Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonear  I'm not concerned about the EQ on the guitar soundbites. I've used that guitar on hundreds of sessions and it leans toward bright. The bottomy character was the result of LDC and less than optimum mic placement. I just picked a spot that I thought would be neutral for all mics, and it wasn't. The usefulness of the test is the comparison between mics.
On the later posted vocal soundbites, the shootout is a good indication of the character and EQ of mics relative to one another. The source is a challenge. An experienced studio singer, she turns from a clarinet into a trumpet in a breath. I've yet to find a mic that tames her high end and dynamics when she opens up. But I found the comparison very informative in terms of the mics.
Although these 320 MP3s are raw, I later spent some time limiting, compressing and adding ambience to her sound along with a guitar track. All the mics liked that. But again, you can hear the personality of each.
The TLM 49 is by far the most clear and audiofile sounding. The best on softer sections in detail and dimension. Nothing in this group touches it.
I have not yet posted the audio results of the Pearman TM-1. That mic was less spectacular at the detail, but very strong on personality and rocked through the track in a very pleasing grainy sort of way. This singer admits she is not a rocker, yet with the Pearlman her loud sections were more ballsy and engaging than the other mics.
The validity of the comparison is that I now have a better understanding of the usefullness of different mics, even on the same singer on the same song. |
Thanks for the follow-up Tonear.
Its really great to get your conclusion on it after hearing it context of the mix. I own a TLM 49 and did months of research, listening to samples and comparing it to other mics in that price range.
The only other mic I was considering was the Pearlman TM-1! I chose the TLM49 because I felt like it was a solid contender that would stand out in a dense mix. It's really important that you posted this response because in my experience most people blame the mic for being harsh, or overly sibilant - which by itself is not pleasing. As soon as you throw it in a mix, and add some processing it just sounds beautiful!
PS. I'd love to hear the Pearlman vs the TLM49 in the mix
