I've just bought a AE4100. I mix live sound and this summer the lead singer in a very loud band used his own. I was blown away by how much of his vocal I could hear over the other instruments. A great mic and one I look forward to using.
I recently did a duet with a female singer who used a 58 and benefitted from the low-end support and less HF. I used the 4100 with more top. Worked perfectly. Both EQs on the desk were flat.
- Yes, that's why I like it, it stays loud and clear even when you have your lips right on the grille and cuts through in the loudest mix. Thanks for the comment!
Yep - Audio Technica products are hugely underrated. I, personally, compare the AE4100 to the Beta 58. It sounds almost identical, but with a wider pickup pattern and drastically reduced proximity effect. If there was one grumble, the AE4100 has higher handling noise, but this can be offset with a slight change in technique. As for other AT mics; don't get me started. Best bang-for-buck in many categories. And, I think, they're all guaranteed for 15 years by AT (at least in the EU they are); elevating them into the "no-brainer" category....
I never said it was worse. I own both. The Beta is a great mic. But if you want to move off-axis and, perhaps, use the mic in a more relaxed way (jazz for example) but still want the increased top-end, the 4100 is ideal. For me: the 4100 offers the presence and HF lift of the Beta 58, but with the pickup pattern of the SM58. Also, in jazz settings, gain-before-feedback is not the primary concern. If it were, I would use the Beta (in theory, as I've not yet had feedback issues with the 4100). But don't get me wrong, this mic is not for everyone. It just works for me.
Excellent review, Bruno. I am truly enamored with Audio-Technica mics myself -- for my vocals (I'm a baritone), I was using an ATM610 but just recently upgraded to the AE6100 hypercardioid, which is next model up from the AE4100. I just love the sound of my mic -- and for years I'd used nothing but either the SM58 or a Sennheiser MD431! My 6100 beats the pants off both of 'em! I use a lot of A-T wireless as well ... come to think of it, my main vocal wireless is an AE4100. Great mics, they are! Keep up the good work.
Bill Wood Glad to hear that! Audio Technica mics are a little bit like Takamine guitars - both are modern-sounding, stage and road-ready instruments for the real-world musician. All the best with your music!
@Bill Wood ! AE6100 is not an UP model from AE4100, as you said. They are same, only difference is in the responsive pattern type: AE4100 is cardioid, while AE6100 is hypercardioid. AE6100 is designed for the keyboardist-singer and guitarist-singer, whose heads moves around while performing. AE4100 is designed purely for a vocalist; yet it can be used for other applications.
@@farwestgarohills3831 I was referring to the model numbers. While the mics themselves are technically similar the model number is sequentially the next up from the 4100. Thanks for nitpicking.
- Thanks for sharing, it's really important to have your own views and opinions on what sounds good. In that way you can make your own decisions on choosing equipment rather than just relying on what others recommend, although that is an important starting point :)
- Yes the SM58 is still the industry standard. However it is a relatively old design and there are many newer, more modern-sounding microphones to choose from today. Options are always a good thing :)
Hi Bruno, Im watching your show, Im new to the community. I've been following your show since the day of the lockdown because of the pandemic and because I have nothing to do and I have no job anymore hahaha. Anyways I have a home studio which consist of 5 drums, 20 guitars, 3 keyboards and I love your videos! Its a very ambitious home studio with many sound systems and I am very interested in your show and because iam happy to learn from you and your so many videos shows. See you in your next show, goodluck to your journey my friend, stay safe and be well! MORE POWER TO YOU!!
Thanks Bruce, you stay safe and well and hope you manage to find employment soon. Almost all my musician friends are struggling to keep the lights on during this time.
I would agree with the top end. Unfortunately though on my laptop speakers which Im very used to. Made me believe there was more low end on the Audio Technica. Could be more around that 200-300 range but I'd still call that low enough. I overall prefer that 58 on your voice and guitar. Maybe if the Audio Techinica had a low shelf reducing that area it would have won my ears. Thanks for both demo's!
Back in the late 70's a mucician friend had me try an Audio-technia ATM41. I've been an AT uses ever since. The ATM41, in my opinion, Blew away the Shure SM58.
It's great that you were willing to try alternatives to the SM58 - I'm always reminding people that mic choice is a very personal thing: just as not everyone plays the same guitar, bass or keyboard, you need to find the mic that fits your voice and singing style.
Its hard to find good versions of the atm41 these days. Most ppl are selling the HE version which is a horrible mic. My red atm41 is one of my favorite mics.
This is actually something of a myth in my opinion 😄 "Unclear vocals" can be the result of any part of the signal chain - mic, mixer EQ, speaker placement, damaged or non-functional loudspeakers etc. Simply changing the mic will not necessarily solve the problem. So the answer to your question is maybe, and it depends.
Hmmm, A reviewer that can actually sing! What a concept! I think Audio Technica mics are extremely under rated. Simply because you don not hear about them as much as other brands. AKG as well for that matter. Thanks for the superb review.
+thomas grim Glad you enjoyed the review! I agree that Audio Technicas are very much the 'quiet professionals' of the mic world. They've been around long enough to build a rock solid reputation and although they don't have the pedigree of the European mic brands they are unbeatable when it comes to value for money.
Yeah thanks was very good comparison. The problem is- no matter what mic you’re using, at the end of the day, if your sound man have his own eq style, they can both sound good. I was planning to buy an AE6100- a higher end of this 4100. But after seeing this, for the price reason- I will just get the SM58 and tell my sound man to engage high pass filter and boost a little bit of highs, like in the manual of 4100 😆 😝 For sure it will sound clearer close to 4100. I guess this Shure old tech are like all purpose flour if you’re a baker, it’s all there, what you need, just have to tweak and dial a bit to create something new.
Thanks for watching. Just remember that applying EQ on the mixer or in post-production is not the same as EQ that is built into the physical design of the microphone. There are also many differences in the physical materials used to build the mics that contribute to the final sound - I can almost guarantee you that if you apply the EQ curve of the AE4100 to an SM58 it will NOT sound exactly like the former 😁
I don’t know but to my ears, the SM58 sounds a lot more natural with the acoustic guitar… Contrary to what the gentleman in the video is saying, I really think the Shure is a better choice in this application and frankly, I would have never expected it. I was watching this video because I am considering of buying a microphone to complement my playing. I am not a Shure fan - I am not a fan of any brand of microphones because I don’t own any nor have I ever owned a microphone. I think it’s probably worth saying I am using a Grado SR60i headphones and they’re not very “neutral-sounding” so that might be one part of the reason why I’m hearing what I’m hearing. Does anyone else think the Shure performed better in this test? Cheerio!
Choice of microphones is a very personal thing. A video can never convey the true sound of the microphone to your ears in a live setting, so I suggest trying out these microphones in person before buying.
That microphone sounds beautiful! I would swear there was a compressor on your voice when you started speaking through it. It's very bright but you can't hear any offensive sibilance.
Welcome! There are no direct equivalents, but broadly speaking the AE6100 would be the Beta58A competitor - it's hyper- rather than supercardioid and has a different frequency response curve. With the Beta 87A it would probably be the AE3300 - once again, not a direct equivalent as it's cardioid rather than supercardioid.
True story...when I was in audio school back in 1st year of audio engineer school in like 1999/2000, one of my instructors was stressing the importance of using condensers such as the C414 or AT4047. Ok, right enough. They are exceptional. But really, how many musicians can afford these for their home studios? None. So, during one of my multitrack labs I recorded acoustic guitar with an SM7 (at the sound hole) and an SM58 at maybe the 10th fret. Couldn't tell a huge difference in the mix.
Also, what a lot of people don't realize is that condensers aren't always the best choice for home studios. If you're in a fairly noisy environment you best believe dynamic mics are the way to go all day, every day. And they're AMAZING for recording acoustic guitars.
I think that the Sm58 is quite perfect for being a very universal microphone and even though it may sound boomier, that can always be mixed back. It is also a microphone that when you want to lose that boomier sound you can just retract from it (distance) and use more gain. So both microphones are great sounding. I guess it just depends what you would want it for. I love how you can put the SM58 in front of a amp as well and get a pretty nice sound! Very universal! Also impressed with the ATech
Hey there! How are you? Did you ever get the chance to try out the Audio Tehnica ATM650? I'm looking for a microphone similar to the Shure SM57, for percussion, vocals and acoustic guitar (I know I'm asking a lot out of one microphone). I'd love to hear your opinion! Thanks in advance!
Yes I've been using the ATM650 these past few months but haven't got around to doing the video. It does sound something like the '57 in the low and low midrange but has a noticeably brighter top end - you may or may not like this. Sorry for the delay in the video, been busy running lots of training courses here!
No apologies required! Thanks for answering Well, in a nutshell, what do you think of it; do you enjoy using it? I found some comparison videos between the two mics and as far as I can tell, it sounds a lit bit more "lively" because of the snappier top end, and I did like that. I wonder if it will work for vocals well, because I wish to use it as somewhat of a main mic till my budget allows more involved purchases. Thanks in advance and I look forward for the upcoming videos!
Hmm, I'd say my impression of the mic so far is that it is a good utility microphone - not particularly inspiring, and definitely not ideal for vocals. But it's a very good alternative to the SM57 - the head construction is much more robust and it has a small amount of built in pop protection which the SM57 doesn't. You definitely would find use for it in your collection, but I'm not sure you'd be happy with it as a main vocal mic, especially for recording.
