RODE NT2A Vs Neumann TLM103 Mic SHOWDOWN | U87ai
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
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This can be one of the most confusing purchases you will make for your studio.
Ever pick up an expensive mic and find that it just sounds like crap on your voice?
Well, there is a reason for that.
Plus, we are going to play the which mic is it game again...these two are closer than I have ever had...though the keen eared among you may be able to figure it out.
Dylan's Channel - / @dylanlalondemusic
US LINKS -
Buy the RODE NT2A - amzn.to/3m8iv3D
Buy the Neumann TLM103 - amzn.to/3dMoOXF
CANADA LINKS -
Buy the RODE NT2A - amzn.to/31pHdEX
Buy the Neumann TLM103 - amzn.to/35ozZlN
UK LINKS -
Buy the RODE NT2A - amzn.to/35kRxPx
Buy the Neumann TLM103 - amzn.to/2HoUzKP
My Patreon - www.patreon.com/user?u=28535375
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:22 Build Quality
01:49 Specs
03:54 Dylan's Rant
08:46 Final Thoughts
09:12 Mic Reveal
09:29 Outro
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My Gear -
Mics - RODE NT2A - amzn.to/2WWQTnn
- TZ Audio Products Stellar X2 - amzn.to/3gHTj0X
Mixer - Arturia Audiofuse Studio - amzn.to/33kSBnq
Secondary Boom Arm - amzn.to/2WBhveB
Camera - Canon T7i - amzn.to/2X3yTYi
Lenses - Canon 50mm 1.8 - amzn.to/2LxiI0k
Canon 24mm 2.8 - amzn.to/2zF96Ok - Наука та технологія
this has to be one of the most therapeutic gear reviews I've ever seen; especially thanking dylan's rant for that jolt of validation and inspiration! Criminally underrated video, thanks folks!
Thanks!
That is one of the nicest reviews I can get!
Cheers!
@@DarkCornerStudios I absolutely agree. I'm about to purchase and I was looking for this exact advice. Understand the character and strengths of a mic and what suits you, rather than listening to influencers/evangelists. Very helpful. Also, I was sitting here in the end, "please, let the Rode be the mic b (I like it better, in this record at least), I can't spend 1300 $ right now" :D
I’ve been hearing the TLM103 and was pretty much adamant it was mic A, the overall sound was nicer, heavier, and little more smoother which should have given it away if you were listening on a pair of cans.
Excellent explanation of price V personal need or requirement
That was a very easy one to tell which mic was which you could hear the TLM was louder and slightly clearer since it was closer to your mouth then the nt2a
First I would like to say is I do really enjoy your video, very well presented.
I just got asked by UA-cam what I thought of this video so thought I would share some of my thoughts directly to you.
2 things I felt could have been done better as both made obvious which mics were which, first positioning of mics, they are not both the same distance from your mouth. Second movement of the head, when switching between mics at times your head/mouth was off axis of a mic (mostly the Neumann), this made it quite obvious which mic was what.
Anyway great work, thanks for doing this video.
The TLM's dead giveaway is that air/sparkle boost. Mic A
Very good, and I guessed right. The U87 series is a studio status symbol, and it does a lot of things very well, but not every voice. I have had a crazy infatuation with the U87. I was modifying the circuit of a mic that claimed to have a preamp close to the U87. When I was finished a local music store had a rental special, so I got a U87ai to compare my mic. The Neumann recorded my voice beautifully but for MY voice my modded mic sounded slightly better. That killed the infatuation and saved me thousands of dollars. Sometimes you should never meet your heroes.
That's a really good way to put it.
I love the Nt2a, use it my self. But i knew in the first secnod which was the TLM103 and i was listening on my phone speakers. Thats why the Neuman is 3x more expansive. Thanks for the video, it is amazing!
Cheers and thanks for watching!
