Hi!
I'm looking for a condenser mic for male and female vocals in an EDM/Disco Pop and rap style (possibly guitar or other instruments occasionally).
I like the sound of the TLM 103, but I'm hesitating between that and the AT 4040 because my home studio isn't perfect acoustically, but I'm going to make some sound-absorbing panels.

Which is the best option? Or is there another one?

 

I've had TLM 103 but always preferred TLM 102 on those sources. You might want to check it out instead.
AT 4040 sounded a bit too harsh for me

 

This one is much cheaper than the TLM 103:

Similar warmth/clarity to TLM 103 but smaller diaphragm for tighter focus and less
room pickup; slight presence boost shines on pop/EDM vocals and rap detail.

Neumann TLM 102 Mikrofon Studio Set nickel - 653 €
www.thomann.de/de/neumann_tlm_102_studio_set_nickel.htm
www.musicradar.com/news/the-best-microphones-for-recording

 

There is no correct answer for that question.

The mathematical formula is :

Mic choice = [(voice characteristics + what the song needs ) x room acoustics] / experimentation

As you can see, there isn't a single constant in that equation. Even room acoustics change according to variables such as the number of people in the room, air density, temperature etc.

Even if there was more constants, you still don't know whether a mic gels with the singer's voice unless you try it.

They use a Shure SM57 for the female singer on this one :

NOBODY would ever say "yeah go for a 57", EVER. Yet, it sounds great when the voice is right.

 

The supercardoid Sennheiser 441 would take out the bad room equation and sound good on virtually any source, especially on Stevie Nicks

 

If you got the budget for the TLM 103 but need it for different use, maybe it's better to buy 2 cheapers mic (which at that price range is still great). For exemple you can have the AT4040 and the TLM 102, and you can even add something like the Rode NT1A which is great for rap vocal, or maybe a dynamic mic like a Shure. Like that you have more options to adapt to what you are recording instead of being stuck with a mic (that is still good, but limit your sound possibility).

Something like the Slate Digital ML-1 is great to, it's a great mic as it is, but it also got a plugin associated with it to emulate other mic (it's better than a standard emulation plugin as it's calibrated for that mic sound specifically).

But yes, no matter what mic you choose, the big difference with all those option will depend on your room, you'll have a better sound with a Rode NT1 and a good studio acoustic than with a Neumann U87 with a shitty room.