Is my vocal mic sufficient?

[the_lost]

Hi all... I have a AT 4033a mic for vocals. It is my primary vocal mic besides the occasion use of a SM57 or 58. It's a great sounding mic through my ART DPS pre and it seems to sound good on many different voices. It's also relatively cheap. Am I dreaming in thinking that I can keep using this mic as my main mic?

I was wondering if anyone else has any experience w/ this microphone? Do you like it?

thanks
tl

[apropos of nothing]

The most important part of the "Is my mic good enough" equation is your ears. If your ears say yes, then the answer is yes.

Gear is over-rated. Performance is everything.

If you can get the performance, but the mic doesn't sound quite right, there are any number of plug-ins and other processing one can use to make the recording sound better.

I've got a crappy Chinese wide-mouth condenser that's really good at picking up room-tone. It invariably gets some rumble and stuff at the same time. Using Waves and/or Antares plug-ins, or sometimes just simple eq, this becomes no problem at all.

If it sounds good, it is good. End of story.

-Jj
http://www.dogma.org/jjvsworld

[apropos of nothing]

Oh, and personally speaking, I think the 58 is the coolest of mics ever. Fer price/performance ratio, you kinda can't beat it.

-Jj
http://www.dogma.org/jjvsworld

[Robert D]

Hiya TL - I'm pretty much just gonna regurgitate some stuff that's been said here before (sorry if I get any on your shoes http://www.audioforums.com/forums/eek.gif ).
The right mic for you is the one that sounds good to you.....yadda yadda.....

The 4033 is a decent mic, a little hyped on the upper mids to make it sound like it's a more expensive mic than it is, like most mics in it's price range. On some sources this is a good thing, on some it's not. In most cases the difference can be Eq'd out.
If your question is asked from a personel project studio standpoint, then the answer is above (or on your shoe). If you're trying to attract clients and gradually raise your rates as you gain experience and reputation, then the answer is probably no. One of the first things I look at on a studio's equipment list is their mic wardrobe. What I want to see is a variety of good mics, not one super stellar anything mic.
In either case, home studio or studio for hire, to me it isn't a question of whether any one vocal mic is good enough, it's whether only one vocal mic is enough colors to paint with, which for me it isn't. So it isn't that I think you need a "better" vocal mic, just another choice or two.
Hey, if you get the chance, check out an Oktava 319 as a compliment to the 4033. The 319 has a little darker smoother tone to it that you just don't find in it's price range. It's good when you just don't want all that air and presence, and they're really cheap.
Ok, as always, these are just my semi educated opinions, use your own ears and brain, YMMV, yadda yadda yadda......
Cheers, RD

[IRA1]

I agree, use your ears, and if it sounds good to you than use it. If it does not, then do not use it. I also agree that a wide variety of microphones is prime, and 10 different "good" mics is significantly better than one "off the hook mic" (with a few exceptions...).

My personal opinion on the At4033... great mic. I have been blessed with the oppurtunity to use many beautiful, rare and wonderful mics, and the AT4033 still sounds great to me. Of all the cheaper condenser mics it is one of the best (along with its bretheren, the 4050, the 4047 and the 4051 small diphragn is quite nice as well). I had the pleasure of working out of Electrical Audio in Chicago, and the microphone selection there is ungodly. Of the 250+ microphones that he has, there is a drawer of 8 or 9 4033s. When working there, I put up a 4033 for scratch vox. It sounded so good through nice pres (syteks) to tape that I decided to keep it for his vocals for overdubs as well, while tracking the other vocalist on a c12, the third vocalist on a LOMO 19A-13 and a CALREC soundfield for a room mic.
All three mics sound great, the fact of the matter is you have to match the right mic for the right voice. Sure, some voices are going to sound great on any mic you put in front of them, but in this case the guy I had on the 4033 sounded best on the 4033. The guy on the LOMO didn't sound right at all on the C12, and the C12 sounded just right for the other guy.
The other nice thing about the 4033 is that it is flexible. Great on guitar cabs and bass cabs, nice as an overhead (if you've got 2... and still a little bright). Match your mic to your source, place it properly, and run it through some clean cable and an honest mic pre and your golden.

IRA1

[This message has been edited by IRA1 (edited 11-07-2002).]

[Robert D]

IRA1 - Hey, tell me about Lomo. There's a Lomo head available for the Oktava MC-012 that I'm very curious about.
Thx, RD

[IRA1]

Robert D,
I just posted a reply, and it looks like it never got here at all.

Anyhow, I have never used the M3 capsule but it has been on my "to get" list for a very long time, but I've go more important things to take care of....

I have heard excellent reviews about the capsule, but it actually is not a LOMO made capsule, it's actually made by a Russian company called RTT and designed after the original LOMO head. I hear it makes the MC-012 sound quite different, in a very good way (*particularly for vox).

LOMO actually does not exist anymore, but this company RTT uses a lot of their designes for their tube designs. RTT also refurbishes old LOMOs, as well as olde Oktava microphones. I bought a near consecutive pair of unused Oktava ML-19 ribbon mics from 1984 off the guy who runs RTT and they are some of the coolest mics I own. The old LOMO mics are the best sounding mics for the price (I like the 19-a19s the best... a matched pair refurbished by RTT just went for $1500 on ebay, and let me tell ya, it is well wort EVERY penny). Anyhow, check it al out for yourself at the following link. Do yourself a favor and check out all of the sites (Oktava, LOMO, RTT, Nevaton, and Elation).
http://www.microphones.ru/index.htm

IRA1

[WaveArts]

I'll join the 4033 love fest. Great for vocals. Here's an example from my band's CD:

http://www.livesexact.net/remedy.html
http://www.livesexact.net/sounds/UR/NewVersionOfYou.mp3

But, I also agree with a previous post that you really do have to match the mic to the voice you're recording. Also the style.

For example, we used the 4033 for singing and an SM58 for rapping/screaming, because it has that raw 'live' feel about it.

Go to a pro audio store and try a bunch out for yourself. Always trust your own ears! :-)

Cheers -

Alex Westner
VP, Marketing & Prod Dev
Wave Arts, Inc.
westner@wavearts.com http://www.wavearts.com

[Robert D]

Thanks IRA1!
RD