose . not all mics are 100% perfect for every occasion,with that said you must find that purpose that works for that mic.my u47[1961]sucked on joe cocker . a crappy 58 sounded better but i settled on a u87 through a tele v72 pre into a soundtrac quartz 48. from there the signal goes to iz radar 24 with nyquist converters and monitored by urei 813 time align with master lab x overs .the 103 by the way does horns and reeds well . one should not be ashamed to own one ,after all it still is a quality unit and itll kung fu most chinese mic to death any day of the week .i give it a 7 up against whats out there to day .

I've been recording since the late 50's. My current rig includes a custom built analog console and two ProTools systems (one for multitrack and one for mastering at 96K). I use Mackie HR824 monitors on sand filled stands, Yamaha NS-10s and Genelec monitors for a variety of sound sources. My mic closet includes many AKG mics including 414's, 460's, U-87, various MXL's, SM-57's & 58's, and others. I like fat rock guitar sounds, own 7 Boogie heads, several Marshalls, two full 8x12 Marshall stacks, a Twin reverb, a THD Univalve and lots of old Celestion speakers in custom cabinets. I've operated several commercial studios but these days I focus on writing and recording original material with my band which performs live 1-4 times per month.

The TLM-103 is a very bright sounding cardiod condenser mic. Before buying, go to the Neumann website and check out the characteristics. While many folks say this has the U-87 capsule they are very mistaken. While the capsule design is based on the U-87 they are very different and sound WAY DIFFERENT (hey, isn't sound what you buy a mic for). To my ears the TLM-103 was overly bright sounding. This characteristic is shown in detail by the frequency response plot on the Neumann website. I'm afraid that many folks buy this mic because of hype and price, not sound (they want a Neumann mic and this is somewhat affordable). I'm not a fan of the TLM technology (transformerless output) because I do a lot of live recording and have had transformers save the day so often. The bad reputation of transformers is undeserved and is the result of folks using cheap transformers. Good transformers are expensive, hence the high price of Jensens and old Neve components like the 1073. The TLM-103 is a good sounding mic but it does not have the classic sound of the U-87. The U-87 is not a warm mic either but it has a unique sonic fingerprint that has been impressed on countless recordings since the late 60's. The TLM-103 only has one pickup pattern while the U-87 has three. This also makes a big difference. I rarely use the omni position of the U-87 but I use the fig-8 pattern quite often on male close vocals, it's a great alternate sound, fat and clear. I regularly mic Marshall stacks (powered by Boogie heads) and the U-87 does a fantastic job, the tracks sound extremely fat without any eq. The TLM-103 requires eq on everything (in my opinion) to compensate for its inherent brightness. For someone looking for a large diaphragm condenser mic I think an AKG 414 is a much better value and is a much more neutral sounding mic than a TLM-103. The place where the TLM-103 excels most is recording live symphonic music in good acoustic spaces, here is where the treble boost of the 103 shines. I have a big powerful blues voice, the TLM-103 brings out S's too much and takes away the guts, not at all what I want. The U-87 is very bright too but it has a midrange character that doesn't take away the balls of my sound. The TLM-103 is a quality product, just be sure you try it out and know what you're buying, it's not a great rock n roll mic at all. It's a 10 in build quality and unlike cheap china mics this mic will retain a strong value in the used market. It's only a 5 as a rock mic so be sure you know what you're looking for.

I've been recording with this mic for over a year now and I'm still astounded by its warmt and ability to make mixes come alive. It has that expensive sound that you hear in high dollar recording. My studio is set up around a 16 trk half inch Fostex reel-to-reel and older Trident B series desk (no automation). Some of the other condensor mics I own are a pair of AKG 414s, MG M300s, AT4060, U89, SE, Blue Bottle, and a few MXLs. I compliment my desk pres with an outboard Amek Moxart module (with power supply) and Grace 101.

The TLM 103 might be spartan in design, but it kicks out some *serious* sound. I prefer it over the U87 (which I don't consider similar even though it shares the same capsule). The thing I like most about the TLM 103 is its warm and smooth midrange, which most mics lack including all the budget mics I've tested. If you can only afford one mic, this is the one, since it's also versatile on a number of sound sources. The silk highs are subtle and I tend to boost it in the 3-6k range, though it does show a bump in the 5k range. I'm still impressed with this mic and am looking for another one on eBay.

Hi, I've just started home recording 2months ago. My setup is:

-PowerMac G5 Quad
-Digi 002 w/ProTools 6.9LE
-Neumann TLM103 w/shock mount and pop shield
*No preamp/compressor* (using preamp on digi 002/adding post-compression)
-Cordial XLR cabels.

so far...the first takes we did with the neumann were nice and crisp with nice room verb (with no post compression or tweaking). However, the next session we did (and the ones thereafter) were marred by over mid-tones and bass. I'm not sure if this was due to poor mic technique or poor vocal takes. We tried to reduce proximity effect and different room positions but, to no effect. I'm not sure if it's the fault of the mic-or ours. Whats your expierence/opionions??
Tried the same Neumann on an Acoustic guitar and backing Vox, but again were dissapointed by the results. Does anyone attribute this to poor recording technique or just a poor setup??
I know small membrane condensers are the choice for acoustic guitar, but would there be a posibilty that the mic may have been damaged between the first takes and the latter takes of lesser quality takes using the same setup?? Smoke in room/poor mic handling (which we made sure to avoid - i.e. how sensitive are these mics??)
Thanks guys...any criticism/adivce would be much apreciated...

B-Dogg

Condenser
Vocals/Guitars/Cello
U87-Cheaper

I am the owner and head engineer of Crown City Recording, although when I bought the mics (I got 2), I was recroding at home. Our current setup is an HD2 Accell system with Neve, Focusrite and Trident pre's and JBL LSR28's for monitors. We also have BLUE, AKG, Audio Technica, Sennheiser, Shure, Royer, Manley, and Audix mics.

This is a great overall mic and has made it's way on every session that I've done. I've used it on vocals, amps, acoustic guitar, overheads, room mics, cello and many more and it has never dissapointed. It's not always the best mic for the source, but it is always a very good mic for the source, especially for the price. The only thing I miss is multi-pattern, which the 414 has at the same price, but typically, I'll grab this mic before a 414 if I only need cardiod.