Audio-Technica AT4033CL Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone  

For our traditional Bluegrass Band, we use the one mic set-up. This mic performs well in any venue inside or outside. We set the mic about 48 inches from the floor, and the vocals and instruments sound great. For the money it is hard to beat.

I first fell in love with the 4033 while listening to a bluegrass band in an outdoor concert. Since that time, I have seen many other bluegrass bands with this mic. It has actually become irritating to me to see a great band using ?good? microphones. The nice things about this mic is the clarity and warmth of the vocals with multiple singers singing around the mic. I have seen this used in a variety of outdoor and indoor concerts. I have used the 4033 setting up several BG bands in a small club and outdoors and for multiple singers in a contemporary Sunday service. There are several advantages to using the 4033 and a few things to be aware of. Like a corvette, this baby will do you right under certain conditions and you should treat her right. In a live setting, feedback can be an issue. So, small night clubs with a wall several feet behind the lead singer is NOT optimal. However, I have seen the 4033 effectively used in a small club where the band was in a corner. The cardioid pattern is very sensitive and you can have multiple singers 2-5(ish) feet around the mic. Singers can easily move closer in and back out for emphasis on particular singers at specific times. Some reviewers have stated that this mic can be too crisp and not warm. That may be true in some regards, but in the BG world and in using it with multiple singers such as at church, my opinion is that this would be a hard mic to beat.

I own a pair of these mics and use them primarily as drum overheads and on acoustic guitar, but have also recently tried them on a very critical acoustic grand piano recording and they performed beautifully.  Tone is crystal clear and present, never harsh or tubby.  I have roughly 15 large-diaphragm condensers, including Mojave, Peluso, Oktava, Lawson, AKG, and other models from Audio-Technica, and the 4033/CL holds its own against some of these costing 5 times as much.  For the money, I have not heard/used a better mic for such a wide range of instruments.  It's as versatile as anything out there!

I got this mic about a month ago along with the PreSonus FireStudio Tube (also awesome, by the way), and the results have been absolutely ridiculous. Whether I'm using it for vocals, acoustic guitar, mic'ing amps, live recordings, recording brass, whatever... everything comes out fantastic. Case in point: I set this up in my living room during a band practice at a TERRIBLE angle, bad positioning, and much too far away, and it STILL came out great. Couldn't be happier with this purchase, and I recommend it to anyone, no matter their budget. Excellent addition to any microphone collection.

This microphone is awesome.  I put it head to head against my Oktava and it sounded brighter and cleaner.  This is a good buy i recommend it to anyone who wants a serious recording.