For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. As I hinted earlier, the AT web site provides a reasonable amount of technical information about the AT4040, part of which is a generic frequency-response plot and a fairly pointless polar response chart. We’ve tried it on an acoustic guitar and it sounded just amazing… natural, smooth and transparent. What is a "hybrid" audio interface anyway? The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the publishers. I'm making a point of presenting this lineage because the latest addition to the group, the AT4040 SM (launched at the Munich AES Convention earlier this year) sits halfway between the 4047 and 4033 models in terms of both technology and price. Listening to the AT4040, it sounds clean and quiet, giving the impression of crisp detail combined with a fairly warm bottom end. Frequency-agile True Diversity UHF Wireless Systems. The one-inch capsule employs a carefully tensioned, gold-sputtered diaphragm to provide "a smooth, natural sonic characteristic" and the surface-mount preamplifier electronics have been designed to provide low noise and a wide dynamic range, with a high SPL capability. The 4040 SM ships in a vinyl-wrapped, foam-lined case, packed in a larger cardboard box that also contains the AT8449 elastic shockmount, supplied as standard. A specification of maximum SPL is 155 dB, which is probably just enough to handle a shotgun burst or a jet take-off. The review mics (I had the luxury of a pair) came without any manuals or technical notes at all, and I had to surf over to the Audio Technica web site for the published specs. Many reports suggest that Audio Technica included more features in subsequent models based on the feedback from this one. The front of the mic is denoted by an AT logo, while at the base of the body, around at the back and almost flush with the surface, are a pair of white plastic slide switches. AT4040 is another masterpiece from Audio-Technica sitting in the middle-end price range. Audio-Technica seems to really excel at making quality condenser mics. However you can change your cookie settings at any time. General tips would include recording at a slight angle to the right / left or using de-esser, but for this mic it’s not really necessary. You may use it for drums with an overhead placement too for a mind-blowing experience, but this would be a costly solution! You can't really go wrong with either mic. The contents of this article are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Though AT2020 is an entry model, its sound quality is exceptionally good. AKG C214 Vs AT4040 Conclusion Both mics are excellent products, for sure. A blend of technical precision and artistic inspiration, the AT4040 large-diaphragm side-address studio condenser offers exceptionally low noise, wide dynamic range and high-SPL capability for greatest versatility. Comparing to a number of similar large diaphragm mics, AT4040 is not demanding and can actually work for every typical scenario that I can imagine. All you need to know about wireless microphones. This mic will work for any situations, both for home and professional studios alike. This mic has an excellent sensitivity as well as noise characteristics; the sound response is … AT2020 is Audio Technica’s first entry into the world of microphones. Audio-Technica AT4040 is the way for a more versatile mic that can be used for both vocals and instruments. These are familiar AT traits. The best part about the AT2020 is that it has a wide 20Hz-20kHz frequency response, 16mm low-mass diaphragm, Cardioid pattern and a high 144dB SPL handling capability. The AT4040 SM is a fixed cardioid-pattern mic using an externally-biased, large-diaphragm capacitor capsule (just like the AT4047) but with transformerless circuitry (more like the AT4033a). This mic has a somewhat wide cardioid, which works particularly well for picking up voice and instruments in the same manner. Despite this tiny little nuance, I’m very happy with the sound, and I did use it for vocals a lot. The unusually large enclosed volume and symmetrical nature of the housing is claimed to minimise unwanted internal reflections. Accessing our website tells us you agree to our use of cookies. The published frequency response suggests that the mic is extremely flat between about 20Hz and 4kHz. All rights reserved. However, overall the AT4040 SM is an excellent, well-specified and well-equipped microphone, offered at an attractive price. Now i heard great things bout 3035 but now i have a chance to buy 4040 to. I am amazed at how few manufacturers are bothering to put serial numbers on their products these days, and am glad to see Audio Technica maintaining this important security feature, even if only in the form of a sticky label on the base of the XLR connector. Choosing A USB Microphone | Audio Examples. Q. Audio Technica's latest addition to the professional 40-series replaces the 4033's electret capsule with a true externally-biased condenser element, yet retains the transformerless electronics of its sibling. The left switch activates a first-order, high-pass filter turning over at 80Hz, while the one on the right introduces a 10dB pre-attenuator. With the pad on, it can record even the loudest sounds with minimum distortion. The high end seems to roll off quite quickly above about 16kHz — not that my ears do much above that frequency — but Audio Technica claim the overall response extends between 20Hz and 20kHz (without giving any limits). Mastering Essentials Part 4 - Mastering EQ: Balance, Don’t Match. Now my question is will it be that big diference if i would use it just for vocals? They already have a number of low-end models that perform quite well, so a more expensive AT4040 set our expectations on high. The Audio Technica AT2020 is a side-address condenser microphone that only picks up the sound sources from the sides of the microphone diaphragm. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Conversations or singing, instruments, percussions or drums – there’s nothing it cannot handle. The published polar response shows a very tidy, classic cardioid response, but at only a single frequency, of 1kHz. On voices I found it sometimes worked better than a more expensive Neumann TLM103, but this depended on the character of the voice. It is interesting to note that similar peaks are also present in the AT4033a and SE models — although slightly less pronounced — and are hinted at on the plot for the AT4047. Comment Report abuse. How should you pan vocals when double-tracking? Photo: Mark EwingOther established 40-series stablemates include the switchable-pattern AT4050 and the valve-based AT4060, as well as the AT4047. Audio Technica AT2020 vs 2035 I'm looking at getting a condenser in that sub-$100 range to round out the stable till I get better at recording. Of course, it is not Neumann but the sound quality is still very nice! This characteristic is predictable and can be used to advantage when close-miking sound sources, by making small changes of angle to alter the sound quality. Thus, these features have made the AT2020 mic a professional studio … With this model, you get a 5-year manufacturer warranty from Audio-Technica, so it’s certainly meant to serve for a long time. 5.0 out of 5 stars Making A Come Back. It was also effective on six-string acoustic guitars and general percussion duties — again, because of the decent transient response, I suspect. Richard Shillam. The review mics (I had the luxury of a pair) came without any manuals or technical notes at all, and I had to surf over to the Audio Technica web site for the published specs. Q. Mastering Essentials Part 3 - How loud should I master? The obvious conclusion is that these are probably a characteristic of the capsule and/or housing design. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser.