Ian_banjo - Posted - 03/07/2012:  05:06:00

We are working towards using a single mic for stage performances and, looking through past topics here, the AT4033 seems to be highly regarded and used by lots of bands.  However, one of our squad contacted his nephew who is a sound tech in Boston and he suggested the MXL-V900, saying that it would be less susceptible to feedback than the AT4033.  I have compared the published polar responses of both mics and see that the MXL is virtually an omnidirectional mic, with a lot of gain at the back.  Whereas the AT4033 seems to have a perfect cardioid response, which would reject sound coming in from the back.   From this, I would expect the MXL to be far more susceptible to feedback problems than the AT.  I can find no reference on BHO to anyone using the MXL mic, but in other reviews on the web it does seem to be recommended for stage work and the AT4033 is slammed because of feedback problems.

So the polar responses and the information on BHO suggest the AT4033 would be the better mic, but other information on the web and our sound tech friend disagree.  Who do you think is correct?

R Buck - Posted - 03/07/2012:  05:31:22

I've got a an AKG 2000b to good end.  It worked better than the MXL for stage work, with less feedback.

recorderguy - Posted - 03/07/2012:  06:12:17

I wouldn't read too much into polar patterns.  They are not uniform across all frequencies, and at best can only be used as a guide.  The most important points for minimizing feedback are going to be mic placement and stage volume.  Even with  a  mic with good rejection, if you place it poorly you will have more feedback problems than with a well placed omni.  Keeping the stage volume down is the other key and often not entirely in your control.  As for placement, remember that a cardioid mic does not reject directly from the rear (more back and to the side).  You don't see bidirectionals used too much on stage these days, but the null point is often much more pronounced and even across the frequency spectrum than the null on cardioids.  Depending on your instrumentation it could be an excellent choice.

Cheers,

    Peter

Trewq36 - Posted - 03/07/2012:  08:31:30

quote:

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Originally posted by Ian_banjo

....and see that the MXL is virtually an omnidirectional mic, ..............................?

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 Huh? According to the specs I see it listed as as Cardioid, and looks much the same as the AT.

mxlmics.com/microphones/900-series/V900/

Never Play the Same Thing Once...yoR

pearcemusic - Posted - 03/07/2012:  09:09:14

I just bought my son a couple of the MXL mics and I have a couple myself, as well as Neumann, Sennheiser, AT etc.

mxlmics.com/microphones/900-series/9000/

The MXL mics are very nice and the price point is amazing. The ONLY thing I'm not sure about is the ROAD worthy aspect.

Ian_banjo - Posted - 03/08/2012:  05:04:16

quote:

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Originally posted by Trewq36

quote:

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Originally posted by Ian_banjo

....and see that the MXL is virtually an omnidirectional mic, ..............................?

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 Huh? According to the specs I see it listed as as Cardioid, and looks much the same as the AT.

 

mxlmics.com/microphones/900-series/V900/

This is the polar response of the V900

And this is the polar response of the AT4033

 

You can see that the V900 does not show the cardioid (heart shaped) response that the AT4033 does.  You can see that at the 180 degree position, the gain of the AT4033 actually goes to zero at 1kHz.  The V900 polar curve has no scale on it for some reason, but at the 180 degree position, it is very clear that there is still a lot of gain.

recorderguy - Posted - 03/11/2012:  07:32:54

As I said before, I wouldn't read too much into the polar pattern, it's at best a guide. It's not uniform across the spectrum (see the AT pattern above) and acoustics in a room can be VERY complex. Just because one pattern looks a little tighter than another does NOT mean you'll have better results in the real world. It just gives an IDEA of what you might expect. Ultimately it does not give any idea of what a mic sounds like which is much more important anyway. A better strategy for picking a mic is to find the one that sounds best and learn how to work with it. To that end, try to find a dealer who will let you return a mic if you don't like the sound, get a couple and keep the one you like. Good luck.

Peter