mxl v69 / at4033 / adk hamburg

  • Thread starter Thread starter LePaul
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LePaul

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hi everyone

i'm well aware these budget condensers have been widely discussed on here and i did all the relevant searches, still i'd like to ask you for opinions based on my specific scenario. i'm a singer/songwriter mostly recording vocals and acoustic guitar in a bedroom using an m-audio firewire 410 into my ibook. i've got a bass voice with loads of overtones. it's not a pure voice and less than perfect in a technical sense. an engineer once picked me out of a couple of students to demonstrate how different mics can sound on one voice. apparently that was because there's lots of different frequencies to my voice. when i'm taking a "smooth" approach it has been compared to jack johnson. i don't wanna bore you with my vague descriptions i just hope someone experienced can make sense of them. in terms of sound i'm looking for a coloured rather than a neutral mic with such commonplace attributes like vintage, warm, possibly dark, maybe even grainy.. i adore the classic 60s recordings of lennon etc.
i was almost sure to go with the mxl v69 until i heard about adk mics. i understand there in a similar ballpark - does anyone own them both? also i'm based in the uk and i'm not sure there available here, also what's the street price?
i had considered the at4033 to be of slightly higher quality than the mxl and kind of ruled it out cos of the higher price and lack of flightcase. now i found this amazing deal - $275 (making it $80 cheaper than the mxl in my currency )and i might have to reconsider. although its not marketed as a "vintage" mic to the same degree as the other two i heard it can work remarkably well on "less than pure" voices.
ok guys i apologize for the rambling and i greatly appreciate your advise, preferably based on first hand experience. bye for now, paul.
 
I love the 4033, got two, also love the Hamburg, got one. The 4033 si actually a medium sized diaphragm, it's a little more useful on a variety of stuff. The Hamburg has a wonderful sheen to it with a full range of sound but I have only used it on vox. I have no experience with the 69 but I love my V77. You won't make a mistake with any but I recommend the Hamburg for vox
 
thanks a lot. after finding a uk dealer for adk mics it's now definitely between the hamburg and the v69. any pointers?
 
LePaul, if clarity in the midrange is what you seek do not hesitate to pick up the Hamburg. The V69 is a somewhat cloudy midrange mic with a dark sort of vibe going on, and not a good "go to" mic which appears to be what you're considering.

War
 
I'd actually throw a vote in for the ADK Vienna over the Hamburg. I also do acoustic singer/songwriter stuff & I love it on my voice ( which is kind of Neil Finn-ish).

It's funny...I've seen a lot of respect grow for the ADK stuff in the last 2 years here. When I first posted about them, I don't think anyone really knew they were pretty decent mics.
I've also had friendly, detailed & extremely helpful email conversations with Larry ( MD) concerning his products. How's that for customer support :) ?
 
I have all three of the mics you've listed and I'll place another vote for the Hamburg. Out of the three mics it is the smoothest over all on vox. It also does a great job on acoustic guitar IMHO. Price wise they are all within $75 (US) of each other with the Hamburg being the least. IMHO you won't be sorry if you choose the Hamburg over the other two. Good luck.
 
thanks again, i highly appreciate your input. it really looks like it's gotta be an adk at the moment, even though at first it's very hard to resist the v69s flash in terms of looks and of course the tube. larry is indeed being extremely helpful, this what he reckons about the hamburg/vienna subject:

"So - here's a surprise, if you're already mellow-toned, sometimes a
mellow mic isn't the solution. Sometimes a mic with a little sheen will
help out."

"Which is to say you might like the Hamburg better on your voice thru a
Solid State Pre-amp, but like the Vienna Edition Better thru a Pure
Class A Valve Pre. In a word: Variables !!!"

of course it's stating the obvious but that's often what makes the penny drop, isn't it? i still have this gut feeling about the hamburg being the right choice, i'm unsure as to how much of the viennas openness my humble system could actually capture. with a low end digital setup what i'm really looking for is maximum warmth and smoothness i guess..
 
innobidova said:
http://www.studioreviews.com/vienna-hamburg.htm (thanks for the link, Big Kenny)
"Meaning, that you can get a Vienna to sound just like a Hamburg by cutting a few dB at or around those frequencies."
Click to expand...

Hi. I disagree that a little EQ makes those mics sound the same. The Hamburg by comparison has a smoother / creamier midrange response also vs. the Vienna which cannot be changed via EQ.

War
 
yeah i did have my reservations about that theory as well, after all the two mics have different capsules etc. also where's the point in trying to emulate the sound of a mic i dont know..
 
The AT4033 is hard to beat for a classic male vocal mic sound. I struggled to find a vocal mic for my voice for about a little over a year, even with a few LDC's that were more expensive. I love it. Obviously every voice is different; it would be best to check out all three mics if you have the opportunity before buying.

You can hear Bart Davenport's use of the 4033 on the song Clara and Paper Friend here http://www.bartdavenport.com/sounds.html
 
I've never really like the AT4033 on much at all, especially vocals though. Funny thing is, if you read "Behind the Glass" Alan Parsons when asked what his favorite vocal mic is...cites the AT4033 as pretty much IT since its release. In fact he swears by more than just one low cost mic for his productions.

Maybe it's a love / hate mic!

War
 
The AT4033 is a pretty intimate mic, maybe that's what you don't like about it(?) I prefer the way it brings vocals up front for the music I write which is pretty mellow, though it's also good for rock vocals. Really great mic for a well matched voice.

The Bats of Belfry used the 4033 at Mysterious Red X studio for vocals on their demo, which is kind of a 70's rock sound. Low quality MP3 but it may help:
http://www.myspace.com/thebatsofbelfry
 
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