Studio Projects C1 vs. AT 4033

T

TheGuardian

New member
Hi All -
I've began my personal trials comparing the C1 to the AT 4033. Mind you, these are all so far just for vocals and just with my own voice.

In my initial trials I've found that both mics are great. I was impressed by the AT 4033, it was clear, bright and warm. However I did like the C1 just a tad better, it sounded clearer and crisper. BTW, I also compared the Rode NT1 and both of these other mics sounded noticably better to my ear.

I'm going to do some more comparisons within the next few days, on vocal and acoustic guitar, and I'll post my results here.

Regards,
Andrew
 
The C1 and the 4033 are very different and complement each other very nicely in a mic locker........ you can cover a lot of recording ground having both of them (applications that don't work for the C1 usually work for the 4033 and vice-versa, I've found)
 
hey....

Are you saying you own both or just have them to try?

I havent used a C1 but I do have a couple of 4033s. My experiences coupled with a guess or two tell me that the C1 would most likely be a more "shiny" vocal mic yet not as useful on as many other things as the 4033.

The 4033 on the other hand is an "ok" vocal mic but useful on just about anything you might imagine. They're GREAT as overheads, BTW!

You are also caomparing apples to turnips here, kinda, as the C1 is a large diaphragm and the 4033 is a small (medium?...well...not large anyway) diaphragm.

I'd say that either would have a use in any studio and both would be nice but bang for the buck, the 4033 wins. You may say "hey jackass...you dont even HAVE a C1!" Right, but I do have other mics including an NTK and while they are all nice, if someone left me with only one mic, I'd want the 4033.

I think I might be way off the original point here....if so, sorry.

One final thought:
If you DO own the 4033....KEEP IT! In fact..march right out and buy another...NOW! They are no longer being made. Once the current stock is depleted thats it till they decide to reissue it. Make no mistake, they WILL reissue it as it is one of their best selling mics ever and yours will be highly sought after by those who care. Think "AKG451." Mic manufacturers are wierd and sometimes kill one line temporarily to get another off the ground.

Good luck in your testing, man!

heylow
 
Hey,

Thanks for your replies!

Yes, I do own both, I sold my Rode NT 1 after my comparison test. And I do appreciate any comments and reflections. I realize that the sound of any mic is highly subjective, but I know a lot of people come to this board wondering about these comparisons (especially mics that are a great value) so I've decided to contribute my observations as well.

BTW, I got the AT 4033, in mint condition in box for $217. I got a brand new C1 for only $199. You just can't beat that if you're on a budget and still want to get very professional results.

NEXT to come: the acoustic guitar showdown....

Best,
Andrew
 
apples, turnips $200 each!

i've had the 4033 for a few years, it was the first "nice" mic that i bought, and i don't have many! but i LOVE the 4033.

one of those, "hmm what should i use to mic _____? the 4033 of course!" situations, especially when i first got it.

though i haven't had the C1 for as long, and i'm still figuring out the best way to use it, place it, stand in front of it, etc., i think the C1 WILL become the vocal mic i use the most, though the 4033 performed well for me in that respect as well.

so far i haven't been psyched about the C1 on acoustic guitar, but the 4033 kicks ass on the acoustic consistently.

4033 sounds good micing my fender deluxe (clean sound) and while i've been addicted to a beyer ribbon on distorted guitars recently, the 4033 works well for that also.

so in my limited experience the 4033 is a more useful thing, but i'm looking forward to learning more about the C1.

TWO QUESTIONS: are they REALLY discontinuing the 4033? and where did you get one for $217 new?

thanks!
 
UPS tracking says my new C-1 is waiting for me now on my front porch. I'll test it this evening after work. I hope it sounds as good as what I've read all over the net.

$199 including shipping.
 
The sky is falling!

Yepper!

They really are discontinuing it. You can even call AT and ask. You'll notice that they used to run ads all over the friggin place for the 40033 and surprisingly enough, those have been replaced with ads for the AT4040 which AT bills as the "new improved 4033."

Lots of folks are going to be selling their 4033's in favor of the "new and improved" model which is exactly what AT wants right now. New and improved isnt always that. Remeber the AKGD12? That was discontinued and improved twice. As a result, the "new and improved" D112 sells for 185.00 new and the original D12 is super sought after, bringing in 4-500 bucks used depending on condition!

Since this is happening, it is also a good time for buying 4033s!! I imagine the price above was for a used one. Watch ebay. I bought my last one for 175.00 including case and mount. People will be jumping ship to get the new models and you can take advantage of this.

BTW lilcapn, I JUST got a spankin new pair of Beyer M160's in the mail yesterday. I havent tried them on guitar yet but I DID get to use them on drums! My favorite new drum sound (thanks to a suggestion by John Vanderslice http://www.johnvanderslice.com/) is a mono drum track.....Beyer M160 about 4 feet in front of the kit, say about the very bottom of your ribs high, pointing straight on at the kit....perfectly horizontal. This is awesome! I also put one Beyer up as overhead and threw up a snare and kick mic for good measure as well.

I like the "mono" track mixed with "just enough" kick and snare to be flexible. It was actually cooler than standard overheads to me! The Beyer as overhead was cool though, too! It gave me that "smooth" cymbal sound I sometimes want but is so hard to get...more "analog" if you will. All in all a wonderful contrast to the "bite" of the 4033s as overheads. I'll probably alternate a lot and use whichever isnt being used as overheads as room mics or something!


heylow
 
i've heard that the 160 makes a nice overhead, like straight down over the snare a few feet up, but i've been a bit hesitant to mic drums with the ribbons...

i've only got one 160 but have an older 260 as well -- what is the difference exactly?

and what are the "improvements" of the 4040 vs the 4033, according to AT?

it sucks they're discontinuing them, but it's tough to justify buying another one when i've got one and could spend that $$ on a completely different mic....
 
Re: The sky is falling!

heylow said:
Yepper!


Lots of folks are going to be selling their 4033's in favor of the "new and improved" model which is exactly what AT wants right now. ...
...People will be jumping ship to get the new models and you can take advantage of this.
Click to expand...

You could be right, Heylow, but I'm not 100% convinced. People don't usually sell one piece of gear to buy another one that is more or less the same, in my experience. Usually they sell something when they are ready to move up a notch. (Or down a notch in some cases). The 4040 will seem like most to be a fairly lateral move from the 4033, not like buying a U87, let's say.

But with mics, most people I know hate to part with them no matter how many they own, and as a result don't sell them at all unless they really don't like them or use them anymore (because they have accumulated a lot of better ones, for instance.) If someone really wasn't liking or using their 4033, I doubt they would by buying a 4040. They'd probably be looking for something completely different.

But we'll see - if there is a sudden glut of 4033's on e-bay, then I'll concede you were right, Heylow, but I guess we'll both agree that the 4033 sellers' judgement is questionable.
 
I dont know what the improvements are...I know they are hotter and quieter but I dont think the 4033 are noisy or weak to begin with.

Littledog's callin me out on the market analysis deal!:D

You may be right to an extent. The more pro user will do exactly as you say. However the less pro user is always sold by words like "better" "quieter" "hotter" and "new and improved." You know it's true. Read the many posts of such behaviour on this very board. I know it's true because I have been a major offender myself in the past. Thats something i realized I had to quit doing and just get recording! Buy decent stuff and quit worrying about marketing buzz words.

In the end, not only do I not believe that you will actually watch ebay, lying in wait for my predictions....I also dont think anyone'll try to sue me if I'm wrong!:D

Seriously though.....consumers are wierd and do very odd things....this is true.


heylow
 
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