This is a very good review. Thank you. Im in the process of buying a new mic and was thinking about how necessary would be to spend that much on the neumann having a way cheaper and “quite similar mic” like the nt2a. After this video I realized that there is a clearly big difference between them. Gonna go for the cheap one, not bc the cost of it is 1/3 of the other but bc I really liked its performance and also believe that it sounded better for what I need!
There seems to be quite a big difference in position of the two michrophones(I could be fooled by the camera-angle if course) Seems like the TLM103 is positioned higher up(alligned to his mouth), and this would normally give the microphone more “presence”, more top end and more bass response due to the proximity effect.
Do you think between C414 xls and TLM 103 which one for voice over better for you? Thank for great review
Great points. I’m starting to learn , that for voice over , a quiet source , We don’t get to hear the full capability of the mic. When these things are pushed and driven hard, we would hear the Neumanns maintain more consistency, balance. And lower priced mics lose low end when pushed, and/ or the harsh frequencies become very noticeable when pushed. You really hear the mechanics of the mic work when it’s pushed. Also the right pre can bring out the best of mic. This feels like an in cohesive thought lol hope it helped
Its so true.
Generally I don't frive my mics too hard...but for sure an easy way to separate cheap from expensive.
That said...its not always the case.
Some mics have a brand tax...
Just sayin
@@DarkCornerStudios that’s a great point too, very true. Looking forward to more content !
Loved the comparison with choosing a brush for an artist. Makes so much sense!
Cheers and thanks for watching!
And back here again after buying and using the TLM103 for a year and I picked it like child's play in your video. Once you are used to a Neumann, hard to get out! Now aching for a U87 but far too expensive! Thanks guys!
Have to admit I had b pegged as the rode pretty quick. It's there bass tones, gives them away to me every time. Both sound great though. Another great video.
Ive used Rode mics exclusively over the last 15 years and they never let me down.
I was wrong on my guess - but I had in my head an assumption about the smoothness of the top end for the TLM103 which it turns out every Neuman owner was perfectly aware of ;) To me the, in this recording, the TLM just sounded a be too bright or crisp for my ear.
The overall discussion or moral of the story on price vs. "what are you actually gonna use the thing for" is needed in every creative field. It is very tempting to think that more gear or more expensive gear is going to make an immediate or magical difference... but it doesn't, it's just one more tool... and unless you learn how to use the new tool really well it's not going to bring the greatest benefit or, even if the quality of the thing is great, bring on frustration while you struggle to use a hammer as a seam ripper. So really thank you much for focusing on that!
One other thing I have seen brought up by other folks, I'm presently remembering it specifically from Curtis Judd, is the tendency to focus on flagship items and expenses as the way to "fix any problem" ... but a $3k mic won't fix a room that's not treated... in fact, getting increasingly high quality mics is likely to make the base problem of "my room sucks" much worse... and buying that $3k mic (or increasingly sophisticated suites of plugins) has put that person much farther away from having the money to fix the simple, often much cheaper, problems.
anyway, as always, excellent video!
Excellent, Dylan's observations on making the best choices for you is required listening.
Thank you very much for the great information! Enjoyed Dylan's talk on creativity
Thanks for the kind words!
Cheers!!
The funny thing about the U87 cutaway is that the most striking thing about it was the room reflections.
The comparison between the NT2a and tlm103 though, feels like there's as much difference explained by being a little off axis wrt eachother. On axis, both would be brighter.
The NT2a from my experience, is smooth in the highs, and doesn't suffer from the usual harshness that cheaper mics usually do. It sounds great on acoustic guitar, and as a room mic for drums. I recently used it as the side mic when sampling a darbukka to great effect.
Imo, pop filter can be heard easily, that's how I guessed it right (plus in the end you can see how micA reacts to head turn toward it). It would be interesting to see them both with the same pop filter and the same distance/angle. Idea for a short blind test video? :)
Anyway, nice video and the main point.
I have a NT2A at home and... I didn't get it ^^ I was thinking "well the mic A is a little too much agressive in the high frequencies, so it might be the cheaper one". Now I remember reading that the TLM103 is a little too bright in some people opinion. I understand why.
