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VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!
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Tom Test
DC
Joined: 23 Jan 2007
Posts: 629
Location: Chicago, IL
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 Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:49 pm Post subject: TLM103 vs TLM49 for voice-over |
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Hey there,
I know that I really like how I sound through a TLM103. I recently auditioned one at a friend's studio. I can buy a used one locally for $700 without shock mount.
But I have a chance to buy a used, mint condition TLM49 for under a grand, so I want to do my due diligence and see if perhaps the TLM49 might be a better mic for me. Problem is, I can't audition the TLM49 in person before I have to decide either way.
Has anyone compared both of these mics for VO? How are they different in sound? I'm not a real deep voice of god type of VO, FWIW. You can hear me at http://tomtest.voices.com/ to get a sense of my vocal quality, if that helps in your advice.
Currently my signal chain is mic>Mackie 1220 Onyx>Echo Mia sound card. I'll upgrade to a better preamp sometime next year.
Thank you in advance for your 2 cents.
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Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com
Last edited by Tom Test on Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:21 am; edited 1 time in total |
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SkinnyJohnny
Backstage Pass
Joined: 12 Aug 2007
Posts: 462
Location: Asheville, NC
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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For what it's worth, my opinion is to take the $1000 and go ahead and get a better preamp instead of a mic you're not sure about.
Good Luck!!!
John
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John Weeks Voice Overs
www.johnweeksvoiceovers.com |
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Rob Ellis
M&M
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 2385
Location: Detroit
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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My 0.02---- you may want to up the budget a tad ($1300) and go for a Gefell M930.
Adam at Mercenary Audio is very good at letting you try out mics with a very flexible return policy.
As a former TLM 103 owner, I can say that for me, the M930 is a better choice and not much more money.
At the same time, if you decide on the TLM 103 I still think it is a solid VO mic. I really liked mine, but like the M930 more for my voice.
Google the M930, or do a search for it on gearslutz.com for more info.
No input on the TLM 49, however. |
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Tom Test
DC
Joined: 23 Jan 2007
Posts: 629
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Rob,
Thanks for your input! I'm familiar with the Gefell mic.
I've used the M930 recently in a narration gig. Now, the room was built for music as opposed to VO, so I don't know if the listening experience was ideal; also, I had to sound like a real person as opposed to a VO talent working a mic. For these reasons, I don't feel like I got an adequate audition of the M930, but I did like what I heard.
However, on gearslutz, I have heard a Brit VO talent compare the TLM103 with the M930, and with his deep voice they sounded VERY similar. To my ears, I think I actually preferred the TLM103. So while I've heard some people say they prefer the M930, I'm not convinced.
I'm a 45 year-old guy who listened to lots of loud progressive rock on headphones while in college - I wonder if that's coming back to haunt me?
Also, I have to remind myself: it's not what I prefer that matters. It's what the people who could hire me think that matters most by far. Unless I can figure out a way to pay myself for reading into a microphone! 
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Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com |
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mcm
Smart Kitteh
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Posts: 2600
Location: w. MA, USA
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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Tom, stop the madness!!!
You do sound great on the TLM103. Can't you think of anything else you need for a sub-grand? Marketing materials? Groceries?
Probably not what you want to hear  |
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SkinnyJohnny
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Joined: 12 Aug 2007
Posts: 462
Location: Asheville, NC
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | As a former TLM 103 owner, I can say that for me, the M930 is a better choice and not much more money.
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Same here. I used a 103 for about 5 years, then a Telefunken AK47 for a few months and switched to the Gefell M930. On my voice the 103 and M930 sound totally different. The M930 sounds closer to the AK47 than to the 103. The M930 works much better for my voice than the 103.
I still think a quality preamp will do wonders!
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John Weeks Voice Overs
www.johnweeksvoiceovers.com
Last edited by SkinnyJohnny on Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:34 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Rob Ellis
M&M
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 2385
Location: Detroit
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | it's not what I prefer that matters. |
For me, what I think/prefer does matter, because that will impact my performance (consciously or unconsciously.)
As far as what potential clients think, do you mean what they think of your sound or what they think of the brand of mic you're using?
