Looking to buy a pair of SP C4's or AT4041's mainly for recording acoustic inst., guitar, fiddle mandolin etc. Which mic has a smoother high end etc. I already own AT pro37r's, MXL V69m, KEL HM-1, KEL HM-4, CAD E-100, SP C1, SM57. Just looking for a different flavor of mic than I already have.
TIA
fiddler
Comments
I have a couple of 4041's and love them! I mainly use them on dr
I have a couple of 4041's and love them! I mainly use them on drum kits (hi-hats, bell trees, etc), but also fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, even nylon-string, with very good results. I think the top end is very smooth. Certainly better than Rode NTs I have, and others that Ive tried. Very reminiscent of a pair of AKG C452EB's I had for years before their unfortunate disappearance. Another great SDC for you to look at is the Shure SM81, which also works well on stringed instruments. I have one of those, too. I personally prefer the 4041, as it has a less-hyped top end response, but they both have their place.
And another suggestion: the Beyer M160 ribbon is MUY SMOOTHO on fiddle and voices (especially Allison Krauss-type female voices). I have recorded some RIPPIN' fiddlers with my M160. Remyrad keeps telling me to get the M130 (figure-8 version) to have a nice X/Y pair, and I plan to do that in the near future. BTW, I wouldn't expect to use an SDC for vocals much. And for what it's worth, another SDC I have and enjoy on
strings is a fairly rare E-V RE-200 (not a 20, which is another fave). This is a "front-address" mic, but the gold-sputtered diaphragm is almost the size of a quarter (!).Works great on a lot of the same sources (great on 5-string banjo). What else can I say...it's an addiction!
Neither of those mics could be considered smooth on the top end.
Neither of those mics could be considered smooth on the top end. The C4 is downright bright and the 4041 is nothing less than very aggressive on the top (in a not-so-bad way).
My preference would be for the 4041, but I think on violin/fiddle, you would find that neither of these mics suits your tastes.
I would suggest the Beyer M130 (I know, FAR more expensive - but in reality, not so bad)
The Beyer's are smooth, accurate and absolutely beautiful on strings and acoustic instruments. They are also far more forgiving of the type of preamp you would use, unlike many other ribbon mics.
Sweetwater has a deal right now for an M130 and an M160 for $999. That's an amazing deal as long as you are willing to do M/S recording. (A very simple technique which yields amazing results.)
J.