Got it. To my ears it's a very subtle difference in the low to mid range, with the TLM 103 being warmer and smoother in those ranges while the NT2A is a bit more neutral to brighter. I really appreciate Dylan's input, it's about what is right for you, your voice and your situation. For me that's a Rode NT1.
I thought all along the N2A was mic A. I'm both surprised and happy at the same time, because the better sounding mic is the cheaper one. Better sounding in the sense that it seems to have a flatter frequency response, therefore, allowing me to color the EQ to taste while mixing.
The same thing! Especially knowing TLM103 for being a bassy mic
I think somethings up with your ears if you thought the NT2A sounded better
@@tigresen5660 You should read my entire comment before replying, that way you don't make yourself look stupid.
@@MasonTorrey I don’t think I look stupid at all, quite frankly I think you look stupid. A boost to top end with post EQ never really sounds natural. Colour it all you want in post but you won’t really get the same clarity
@@tigresen5660 I think somethings wrong with you’re ears cause clearly the tlm 103 sounds worse,,, and it always does… so many engineers hate that mic to begin with
While i agree with almost everything said here! But the tlm103 has been a workhorse in my studio and I literally have to do very minimal work to get the vocal to sit right and sound good on every song i use it on. If i was to use that rode the hours spent eq’ing would be a more expensive option. Cheaper mics usually come with unflattering frequencies that need to be tamed or are usually missing certain aspects that make instruments shine like warmth or presence, etc. so while im not saying you have to buy a super expensive mic to get what im talking about but dont be cheap and buy a cheap mic thinking you can fix whatever problems unless you are on a super tight budget then u have to do whatever you have to do. But people dont listen to new music with harsh vocals or muddy basslines.
I figured it out based on sound. The warmth is what i picked up with the NT2A giveaway. I really appreciate your video. Thank you.
Thought mic A had more clarity than B, but with possibly a bit more sibilance. That led me to guess correctly, but I wasn't sure by any means (listening on 80 ohm DT 770s through an SSL2+). Both sounded great on spoken voice, and I could easily have been convinced one way or the other, not being a professional!
I think another important factor to consider is that a lot of people are going to do some sort of editing in post that's gonna tweak the end result anyway. Sure it's better to have a strong recording at the baseline level because it saves effort and makes for a nicer foundation, but you're better off buying a cheaper mic and learning how to get the best sound of it than dropping a load on an expensive mic and then hoping to skip the legwork and get an immediately good result without using it in an environment where it will flourish best.
Between acoustic treatment, your own voice/instrument, post-production, where the mic is positioned etc. there's so much that can affect things. Like you can hear with the U87 here, it'll sound inferior in an untreated room because all the reverb doesn't do the mic justice, it's like racing a Lamborghini Aventador on a dirt rally track. Like Dylan said, whatever you get you're ultimately doing it for YOU, because when it comes to the difference you're getting in that sound signature or whatever, whoever listens to what you've made isn't gonna give a shit so long as the end result is presentable. If there's nothing glaringly bad like a tin-can sound and a bunch of background noise or whatever, 99% of the time you're fine unless you're in a specifically hi-spec and professional environment.
I've made refinements to my own sound over the years, but it's because I enjoy it and find comfort in knowing I've done a good job. My friends or whoever hear me on the other end aren't going to care about whatever little min-maxxed optimisations I've made, and that's why I also understand that in the vast majority of cases it really doesn't matter THAT much. My stuff sounds fine when I do music, and I'm the best sounding guy in the discord call, but that's for me. It's funny to me that one commenter said that, if you can't tell the clear difference of what makes a Neumann great, to train your ears; to 99.9% of the population the idea of having to train your ears to make yourself want to spend an extra grand on a mic is just not something they need to worry about lol. In those cases a mic like the NT2-A is about as far as you'd ever need to go.
