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Oscar SoundTech TL-40 vs. Mickey Mic


RyAgs

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Hope everyone is having a good day!

 

Does anyone have experience with the OST TL-40 lav or the Mickey Mic lav?  Or both?

 

I want to buy some new, "easy to hide" lavs, and it would be great if I could find ones that are a little more affordable than the Sanken COS 11D.

 

Please let me know if you have any thoughts on the OST TL-40 and the Mickey Mic.  I'd appreciate any input...thanks!

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Never used the Mickey Mic, allegedly about the size of a B6 and sounds 'OK'..  from what I've read.

The general consensus around here is TL40 is good sounding. Not as good as the $400+ top shelf lavs, but as good or better than most. Bang for the buck?.. can't beat it. I have four and few complaints, except a faulty wired plug on one.  OST sent a replacement within 30 min. of notification. I've talked to OST about a B6 clone and "is under consideration" according to Dave.

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Hey there,

I have been using TL-40 lavs for the past 10 months and have to say that for the price they do a pretty good job. They have been compared with COS 11, however I find that the capsules are a bit too sensitive to louder signals. Again, we are talking about 1/4 of the price of a COS 11. If you use them carefully they will perform well.

Also a quick search will bring you to some previous threads where this has been discussed...

Good luck!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I've been using the Mickey mic for over 4 years now and they're terrific.  First time I was on a golf course, taped them directly to the inside of the cotton golf shirts, no popscreen, and they sounded great, no wind noise.  Using them in tie knots on Boardwalk Empire tandem units and can't be beat as to size and quality.  For  the price, resistance to clothing noise, and sound quality I think put B6 to shame. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I got my Mickey Mic today. The cable is thinner than that of the TL40, the capsule not much thinner but shorter, soundwise similar but I'd say the Mickey has a slightly finer sound in the higher frequencies than the TL40. It'll be on a shoot for the next five weeks so let's see how well it holds up.

 

 

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I got my Mickey Mic today. The cable is thinner than that of the TL40, the capsule not much thinner but shorter, soundwise similar but I'd say the Mickey has a slightly finer sound in the higher frequencies than the TL40. It'll be on a shoot for the next five weeks so let's see how well it holds up.

 
 

 

 

Please keep us posted. I'm very interested to hear your impressions. 

 

Cheers,

Evan

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I'm curious to know how stiff the Mickey Mic's cable is compared to the TL-40; I keep on hearing the cables on OST mics are pretty rigid.

 

TL-40 cables are very rigid and very noisy as compared to other lavs. Other than that they're cool. I'm interested to hear more about these Mickeys! Is ProSound the only source?

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After a few days of using both, I can say that the Mickey Mic shines in "B6 positions", that is, above the usual chest level, in top button shirt holes etc. The TL40 has less bottom end and contrary to what I wrote earlier, there's more emphasis on high mids and highs on the TL40 which makes it a great choice if you need to bury your mic under clothing. In those cases the Mickey would sound too dull. So I'd suggest anyone who isn't sure which one to get, to get em both, as they're both quite cheap. I will say though that I think the Mickey cuts better with a boom mic than the TL40.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have 2 Mickey Mics and I couldn't be happier. Very small, easy to hide and for that price, they can't really beat. As a young guy with a more limited equipment budget than most of the more established guys, this mic has been a life saver. Got mine at Pro Sound, haven't heard of them anywhere else. Highly recommended !

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I absolutely love my TL-40s! I have been using them almost exclusively on ENG/lifestyle shoots where the location conditions are make it almost impossible to distinguish from more expensive lavs. When I'm doing more scripted tv or film work where I'm working with a costume department I'd tend towards the Cos-11s but in fast-paced ENG/lifestyle/reality where inexperienced talent (non-actors) are constantly ripping mics off I've found them to be extremely durable and sound great. I just bought another two in white today actually. I've found them great to hide in shirt behind the button because of their tiny capsule. Just poke it through the button hole and tape it so it sits just behind the button. Works a treat. Also pinned 3 into 3 actors' hair last week - scene of an actor starting clothed in a sauna and progressively getting undressed to fully naked while delivering lines. Did I mention it was a tiny sauna lit from every conceivable angle? Should've seen my face when the director told me!

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  • 3 months later...

those mics sound identical [played though yamaha hs5], maybe a slightly higher noise floor on the second one [mickey] but only the mixer will ever know that - MAYBE a snobbish post guy.

 

Mickey seemed to handle cable rustle better; but the TL40 cables are not always the same.

 

To be honest though - if you don't need to hide the mic, the stock ME-2 mic [im assuming g3s] has a better frequency response, better protection against higher SPL, and for what it's worth, a smoother waveform when looked at in a DAW

 

Thanks for doing the comparison! I have been waiting for one for awhile now.

 

Maybe for future tests you could really spell out which mic we are listening to.

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  • 5 years later...

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