"You got any a dem Nooomans?"

The answer is 'Yes', we have a wide variety of Neumann Microphones available for rent at our warehouse.  Neumann is an industry standard for high quality studio mics from Germany.  I recently took home a pair of Neumann TLM 102 cardioid mics to try them out while recording a string quartet on a song for my band The Sour Notes.  I set up the pair of TLM 102's in an X-Y configuration in the middle of the string quartet who were arranged in a 'half-moon' shape about 4 feet away.  I was immediately surprised how well the TLM 102's captured the sharpness of the violins without sounding too-bright, which many large diaphragm mics tend to do.  The mic's are a little 'hot' and on the mid-range-y side, but after some minor adjustments with seating the string quartet, like moving the cello furthest away, I was able to get a nice blend of high, mid and low end from them.  The mic's really made recording that day a breeze and with the right stereo panning you can get them to sit nicely in the mix with plenty of room to breathe.  I'd recommend these mics to anyone recording strings, acoustic guitar, hand-percussion, tamborines, etc...  To my ears, they seem to work well with the types of sounds you would want a little dark while retaining it's clarity.

-Reviewed by Jared Paul Boulanger

New Neumann's In stock

We have more Neumann Mics!

In Stock Now! Try or Buy:
TLM67
TLM49
BCM705

These go great with:
Focusrite Liquid Channel
ISAONE

Rupert Neve Designs 5012-H

Matt's Pick of the month

Focusrite's Liquid Channel is an excellent design in which 40 different classic preamps/compressors have been sonically sampled to create a variety of characteristics and coloring. I tried some vocal tracks with a Neumann U87 ( the recommended mic according to manual) and was pleasantly surprised. I just stuck with the SSL modeling and it was awesome!
There are some tube pre/comp models available. However, seeing that there is no real tube in the unit, I tended to stay away from those settings. Another important feature that makes this a unique piece of equipment is the Harmonics knob. This control allows the user to add color or warmth to the model being used. This can creates a natural break up or distortion to the track which, on my project, was a desired effect. Before I used this piece I was a little skeptical about the whole idea. In use, it sounded great and provided lots of options.

Furthermore, the Liquid Channel is very easy to use and the fact that you don't have to hook together three different units makes the device very convenient as well. Please read about the Liquid Technology here.

Reviewed byMatt Puryear (Chili Cold BLood)

Rock n Roll Rentals is an authorized Focusrite dealer