Neumann TLM 107 - Medium Diaphragm, 5 Patterns, Quiet

Neumann TLM 107

With the U 87 ai, U 89 i and TLM 170 cresting past $3,000 USD, what’s an average guy or gal to do to get a multi-pattern Neumann in the studio? My ears told me that the TLM 107 has more in common with the U 89i than the U 87ai. I've always enjoyed the more natural response of the U 89 i, TLM 170 and TLM 67 mics in Neumann line. Here's my TLM 67 review. 

The TLM 107 is a pin two high, transformerless, five-patterned, medium diameter, studio mic with, high-pass and pad features. The three main patterns are augmented by a wide cardioid and a hypercardioid.

Christopher Currier

According to Sennheiser's Product Specialist, Christopher Currier, "The U-89i and the D-01 are the mics we compare the TLM 107 to in terms of frequency response. It’s not as bright as the U 87 ai or the TLM 103."  

"It’s designed to be a little more linear. The navigation switch is a cool feature. The new grille has been designed to reduce sibilance and popping. The headgrille mesh is new and it's breaking up the high frequencies more than with the TLM 103." 

Schoeps V4 - Not what you'd expect from Schoeps!

Here's a link to voice, acoustic guitar and electric guitar/amp sounds. 

$3,000 for the Schoeps V4, a cardioid only condenser microphone with no bells or whistles. I'll give you a moment to think about it. Oh, and remember, it's a Schoeps.

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OK. That should do it. As you may know, Schoeps doesn't do anything halfway. I expect there was, first, some arm twisting from within the company to even entertain the idea of a vocal studio mic. And why bother to position a small diaphragm design as a Studio Vocal Microphone? 

Neumann TLM 102 - The VolksMikrofon

Neumann TLM 102

The Volkswagen is named so because it was designed to be "a car for the "volks" or people." Neumann makes world class microphones that typically cost more than most personal budgets can support; until now.

Should you wonder, after a very quick listen, the TLM 102 and TLM 103 sound very different. The TLM 102 is relatively flat with a closer focus on the midrange than the TLM 103. What does that mean? It means that the TLM 102 can be less problematic in environments that aren't designed as recording studios. 

The TLM 102 is considerably smaller than the TLM 103, but that difference in size does not mean the TLM 102 is a proportionally lesser microphone.

I really like that Neumann has taken a leadership position in swinging the pendulum back from the years long industry trend of making mics brighter and brighter. Brighter is not better, especially when you start using dynamics plugins aggressively or record in a non-optimal acoustic environment.