Neumann TLM170

[Simon B]

I am just wondering the best uses of the TLM170,

I am fortunate enough to have many Neumanns to record with and I havent found the secret to the 170.

I am not saying it is a bad Mic, not by any stretch of the imagination.

When I had access to a lot less gear I would record vocals with it through a Langevin Dual vocal combo an then come mix time just front and centre.

I am curios to the thoughts and opinons of others on it.

Thank you kindly

Simon

[audioio]

The ABC used to record the Melbourne Symphony with a pair in an ORTF-like configuration. (They use Schoeps now.)

[Simon B]

That would make a lot of sense to me.

Thanks David.

[audioio]

I misled you though, since I didn't posit an opinion on one. Never had the pleasure of using one, but those ABC broadcasts always sounded good to me. They used spot mics of course. And, if I recall my sitting in the OB van on one occasion here in Melbourne, quite often a hot-rodded Yamaha 916 console and a bit of Lex 224 even in reverberant venues.

[mylesgm]

A Yamaha m916?!

[Thirteen]

The TLM 170 was a mic that I never got my head around either.

[mylesgm]

I've got 2x TLM170 a very early one and a mid 90s one. Don't know why you wouldn't like them, clean, neutral, big sounding mic, great on double bass, trumpet, some voices, kick drum, cello, lots of things...

[rick]

umm could be the little "big" capsule that neumann used aint very favorable ..?

it has more polar patterns then you can poke a stick at and still doesnt help it
a few of the new cheap neumans use that mini big capsule

ill pass every time .

[jasound]

I use them lot for orchestral recording, as percussion and bass spots.

Also known as the Tres Lame Mic 170....

[a.beck]

Edit:
My bad, I was thinking of a completely different mic. I like 170s a lot on drum overheads.

A TLM 103, on the other hand, is almost always a bad idea on any source.

No idea how I confused those two...

[Mal]

We used 170s as our main orchestral/classical mics for many years until the shift more towards schoeps/b & ks....
they still have their uses though....as they are quite a dark mic they can be useful in those situations where that is desired..eg: brass/ string spots etc..as they don't have a huge amount of character this can be used to an advantage..
I 've used them a number of years ago on big bands (the pattern choices are useful) and also double bass..nowadays I prob go for ribbons or others but a useful mic..

Mal Stanley
ABC Radio

[Mal]

A Yamaha m916?!

That probably would have been in our small OB van somewhere..possibly out the back of the town hall...yes an old Yamaha!...

times have changed though..we now use an SSL C200 digital console in our main van...and Hamer Hall recordings/broadcasts use the Arts Centre's digico...


Mal