AT 4033 versus 4050

  • Thread starter Thread starter LI Slim
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LI Slim

LI Slim

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I'm setting up for home recording using an Aardvard Direct Pro and my PC. Mostly just vocals and acoustic guitar. I went to B&H Photo in NYC which has a great mic sound room; I was mostly comparing mics under $400, just on the vocal, and I liked the AT 4033 more than the Rodes or AKGs, although I was a tiny bit concerned that it was a little too bright.

Now I'm reading strong recommendations on this site for the 4050, and well, maybe I should spend the extra 200 bucks. Just for the vocals, now. Is there any significant difference? Do I care that the 4050 has all three patterns? Do I care more if I'm going to use ir for guitar too?
 
I could not see spending that extra 200 bucks for the type of recording that you are doing. I think you will find the 4033 very nice for your recording. Spend that 200 bucks on good cable or a Mic pre, or even another Mic
 
Shakes, the answer's probably yes, but have you actually compared the 4033 and the 4050? How big a difference? Are they on different levels sonically?
 
Mostly the same, but different....:)

Either mic would do just fine.

But, I have to say that the 4050 has an overall smoother sound. The lower midrange response is a little better then the 4033.

Shakes really does have a point though. That extra money would get you some nice cable, or a decent preamp, both of which would be needed to really appreciate that mic's nuaunce's. God, my spelling is bad....:)

Ed
 
Since you mention it...............

Thanks, Shakes, Ed & Do.

I'm going back to the store today to compare the two. "A little smoother" may be what I want......

But why do I need a separate pre amp? The Aardvark people claim that I don't ("We've gone to great lengths to make sure our custom mic preamps sound as amazing as possible. We've extensively tested many different mic circuits and ... added ... 3 discret gain settings, extra shielding and an invariable 48 v phantom power supply... [which] uses 2 stage voltage regulator..."). If I'm already getting "absolutely perfect power matching" (again, Aardvark's claim) why do I need a second preamp?

Cable? You mean I can't just splice some of that extra telephone cord I have lying around? Seriously, how much should I need to spend to get a decent, say 6', cable? I already have what I thought was a good mic cable that I use for my dynamic mic in coffeehouse settings. I don't remember the make or what it cost (maybe 20 - 40 bucks); it was just what the music store had. What's the difference among cables?

The fun never stops.............
 
The Direct Pro's got built-in preamps, so you don't have to add another preamp. Unless you want a better preamp than is in the Aardvark, or a preamp with a different sound. I'd go with the Aardvark pres if I was happy with the sound.

Cable's important. I used ordinary gigging cable at first. When I switched to Monster 100 cable, I couldn't believe how much the sound cleared up. A couple of weeks ago, I took my mic down to a store to try out one of their preamps. I also took my own preamp along so I could compare. I put my mic through my pre, and plugged into their sound system.
Whoaah! What's happening?!? How come it sounds so good all of a sudden??? Turns out they're using Monster *1000* cable there. So now I'm going to replace all my mic cables with Monster 1000. Sonusman's done tests, comparing Monster 1000 with other wire, and you can hear the difference in the mp3 files he posted. I might get disagreed with here, but I reckon the mic and the cable's the two most important links in your audio chain.

I'm not pushing Monster particularly - that's the only cable I have any experience of so far. Canare makes good cable too, and Mogami, and others.
 
The results of Slim's mic test are in, and the winner is.......

Neither. I got the AT 4047. I thought the sound on vocals (I'm a second tenor) was a little warmer than the 4050 (or 4033), particulary in the lower mid-range. Like the 4050, it was smoother than the 4033 on the high notes. It has only the cardoid pattern, but I think the basic sound is more important to me than having the three patterns. The price was $475, smack dab in the middle of the 4033 and 4050.

I almost splurged for the Neumann tlm 103, which was a little fuller and smoother all around, but I figure at some point I'll feel compelled to get an additional mic(s) and I resisted temptation. I also tried the (new) AKG 414, which I thought was very close to the Neumann. I was also a little annoyed that in addition to the Neumann's $899 price tag (don't get me wrong, it's worth it, from what I can tell), I'd have to spend $180 on their shock mount.
 
HEHE I use the Shockmount from a 4033 works great on the Neuman ;-) The one that comes with it isn't really that bad its just not suspended, but you get a really cool wooden box with it so that makes up for it!

Shakes,



Have you hugged your JoeMeek today?
 
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