I did get that the TLM 103 was mic A. But the only real distinction that I could tell was down in the lower register. The TLM has a smoother sound. But in the context of a mix, I’d say your choice in preamp, EQ and compression would have greater weight than the actual mic itself. For me the Rode wins for value for money. You get a multi pattern mic vs cardioid only and save $900. Great review! Happy recording!
I'm a classical musician, used to playing string quartets and other chamber music sounds- look, honestly- I couldn't pick the difference, so I ran it through and outboard DAC- same result- Thanks!
do you have a noise gate applied in this video or room treatment?
Nope...no noise gate.
But yes my room is treated
@@DarkCornerStudios Does a noise gate effect the microphone sound in a bad way if used over room treatment ?
@@RangerRickTV it can yes.
If the noise gate is set too aggressively it can cause the audio to be very hard to listen to...especially if the background noise is loud
See I can tell a difference between the two recordings, but I can't tell which is which at all 😂 they both sound amazing to me
It really is tough...both mics are very distinctive though...very true
I don't think I could tell the difference on phone speakers like someone here said he did, but I picked up mic A (TLM) as the better sounding one on my studio monitors with no doubts. So, yeah, TLM the better mic for sure, but not in a way that would make that quality difference proportional with the price difference. If you're into optimizing costs, you know what you should get. If you just want a better choice for your art, even if it doesn't make sense economically, go with the Neumann.
Dylan’s rant is amazing and many people needa hear what he has to say 💯💯💯
Yeah, Dylan knows his stuff!
Thanks for watching!!
The TLM103 has greater dynamic range, which is apparent to a trained ear. However, only a minimal amount of EQ will bring the Rode up to the 103 experience quickly. We have an assortment of Neumann's and love them - but we also love our C414's, Electro-Voice 635A's and our Rode NT1000's. Almost every microphone has an application it excels at in a given situation. What you spend cannot change this fact.
Nice exploration!
I actually was able to tell which was which. NT2A picks up a little room noise and has a slight tininess to it in comparison with the 103. It still sounded really good, and is an amazing piece of equipment, but there is a slight difference. The 103 had just a bit more clarity, and the lows were a little better on it. At least with your voice. As you both pointed out, other voices will sound different. Having both doesn't hurt!
Yeah...I dont think the added cost is worth the added tones in the low end and the crispiness.
Now the AKG 414XLS is a different story.
That mic was on another level for my voice
What a stunning and well-made review. Thank you
Thanks Tommy!
Cheers!!
Whats better for voice over laying over music tracks? TML103 or MKH 416?
They are both beasts and can do the job.
The better question is which is better on your voice, and how good are you at eq and compression?
All mics generally need some sort of treatment in post.
@@DarkCornerStudios good question.
With the nt2a you can boost freq on the mic itself
Really easy to tell tbh, thanks for the comparison!
I’m surprised and not surprised with mics and a and b. Part of me thought that mic A was the nt2a because of the greater presence of sibilance, which that mic is kind of know for and also my experience from owning 2 of them. But I also thought it could be mic B and maybe be less present due to a bit of proximity effect in comparison with the placement of the Neumann. Either way, I preferred mic b, because it was smoother in the high end. Just my preference in this case.
Cheers and thanks for watching!
I have both, and totally agree with you
This is one of your best videos I've seen. Well done.
Thanks man!
I appreciate the kind words!!
Yo, for real the best video i've ever seen. about this topic! Subscribed :)
Neumann sound amazing vs the RODE! It sounds bigger, brighter and deeper at the same time but controlling the mid range so classy. Great voice btw!!
Thanks!
I get by with it
Cheers and thanks for watching!!
Of course it does. The TLM103 is positioned closer to his mouth…Not saying that the NT2 neccesarily is on the same level as the Neumann, just saying that for a test like this to be truly valid the positions need to be the same and then levelmatched.
after a minute i heard the pop filter you had on Microphone B and could notice that mic A had a sharper top end and came to the conclusion of which was which , if their would've been a pop filter on both it may have been more difficult too tell , I'm listening in a treated room with relatively high quality D/A converters and studio monitors.
