Issue #4 : Microphones
I love microphones. Ever since I was little I've been fascinated with them, and since I started recording music seriously I've come to really appreciate the difference good mics can make. In this guest installment of Gear Gab I'm going to relate some of my thoughts about recent microphone designs from Neumann and generally babble on about one of my favorite topics of gear discussion.
Neumann M 149
When German microphone monolith Neumann released the M 149 a couple of years ago, it was understandably big news in the pro audio world. This was the first all-new tube microphone design Neumann had issued in thirty years, a fact which in itself inspired both excitement and apprehension. While the large- diaphragm format, classic Neumann visual aesthetics and the name of the microphone were all connotative of Neumann's great designs of the '40's and '50's, this new mic incorporated elements of the modern transformerless technology the company had been using on its most recent solid state products.
As soon as we could get our hands on one, my friend Jason and I tried out the new M 149. We were both very excited initially, but after admittedly unscientific comparisons to an array of microphones including Neumann U 67, U 89, TLM 193 and an AKG C 12, we were left strangely unmoved. The M 149 was bright and beautiful, but there seemed to be a lack of "character" for want of a better word. Neither Jason nor I felt compelled to run out and throw down the cash.
The demo session did serve to lodge the lovely new Neumann's image in my head, and over the next few months I though about the mic quite a lot. Ultimately I decided that I should try the microphone again and attempt to judge it on its own merits. The first time around I had listened to the mic expecting the warm, almost fuzzy sound of an old U 47 or M 49, and I had been disappointed. This time I determined to approach the mic as an ultra-clean, state-of-the-art modern Neumann product. Upon listening to it again, I found that I absolutely loved the mic.
I've used the M 149 in the last ten months in virtually every conceivable application, and it has seldom failed to shine. The mic holds up like a B+K in the face of the loudest guitar amps or snare drums, but its super-low self noise allows it to show the full dynamics of acoustic guitars or quiet vocals without adding any hiss of its own to the proceedings. I've had particular success with the M 149 on vocals using my API 212L preamps. The Class A API's lend a certain high frequency sheen or haze that really complements the essential neutrality of the Neumann. This is not meant to imply that the M 149 is in any way "dark", however; in cardioid operation a slight presence boost in the upper mids brings out great articulation in vocals without unduly accentuating sibilance. In the omni-directional pattern the mic has a pretty serious boost around 10-12K, which makes the mic an amazing room mic for drum kit or percussion. It would be nice to be wealthy enough to own two of these mics for dedicated overhead use.
I recently had the opportunity to do an A/B comparison between the M 149 and a lovely long-body U 47 on a vocal session, and the comparison was very interesting. The U 47 displayed the warmth and silken top end that one would expect, but the mic was dogged throughout the session with intermittent power supply noise that was audible even during takes. The older mic also tended to get a little too fuzzy on loud transients from the very dynamic vocalist. In the end we wound up putting the M 149 up and getting extremely good results. The newer mic, while somewhat more neutral in character than the U 47, bears a distinct family resemblance. We actually did vocal comps made up of performances with both microphones, and the final tracks sounded very natural. My final conclusion was that the M 149 is a different but entirely valid piece of the Neumann tube mic tradition.
I must say that the reliability of a new mic, one without the 35 years of smoke exposure and general wear most older mics have endured, is alone good reason to consider the M 149 over its esteemed predecessors. That aside, the M 149 is a fantastic all-around microphone that I plan to use happily for many years to come.
Of course, I'm still looking for the pawn shop or church basement with the $500 U 47 in it...
Other new Neumanns
Saying that Neumann makes good microphones is about as obvious a statement as one can possibly make in the world of audio. Nevertheless, in a market that is increasingly flooded with microphone options, Neumann's supremacy may be growing somewhat less obvious. Neumann has issued several new mic designs in the last few years, all of which are excellent and affordable iterations on tested traditions.
Neumann KM 184
KM 184: This mic is basically a fixed-pattern cardioid version of the KM 140 small-diaphragm condenser. I've loved the KM 140 for years as an overhead, tom, and acoustic guitar mic, and the KM 184 excels in all of these applications. I like this mic on vocals too, although it is highly prone to proximity effect (as one expects with mics of its type). In my opinion this is the best condenser available new for less than $600, and I recommend this mic as a great all-around tool.
