Not really a microphone for VO, I’ve only read of its use in a well treated ADR studio to match location dialogue at a typical boom to actor distance, not close up.
So I was able to find a local store that rents mics and have rented both the TLM103 and Manley Reference Cardioid for a week. I'm testing them out with my MixPre 3 II in the office room as well as my closet. While my office is not an ideal recording spot today, I am looking to either make it more ideal or record in another room like a walk-in closet (regardless of if I go dynamic mic or cardioid mic).
Additional thoughts welcomed and I'll keep you posted. Wish I had a way to rent a SM7B but that probably won't be possible.
If you can afford a Manley Reference Cardioid then you might as well just buy a Neumann U87 and be done with it. The U87 works acceptably well on just about any voice and is probably the nearest thing to an industry standard vocal mic. Once you've used it you'll recognise the sound from countless other recordings that you will have heard. You can also treat it as an investment - the value of a U87 seems to keep on going up.
Yeah those were just the two high-end mics that had available to rent from their used inventory. They are asking $1,900 for the Manley. They said they previously had a used U87 and that would have been nice to test with the others. The search continues...
No winter? I envy you Agree with James about the U87. It really is the standard.
An awful lot of stuff is done incorrectly in audio for picture and VO, because we see pics of it being done without being aware of the reasons or the science involved. Case(s) in point (a) overuse of shotgun mics (b) booths.
Not really a microphone for VO, I’ve only read of its use in a well treated ADR studio to match location dialogue at a typical boom to actor distance, not close up.
Agreed. Shotgun mics don't function well indoors without extremely careful setup as you describe. They're only ever used in ADR to make it easier to match the sound of the mic used on location. Even this practice I would question, personally. YMMV.
And I echo blindrew's point above about closets. A treated room is much much better.
So I've done some testing with the TLM103 and Manley Reference Cardioid in my closet recently. Feedback welcomed. They are both great mics! I do worry about the transformer setup and the tubes with the Manley though and what's involved maintenance-wise. These were recorded in my closet.
I know I need a better treated room for recordings but I'm not sure what's practical or possible where I currently live. Would love to get some thoughts on mobile solutions like the IsoVox (plus their IsoMic), Glide Gear Portable Isolation Sound Booth, Snap Studio Ultimate Vocal Booth, or even something like the Aston Halo in a reasonable space. Has anyone used these?
I can't help you with this exotic microphoni Sky but can perhaps allay your fears about valve reliability and replacement longevity?
Double triode valves are very long lived, decades for old Mullards in radios and audio kit. The 12AT7 used in the Manley Reference is the third most common valve of the 'big three'. The 12AX7, 12AU7 and 12AT7* in order of usage.
Another valuable property of valves is that they do not degrade, buy a couple of decent samples (they are ALL going to get vastly more expensive in a decade or two!) and put them somewhere safe and they will still be bang on original spec 20 years later.
Transformers are, if anything even more long lived. I stripped out a 1950 radio a year ago and the power transformer was still in perfect working order (OK, the output traff was shot but that was a regular fault back in the day anyway, valves used to bugger them)
*I have never understood why the 12AT7/ECC81 came to be used in audio gear? It was a television/oscilloscope bottle! But then, what do I know?
I thought both these recordings to be good and found no problem with them. The Manley recording was a little more "in your face" but not exceptionally so. Maybe it had a bit more bass timbre, or you were closer to the mic. I certainly found both recordings to be of a professional quality and a hell of a lot better than some of the examples one can hear on radio and TV (In the UK that is ...).
Agree with Ariosto. Both are fine recordings fit for production. There is a slight "hardness" that sounds to me like it's caused by a resonance in the mic stand or maybe a local reflection, such as from that corner.