At 4041...pos?

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pdlstl

pdlstl

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I never see much mentioned about the Audio Technica 4041 either here, or on other boards.

Why is this? Do they have a really bad reputation?

I have a pair and am pretty satisfied with them.

Am I crazy?

Wait...don't answer that. :D
 
There's nothing wrong with them... they're a bright-sounding smaller diaphraghm condenser.... I occasionally throw one up on a hi-hat or a dark-sounding acoustic guitar.
 
I just bought one and hope to use it on a bluegrass quartet...



...to record them, I mean.
 
The AT4041 was well liked in an Electronic Musician earlier this year with a shootout among other similarly midpriced SDCs (I think I remember the others being THE, Josephson, Uhm...I think DPA? All I really remember is they rather liked the 4041s and I was surprised they were not very glowing at all about the THE mics...)
 
I have zero experience with the Shure SM 81. How does the 4041 compare?

lpdeluxe, I'm a grasser too. You have anything I could listen to?
 
Sklathill, that was the AT4051a, which is about double the price and has interchangeable capsules. The claim is made that the 4041 is "very similar".

pdlstl, I haven't got them into the studio yet! BTW, I play Dobro myself.
 
lpdeluxe said:
pdlstl, <snip> I lay Dobro myself.
Click to expand...

Cool! I played pedal steel for 27 years. Hence my screename PeDaLSTeeL.

Here's a couple of snippets of the first band I recorded in my studio. We're currently working on their second album.

Samples
 
Very cool, Mr PeDaLSTeeL! That's a great singer you've got there.

I too have a single-neck 10 pedal steel, but I have never performed with it, only recorded. I spent years playing electric guitar & bass, with Dobro on the side, then my acoustic-fanatic stepson got me into fulltime Dobro. Now I play the mixer;).

Back to the subject at hand: after posting yesterday I got a call from a local singer/songwriter who's bringing over his D28 for some recording this afternoon. I'll check out the 4041 and report back. I expect pretty good results from what Mr Bruce Bear said, since this particular D28 is one of those Martin "cannons" with a lot of bottom end. This guy brought me a demo he recorded in Nashville at some kind of "take a number, then step up to the mic" studio and it's all BOOOOOOMMM. Hopefully we can do better. (Actually, I have done better than the Nashville recording, but not with the 4041.)

Ft Worth? I was just up there last month to see the Sanford Gifford exhibit at the Amon G Carter (with a side trip to the Kimbell for J W W Turner).
 
I have a pair that I use frequently. I find them to be pretty accurate, uncolored mics. They do a great job of capturing what is there. I've used them on guitar, mando, dobro and hand percussion. I'd recommend them highly. If you buy them from 8th Street, get the bulk pack. They sell them for $199, supposedy without the box. I bought 2, and they both came in the box. Go figure.
 
I bought mine from Musician's Friend, along with MXL shockmounts that fit the 4041 and my SM81s. Very cool.
 
They fall nicely between my 603's and Oktava's. I'll be the first to admit that there's probably not a truly uncolored mic in my locker. As with everything, YMMV.
 
lpdeluxe said:
Sklathill, that was the AT4051a, which is about double the price and has interchangeable capsules. The claim is made that the 4041 is "very similar".
Click to expand...
ACK! My bad...

Since we're on an AT thing here, what about the 30-series SDCs? Do they compare well with the 40s and the other competition?
 
freshmattyp said:
<snip> If you buy them from 8th Street, get the bulk pack. They sell them for $199, supposedy without the box. I bought 2, and they both came in the box. Go figure.
Click to expand...


Hee-hee...I got mine from an 8th Street Ebay auction. $179 w/box. I won one and the guy at 8th. Street offered me all I wanted at the $179 price. I only took one more though. :D
 
Got to say, the 4041 sounded excellent with the D28. Appropriately enough, the guitar's owner is going to help me put up bass traps, which I wouldn't need so much without his guitar....

Anyhow, the 4041 sounded very natural, easy to get a sound with positioning, small enough to get right in with the Martin.

Did you say $179??? That's a good deal!



But of course, I have my shock mounts, and money can't buy the class they add to my stooodio....
 
lpdeluxe said:
Sklathill, that was the AT4051a, which is about double the price and has interchangeable capsules. The claim is made that the 4041 is "very similar".
Click to expand...

Although I don't have 'first hand' experience with 4041, considering that it is a back electret vs. 'true condenser' 4051, it is hard to believe that they are "very similar".
 
I got an AT4041 used for $75 a couple months ago. It's probably one of the best mics I own (which may not speak well for my collection). It's certainly one of the best bargains I've found. Anyway, I like it positioned next to my right ear, with the bass roll-off switch on, for recording nylon string guitar.
 
Lynn Fuston of 3d Audio thinks the AT4041 is a greatly overlooked mic, and Lynn has heard a few mics in his day I think. :cool:

War
 
Marik, note that I was repeating a claim. I don't own a 4051a myself (almost bought a pair but real life interfered) but I needed another SDC to complement my SM81s for recording more than 2 persons at once, so I got the 4041. So far it meets my expectations. A couple of guys here in town have 4051as and love them, but the local pro studio (where Willie Nelson recorded his just-released album, "Nacogdoches") uses Peavy SDCs, so go figure. I think it's great that so many useable mics are available at low prices and I refuse to get drawn into "My Neumann can beat up your Audio-Technica" discussions. Properly used, they can almost all of them produce decent results.
 
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