AT4040 for overheads

[pifos_2]

Hello people,

so here is the deal, I am currently drawing our gear budget for 2008 recordings, summer time tracking baby !
We must get a vocal mic. Considering our budget, I think a AT4040 is the best choice.
Also, we'd like to acquire a second overhead pair. I first thought about the Oktava MK012.

BUT as we'll buy a first AT4040. Money talking, it would be almost the same price to get another AT4040 than to go for the Oktavas pair. You got it ? I'll kill 2 birds with one stone (to quote a member of this board). And it would be a pretty nice mic pair worth ~= 700 euros.

Only question, what about the sound ? Obviously gonna better than the Oktavas !!??
I should mention, we play metal. So it will be to track agressive metal drums mostly.

Well, thats it, express yourselves,

thanx already,
Nicolas.

 

[AdamWathan]

Most people here seem to favor small diaphragm condensers for overheads when it comes to metal, not sure how many guys here have actually had a chance to try the AT4040 as overheads...

Out of curiousity, where are you finding those Oktava mics these days?

 

[pifos_2]

you have a point with the diaphragm size.

in europe, it's pretty easy : http://www.thomann.de/fr/oktava_mk_01201_mkiimatched_pair.htm

 

[Glenn Fricker]

Been using a pair of Oktava's for overheads since 2001 & they've never let me down.

 

[AdamWathan]

What's the deal with the quality control of the Oktava stuff? I've read here and there that some mics are garbage and others are gold... What's the best way of making sure you get a good set of them...? There was a link you posted a long time ago Oz to the place where you bought yours but it no longer works which is a bummer! I'd love to try a pair of these mics out if I knew of a trustworthy source to get them from...

 

[J.DavisNJ]

www.oktavamod.com

He mods em and they sound great supposedly.

-Joe

 

[Glenn Fricker]

Get 'em here: They do their own QC & are great people to deal with.
http://www.sound-room.com/

 

[AdamWathan]

www.oktavamod.com

He mods em and they sound great supposedly.

-Joe

Cool thanks for the link man! Pretty pricey though, but might be worth looking into... $450 for a pair at Thomann vs. $620 for a modded pair... At that price you're in SM81 pair territory... Do you think the Oktava's are going to sound better than the 81s?

Oz, that link is actually working now, awesome! Haha, gonna look into it now, thanks bro!

 

[Metaltastic]

I don't necessarily think it'd be much worse to use LDC's as OH's (look at people who use u87's, for example, and I've seen lots of pics of Shure KSM's as OH's as well) - after all, since we're high-passing the OH tracks anyway, the extended low-end of an LDC would hardly be an issue, and you can't beat the value of getting just two mics and using one for vocals as well! (that's what I'm planning on doing, in fact I at first wanted AT4040's, but I've decided that I want mics with switchable polar patterns, so the search continues...)

 

[Soundlurker]

^ You can get the okatavas with switchable capsules.

 

[Metaltastic]

Yeah, but I wouldn't want to use one of 'em for vocals, though (which is why I want a pair of LDC's)

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Hey just noticed this thread!

I been using 4040s as OHs for a while now, not all the time, but more often than not. It's sort of a catch 22 because I kind of wish I'd never bought them as I don't like them a whole lot as OHs (they're nothing really special). At the same time, for other applications like stereo acoustic guitar, they are great. The good thing about those mics are the versatility IMHO. Vox are great. Have not tried them on guitar. I was crazy buying two but the deal was too good so I couldn't resist.

Anyway, to answer your question, if you only need one, I say go ahead.

 

[unsilpauly]

i own one 4040 and plan on getting a second to use as overheads. i like to use ldcs for crashes and sdcs for rides, hats and chinas. oktavas are great and i will get a pair of my own eventually. but, you can definetly get quality results on overheads with a pair of 4040's and get great vox and everything else as well. super versatile mics imho. plus i think 4040s are good enough that when you get better mics, the 4040s will still have their place in the arsenal.