Pro says Audio-Technica Sucks!

[StudioBellwood]

First off, i mean to offend no one with this thread. IF YOU LOVE AUDIO-TECHNICA, DON'T READ THIS REVIEW!

When first researching microphones for my home studio, i talked to a guy who knows almost everything there is to know about them. The first thing he said was "STAY AWAY FROM AUDIO-TECHNICA, THEY SUCK!". Now mind you, this is my school computer teacher here. He said they try to copy Shure and certainly aren't sucessful. The next day, he gave me two Audio-Technica ATM10s (Omni. Condensers for Instruments), saying that they only took up space at his house. I quickly learned that these mics were very limmited, and could not produce a satisfactory sound quality. NO WAY IN HELL COULD THEY BE USED FOR VOCALS (sorry, i just had to say that). If you think though, the Shure sm57 is an instrument mic, yet it can produce a decent vocal sound if you needed it to. The other problem that i had with it is that it would not work with phantom power, only a AA battery (though it was supossed to work with phantom).

My second experience with audio-technica was a little more frustrating. My school musical was just a few weeks ago, and there wasn't a person in town who didn't see it (and yes, i had a lead in it). Audio technica mics nearly ruined our show! I luckily grabbed one of the few Shure's we had, and never had a problem throughout 7 shows. However, of the 13 or 14 audio-technicas we used , every one of them had a static/noise interfearance problem in atleast one show. If you just tapped the wire on one of these thing, you would hear plenty of loud booming. NOT RELIABLE AT ALL. So yes, our school will be throwing them out next year!!

They were plenty of other problems we had with them that week , but this article is probably already losing your attention, so i wont mention them.

Anyway, i'm looking for some reviews on other audio-technica gear. Now seriously, is it JUST the two products i've worked with that have problems, i don't think so. So humor me, why should i even look into buying another audio-technica product with past experience like this??????

[bilco]

Well, I have had some experience with them and it has been a little more positive.

I was in charge of the sound at a church we attended for over 10 years and had lots of dealings with wireless mics by Shure and Audio Technica. I love Shure mics in general, but that wireless mic was a constant source of frustration, picking up communications of planes flying nearby, static, chirping and it was just fragile. That is really odd, because every wired mic made by Shure that I own or have used is built like a tank and very reliable.

The AT wireless mic was sturdier in construction, much less prone to interference and just more reliable for the 3 services per week, every week, that it got used. My only beef with it is that it ate batteries up really fast. If I put a brand new 9 volt in it for the Sunday AM service, it would probably make it through the Sunday PM service, but the Wednesday night service was really iffy. I always took the battery out immediately after each service too. Other than that, the AT wireless was a much better mic than the Shure.

I had one of the earlier battery powered condensor instrument mics back in the '80s and it was a little harsh, but very reliable and sturdy.

I had one of their Midnight Blue battery condensor vocal mics a few years ago and it cut through the mix in a club really well. I ended up giving it to our guitar player and he uses it every Tuesday and Friday night. It works fine, especially on his voice which needs a little bump in the highs to cut through the mix.

Recently I rented an AT 4033 to try as a vocal mic and I liked it better than most of the other LDCs that I have tried. It was kind of plain vanilla sounding, but it seemed to be built well and a LOT of country and bluegrass groups use it live.

I have had the AT 4047 recommended as a smooth, less zingy version of their 40XX series that I want to try.

AT mics have the buzz of being semi-pro among some of pro engineers on the forums, but hey, I am a semi-pro at best, so what the heck.

I think you are not giving them a fair shake by judging the whole line based on the few cheap ones you have tried. Their quality control is better than many of the cheap chinese alternatives and they are highly recommended on many of the audio forums by Project Studio engineers that are way more experienced and talented than I am.

I look at the AT line and I look at the Shure line and I am not convinced that they are ripping off Shure's designs. The fact the mics you were given are a battery powered omni condensor suggests to me that they are not one of their top of line models and that they are small diaphram condensors, which are generally pretty good for instruments, but not very flattering for vocals.

Stephen at Mojo Pie and otek at The Womb both like the AT 40XX series as good, reliable workhorse mics.

I don't have anything invested in defending AT, I just think if you search around, you will find that the big boys don't use them, but plenty of Project Studio and Home Studio users do use them and think highly of them.

On the other hand, I completely agree with your comment about the SM57 being a reliable and versatile tool. I can not say enough good things about the SM57, SM7b and SM81.

bilco

[Ove]

My experience with Audio-Technica sucks. I went to Paraguay to travel with a presenter. We traveled around the city setting up this equipment and all i had with me was an Audio-Technica wireless system. It sucked!!! I didn't even bring it back home with me. Every show I would have a problem with it either randomly cutting out when the battery was totally new, or feedingback horribly. The range sucked. It had one annoying constant tone that just drived me crazy. Don't use Audio-Technica mics!

[StudioBellwood]

Originally Posted by bilco

My only beef with it is that it ate batteries up really fast. If I put a brand new 9 volt in it for the Sunday AM service, it would probably make it through the Sunday PM service, but the Wednesday night service was really iffy. I always took the battery out immediately after each service too.