At any rate, if you feel the 103 is as good or better a choice for your application, then that would be the mic to go for IMO, especially since it is a bit less $$ than the M930.
Any TLM 49 users out there? |
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Lance Blair
M&M
Joined: 03 Jun 2007
Posts: 2281
Location: Atlanta
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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You sound great on the 103. Don't change that. I happen to think the TLM49 is very odd and artificial sounding and fatiguing, but sounds great on some guys for big hard sell stuff.
I'm on vay-cay right now, but when I get back I'll shoot you a comparison of my 103 on the Speck and on the ART MPA Gold. They sound substantially different. You've got a swell VO mic for your voice.
I've got one word for you...not "plastics" but "preamps" but really you need neither right now. And don't put the preamp on your plastic!
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too! |
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Yoda117
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Joined: 20 Dec 2006
Posts: 2362
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Lance Blair wrote: | | You sound great on the 103. Don't change that. I happen to think the TLM49 is very odd and artificial sounding and fatiguing, but sounds great on some guys for big hard sell stuff. |
Some of the top guys in TV imaging are using the TLM49 with a UA LA610 right now. While it's not nearly as utilitarian as a 103 or 930, it's not a bad mic. Just depends on what kind of work you normally do.
Frankly, I tried the TLM49 and it didn't work for me. It's not that it didn't sound good. It just didn't give the kind of sound I needed for the work I regularly do.
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Voiceovers by Gregory Houser
Philadelphia based Voice Actor
Blog - A man, a martini, and a lot of microphones |
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Diane Maggipinto
Spreading Snark Worldwide
Joined: 03 Mar 2006
Posts: 6679
Location: saul lay seetee youtee
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | it's not what I prefer that matters. It's what the people who could hire me think that matters most by far |
Totally disagree here, Tom. If not for YOUR ears and YOUR opinion and YOUR preference, where would YOU be? You may want to enlist help of another set of ears but ultimately it's your decision. Critical listening is key, whether when choosing a mic, editing, and/or sweetening your audio.
Mics do matter; I just learned this keenly! When I returned from a few days away, I had to put out fires, as usual!. This in the midst of my studio being in my closets, basically, since I had new windows installed in my absence. I did a quick set up of only the equipment I needed to get a couple of rush jobs completed. I had troubles with my "good" mic. So I resorted to a backup, which I use for phone a s, vocals of which I downsample. I sent the full 44,1 16 bit mono files and explained this to one client, who accepted the files with a 'thank you'. Yesterday, his colleague emailed me about the "tinny" sound and quality lacking. It was raw audio, too! Gulp. AND, I had to transcribe the promos since I'd read off the screen (hadn't set up the stashed printer) and deleted it.
Good lawd.
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sitting at #8, though not as present as I'd like to be. Hello!
www.d3voiceworks.com |
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donrandall
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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I gotta go with Mary on this one.
You sound great with the mic you are using. Another mic might change the way you sound ever so slightly - but change ain't always good, and it ain't always worth a sizable chunk o' change.
I don't know if you are like me, but I know I am... And there have been many times when I just had to have the latest and greatest this or that. Once I spent a wad of cash and had time to consider what I had done, buyer's remorse set in and I realized that I woulda, coulda, shoulda saved my money for something else. |
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Lance Blair
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Joined: 03 Jun 2007
Posts: 2281
Location: Atlanta
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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Whoops...your current stuff is with the Sputnik or NTK. It sounds good.
Forget what I said, the TLM 49 would work great with your voice. If you can get it for under a grand, go for it...but I almost bought one used for $850 and chose not to when I thought a bit more about what it would do for my voice.
Now that I thought a bit about your voice, I'd say go for it, and the Onyx pres are certainly good enough but think about an upgrade later on.
But I'd certainly take a TLM 49 (or 103) over a Sputnik or NTK.
