AT4040, M179, V67, GXL2200, SM7 clips here

K

Kelly Dueck

New member
In the AT4040 thread someone asked me to post a clip comparing my 4040 to my m179. Well I started and went nuts, comparing it to almost everything in my mic locker except my MXL603's. Here's a clip with narration indicating the start of each mic clip.



It's a pretty big mp3 so it might take awhile to load for fome folks.

BTW, the narration is recorded on a really nasty handheld Radio Shack dynamic that I've actually used on guitar cabs and as a drum room mic when I'm going for that Steve Albini sound. Everyone should have one mic that's so crappy it's good. In this case it's a 33-1073A. I bypassed the on-off switch and added an XLR out.

The mics, in order are as follows:

AT4040
CAD M179
MXL V67G
GXL2200 (CAD's MXL2001 equivalent less the crappy transformer)
Shure SM7-B (set flat)
T.H.E. KR-1F (Note: this is added just for fun. It's a small diaphragm omni capsule that wouldn't normally be used for solo vocals)

All the levels are matched reasonably closedly and there is no EQ or compression. Everything was recorded into an AMEK/Neve 9098 dmp into Sonar via the line in on an Aardvark pro2496. The mics were one "hand-width" away from my mouth as I sang.

This is not meant to be a "shootout" as in "Which mic is best." It's just a comparison of various mics on my (lousy) voice and illustrates the different flavour of each mic. And there is a difference.

Enjoy :)
 
I'm using a set of KRKs and the AT4040 is the most pleasant with the M179 running a close second. These two are really close and almost sound alike. The MXL and the GXL are a little too crispy, IMHO.

The T.H.E has that *round* omni sound and the SM-7 sounds like… well… like a dynamic. :eek:

I may listen to them again tomorrow and have an entirely different opinion, mind you. ;)

BTW, what song is that?
 
Nicely done Kelly. Again, I'm quite impressed with that CAD m179. I'm going to buy one this week. I think the AT sounded best (a little bit clearer than the m179). The radio shack mic doesn't sound aweful either but I'm sure that's slightly due to the preamp.
 
I agree that the at4040 seems to have a bit more clean bandwidth compared to the M179, but the m179 sounds a bit more "up front." The GXL was nice but seemed a little hyped. The SM7 was nice too...i haven't decided which I liked best yet. interesting note: that v67 really adds that detail to soft vocals, but doesn't handle plosives well, and unfortunately has that marshall "grain" or "harshness" as I like to call it. :eek:
 
My voice has a kind of raspy quality around 5 K and I think the V67 and GXL2200 mics do the worst possible job on that aspect of my particular voice. Import the clip into a DAW and try stacking the clips then flip back and forth via mutes between the 4040 or 179 and the GXL2200 to see what I mean. I think the V67 is a lot more civilized than the GXL.

On the other hand, I have used the V67 and the GXL with satisfactory results in certain applications. The V67 has sounded quite good on female vocals, for example. I've gotten decent results with the GXL on jazz guitar cabinets and lead lines played on acoustic guitar. Then again, I paid more for my V67 three years ago than you could pay for a m179 new right now and for just a little more you could get an AT4040 (Yes gear junkies, it's a good time to be alive!)

The SM7 tames the "zip" but it's cloudy in the low mids. I prefer to cut vocals without having to reach for the EQ.

As for the SM7 I think it's a real sleeper on guitar cabinets, especially shoved up against the grill (half way between the center and the edge of the cone) with the presence peak and bass rolloff engaged. It has all the crunch of a 57 without the mud and junk. (I've never understood the appeal of the 57 on guitar cabinets. It never sounds ANYTHING like what's actually coming out of the amp. And what does come out, in my experience, is rarely flattering.)

I use my T.H.E.'s for stereo recording in the baffled omni configuration ... as long as I'm recording in a good souding space. These mics sound good on acoustic guitar, too and you can get in close with no proximity effect yet get a kind of "isolation" by getting a high ratio of direct to ambient sound.
 
yea, that 4040 really excelled at everything in the middle.

thanks for putting this up, last night i made a rather strange late evening decision to order an m179 and i think i am going to end up being happy with it. it lacks the solid mids of the 4040, but i have a feeling it might end up sitting better in a mix.

and truthfully, as far as listening to your clip as a solo voice thing, i absolutely think the THE mic nailed it. that room might be trouble in a mix... but soloed out i liked it.
 
I would have a difficult time making a decision based on these clips. There is so much under 250 Hz that needs to be rolled off in a mix that it would be hard to make a call.

The sound of a vocal mic, in a mix, happens when 250-350Hz and below is rolled off (depending on the voice or mic placement). I usually do this prior to comparing mics on a vocal. The AT4040 sounds the richest but roll it off like you would in a mix and the story could change, although it does have an excellent mid-range. To my ears, some of the others might hold up better in a mix.
 
Hard to tell much with an isolated track like this. You never know how it's going to fare in the mix. I always would rather audition vocal mics with the mix laid down, record, tweak the compressor a bit, then listen back on how it is working in the mix before making a call.

They all sound remarkably similar on my laptop, except the SM7 and of course the last one.
 
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