Which is the better Mic?

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steve350

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What's the audible difference between the Studio Projects T3 and the AT4050?

I am looking for a vocal mic in the $500 price range. Both of these are priced about the same.

If you had to pick one, which one would it be and why?
 
Depends on what you want to use it with, and even then... Rather different sounding mics. Each will work well and are excellent mics for the price.
 
sdelsolray said:
Depends on what you want to use it with, and even then... Rather different sounding mics. Each will work well and are excellent mics for the price.
Click to expand...

I agree .
 
IMHO the T3 has that "flattering effect" you want in a tube condenser,
and the 4050 has a nice open "accurate" type sound.

I would expect that most singers would opt for the T3 to have more of that
"larger than life"/warmer type of sound in pop or rock music if they are A/B'd with one another on the same material.

Chris
 
Haven't tried the 4050 so I won't comment on it.
But when a pro friend tried out the T3 he found it to be a nice sounding mic, but extremely bright and found it was very hard to control sibilance.
Tried it through a range of high-end pres with the same result. Pres included an API 3124, a Focusrite ISA430, a Great River NV-1, and a Buzz Audio MA2.2
All were plugged into a Protools HD3 system and monitored through Quested VS1208 monitors.

YMMV
 
Mark, IIRC Studio Projects will re-tweak the T3 for a flatter response is you contact them. The stock one at NAMM I tried didn't have any sibilance issues for me, whereas quite a number of the current condensers out now do.

Compared to those the T3 certainly didn't sound too bright on me.

Chris
 
The mic was sent to him for trial by the Australian distributor, and a re-tweak wasn't mentioned. So maybe that is a little hard to achieve from here.... or maybe the distributor just didn't care ;)
 
Could also be a quality control thing -- ya never know. Like Chessparov said, it's supposed to be more of a flattering vocal mic, so it's going to have some sibilance issues on some people. It's going to be more of a hit-or-miss kind of thing, but when it hits it really hits.

The 4050 has been a studio staple for many years now, and has appeared on a ton of records. It's a safer choice in comparison, and though it might not sound like magic on a lot of voices, it will never sound bad. And tracks recorded with it are easily manipulated with EQ in order to sound magical after tracked, because everything is basically "there" and represented so well.

On the right source, the T-3 can have a "big-money" high end to it, while the Audio Technica mics tend to have big-money midrange. If you could only have one mic in your collection, the 4050 would be the best and safest choice. If you already have a large collection and need something kinda' special to round it out, then the T-3 would be a good choice.

That's my take on it at least.
 
Steve, how would you desrcibe the type of voice and music being recorded?

The T3 is warm and colored with hyped mids and a "sheen" to it. Very sexy sounding mic and great vox mic. It's a bright mic, but not overly so. The tone of the T3 can also change quite a bit by dialing in one of the 9 variations of three patterns that are offered. The T3 also does a good job at miking acoustic instruments.

The 4050 is a clean, neutral mic and just as bright on the top as the T3. The multi-pattern 4050 is a good workhorse mic and can be used with good results on most applications. The 4050 is more of an accurate mic and will give you what you're getting at the source.

If you're looking mainly for a vocal mic I'd recommend this: If the vocalist has a big, full voice - the 4050 would probably be the better choice. If the vocalist has a bit of a thinner voice - the T3 will thicken and actually make it sound better.

If you're going to use the mic on different vocalists - the T3 will sound better on a wider range of people's voices.

Another mic that splits the difference of the T3 and 4050 is the ADK TC tube mic. Clean, clear, warm sound in a cardioid-only unhyped mic.
 
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That would be a more reasonable comparison as they are both TUBE multi-pattern, and I would like to hear from someone who has heard both
 
The Mic will only be for me. I would say my voice is full not thin. I have got good outboard gear to help, Kurzweil KSP8, good EQ,etc.

I use a Martin HD28V guitar that I would like to record with this Mic as well.

On some bad advice I had purchased an AKG 3000b. For vocals I can not get that Mic to compliment my voice at all. I am leaning towards the AT4050.
 
I would go with bgavin and also recommend you consider the AT4060.
 
I pulled up the specs on the AT4060. They are 2 different animals.
The 4060 is Vacuum Tube Condenser and the AT4050 is a Capacitor Mic.

The 4060 has one pattern while the 4050 has 3. Plus a switchable 80Hz hi-pass filter and 10dB pad.

The 4060 is $999.95 and the 4050 is $479.97. (where I buy my stuff)

I know you get what you pay for but the 4060 is double the price. Is it double the Mic?

I am not sure if the $599 4060 ebay price is for a used one, I would assume it is. I am not sure I want to roll the dice on this on ebay.

I unfortunately have to stay within my budget off $500.

I don't think I am getting a bad mic by choosing the AT4050. Thanks for bringing the 4060 to my attention. Perhaps in the future when I can afford another mic I will look at the more expense ones.
 
I've got one sitting here in my studio and it is a great mic, vocals come out very clean and natural. They do need some high end eq, but that is my taste YMMV. I think everybody here agrees that this is a great "middle of the road" condenser. I thought the 4060 was multi(doh!)
 
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