MXL V69 vs Audio Technica AT 4033 for overheads

[brandondrury]

I noticed something yesterday. I'm totally confused about the frequency response of my microphones.

We've been doing final arranging and practice with a click track for the big drum day up in St. Louis coming up this Friday. I've been recording all of these for my notes on each song.

Anyway, I've taken the bare minimum time to setup the mics and such for these recordings because they really don't matter. In fact, on some drum tracks I used a 57 and that's it. Anyway, I noticed something odd yesterday.

I always considered my MXL V69s to be very fizzy mics with tons of top end. I know I tried them once overheads and I could have swore they were way too fizzy (which is consistent with they way I classified them in my head). Well just for fun, I slapped up a pair of them on the drums to see what would happen. I had been using AT4033s on the drum overheads.

Well to my amazement when I listen to the songs with the AT4033s as overheads, the high end is so excruciating, that I have to turn them down at least 10dB. Sometimes more. This is not the way I categorized my AT 4033s.

So in other words, for these particular cymbals, the AT 4033s are terrible and the V69s are sounding pretty damn good!

I guess the lesson I've learned is to be careful how I classify my microphones. I have to be a little pickier than just saying "bright" because I need way more resolution to describe the top end of a mic.

It's weird that the V69 is much brighter than the 4033 on vocals, but much more controlled (or darker) in the high end on cymbals. I'm going to make a guess that the top end boost of the 4033 is at a higher frequency than the V69.

Brandon

[brandondrury]

AT 4033 Frequency Response Chart

[brandondrury]

MXL V69 Frequency Response Chart

[brandondrury]

Well, these frequency response charts didn't turn out the way I thought they would!

I'll have to post some audio so you guys can hear.

It's clear to me that the difference in my tracks is either due to the random placement I used or some other factor such as the quickness of the microphones.

Brandon

[DogpitStudios]

Someone once mentioned to me that a slowly rising but steady slant in the frequency response top end is not as harsh as random inconsistent peaks and boosts in the top end area. I don't know why and I have no idea if thats true. I don't really believe it either, just thought I'd throw it out there.

Ben