Audio-TechnicaAT4021 Cardioid Condenser Microphone

This is a sweet little small-diaphragm condenser. It is near-ruler-flat from 20-20KHz. Getting those extremes -- 15K-20Hz and especially 20-50Hz -- is unusual in an affordable cardioid SDC.I like this mic for general acoustic ensemble or instrument recording because of the extended low and high-end (really sweet lows). It is very popular on acoustic guitars, and wherever you want to capture the shimmer up top (choirs, drum overheads). I've gotten agreeable full-range jazz drum kit tracks by setting one up level with the top of the kick, a foot out in front of the kit.Another mic to consider at this price/performance point is the Shure SM81 Instrument Microphone (it has just the slightest bit of color compared to the 4021, and a narrower frequency range, but it is a classic clean bright sound for this kind of thing). You can find sound samples of this and other comparable mics by searching for SDC microphone shootout on the web.You may also be weighing this against Rode NT5 Matched Pair Recording Condenser Package (or you were back when this was $250). I think the 4021 sounds a tad better than the NT5 as a single mic, a little less hyped upper mid. But if you are planning on using two as a stereo pair, you might prefer the NT5 matched pair, because its off-axis response is more suitable for stereo recording. The off-axis response of the 4021 is pretty interesting -- it stays flatter for the mid- and higher-frequencies, and drops off for the lows. That's backwards from many mics. It means it's more forgiving about placement for something like an acoustic guitar or cymbal. But it also means your stereo image will smear towards the center with coincident stereo miking techniques, except for the low frequencies (exactly where coincident imaging is less effective anyway).So if you use a pair of these for stereo, set up non-coincident, ORTF or even as you might place omnis. I get really pleasing results with a 4021 pair inside a grand piano, in an ORTF configuration nearly centered inside with one pointing to the high hammers and one pointing to the low strings at the back of the piano.

I got this to record interviews indoors in rooms with high reflections and echoes. (A bad deal for interference shotgun mics.) I would have preferred the AT4053b hypercardioid, but the price is out of my range. The tight pattern is similar to many shotgun mics (in the right environment) -- but has off axis sound quality that holds up the upper frequencies at angles that would be reduced with a shotgun. There is a bit of hi-end presence with this mic that could be tuned with parametric EQ - which I have not done yet. I recently got a dead cat - that may tame it a bit -- will update this review later. Im looking into another shotgun to compare to... I have an older AT303X - that series was similar to the AT402x line, but at a lower cost.I have a BP4029 to compare to, (using the MID capsule). The high end has a presence rise broader than the AT4021, and the low end is not as flat (unless the HP filter is engaged. For interviews outside, they sound similar.I use shock mounts so I have no info to discuss about handling noise at this time.This is a relatively short mic and requires a short (5mm) Rycote softie (RYS5M).Decades ago, I would have loved to use this on instruments and would have bought a pair.

Big fan of the AT condensers. I've owned a bunch of them. They always exceed my expectations. From what I can tell, this is just a fixed-capsule version of the 4053/51 series mics. These pair nicely with the 4073 standard shotgun which are great for exterior shoots.

Best mic I've ever owned, and I've owned many. If I were buying again today I'd buy it all over again.

Ich habe eine gute kleinmembran stereo Mikrofonpaar lange gesucht, und schließlich entschied ich für die AT4021. Es klingt sehr sehr gut, "crispy" ich benutze sie für Gitarre, Mandoline, und für ORTF Aufnahmen.