Neumann TLM 102 sees pro audio come home
| Posted in Music Technology
The Neumann TLM 102 studio microphone has been the talk of home recording enthusiasts around the world today, as news has arrived on the web of the large diaphragm microphone that comes in a compact casing 13% smaller than its super-famous big brother, the TLM 103.
Nor should anyone be surprised that enthusiastic forum-posters are quickly waking up to what could be a new benchmark product from the German manufacturer. The TLM 102 might be small in appearance, but the impact it could have on the market is enormous. How so? Simply put, this mic represents the fulfilment of a longstanding aspiration among millions of home studio owners to possess a microphone with that famous Neumann badge.
Up until now Neumann has maintained a relative distance from the home recording market, remaining the preserve of either well-heeled professional facilities or audiophiles with bank balances to match their ambition. With the arrival of the TLM102, those days of exclusivity could be gone forever. Neumann’s new addition may not be the cheapest model on the market – no microphone bearing this manufacturer’s name would arrive in your collection without a little pain in the wallet – but it’s still priced well within the grasp of the serious audio fanatic.
Crucially, the initial reports suggest that it also has a feature-set capable of justifying its position in the Neumann pantheon, quickly dismissing any suggestions that the manufacturer might have dumbed-down its world famous quality control to hit a lower price point.
The microphone uses a newly developed cardioid capsule named the K 102 which delivers a maximum sound pressure level of 144dB, making it ideal for recording not only vocals but also high-output sources. That’s good news for anyone who has tried to mic a guitar cab or a kick-drum. At the same time, a moderate boost in the mic’s performance over 6kHz looks set to pleasingly lift vocal and acoustic performances in final mixes. The result is a microphone described by its makers as ‘smart, sweet and powerful’.
In recent times the home recording market has evolved to the point that the major-league recording facilities of yesteryear have watched their customer base evaporate. Now more than ever before, musicians are able to legitimately call themselves home engineers, using the kind of technology that was once restricted to big-budget, big-business studios. With the TLM 102 microphone, one of the world’s most coveted audio brands has just invited itself into your home. It’s no wonder that this little mic is already causing a big stir.
About Barney Jameson
A contributor, editor and in some cases creator of more music and pro audio magazines than he cares to remember, Barney Jameson is a veteran of writing about gear, and a pretty keen singer songwriter to boot.
Having started his musical education reading old copies of the Melody Maker while riding the tube to University in the mid-nineties, Barney once sang in a band called Sugarstone, troubling record company chequebooks not quite enough to make it a career option. Instead, he achieved his goal of starting a music magazine of his own when he founded Playmusic in the early noughties. Later on, having exploited VIP access to as many festivals as possible, he wrote about the pro audio industry throughout Europe and the Middle East, travelling to far-flung destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Muscat (nice mountains).
As the latest addition to the DV247 team, Barney has big plans. But when he’s not plotting online domination of the musical instrument world, he keeps himself busy writing songs on a battered old acoustic guitar and playing them to audiences in his home town.
Tags: K 102 capsule, large diaphragm microphone, Neumann, TLM 102 studio microphone, TLM 103
Congratulations! super comments script. The security code is almost impossible to read !!
Michael
Hi Michael- we’re having a bit of an overhaul of things like this shortly – I’ve had the same problems!
Rob Sandall