When I worked in the studio full time I discovered that
I could get a great kick drum sound by using a large diaphragm
dynamic such as a D12
or Sennheiser
421 inside the drum near the beater but the secret weapon
was to use the Neumann
U47 fet a few inches
outside the front skin. The bottom end on the Neumann was like
nothing else I could get from the other mics in the studio,
so when I heard that Audio Technica had designed a mic to emulate
the characteristics of the 47 fet I went out and bought one
for the mobile. I had always liked the sound of the Audio Technica
mics and they seem very good value for money. The Audio Technica
4047 is very attractive with its matt silver finish. It's a
solidly built piece of kit and comes with a very nice shock
mount. To emulate the Neumann, the amplifier is transformer
coupled and has a specially tuned element to create that "oh
my god" bottom end of the original and while it still doesn’t
have all the character of the Neumann it's a great option for
anyone who can't find/afford the original. It really is great
on close headed kick drums about 8" off the front head
and aimed dead centre it gives a really nice balance of highs
and lows. Obviously most kick drums are pretty heavily EQ'd
and compressed but the more you have to start with, the better
the end result. So while the bottom end is pretty good the Audio
Technica 4047 also has a really nice top end and while it's
not quite as detailed in the highs as some other large diaphragm
condensers it sounds great on most acoustic instruments and
vocals. It's a very smooth classy top end and I always use it
on female vocals but whatever you use it on won't disappoint.
It's obviously good on bass instruments but I've used it on
loud rock guitars with great success. All in all a really smooth
performer that makes a pretty good job of anything you throw
at it. Occasionally on a mobile I set up a mid and side pair
closer to the choir than the Soundfield for some more detail
and the AT 4047 is great as the mid mic with plenty of output
and very quiet. It would be very interesting if AT made a multi
pattern version.JR.
Having
been a recording engineer for nearly thirty years it now takes
quite a lot to get me enthusing about mics but occasionally
one comes my way which is a delight to use. The AT4047 is just
such a one. I have rarely used a mic which is so versatile,
being capable of accurately reproducing many different sound
sources well and the attenuator and Hi pass switch make this
a fantastically flexible and capable studio mic.
I've used it on everything from guitars (acoustic and electric),
vocals, bass guitar, percussion and even in a bass drum. It's
quiet, efficient, robust and well built.
Even recording some Tibetan singing bowls at incredibly low
volumes caused no noise problems. Granted the mic was going
through a hi quality preamp but the singing bowls can highlight
problems you never knew existed. But not with the 4047. It is
frightened of nothing and with some accurate placement gives
a smooth response across the frequency range and can handle
high SPLs.
It's a great mic to reach for when your U87 is just a little
too revealing on that female singer with a very peaky voice
or that guitar combo which is just a tad too gritty for other
condensers.
The 4047 has a wonderful way of smoothing and rounding signals
with losing any of the attack or compromising the transients
in a performance. A true all-rounder.
It's not often I say this but if you are looking for a mic to
do most of your home recording with and have around £300
to spend then this is one of the strongest candidates. If you
can afford a nice preamp and compressor to go with it then you
will have a set up which will stand you in excellent stead for
a long, long time.
The 4047 is the only Audio Technica mic I have direct experience
of but hopefully we may get chance to use some others in the
range soon. JS
