Boy...that's a loaded question....

Yes, I believe those are wonderful mics, especially for the price. However, there is absolutely no way for anyone here to tell you which are the best mics for you. They can give suggestions based on their experience, but certainly not give you a qualified answer as to the "best" for you.

And beware the people who reply with just a make and model of a microphone. Frankly, that kind of reply just pisses me off. If anyone replies like that, please accept some serious biting sarcasm from me up to and including childish name-calling!

:)

damn i hate generalities... but since you asked... assuming the voacl is male i think you'll find the at 4047 a little "better" (read favorably coloured) as a vocal mic... never used the rodes so no opinion there

dementedchord wrote: damn i hate generalities... but since you asked... assuming the voacl is male i think you'll find the at 4047 a little "better" (read favorably coloured) as a vocal mic... never used the rodes so no opinion there

I would generally agree with you. However, that would blow the budget unless he went with some ghetto overheads...

Baderup99 wrote: Looking to buy a nice vocal condenser and a nice instrument condenser pair.
around $700 budget.

These are the mics of choice so far...
AT4040 - $299
and
Rode NT5 matched pair - $399

????

OK, for anyone to make sensible suggestions you have to tell us how you imagine these mikes are going to be used. What range of vocals - male, female (or both), and what type of music? For the instrument pair, what instruments? What configurations (XY, MS etc)? Is this for tracking work or solo? Are they purely for studio use?

Ok

The vocal mic - for male vocals , some rock,maybe some acoustical, alternative type of music. No screaming or any hardcore vocals like that.

The instruments mic - acoustic guitar, and drum overheads mainly, but for other string instruments...pretty basic.

Im a beginner here, so I just want to get some decent mics. That's all Im looking for. To be honest Im not experienced enough yet to get real specific for mic configurations and things like that.

They will be used for studio purposes

After seeing what kind of stuff you're doing I'd agree with demented on the 4047. Actually you can't lose on anything in the 40 series AT's. The 4047 has a nice tranny for some great colour, the 4050 is a winner and the 4033 has a silky high end that's almost ribbon-like. All those mics are extremely versatile for stringed instruments, male vocals, and rooms or OH. In pairs they're all fantastic in x/y config's.

The 3035 is a fantastic bargain if you want a quality mic on the cheap. It has a lot of the qualities of the 4033 but the high's just aren't as silky. Still, there's virtually no self-noise and the response is very flat, very acurate.

You can usually score any of these mics for well below retail on ebay. NIB 3035's can be had at at least 2 ebay stores for like $135 (a steal). I recently scored a used 4033 on ebay for $175 and it's in great condition and sounds beautiful. No scratches, dents, etc. Usually people take very good care of their AT mics. I record alot of AC guitar and native american flutes and the AT's are usually my go-to mics for that stuff - plus my little secret weapon, an Alice mic from Scott Helmke (high output and solid, agressive mids).

4047 and 4050 are a bit too much for me. Im looking at the 4033 & 4040 however.

So the AT4040 or AT4033? The 4033 is $100 more. What are the differences between these two mics?

IMO, the 4033 has silkier high's and a slightly more output in the midrange. That's about it (again, my opinion). But silkier high's are very important with male vocals and very nice to have when recording AC Guitars. More agressive mid's are very important too. You'll hear the difference with nicer preamps as you move up into high quality pre's. You can't lose with either mic though IMO.

Something else to consider though is if you're thing of the 4040 you may want to save money and go with the 3035 instead because there's not much of a difference between the 3035 and the 4040. Just my opinion.

anybody else think the 4033 is worth the extra $100 over the 4040?

Well this what it's all coming down to. I don't have much money. So basically I will have only one vocal condenser. Either the AT4040 or the AT4033. It will mainly be for male vocals. But since it will be my only large diaphragm cardioid mic, I'll probably try it on a few other instruments. So what should it be the AT4040 or the AT4033? Im looking on Ebay right now and the 4033 will run me $100 more

Baderup99 wrote: Well this what it's all coming down to. I don't have much money. So basically I will have only one vocal condenser. Either the AT4040 or the AT4033. It will mainly be for male vocals. But since it will be my only large diaphragm cardioid mic, I'll probably try it on a few other instruments. So what should it be the AT4040 or the AT4033? Im looking on Ebay right now and the 4033 will run me $100 more

Well, I'm looking on Ebay (US) right now, and I don't see the $100 difference. Granted, the Aero Turbine AT4040 muffler is cheaper, but there's more variation in the completed prices of 4040 mics than there is between the 4040 and the 4033. However, the one thing I don't see is many 4033As. The A version is significantly improved, and you should shoot for that if you can.