Even on a cheap Logitech laptop speaker, I identified the mics in a second. I just received the TLM 103 a few minutes ago! ;)
Congratulations for buying TLM .
I like being done with microphones and the search for the right vocal mic the 103 cured it. The only thing i look to experiment now is preamps which ive mostly solved before even getting the 103.
Could you test USB mics and see if they sound good compared to similarly-priced non-USB ones?
Kind of an apples and oranges comparison.
You wont be finding a usb mic that is comparable to this caliber of mics.
That said...depending on what you are doing, the best USB mic...in my opinion at least... is the Shure MV7
Thank you guys for making this video.
Thanks for watching!!
I stopped the vid at 3:48 to write which I think is. They both sound really good.., but the bass response of the 103 is so classy, that I think is the Mic A. Also, I thought, through my current headphones, that the Mic A handled the breaths better also.., which usually are one of the difference within High End Mics and less expensive mics (to my ears when I work with both expensive and less expensive mics).
But either way, the B also sounds really really really good.
Nice call!
yup, i got it, dude the A has a ton more detail crispness and its just way cleaner, also sounds more wide, while the other one compared, it sounds as if you put a filter and cut the top high frequencies
I'm curious how similar NT2A would sound to TLM103 if the right boosts were made in the hi-end and presence regions.
I raise you Slate digitals REVIVAL plugin
What a beast Dylan is!!! What a speech. He talks sense big time. Amazing
nice video, guys... finally, it all comes to the musicallity of the artist and how he deals with his "brush"... thanks for the sincerity
That Neumann has more clarity and crispness. I really want one now lol
My huckleberry is still the AKG C414 XLS
It still haunts my dreams.
In this test I found the Neumann too bright
To my ears the Neumann had more of a presence boost which sounded nice, but it also had more distortion. The NT2A was smoother but could have used a little bit of sparkle or air not the top to make it a little more range and engagement.
Thanks for watching
excellent production - organized, articulate, with excellent production qualities
I could tell the difference the rode miles are a little on the darker side. While the Tlm 103 is bright and supper clear . Great video
Made me see how much I really need that tlm 103 😊
It is a bit strange that it is always been said that the Rode mic's are (too) bright. This test surely shows that the Neumannis far more brighter.
The TLM series microphones were specifically designed for low noise as digital recorders were becoming more popular. The TLMs do sound great but what makes the U87 so popular is its tone and smoothness. The Transformer is largely responsible for this. Especially at high SPL with a very dynamic presentation. It is really hard to re-create the tone of its transformer with transformer-less design. The U87 also holds its value like no other mic.
I did guess A was the TLM 103. I've recorded vocals and guitar with a TLM 103 before, and I could recognize a certain detailed, smoothness that is very pleasing. That said, by the end of the video, the sibilance of the TLM 103 became (to my ears) a bit harsh and annoying--much more present than the Rode. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to own a TLM 103. Any sibilance issues could easily be fixed with EQ. Still, I appreciate the Rode much more after watching this video. The NT2a sounds good. Plus, the self-noise is extremely low; the functionality (with Fig. 8 and omni) is outstanding, and it comes with a shock mount and cable too. That's great value! Wait, have I just talked myself into buying a NT2a?? Yes, I think so!
That silibance and brightness on the TLM surprised me too, as it is always told that Rode mic's are so bright.
I guess right from the first words you spoke. There is quite some difference in the frequency responce. The TL is more dynamic with clearer sound also more body..... overall the better mic. in the demo
Thanks for this video!
Thanks for watching!!
i was convinced that mic a is the tlm because it sounds a lil warmer when u pay attention and it picks more of the s-sounds up than the n2a. (I was watching over my macbook speakers) cool video thanks! :)
Very good information.
Totally thought it was the other way around. The Mic B sounded a lot crisper to my ears
I are sneaky
It was the flatter response on tlm that sounded duller, unprocessed, right?