Well, i'm sure if it had been your money paying for the 9 volts every week and not the churches, you would be fed up with all the cash getting thrown down the drain for that AT really quickly! haha. However i knew i was going to get stabbed a little by people who have had good experiences with these mics. You must understand though, i haven't had one good experience with them, so it would be a little tougher for me to choose to buy an AT over something else for the same price.

Your right, i can't judge this brand on 2 kinds of mics.. BUT IT IS SO HARD NOT TO!!. I do thank you for you responce and perhaps i'll have to pull up your responce some day if i decide to buy another Audio-Technica. I'll also be sure to write down the good mics you mentioned. thanks

[brandondrury]

Now seriously, is it JUST the two products i've worked with that have problems, i don't think so.

Dude, there are a handful of factors involved here. It appears that your experiences are very limited in this whole audio thing. To put it bluntly, it doesn't sound like you know what you are doing. That may be WAY excessive and even flat out wrong, but the fact remains that you have had two bad experiences (which you've been vague about) with Audio Technica and I'm not even sure you were using the piece of gear for it's intended purpose.

To be honest, I've never even heard of the Audio-Technica ATM10. It's not exactly a "flagship model". Audio Technica, in my world anyway, is known for their large diaphram condensers. The AT 4050 and AT 4060 are very popular mics in big boy land. They don't get the acclaim that a Nuemann U47 does, but they cost between 1/10-1/20the price. With that said, the AT 4050 has made it onto many big boy recordings. I own the mic and use it very frequently myself. Consider this. Why was the AT 4050 used on Richie Sambora's lead vocals on his first solo album? This was after Bon Jovi had sold a good 30,000,000 records. He had more money than sense. Why use a $599 microphones? Why not?

For your "pro" teacher to say "X brand sucks" is about is irresponsible as saying "black people suck". Such a blanket observation is designed to inhibit free thinking, not promote it. Stereotypes like this should always be critically evaluated before you accept them. Anyone with any intelligence at all will probably acknowledge that no brand has never created a 100% perfect product that is both inexpensive and 100% reliable. It hasn't happened and it won't happen. For all I know, the mic you used is a piece of shit. For all I know, it wasn't plugged in properly or was thrown down the steps a few times to. Who knows! I can say with honesty that an Audio Technica mic has never let me down, but I'm not using anything that is battery powered.

I own a pair of AT4033 mics as well. They can get a little fizz and a little harsh if you let them, but they have been extremely reliable for me. I'd probably prefer something a little smoother, but I can't really complain. I can make them work for what I need them to in almost every case.

So humor me, why should i even look into buying another audio-technica product with past experience like this??????

You have to decide a) if your past experiences were 100% the fault of Audio Technica, b) how much stock you place in two experiences, c) why these two experiences get such an enormous emphasis, d) if you really get that wound up by what I call "Ford vs Chevy" arguments, e) why your "pro" teacher hasn't mentioned his experience with the AT4060, AT4050, AT4040, or AT4033. I'd be shocked if a "pro" hadn't used at least one of these.

Hell, it too almost 2 years for me to really "get" what the Royer R121 was doing on electric guitars. Once I "got it", it was like WOWWWWW!!! I'm guessing I record guitars an average of 10 hours per week, give or take. That amounts to nearly 1,000 hours of guitar recording before that mic made sense to me (in terms of audio engineering character).

[StudioBellwood]

Alright Alright Alright Alright! Brandon don't feel that I'm not going to listen to you and that you need to shoot it all at me once just to get out all you have to say about this. I'm totally willing to discuss this with you. All I'm saying is, i have not had one good experience with any AT products. One of the ATM10s just stopped working as well, and i wasted like half an hour trying to figure out what connection/ wire was the problem. This did not help my personal Audio-technica reliability level at all. I believe you that they have good microphones, Im just saying that I'd much rather spend my time researching another brand than a brand that has quite simply pissed me off with the products I have used. Simply, you have not used my products and i have not used yours so this is not a fair argument.

For you, you have had good experience with AT.
For me, i most certainly have not.

However, I will do some research on those microphones that you mentioned.

Seriously, i did not mean to piss you off, man. I knew i was going to get shot for this tread. I wrote this a few weeks back and at the time i was really pissed at AT. OK? I'm much calmer now and will accept your constructive criticism.

[brandondrury]

I'm saying is, i have not had one good experience with any AT products.

I heard you. That definitely needs to be taken into account. How many experiences have you had with any mic company? It's not like a really give a shit whether you hate AT or not. The company is an excellent manufacturer of middle of the road recording gear, but they certainly are not all things to all people.

It's one thing for you to avoid AT. Go ahead. However, picking out a billboard saying "AT sucks" would get you sued. You need to understand that in a public forum you just can't say "Audio Technica never works" (this is what is implied with your post). This is very misleading to people who find this post from the search engines who are just getting started.

My entire goal for RecordingReviews is to maintain as much objectivity on the subject of home recording as possible. It's completely fine for a person to have an opinion. I've had nothing but bad luck with Behringer (except for their headphones). However, "I've had nothing but bad luck with Behringer" is TOTALLY different than "Pro Says Audio-Technica Sucks!". Surely you can understand this.

