Audio Technica 40 Series

[Randyrhoads1981]

Hey there TapeOpers...
I've been thinking about the LDC that
I will be getting for my Home Studio(Analog Tape)
I am on a budget.
I have definitely chosen the Audio Technica 40 Series.
What I am thinking is, should I get the 4040,
4033, or the 4047?
The 4047 is the most expensive, but
it looks like a very high quality mic.
Beautiful finish as well.
I am also thinking of getting either
the 4040 or the 4033 to start with
and then move up to the 4047.
If I go that way, should I get
the 4040 or the 4033?
Any experience with any of these?

Thanks guys
-Thomas

[losthighway]

I find the 4033 is more versatile. I like the 4047 better for vocals than the 4033, for overheads too. But I use the 4033 on electric guitar, bass guitar, drum stuff. The 4033 is a little bright. The 4047 has it's own thing. Hard to describe- I feel like I hear some mid dips and peaks in different spots on the 4047. On certain peoples vocals it totally rules. Or it's all wrong. Sounds good outside of the kick. Strong lows, but not all that rolled off on the highs, but some kind of dip in the mids somewhere. Sorry, I know that's a pretty nebulous description but it's just what I hear after messing with that mic for a couple years.

I would say, since the 4033 is cheaper I would get it first. 4047 is good if you need a vocal mic, but I honestly use my SM7 as much for vocals these days as my 4047.

[Scodiddly]

The 4033 is not an LDC. It is a SDC capsule with a perforated ring around the capsule to modify the response to be more like an LDC.

Which is not to say it's a bad mic - it's very good for doing things like choirs and other large ensembles.

[sir hills]

I love my 4033, it was one of my first condensers & I still use it on nearly every session. I prefer it on bass cabs, upright paired with a dynamic, acoustic guitar paired with a dynamic or ribbon, room mic & I find it works great for some female or high register/falsetto male vocals. I recently have been using it as a close snare mic & was quite happy with the recording/how it blended with the kit but also gave some definition.

I've only used a 4047 a few times...a mono recording of a live performance at a bar, some trombone parts & some vocals. It sounded nice but I didn't get the "all around" feeling that I do from the 4033...but I've spent more time with the 33.

Not to confuse, but check out the AT4050, it's a multi-pattern LDC & is very versatile. Not sure what your budget is but they can be found used in the $500 range & would be a fantastic first condenser & give you a lot of options with the multiple patterns.

[vvv]

I have the 4040, what has been described to me as kind of a "medium capsule".

It goes about US$300.

I have to admit that I love it on everything I've tried it on, including vocals, guitar, bass, percussion and as a room mic; it's my main mic out of a bunch of cheap stuff (AKG C1000s, MXL 1006, Samson C02, Behringer B1, NOS R2 ribbon, Ubertar ribbon, SM58, various '57 clones ...)

I find it relatively "neutral" sounding and typically only do a little pass-filtering on it; it sounds nice through a VTB1, also.

Any of my links below have probably 95% of the songs recorded with vocs into the AT4040 and a Meek VC3Q - each song's page gives an equipment list - if ya wanna hear it on my rather harsh vocals.

[jgimbel]

I got my AT4050 after a long search for a good all-around utility condenser. They're easy to find used for much cheaper than new. I wish I had 5 of them. It's a very neutral mic without being sterile sounding, just very natural. When I use a condenser for vocals it's what I use. It's my go-to on acoustic guitar, and sounds incredible as a room mic for drums or electric guitar. The multiple patterns are great, and I use them constantly. I got the 4050 after a shoot out with a few other mics for vocals. One of the others was the 4047. I loved the 4047 for vocals, reminds me a bit of an SM7's response, but the 4050 sounded a bit more natural to me and I was looking for something to use on a variety of sources, a mic to put up when things just sound good in the room and you want to capture that.

[Bro Shark]

+1 on the 4050. Great swiss army knife mic. I have one, would really love to have another for stereo applications.