I just thought the mics combnation was just the opposite. I thought the clearr one was the Rode and the darker was the Neumann. And I am happy to have failed because the one I like is the RODE.
The same here. I thought the best sounding one would be the Neumann, but to my surprise it was the Rode that sounded best for me.
Good video, I like the vibe. With headphones, I did feel that the answer was all too easy as I could see and hear that your mouth was much closer to the 103.
Its funny.
It really wasn't closer...the camera does a trick...though it was higher...which does make a bit of difference.
That said...with decent headphones it does become quite clear.
Cheers and thanks for watching!
@@DarkCornerStudios definitely took decent headphones to hear the difference. I've heard quite a few Rode products compared to Neumann and Rode compares really well.
@@wtulin1970 I LOVE my NT2A
Though I do admit my wandering eye does cheat on it quite a bit.
Trying to be good and not get divorced by buying ALL THE MICS
@@DarkCornerStudios ohhhh, if an amazon box shows up, i get the old "oh god, is it another microphone??" Ehhh, no dear, nope, certainly not...
@@wtulin1970 ummmm...no...its an interface love!
:)
I picked up which one was the TLM103 right away. If I was wrong, I would have picked up the NT2A asap. But unfortunately I wasn't.
This is 💯 true. I’d ditch my Neumann and use my cheap AKGp220 and just spend more time processing it, but artists first question is often “what mic do u use for vocals?” So frustrating. That being said I loveeeeee my Neumann TLM 49
Thank you, great review but yes I totally got it here on my headphones. But is that clarity in the highs worth all that extra? No but.... I have a small for profit studio I need my clients to see diamonds.... what a world. Tod
yes... i got it!
Great showdown, ay I got the microphone correct. For me the tle103 sound a bit cleaner but personally I like the sound of the nta2 better!
Nice!
Cheers and thanks for watching!!
I could hear just a little more bass in the voice with the TLM103. It's one of the reasons I like the U87. It is surprisingly subtle, tho.
I guessed correctly..The 103 is full with a a very subtle high end absent from the Rode. I like the TLM 102 too
The high end was so much clearer on the TLM... sounded like it had an exciter built in compared to N2A
I just could tell because the tlm103 is closer to his mouth, so you could hear more proximity effect. the rode sounds a bit further away. beside that, quite similar!
Neumann had a distinguished clarity and less muddy bottom than the Rode. I love Rode mics... but have an itching for that 103
I think the differences are boosted by the compression you guys added to the sound, but yeah Mic A has a more present High-end and maybe more "fat" in the 100Hz-200Hz
Truth is that TLM gets more out of voice than NT2, so I can hear it clearly... even that difference may never become significant thanks to all the tools that could be used to improve a sound quality.
I loved the sound of A all the way through the video having no clue which is which . Unfortunately that sucks as its the more expensive very telling video
With HD660s I can tell the one has additional warmth and should be superior, the sounds more like those Narrators in movies.
This review is 🔥🔥
Everyone gotta use the mic before knowing the use of the mic 🎤
So funny I taught Mic A is the Rode, cause it sounds sharper and Mic B would be the Neumann cause it sounds balanced in the top, but it's the opposite! :P I am getting a second hand Rode NT2A for half the price today. I was searching for a decent versatile mic with switchable polarities. Guess I'll figure out in the next week, how the Rode works for me. Thx for that video, cheers! m.
Cool...let me know!
Definitely benefits from EQ...enjoy!
And thanks for watching!!
The same here. I thought the best sounding one would be the Neumann, but to my surprise it was the Rode that sounded best.
Cheers! 🤘😉
I was not sure which mic was which, but I preferred A, which turns out to be the TLM 103. It had better "resolution". While the B - NT2A sounded compressed, restrained.
I picked up at @9:12 the Neumann just by the volume change when you brushed past the TLM. Hehe. Admittedly, I couldn't tell up until that point.