One of the ATM10s just stopped working as well, and i wasted like half an hour trying to figure out what connection/ wire was the problem.

And? So you've got a bad mic. That does happen. How old is the mic? How many times has it fallen out of the back of a truck on the interstate? You get the idea. Maybe that mic is junk. Maybe that model is junk. Maybe the company is junk (not in my experience). It's hard to say. However, you should go ahead and expect every piece of recording gear you purchase to break, because it DEFINITELY will.

Im just saying that I'd much rather spend my time researching another brand than a brand that has quite simply pissed me off with the products I have used.

Interesting. It appears that you would rather spend your time creating posts like "Pro Says Audio-Technica Sucks!". We all have to play the gamble. Try out AKG or whatever. There are plenty of kick ass mic companies out there.

For you, you have had good experience with AT.
For me, i most certainly have not.

Sure. I have no problem with you sayin that. Of course, you haven't really qualified your experiences. You even had to insert the hearsay from your teacher in your title to give your post clout. I can say that I have owned an AT 4050 since (which I bought used for $300) 2003 and it has never failed me. It's made it as lead vocal mic on many albums. The AT4033 mics I own have also been 100% reliable. I snagged a pair of them used in 2004. Overally, I'd guess I have a thousand hours of recording on all of these mics.

Oh yeah, all 3 shock mounts that came with these mics are broken.

Seriously, i did not mean to piss you off, man.

You didn't even begin to piss me off. My anger was 0% out of a 100% when I first responded just as it is now. (You should have seen me changing a hard drive in a laptop today. THAT was me pissed off. ) However, I did have to stand up for the integrity of the forum. You can say " I hate Audio Technica" your whole life and it won't effect me one bit. However, when we get into hearsay/bias/whatever land of unsubstantiated claims and such, I do have to counter. If your post would have pissed me off, I would have just deleted it.

So you are fine. You just need to have more facts and less "my teacher said" talk if you are going to call out a specific company.

Brandon

[StudioBellwood]

Well, brandon, i thank you for taking the time with me that is probably required. I do understand more and I'm glad you focused on my behavior for part of it vs. just debating AT. I guess this all developed because i was told to stay away from Audio-technica before i even started using microphones. Had my teacher told me this after my bad experiences, i wouldn't have had such a bias on AT. I swear i understand you about saying "i've had nothing with bad luck" vs. "_____ Sucks!" However, i have to stand up for myself and remind you that i was beyond pissed with AT when i wrote this stuff originally. I'm sure you can relate to this in one way or another.... (or, maybe not??)

Look, I'm not new to audio, but i am new to this site and "internet forums" altogether. You have my word that i will not close any doors on beginners anymore. ( You can say i may have done this because my door for AT was closed by my teacher ). My teacher, by the way, is a very frustrated person. ( once my friend joe got into trouble, and my teacher said to him "let me put this into words you can understand. STOP BEING A F****G A** Hole.

So i know it sounds gay or whatever but i do care about my relationship with you. Thats why i said i didn't mean to piss you off. I think that's what is cool about you though, is that i could talk to you in one forum, and we could be totally disagreeing with each other, and then we could be on the same side on another. I'm going to be seeing a lot of you around this site for the next few years and i just don't want to damage my reputation with you so soon.

Thanks gain, all the best.

[thesilentdrummer]

Tons of people have lots of negative stuff to say about Behringer and MXL. It really isn't the best stuff, but I have gotten lucky with their stuff. I have a very positive experience with these companies, though many will say they are crap, mainly because they have poor quality control. Who is right?? I like to think I am. Other people don't have time to screw around with ok products. I jsut got my Nady RSM-5. Some people think Nady is a crap company. I have recorded proof that that it is not. Its called a kick ass drumset sound with one RSM-5 as an overhead.



You said that your teacher gave you something that he said was crap. Perhaps they were broken before he got them/he broke them. He was then perpetuating the AT hate by passing it to you. Also, I too am in the school musical similar in style to yours. We have older AKG's and newer Shure's. The AKG's eat batteries in one act, so we are transitioning to all shure wireless systems. Last year (not the year before or this year), the mics had problems cutting in and out. Luckily, though, we had audio professionals come and toubleshoot. It turned out to be a combination of poor receiver antennas and bad weather the nights of the shows. My point: every brand has some issues, and sometimes issues are not even in the equipment itself. Personally, I know my church uses something like the Audio-Technica AT4041 (don't quote me on the exact mic). Anyways, they have withstood church use (a lot of dropping too) for at LEAST 7 years.

That's all I have to add. I think Brandon covers my feelings well (though he might be a little more blunt than I would have been).

[thesilentdrummer]

Originally Posted by StudioBellwood

My teacher, by the way, is a very frustrated person. ( once my friend joe got into trouble, and my teacher said to him "let me put this into words you can understand. STOP BEING A F****G A** Hole.

Haha, that's awesome. Of course, though, you have to take comments from people like that with a grain of truth. They tend to over-exaggerate.