Neumann TLM 102

I use this microphone daily at my studio www.chrislieckstudios.com. Here is my assessment of this mic. Clean, but not a U87 or even close. There are some major differences with this mic as opposed to other Neumann microphones. I like it for certain vocalists that have a great deal of dynamic control. If a singer is trained around a microphone and in a recording booth and has worked for many years with studios and recorded a great deal, I will pull this mic out of my collection. I don't use it if the singer is new, or a rapper, or a up and down vocalist that does not have experience or a great deal of knowledge about how to hit a mic the right way on high notes or louder notes. It has a real sensitive spot when it has a hot signal and it distorts way to easily.

If you have a hot signal to the mic that is in any way cracking up, it does not take a beating on the input stage like a U87 or a U67. Great for Vocals and Acoustic Guitar. It is what we call a medium sensitive mic. Meaning if your vocalist is loud, it is rather sensitive. So if you are using this without a compressor on the front end, you will have to ride the input gain. I like this microphone a great deal but I am not sure for the money you could not pick up a few other mics that do the trick and have some money left over for a few other pieces of gear or plug ins that you would need. The sound overall is very warm with low level input.

OVERALL OPINION

I use this mic daily but it is not our go to microphone. I do like it for vocals but only if the singer that you are using is trained and knows how to work a microphone correctly. There are better dummy proof mics out there and to be honest if I were on a limited budget try finding the hand made Superlux on Ebay which is a copy of the U87. I do like it for Acoustic Guitar. I don't use it for much else. As for bumps in the EQ, it has one in the high mid. There are several uses for the mic but I only found it useful for vocals and acoustic guitars. I did not use it for anything else.

Neumann TLM102 Studio Microphone is a recording mic.
It uses a condenser technology.

OVERALL OPINION

Neumann TLM102 Studio Microphone is a great product made by the famous Neumann company.
What I like most about it, it's the compact design and how in depth this mic captures the signal.

Another great thing about this mic is the large diaphragm microphone with cardioid directional feature, the sound pressure level of 144 dB also allows to record some percussion or some more quite sounds.
The 6 kHz frequency response allows a well structured vocal recording with the capture of overtones and tremble of the voice that is hard to find nowdays.

I also must mention the the fact that it adds some natural effect to the voice and edge that can make a huge difference in some more more soulful recordings or rocky songs.

The precision and quality of sounds is outstanding, I really do enjoy the quality provided by this product and everything related to this product, the design, the material, the frequency response, however this mic costs around 1000 $ so you should keep that in mind if you want to buy this product.

Precision and quality of sounds I could rate 9/ 10.

I tried several condenser types of mics , this has has a big advantage over others, the low noise and the precision of capturing the sounds, the vibrato and the natural tone of the singer.

Knowing What I know I'm quite sure if I would search for a mic that I can use even in a couple of years and get a decent quality, this would probably would be what I would choose.

However, there is something quite tricky about it, it doesn't come with shockmount and you either buy one, or just use the clip provided by the Neumann company.

This is a studio-only condenser microphone, made by a German company called Neumann. This company is one of the most respected manufacturers of microphones in the world, and many people are familiar with them as a industry standard. It's not very big in comparison to other Neumann mics, but it does have a large diaphragm. The pickup pattern of this microphone is cardioid. It has a clip and comes with a nice case. Being a condenser mic, this microphone is pretty sensitive, so be careful when handling it.

OVERALL OPINION

I think that this is probably not my favorite Neumann mic that I've tried, but it's the only one that I could use regularly as it isn't as expensive as the other ones I've tried. I actually like using it on acoustic guitars a whole lot, but I've used it on some vocalists and have had pretty good results. I certainly would tend to use a nicer Neumann if it was an option, but it isn't always, so I have to resort to this, which in all honesty is more than enough for the relatively low maintenance projects I sometimes work on. I'd certainly say that it works better on male vocals then female, although I haven't recorded every range of female vocalists with it, and the male vocalists I tend to record are baritones/tenors. I have tried using it in tandem with other mics on pianos, but I wasn't impressed. I don't think that it is meant to be used for those. All in all, the mic is solid. I'd say that if you are willing to spend a lot of money for the best Neumann mics, you should aim higher up, they are certainly worth it, especially for vocals. However, since for most people finance is an issue, I'd say that this is definitely a good purchase.

The Neumann TLM 102 is a very small in size, large diaphragm condenser microphone. It has pretty standard features for a Neumann, as it has a cardioid pick up pattern and will pick up the full frequency spectrum of human hearing (20 Hz to 20 KHz). The mic looks a lot like the TLM 103, but is indeed smaller. The mic comes with a clip and a hard wood case.

OVERALL OPINION

I don't own a Neumann TLM 102 myself, but have used one recently a few times in a professional studio for recording vocals. This is probably the least expensive Neumann condenser microphone on the market, so if you're looking to get that Neumann sound without spending a ton of cash, the TLM 102 is a nice option. While it doesn't sound as full and thick as a higher Neumann does, it does have a very clean sound quality suitable for applications of all types. It definitely has the precision that you would expect from a Neumann microphone. It is a little bit strange how small the mic is, but is just means that you have a to be a little more careful, which should be the case when handling any microphone, especially a Neumann! Since I've yet to have the chance to use the TLM 102 for recording anything other than male vocals, I can't say how well it would fare exactly, but I'm fairly sure that it would sound good on most acoustic instruments. Judging by the fact that it has a similar make up and design to the TLM 103, the TLM 102 should be just as versatile and an overall great choice to be an all purpose microphone for your home studio, or as part of the collection in a professional studio. For those looking for a great microphone at a great price, made by the best microphone manufacturer in the world, look no further than the Neumann TLM 102.