To make it more embarrassing, I have the NT2A. To be honest, I almost got the TLM.. I notice slightly more air in the room with the Neumann in this review. So the TLM sounds more natural. Which to me is better. My honest experience with having a good mic is that it also picked up more of my mistakes. 'xD
same sound! tlm has a little more bass due to the approximity effect. crasy
At first I thought I'm for mic A but after listening very close I realised that mic B does it for me so yes mic B for me. Thanks for the awesome video man. Bless you
I own the Rode Nt2A and still didn’t guess it right!
Yes u hear the difference real good ! But i don‘t know is the tlm 103 the right one or the u87 ai ... i „hate“ Equipment gear ^^ every time it getting so Technically but yes the video helped really good like !
I 100% got it right. In comparison the rode sounded quite a bit boxy. I was listening with my AirPods Pro. That was my perception at least and would notice the difference even when I would turn away. The clarity from the 103 was striking in comparison.
Good call!
Thanks for watching!!
dylans rant about mics is amazing
I like your videos, great work. It would be nice if you could review the Oktava MK-319, there is some serious transformer magic happening behind that Russian tank-like built resonating body. :)
It would be even better if you could compare it with the U87. :)
My access to the u87 is limited now...but I will put that on my list!
Thanks for your kind words!!
Cheers
The NT2A was the orange in the apples to apples comparison. Multiple pickup patterns are nice, but uselessness for what both, the TLM103 and the U87ai are intended for. To answer your question though: Yes, I clearly heard a difference. On your voice, your room, the TLM103 had a stronger mid tone to it. And it had it without pulling out weaknesses in sound quality, if you EQ’d the NT2A. That might be a plus, IF that’s fitting to your voice. That’s not for me to decide. Can I guess from it how they sounded for my voice? Hardly… our voices are quite different. But it’s a data point. With enough examples/ voices I could take an educated guess.
I was hoping that Mic A was the Rode because it sounded better to my ears, so if a cheaper Mic can sound better than an expensive one, bonus, right? Unfortunately, the TLM wins for me... I love how crisp it sounds. I have a muffled voice, so that would be the choice for me. Or the C414, which is very bright also, but way too expensive for me.
Yeah...I get it.
I have been cursed to want the c414 since I played with it...sigh
@@DarkCornerStudios 🤠 If you want a clearer sounding mic just use what you have then put a plugin called Gullfoss on it. This plugin costs about the same as an NT1a but it makes everything sound clearer & unveiled. It can't be used live as it's highly processor intensive. Another useful plugin for vocals is soothe but I don't have much experience with that one.
I can tell you one thing about that U87. My fathers an audio engineer (as in actual engineer, he's the guy you hire to design your studio, the other sort of engineer just drives the console) and his prize is a U87 and I can tell you straight up, that thing will give you the voice of god. That said, those Neumanns aint meant to be podcasting mics, the compression used on youtube and/or your favorite podcasting system will destroy almost any difference it makes.
It was easy to tell the TLM was A due to the large difference in treble. The Rode sounded lumpy and resonate in the mid range, the price gap between them is justified imho
It is a bit strange that it is always said that Rode mic's are too bright, but to my surprise the Neumann is much brighter. I thought A was the Rode just because I thought it was too bright
Yep the 103 has a high fidelity that sounds super pristine
5:53 Somehow true. However, a nice and warm voice performance will not be hired if the gear doesn‘t help enough. If no low frequencies, most probably they will not hire me. I want a microphone to capture and process my high and low frequencies properly without distorsion, like for radio-theater.
I'm so lost right now haha..
At the same time that whole speech made me understand I should go for NT2A I aimed, but also made me realise how much I prefer TLM103 sound. However to call it, has kinda more crust deepness into it, Rode sounds great all alone, but a bit blunt in comparison. Welp I still don't know.
No, what dictates pricing is whatever the manufacturer/seller of the item figures suckers are willing to pay for a particular widget. Name/brand recognition is a HUGE factor in this. And, to be brutally honest, companies that price their product on a cost-plus model are doomed to fail.
Massive difference between a and b - I was hoping that the Rode would be A...