I use a 4033A for certain vocals (it's really good on low female voices), and also for wind instruments (flute, clarinet, sax etc). You have to take care to position it to avoid direct air movement, as it's rather sensitive to being blown at.

ok basically should i pick the 4040 or the 4033. I can get the 4040 for around $80 cheaper? So is the 4033 worth the extra cash?

im on eBay bidding on the AT4033 - im pretty sure its a at4033a because in the picture there is a letter after the 4033 on the mic which i presume is an "a".

I LOVE AT mics. Havent found a bad one yet.

The 4033 is a 'swiss-army-knife' mic. Works on everything. The 4040 is a general use mic, much like the 4033 just not as pretty sounding.

The 4033 is NOT a large-diaphram mic but it is a mid-diaphram mic at .75 inches. It is, however a large sounding mic.

You could certainly record everything with that one mic. Since it doesnt have any real big peaks and dips in its frequency response, you'll not get a noticable buildup of frequencies throughout an entire recording with different instruments.

ALWAYS record vocals with a 40333 slightly off center.. It does not like wind in its diaphram...( Thanks Boswell!)

AT would rather you buy the 4040 as they make more money. I heard it was supposed to replace the 4033, and indeeed they did discontinue the 4033 for a short while, but popular demand made them bring it back as the 4033 Classic. I would say yes, the 4033 is better and worth having over the 4040.

Davedog wrote: I LOVE AT mics. Havent found a bad one yet.

The 4033 is a 'swiss-army-knife' mic. Works on everything. The 4040 is a general use mic, much like the 4033 just not as pretty sounding.

The 4033 is NOT a large-diaphram mic but it is a mid-diaphram mic at .75 inches. It is, however a large sounding mic.

You could certainly record everything with that one mic. Since it doesnt have any real big peaks and dips in its frequency response, you'll not get a noticable buildup of frequencies throughout an entire recording with different instruments.

ALWAYS record vocals with a 40333 slightly off center.. It does not like wind in its diaphram...( Thanks Boswell!)

Hey i got the 4033a last night off Ebay for $201. Im really excited to start using it!

Great score BU, $201 is a total bargain. I like Dave's word choice describing the 4033 as "pretty". That;s what it is - pretty. It just has something going on in the high end that's silky and a little ribbonesque that makes it sweet.

Congrat's - nice score. FWIW, if it didn't come with a stand adapter or shockmount the mk012 mic clips are perfect sub's.

CoyoteTrax wrote: Great score BU, $201 is a total bargain. I like Dave's word choice describing the 4033 as "pretty". That;s what it is - pretty. It just has something going on in the high end that's silky and a little ribbonesque that makes it sweet.

Congrat's - nice score. FWIW, if it didn't come with a stand adapter or shockmount the mk012 mic clips are perfect sub's.

it came with a shockmount as well. I know I was really excited to land that deal. I was talking to a guy from sweetwater.com and he said it is really important to purchase a really good cable, like a monster or something.

And so you are a beginner? You have a $700 budget? You should purchase a couple of Shure SM57's & couple of SM58's. Learn how to make good recordings with those first. Then you will know what kind of condenser microphone you want. People just think that professional means condenser and it doesn't. Quality dynamic microphones are probably the most important investment you can make in microphones. All of the condenser microphones are just all of the condenser microphones. You've got to know where and when to use them since they are not "universal" in their application like a SM57 is.

All I want is a SM 56, SM57, SM58 and a vibrator
Ms. Remy Ann David

RemyRAD wrote: And so you are a beginner? You have a $700 budget? You should purchase a couple of Shure SM57's & couple of SM58's. Learn how to make good recordings with those first. Then you will know what kind of condenser microphone you want. People just think that professional means condenser and it doesn't. Quality dynamic microphones are probably the most important investment you can make in microphones. All of the condenser microphones are just all of the condenser microphones. You've got to know where and when to use them since they are not "universal" in their application like a SM57 is.

All I want is a SM 56, SM57, SM58 and a vibrator
Ms. Remy Ann David

RemyRAD, i've made a whole cd twice with my band. The second time the same songs just better quality after i bought my first sm57. Ive recorded myself plenty of times..and some of my friends. I feel like Im ready to take it to the next level. There is only so much you can do with one SM57 and a bunch of $40 digital reference mics haha. I didnt have enough instrument mics for drums so i used like 3 $20 dynamic vocal mics, in my garage. But we all start somewhere like that. Sometimes with equipment like that there is only so much you can do. And I think its time to take it to the next level, Im only 19, but im at school for music production, and this excites me so much. No wonder I have spent hours a night just searchin recording.org!!!!

