AT4033 - Do you own one? What do you use it for?

[Nika]

I'm just going to throw up a bunch of topics of different microphones. If you own one, please reply! The best way to get information and opinions around is for everyone to chime in!


Thanx!
Nika.

[Nika]

Does nobody out there own an AT4033? It seems that several people have said that they compared them to various things.

Anyone?

[eschieff]

I have never owned one, but I did use them at a radio station that I worked at for a couple of years. We had a pair of them (as the only mics) in an offline production room. I thought they were awful voice over mics. Very harsh sounding. I much preferred the LD dynamics for that application. I've never used them for anything more "musical" than AM sports radio, though.

[Darnold]

definately a mic well worth its money. i can use it on just about anything. if only it had switchable polar patterns. ive heard some great recordings done with only 2 AT4033's (except for drums). and it sounded great to my ears. really does a good job on emulating alot of the mics in the $1000 range. I think they could be the standard for studio mics in the $500 range. definately a mic i recommend. the only thing i noticed is its quite bad on the proximity effect.

darnold

[Nika]

Worse on proximity effect than other cardioid mics?

Nika.

[Darnold]

well so i have heard . i dont have any other mic like it to compare to. but i have heard from many people that it is. if im wrong im truly sorry . just telling people of what i know it to be.

darnold

[Nika]

Hey, no apologies necessary. I don't know, and I've never heard that claim before, so I was asking out of curiosity and nothing else.

Does anyone else have experience with this? I'm curious to know if people really sense changes in proximity effect in different microphones. Is the 4033 worse than others? I'll have to think about the physics involved, though I may not know enough to get me very far in my thinking.

Help?

Nika.

[PatSkillz]

I once tested a 4033a against a 4050. the 4050 had more precision, the 4033 more smeary and less defined. In general I liked the 4050´s sound better, just more expensive sounding, but on certain sources like singers who do NOT have a great voice the 4033 might do a better job in smoothing out the imperfect timbre. There is a model that is basically a cardioid-only 4050, it is called 4035sv, it´s silver and comes with a shockmount for about 1/2 the price of the 4050. I know they sell them here in Europe, not sure if you have them in the US. I would prefer this mic over the 4033 if I could only afford one of them.
But anyway the 4033 is a good mic - if you cannot track a hit with it, it´s most probably you and not the mic ;-)
Pat

[recordingpro]

Perhaps you are thinking of the AT3035, a new mic that has been available overseas for a short time, and is just starting to ship in the US. It's very cheap, great looking silver finish, and nice shockmount.
As for the at4050 and at4033, I have used both extensively, especially the at4050. The at4033 is found in many studios, and in addition to being a fairly smooth and natural sounding vocal mic, works very well for acoustic instruments. It is a fantastic, full sounding acoustic guitar mic, and I've also had success with overheads, guitar cabinets etc. I think that bang for the buck, it is one of the best mics you can possibly pick up in its price range. Keep in mind that this is a mic that has been around for 10 years and still remains a very solid contender in the sub $1000 price range. There are definately other mics I like better for certain applications, but I've got a great respect for the mic.

[PatSkillz]

I was not saying the 4033 is a bad mic, not at all. The one I tested against the 4050 was just not as clear as the 4050. That might be an advantage when recording to digital sometimes, sometimes it might be better to use a clearer mic - I personally prefer clearer mics 90% of all cases. And just because one mic is around for 10 years and is used a lot, it is not necessarily a great mic for everything. If it were like that, the U87ai would be the best mic on almost anything - and against populart belief, I have come to the conclusion that for me, it is not. I sold my U87s a while ago and I do not regret it, I have mics for every application that I like(d) better than the U87.

About the mic-type, no, I do not mean the 30s series mics. The model number is 4035sv and it has the capsule of the 4050 with cardioid only electronics, unlike the 30s that have their own capsules. You can find the 4035sv in the list of european online-music-stores.

Pat

[recordingpro]

Pat, In spite of my earlier comments I do agree with you completely. Also, I was unaware of the other mic you'd mentioned...I'll have to check it out. As for u87's....oh yeah, nice mics, but there are so many other things that i'd find myself rather using. I really like the c414 (both versions) and the m147 on the high end. The 40 series audio technicas (as i mentioned) are definately favorites of mine in the budget range. there is a ton of other good stuff i've used before also. I must confess that I even have an old <GASP> radio shack mic that I like to use on hi hats when i want to get a nasty sound.

[Futureman]

i've used a 4033 on the kick drum (yes, i was bold) on a few recordings, and i must say that it sounded absolutely awsome. so much true low end, without being muddy. prabably the best mic to put in front (not in) a kick drum, without making a potentially $1000+ mistake. total fm radio kick drum. just be sure the pad is on.

[Rishathra]

Could the differances Pat is hearing be due to the fact that the 4033 is a backplate electret mic and the 4050 is a "true" condenser? also.. i think the 4033 is transformerless, is the 4050? Or maybe Pat put a condom over his mic so he could record underwater and forgot to remove it!
just a thought...

Rish

[PatSkillz]

Ah, Rish is right, I actually had a condom over the 4033 not for underwater recording, but for DI, sort of...

[alphajerk]

the 4033 on the kick is the only place i have found use but a soundelux U195 KILLS it on the kick... especially in FAT mode. i havent really taken my 4033 out of its box in quite some time, i guess i could use it as an ambient room mic or something while rough tracking...