Tascam TM-90BM Condenser Boundary Microphone

Tascam TM-90BM Condenser Boundary Microphone

The Tascam TM-90BM is a boundary condenser microphone that records a whole table of people from a single, low-profile unit. Instead of giving every participant their own microphone, stand and cable, you place the TM-90BM flat on the conference table or stage floor and its half-supercardioid capsule picks up the voices around it. At just 24 mm tall, it stays almost invisible on camera and never gets between speakers and their audience, notes or laptops.

Boundary microphones work because a capsule placed directly on a surface hears direct sound and surface reflections in phase, which adds clarity and reach compared with a microphone on a stand at the same distance. The TM-90BM’s unidirectional half-supercardioid pattern concentrates on the area in front of it while rejecting sound from behind, which helps keep recordings focused in real rooms with air conditioning, projectors and hard walls.

Key Features

• Boundary design: place flat on a table, stage floor or lectern
• Half-supercardioid back electret condenser capsule
• Frequency response of 50 Hz to 18 kHz for speech and instruments
• Handles up to 140 dB SPL: works as a room mic for drums and piano too
• Bass Tilt switch (Low Cut, Flat, Boost) on the underside to tune low frequencies
• Runs on 9 to 52 V phantom power from a mixer, interface or recorder
• Only 24 mm high and finished in black, discreet on camera
• Includes a 2.9 m XLR patch cable and a hard carry case

The Bass Tilt Switch, Explained

Rooms add low-frequency energy: air conditioning rumble, table knocks, projector fans and the natural bass lift that comes from placing a boundary microphone on a large surface. The three-position Bass Tilt switch deals with this at the source. Low Cut trims the rumble for cleaner speech in meetings and conferences, Flat leaves the response untouched, and Boost adds low-end warmth when the same microphone is used on a piano, cajon or drum kit. Setting it on the underside of the unit keeps the switch safe from accidental knocks once the microphone is in position.

Typical Uses

Meeting and conference recording, including minutes and transcription, is the home ground: one TM-90BM covers a boardroom table evenly, with a sensitivity of -35 dB and a 68 dB signal-to-noise ratio that keeps quieter speakers intelligible. The same microphone serves panel discussions and talk shows, podcast guest tables, stage ambience and theatre reinforcement, and room miking for drums and acoustic instruments, where the 140 dB maximum SPL leaves generous headroom. Pair it with a gooseneck microphone for the host and the TM-90BM covering guests for a tidy two-microphone setup.

Who the TM-90BM Suits

Choose it when several people need to be recorded well without a forest of microphone stands: boardrooms, podcast studios, houses of worship, training rooms and production companies that record discussions, interviews and performances.

Full technical specifications for the Tascam TM-90BM are listed in the Additional Information table on this page.