[Producer/Engineer]

I like the 4047 better than the 33 or the 50 and would use it on anything! It has great character and that awesome smooth top end.

[evan]

I have a pair of the 4040's, one of which I've owned for several years now. Pretty neutral sounding mic, not terribly flattering but generally consistent. It has a relatively open cardioid pattern that retains air on even close mic'ed instruments. It works on some voices but I find it to behave strangely in the upper frequencies for some singers, probably due to its sculpted presence peak. I've had good luck on it on electric and acoustic guitar, and I imagine it would make a pretty good bass drum or snare mic. Not my favorite for drum overheads but they might do OK in the right context.

I would look on Ebay or CL. They regularly go for less than $200.

[cgarges]

I'm a HUGE fan of the AT 40 Series mics. I don't have much experience with the 4033, but here's my brief take on the others (and there's about seven or eight years' worth of me talking about them if you use the search function on here):

4040-- My favorite of the "do anything" cardioid mics. Relatively flat and pleasant on most sources.

4050-- My favorite in the versatile category. Versatile by nature of its three polar patterns. Just yesterday, Mitch Easter asked about my MS drum setup on a particular recording and it was... you guessed it: a pair of 4050s. I think the 4040 sounds a little nicer than the 4050 in cardioid, but the 4050 is SO versatile.

4047-- A very specific sound that (for me) is great on some things and not so great on others. When it's the right thing for a certain vocalist, it can be really cool, but I would much rather have a less exciting mic that will make a pleasant noise for a bunch of vocalists (like the 4050 or 4040) if I was going to select one mic to record a bunch of people.

I'm dying to check out the new multi-pattern 4047. I think that's probably an awesome mic.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[calaverasgrandes]

I had a 4033 but got bored of it.

[KennyLusk]

The 40 series is fantastic quality IMO. I love my 4033 on a number of different sources from AC guitars to woodwinds, and the occasional hand percussion. I like it most in stereo configs with an 012 (Joly modded) when I want a nice open natural capture with tight lows to balance with the almost silky highs and smooth mids of the 012.

Another 40 series I like a lot is the 4041 because it's absolutely freakish with transient detail provided I'm amping it with a fast pre that can handle harsh transients and pass them on without distortion...with clarity that sounds natural. That is to say, when amp'd properly the 4041 isn't the crazy bright monster some make it out to be, with highs that sizzle too much or get harsh. With the AT series I find they perform at their peak with the faster pre's. I amp mine with a ZED14 board and get incredibly natural-sounding detail. If I amp them with something like an EH12AY7 (a fantastic little pre) the details and transients turn wooly. Sometimes that's desired, sometimes not.

To me though, a 4033 is extremely versatile for everything from bass cab to AC instruments to woodwinds and can fill in as a room mic when needed. It's a great tool that doesn't insert a notable "characteristic sound" IMO. To me this makes EQ easier if/when EQ is necessary or desired.

[ott0bot]

i agree with most post on here. 40 series are great mics. I especially like the 4050. I sounds really, really good in omni. Super natural acoustic instrument tracks. I though they were a bit lacking in the highs for a while, becasue of an experience I had recording a bluegrass band....but I found that having the more natural sound and adding a high freq shelf after the fact really made the highs sound great.

[Jon Nolan]

+1 on the 4050. Great swiss army knife mic. I have one, would really love to have another for stereo applications.

[drumsound]

The 40 series is really wonderful. I never could get really comfortable with the 4033, unless I used it on acoustic gtr, then..AWESOME. I use 4050s on almost every record I ever make. They are my goto drum room mics, but can and do get used on many other things too. The 4047 is different, with the transformer, its more of a character piece. Fairly similar to my U87 (even though those AT boys are trying to imply fet47 with that name). I'm with Chris, the new multi pattern 4047 should be really cool. MMM figure 8 4047 on guitars....