OK Baderup99, 19 is good, enthusiasm is good but I will tell you, most of my recordings, my best recordings, my major award nominated recordings, were all recorded mostly with Shure SM57/58 through a good console. And so, with what you believe to be marginal microphones, comes fabulous sounds through fabulous consoles, with fabulous engineering and mixing skills. It's not the other way around. If you plug fabulous microphones into crappy consoles, without skills or technique, you get crappy sound.

People put too much emphasis on condenser/capacitor microphones. They are appropriate for a lot of things but not all. They are not necessarily a step up. Especially when it comes to rock and roll! Again, I have read another article where some of the top hit makers are recording their vocals with SM58/SM 7's, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, they've tried numerous expensive condenser microphones on their lead vocalist and almost always they've come back to the SM 7, which is a deluxe SM58 in different clothing. What do they know that you don't know? They know that good dynamics are better than most affordable condensers. Even unaffordable condensers. It depends on the voice. Not whether it's somebody's special blah blah condenser thingy. Maybe you should try an Electro-Voice RE20/27 or a Beyer M88, Sennheiser MD441? You might find those to yield better results than somebody's bargain condenser??

Smart like a lady
Ms. Remy Ann David

yeah i totally agree with you. But the console im mixing it through isnt the greatest. But i do have an SM57 which is use alot and love. The RHCP im sure had very expensive consoles, editing software, plug-ins, and other things. But I do agree with you that you dont need to be caught up in the notion that the more expensive the better. For someone as experienced as you, you know more tricks of the trade for getting amazing professional sound out of SM 7's/58's than i probably do or maybe there are no secrets or tricks, for now i probably just need experience! I dont have the money to get an expensive mixing device, so i feel like i should go with some decent mics for now. but im learning everyday. Thanks Remy for the advice!

Have to agree with you Remy. When I started out I had only an SM58, and I always thought it sounded so dull. So I totally fell for the condenser hype and got myself one. It turned out it didn't help much, and was the wrong kind of mic for my singing anyway (me == too loud). I then spent some money on a much better pre-amp, and voila - my old SM58 suddenly shines! It may not pick up quite as much details as the condenser, and I still use that on occasion, but I mainly use the 58 for my singing and it sounds great.

There's obviously nothing wrong with having great condensers, but like the lady said, they are not the be-all end-all. I would spend some money on a decent pre-amp before getting more mics.

Just my 2c.

Don't let Remy get you too down BU99...Sure, her way works for her (and probably lots of others too) but there's certainly nothing wrong with getting a decent condenser microphone and learning what it can do. (And for what it's worth, though the AT line is inexpensive, it is certainly not cheap.)

Having different flavors to choose from (and the SM5x/AT 4033 certainly fit that bill) is always a good thing.

BTW - the reason the dude at SW.com was advising a better mic cable is because they get a lot of commission on cables (since the mark-up is usually over 100%). No disrespect to my sweetwater friends - they're one of my go-to places for buying gear - I'm even on the inside of the back cover!

Cheers

J

RemyRAD wrote: If you plug fabulous microphones into crappy consoles, without skills or technique, you get crappy sound.

No Kidding.

People put too much emphasis on condenser/capacitor microphones.

This is a ridiculous statement.

the Red Hot Chili Peppers, they've tried numerous expensive condenser microphones on their lead vocalist and almost always they've come back to the SM 7

I don't know if Anthony Keidis can actually be considered a "vocalist". He's really more of an icon who doesn't sing very well and writes lyrics on a 5th grade level.

What do they know that you don't know? They know that good dynamics are better than most affordable condensers. Even unaffordable condensers. It depends on the voice.

It's TOTALLY dependent on the voice, and the instrument, and the material - this is all so subjective.

Not whether it's somebody's special blah blah condenser thingy. Maybe you should try an Electro-Voice RE20/27 or a Beyer M88, Sennheiser MD441? You might find those to yield better results than somebody's bargain condenser??

The AT 4033 is hardly considered "somebody's bargain condenser"

Smart like a lady
Ms. Remy Ann David

What's up lately Remy? I've never seen you post bs like that before, I'm almost convinced it's an imposter. Jeez.

Sorry CoyoteTrax, I don't know what got into me? I must have been sober?? That's generally when I stop making sense.

I'm making cents now!
Ms. Remy Ann David

Could you spare a quarter for some "taste"?