TLM 193: I believe this was the first of Neumann's "affordable" fixed-pattern condensers. Although based on the capsule design of the U 89, the cardioid pattern TLM 193 uses electronically- rather than transformer-balanced output circuitry. Initial reviews and talk about this mic were not overwhelmingly positive, which has always mystified me. I use these things everywhere, but I particularly like them as drum overhead mics. I've had very good results doing three-mic drum recordings using two TLM 193's for top kit in conjunction with a D112 or other dynamic as a kick drum fill-in. The 193's are bright, detailed, and swallow up unholy SPL's with no complaint. The mic works very nicely on vocals, too. 90% of the tracks I personally record are done using cardioid pattern mics, so the fixed pattern isn't really a limitation. I'd buy two of these over one U 87 or U 89 any day. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I did!
TLM 103: This is the most recent of the "affordable" FET Neumanns. Another cardioid pattern large-diaphragm condenser, the TLM 103 looks like a slightly shrunken version of the super-expensive, super-accurate TLM 170. To my ears the TLM 103 initially was almost too accurate, too flat for its own good. In common large-diaphragm applications such as male vocals and acoustic guitar, the 103 displays an unflattering honesty. It took putting the mic on a guitar cabinet for its beauty to shine through. On bright, distorted guitar the TLM 103's neutrality does wonders, capturing note-range mid frequency detail with an absence of either hype or murk. I like multi-miking guitar amps, and the TLM 103 has worked well with combinations of ribbon and other dynamic mics to build interesting sounds. The mic works really well on toms too, translating warm tonal detail without excessive cymbal bleed. My overall opinion of the TLM 103 is not as high as I had initially hoped, but the mic definitely does have certain standout applications. It's also very "affordable", at least in large-diaphragm Neumann terms. To me, however, the venerable (and multi- pattern) AKG 414B-ULS seems a better value for the same money if it was necessary to choose one mic in the price range.
Other fave microphones
Here are some other favorite mics which I've recently found new uses for.
Bruel+Kjaer 4011: This small-diaphragm cardioid condenser continues to amaze me. Beyond being my favorite-ever bottom snare mic, the 4011 has recently done wonders on electric guitar and hand percussion. This mic is really very flat, but in a flattering way. It doesn't make sense, but it's true. I'd love to have another one. Someday...
Shure SM 54: This is one of those mics you've seen many times in old '60's television footage but never actually see in operating condition any more. Its weird, retro-futuristic body has a three position high pass switch on it, an unusual and quaint touch on an ancient Shure. This is a beautiful electric guitar mic, bright and dense in just the right way. Another great mic for interesting multi-mic combinations.
Earthworks TC 30K: My friend Gary gave me a pair of these for my birthday a couple of years ago, and it took me a while to find the proper application for them. Razor-flat omnidirectional condensers, they were of little use to me in my old 9'X11' home studio. Since I've moved to a larger room, however, the TC 30 K's have become indispensable as absolutely brilliant ambient mics. Used in spaced stereo pair configuration they give an uncanny image of a real, breathing acoustical environment. They also sound beautiful squashed through the ADL 1500 tube comp/limiter. Thanks Gary!
Sennheiser MD 421/1: This is the '60's tan-bodied model that you see in old European TV footage. What a world it must have been then! Every amazing classic microphone available brand new at normal market prices! In sequentially-numbered pairs with full warranties! Sounds great until you remember that all the other gear/technologies that we love (samplers, sequencers, 8- 16- and 24-track recording, digital signal processing, Apple Macintosh, even Electro Harmonix, Moog, DBX, MXR, etc.) didn't really exist yet. In any event, those people from the past sure knew how to make microphones. This old-series 421 is very different in both features and sound characteristic from the models of the last twenty-odd years. There is no M/S rolloff circuit, which must be why the mic has such phenomenal low end response. I've always been partial to 421's on kick drum, and this particular model has a wonderfully subby quality unlike any later 421 I've used. I'd love to get another one to see if they're all the same. It would be great to have several for toms and kick drum