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too! |
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Tom Test
DC
Joined: 23 Jan 2007
Posts: 629
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:33 am Post subject: |
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| Yoda117 wrote: | | Some of the top guys in TV imaging are using the TLM49 with a UA LA610 right now. While it's not nearly as utilitarian as a 103 or 930, it's not a bad mic. Just depends on what kind of work you normally do. |
Hello Greg,
It sounds like you're saying the -49 is more limited than the -103? Versatility IS important for the fast-turnaround world of internet VO casting. If I can use one mic on a range of different reads, the time not spent changing mics out, waiting for the tube on my Rode NTK to warm up, etc, couold prove vitally important.
While I can and have successfully done hard-sell retail, that's not my main interest. Most of my VO work falls into these categories: warm & authoritative (think "health care") radio/TV spots, wry humor (like my national TV VOs for Time Warner Cable Business Class and Easy-Forex.com), and non-broadcast narrations.
Actually, nearly ALL of my home studio VO gigs are non-broadcast. I audition well enough with my current gear to get the radio/TV gig, but it's almost always recorded at a pro studio in Chicago.
I found the -103 worked VERY well for warm/authority, was very good for narration, maybe not so good for hard-sell retail (though maybe I just need to know how to position myself better with the -103).
_________________
Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com |
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Tom Test
DC
Joined: 23 Jan 2007
Posts: 629
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:46 am Post subject: |
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| Diane Maggipinto wrote: | | Quote: | | it's not what I prefer that matters. It's what the people who could hire me think that matters most by far |
Totally disagree here, Tom. If not for YOUR ears and YOUR opinion and YOUR preference, where would YOU be? |
I'll stand by my original statement Diane, though I believe we're not that far off in reality. You see, I really doubt that my clients would love something that I think sounds awful.
Here is one scenario: left to my own devices, I might prefer a tube-y sound with "balls" that makes my voice sound deeper than it really is - that appeals to my ego! But an engineer on the other end might think it's too colored for him to properly do his/her magic with. They prefer to work with a sound file that is totally clean. I know my ego, I know myself, and I know sometimes I cannot be objective about evaluating myself.
And even though I've had my own successful VO studio for over 5 years, I'm constantly learning. I feel as though my knowledge in some areas is shockingly limited when compared to the engineers at ARU or CRC in Chicago that I've worked with over the years.
With my current gear, I do a lot of non-broadcast gigs for my happy repeat clients. I have only one regular radio/TV client through my own studio. I audition for - and get - radio/TV gigs from my studio, but they are always recorded in a downtown studio. That says to me that my current set-up - which works well for what I am doing now - may well be "not quite ready for prime-time" when it comes to broadcast VO. My goal is for my studio to be good enough to compete at the highest levels.
Thanks for your contribution to the conversation!
_________________
Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com |
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Tom Test
DC
Joined: 23 Jan 2007
Posts: 629
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| Rellis wrote: | | Quote: | | it's not what I prefer that matters. |
For me, what I think/prefer does matter, because that will impact my performance (consciously or unconsciously.)
As far as what potential clients think, do you mean what they think of your sound or what they think of the brand of mic you're using?
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Hey Rob,
See my reply to Diane below about my thoughts on my preferences vs my clients'. But your 2nd point asking to clarify what I mean by "what potential clients think" is a good one. I meant what they think of my sound when they hear my audition/gig.
But... I also really DO think that the brand of mic I'm using *may* influence some potential clients. I think the Neumann brand is well-known and has a reputation among folks who don't know much about gear. Enough so that it may actually give me some added credibility.
For 6 years in the 1990's, I ran VO practice groups here in Chicago. We always started with a mock audition, where the 6-8 talents read from the same script. We then listened back to all the reads, gave feedback, and offered opinions on who would get the gig. The lesson I'll never forget from this is that RARELY was there anything approaching unanimity in the casting decision. And that's with a group of only 6-8 VOs!
Imagine if you will, a group of ad agency types listening to 50 auditions, trying to make a casting decision. This is where factors not related to the voice can make a big difference. Factors such as: have we ever HEARD this person's name before? (Recognition = credibility). What did their slate say about them? And it's also possible that if they looked at my Voices.com profile vs another talents, they see that I have a high-end Neumann and the other guy has a mic they've never heard of before - well that gives me a slight advantage.
So yes, I think that Big Name Gear with a great reputation might actually get me a little more work over time.
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Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com |
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