Hi everyone
I just bought an AT4060 off ebay.
The problem is that it appears to be picking up noise from my computer (like you might expect when using unbalanced cables). Another thing is that there is an audible mains hum, although this is very slight, and is almost completely masked by the mic's own noise. This second issue doesn't bother me, and I'm just curious about it. On the whole I'm just astonished to have finally found a mic that sounds the way I want it to -I did a lot of searching (I wanted an LDC valve mic for classical music with a good polar pattern).
I always expect that I'm buying someone else's problems when I use ebay, so I do tend to look for problems, but this mic has never been used (it left Audio-Technica the day after the auction started).
I'd be very grateful for any opinions.
Regards,
John Stafford
Comments
Hi Jim The AT-4060 is a wonderful mic. It sounds a bit like the
Hi Jim
The AT-4060 is a wonderful mic. It sounds a bit like the 4033, or a 4047 without the attitude. The capsule is similar to -but not identical- to the one found in the 4047. I think its greatest attraction is that it does what it does in a very understated way.
You can hear it in action on Let's Talk about Love by Celine Dion. That's the only recording I can think of at the moment. I know it's a bit silly of me to mention commercial recordings to audition a mic -but I'm going to do it anyway!
For me, the most important aspect of this mic is a sense of effortless fidelity. My main use for it will be in classical recording, and its off-axis neutrality is very important to me. In that respect, it's very good for a large diaphragm mic, in that other sources in the room sound very natural, but with the top end rolled off a little.
I think this is a wonderful mic, and if it was listed at twice its current price I'd save up to buy one. Luckily its current price means I can buy a second one very soon!
I know taste plays a huge part in evaluating a mic, and its difficult to talk about objective quality (there are those who even hate the Brauner VM-1), and I can imagine some people might find the AT4060 a little boring, but for me it's perfect.
John
PS a nice bonus is that it looks very imposing sitting there in its shockmount. If you want to intimidate the talent, this mic will help :wink:
Hello again I think the problem is that I had all of the cables
Hello again
I think the problem is that I had all of the cables bunched up together near my laptop and the mic's power supply. The cable that attaches the mic to its power supply seems to be the problem. I've been experimenting with the leads, and things have improved, although I hadn't expected this sort of thing to be an issue with balanced cables.
John