AT4033 as overhead ?

[everybody's x]

Originally Posted by djanogil

I've tried one AT4033 as overhead, it was quite bright but a little weak in the low end..

I found the same thing. It is certainly usable but the oktavas arent as hyped in the top end. I have a pair of both and that job falls to the mk012's more often than the 4033

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by djanogil

I'm hesitating between buying a second AT4033 or a pair of Oktava MK012.
They'll be used for drums OH, piano and distant micing of live acoustic instruments.

Is the AT4033 appropriate for distant micing, or are the Oktavas better?
I've tried one AT4033 as overhead, it was quite bright but a little weak in the low end..

Thanks for any opinions

I used 4033's for a while, but as soon as I switched to Earthworks, it was night and day. The 4033's work but you really must make sure the room and placement is perfect. But with all that said sometimes when I am doing a punk band I will use one 4033 over head to get that trash sound. Placing it about 4 to 5 feet high off center of the kick, in front of drums about 3 feet. Kind of a cool trick

[Joel Hamilton]

I used the 4033 as OH for a while, years back. I wanted something a little more like "cymbal mic's" and those work great for that. If you are going for an overall kit image type of OH, the 4033 kind of fails, but it does respond well to compression, so throwing a comp on the OH after tracking with the 4033's as low as I could go, it sounded pretty good. I have about 12 other mics I would prefer to use as OH, and the earthworks tc30k's are what I find myself using in mid size tracking rooms these days all the time....

[Gregg Sartiano]

Is there a difference in the vintages/eras of 4033's?

[Joel Hamilton]

I think I have like 4 or 5 4033's at this point, all from different era's, including one of the "special edition" 4033's (which I have no idea what is so special other than the wooden box and different shockmount) and they all sound almost exactly the same.

Subjected to rigorous analysis, I might say the "SE" was a touch brighter than the others, but nothing even approaching the variation in M7 capsules or other "beloved" microphones.