At4040 v. 4033?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ironklad Audio
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Ironklad Audio

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i see a lot(and i mean a LOT of people) making mention of what a great mic the 4040 is, and have been considering purchasing one for use mainly on vocals, guitar cabs, and maybe the rogue drum track here and there...anyways, i know that AT also claims that the 4033 is a "classic" studio mic, but don't hear many people make mention of it

anyways, does anybody have any into insight into the sonic differences in these mics, as well as points to consider when trying to decide which of these mics to purchase?
 
I don't have a 4033, but my AT4040 works damn well on just about everything. It is my favorite acoustic guitar mic. It isn't my favorite vocal, drum, or cabinet mic, but it works really well in those applications
 
I have a 4033 and it's great for just about everything excluding vocals and close micing a guitar cab.
 
I've written a review of the AT4040. It's here: http://www.mojopie.com/at4040.html

You can see in the review that the AT4040 was meant to replace the AT4033 but their dealers complained and so Audio-Technica brought it back.

You hear of niche uses for the AT4033. Steve Albini likes it on bass cabs. Some people like it on acoustic guitar.

I've seen some decent substantive posts on the AT4040 at the forums at www.3daudioinc.com It's a pro place but very collegial. The best boards on the internet when you actually want to learn something.
 
You hear of niche uses for the AT4033
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this alone would push me more towards the 4040...i need a workhorse, not a one trick pony, as the only LDC's i have now are a pair of rode nt-2a's
 
Ironklad Audio said:
this alone would push me more towards the 4040...i need a workhorse, not a one trick pony, as the only LDC's i have now are a pair of rode nt-2a's
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The 4033 is about as far from being a one trick pony as you can get.
 
The 4033 is about as far from being a one trick pony as you can get.
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agreed...I have found a lot of uses for the 4033...room micing amps, M/S micing, vocals (although it's not my fav 75% of the time), acoustic guitars, bass rigs....It's definitely worth the money, and has a ton of good uses in the studio.
 
blueroommusic said:
agreed...I have found a lot of uses for the 4033...room micing amps, M/S micing, vocals (although it's not my fav 75% of the time), acoustic guitars, bass rigs....It's definitely worth the money, and has a ton of good uses in the studio.
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should'nt vocals be a strength of about any large condensor?
 
it works for some vocals, but I have quite a few LDC's and I try to give them all a fair shot when I'm recording a vocal :D ...It works well on some male vocals, especially baritones...I wasn't saying it's not a good vocal mic.
 
Ironklad Audio said:
this alone would push me more towards the 4040...i need a workhorse, not a one trick pony, as the only LDC's i have now are a pair of rode nt-2a's
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The 4033 is far from a one trick pony. Just because I'm not fond of it for micing a guitar cab (close mic) or vocals (for the most part) in no way makes it a one trick mic.
 
blueroommusic said:
agreed...I have found a lot of uses for the 4033...room micing amps, M/S micing, vocals (although it's not my fav 75% of the time), acoustic guitars, bass rigs....It's definitely worth the money, and has a ton of good uses in the studio.
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TravisinFlorida said:
should'nt vocals be a strength of about any large condensor?
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Yes, but the 4033 isn't a large condenser mic.
 
is it considered a medium diaphragm condenser? I know the diaphragm is a bit smaller than my other LDC's.
 
blueroommusic said:
is it considered a medium diaphragm condenser? I know the diaphragm is a bit smaller than my other LDC's.
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It's 1/8" bigger than a standard 1/2" diaphragm.
 
own both, prefer the 4033 on most vox, but not all.

obligatory disclaimer - YMMV
but the 4033 is better on all apps, across a spectrum of sounds than the 4040.

the 4040 is an excellent mic but is slightly less "focused" in the hi mids then the 4033, but it (the 4040) has better (or do i mean more flattering?) low end response.

i.e. in a bigger mix the 4033 will sit more "up front", but if there is room the 4040 will make a voice sound "bigger" and "more full".

for the record, i hate all of those phrases.
 
giraffe said:
own both, prefer the 4033 on most vox, but not all.

obligatory disclaimer - YMMV
but the 4033 is better on all apps, across a spectrum of sounds than the 4040.

the 4040 is an excellent mic but is slightly less "focused" in the hi mids then the 4033, but it (the 4040) has better (or do i mean more flattering?) low end response.

i.e. in a bigger mix the 4033 will sit more "up front", but if there is room the 4040 will make a voice sound "bigger" and "more full".

for the record, i hate all of those phrases.
Click to expand...

I agree with giraffe again, especially about the phrases.
 
thanks for the input peoples

if the 4033 is more focused like you say, then i think it'll be more what i'm looking for - the nt-2a's i have now seem to sound very full/rich/big/whatever, so i'm more or less looking for an LDC to complement them
 
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