A LITTLE UNCONVENTIONAL
So, with all my love for Neumann microphones, which is a sentiment shared by countless engineers and musicians the world over, I have to say I had a few reservations with this one. It caused me concern when I first used one and it did so again this time around. What I am talking about is the modern twist that Neumann has placed on this microphone to offer a lot of versatility to it. You see, around on the rear of the microphone is a small toggle switch and a series of LEDs that show you polar patterns, high pass filter settings and gain reduction pad levels. Yes, you heard me correctly, LEDs on a Neumann. Right, so now that we have all gasped a little, we can get over it and move right along.
The overall design of this large diaphragm condenser microphone is nothing short of the classic brilliance we all expect from Neumann, but it simply has a slight modern edge. And don’t worry, it is a very tasteful use of LEDs to show settings, there are no bright lights and colours present, just subtle indicators right on the microphone’s side panel for easy reference.
NOT WITHOUT PURPOSE
What this is all about is delivering the user information on how the microphone is operating. Because, what we have here is a very versatile microphone in a neat and compact design. There are five polar patterns, ranging from cardioid right through to figure-of-eight, which can be selected with the toggle switch. Two levels of gain reduction and two stages of high pass filter result in a microphone that is ready to tackle just about any role. Use the TLM107 for vocals, drum overheads, piano, guitar, percussion or wind instruments. It doesn’t matter really; this microphone can be set up to work in just about any application, even with very high SPLs. Those of you who know how a Neumann sounds will hear it in this microphone too. Clarity and tonal depth are delivered just as you would expect, with plenty of options for just about any use.
For more details, head to sennheiser.com.au.