Recording January 2022 - 57

amount of protection, so a pop filter
shouldn't be needed in most cases.
On guitar amps, the upper midrange
becomes the focal point. There is plenty of
attack in this range for dirtier tones, but it
borders on being a touch too emphasized
for full-on distorted amps. It provided clarity
in the 2 to 5 kHz range (where distortion
and overdrive tend to reside), but the mellow
top end beyond 8 kHz kept it from
becoming offensive. It helped the guitars
cut through the mix with ease! The low
end had plenty of energy, lending body
to the tones around 150 Hz. At times, the
midrange detail was overshadowed by
the upper-mids, prompting me to reach
for some EQ to do a small 3 kHz cut to
help soften the edges. I found that the mic
takes EQ exceptionally well, so I didn't
have to wrestle with it much before my
tracks were sitting comfortably.
I was also impressed by how it performed
on acoustic guitar. I found the sweet spot
to be a few inches away from the guitar,
pointed where the neck meets the body. This
produced a balanced low-end response,
while the emphasis in the upper-midrange
provided clarity and detail. The tight polarity
would make it an excellent option for singer/songwriters.
Better yet, a pair of these
mics could provide enough isolation for both
vocals and instruments.
To put the AT2040 through its paces
on drums and bass, I'm going to hand it
off to my colleague, Chris Wright. Take
it away, Chris!
Part 2: Getting the most
out of your broadcast mic
REVIEW BY CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT
While the AT2040 is designed to offer
podcasters and YouTube hosts everything
they need to get started with a professional
sound at an affordable price, I
wanted to see what more it could offer.
Being a drummer and seeing as this is a
drums issue, that's where I started...
Snare
Personally, I like a bit of low end and
presence on my snare drum. I placed
the AT2040 on the snare top, aimed
towards the center of the drum. I noticed
that it produced a boost of around
2dB between 150 and 170 Hz, which
warmed it up and helped create punch.
The AT2040 also has a boost between 3
and 4 kHz, which gave it more presence
in the upper midrange to help the snare
cut through the mix.
Kick
Next, I put the AT2040 just inside the
port hole of the kick drum, pointed at the
beater. It again showed a 2db boost,
this time between 115-120 Hz, and it
was also picking up some of the sub frequencies
below 40Hz, which gave the
kick a fat, punchy sound. I have found
that some microphones when used in
this application can sound a bit thin and
need reinforcement, but I was really impressed
with the punch that the AT2040
exhibited on its own-Audio-Technica
may have a sleeper of a kick drum mic
on its hands here!
Bass cab
Finally, I put the AT2040 on a bass
cabinet. I placed it slightly off axis of
the cone and found that I wasn't as impressed
with the results as I was with the
snare and kick drum applications. To my
ears, the tone was lacking the depth that
I enjoy hearing in a bass track. I suspect
that the 3 kHz boost might be working
uncooperatively in this case. The mic
isn't designed for bass cab anyway, but
no harm in trying!
Conclusion
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised
by how the broadcast-focused AT2040
performed on a drum kit. At this price
point, the AT2040 is definitely a contender
and worthy of consideration for
drum duties in conjunction with other microphones
on the drum kit. I would easily
recommend the AT2040 if you're in
need of a good speech-focused mic and
also looking to enhance your mic locker
with a versatile player.
Christopher Wright is a freelance audio engineer
and musician living in Boulder, CO.
You can reach him at Coupe Studios or
workitbirdstudios.com
Price: $99
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RECORDING January 2022 57
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Recording January 2022

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