I guess that they make money just for making maney, which is good to them, by certifying the gear from companies who pay them for this purpose on their advertisement budget. It’s also had two additional knock-on benefits. The sound is very taught and punchy (a product of the ribbon’s lightning quick transient response) and the overall signature is one of – dare I say it – warmth. The AT4081 is the less-expensive of of a pair of new phantom-powered ribbon microphones from Audio-Technica. Otherwise, as I implied how do we get new 'kit'(equipment=gear)? It’s a well-built and hefty little number, finished in brushed Your email address will not be published. be old-school or new. Don't know if this METAlliance certification of the Audio Technica 4080, & 4081 has any influence with any of you as far as products you'd be interested in at least trying out. The finish of the mic is excellent – in a typically understated Audio-Technica sense. 's vs. Other mics I've tried for the same application include, CAD Trion 7000 ribbon, Cascade Fathead Ribbon with the Lundahl Transformer. To get the most out of this mic you really need a relatively low-impedance (sub 1000Ω) mic preamp, but if you’ve got one in your kit and want a ribbon mic that isn’t restricted to ‘character’ roles, get on the AT4081 train – it’s definitely an interesting journey worth taking. Royer 121: With these new Audio-Technica ribbon mics, I would certainly use them to close mic amps or horns (if I wanted closed miked horns) and even try them on drums. 's in a shootout for anything from drum overheads to guitar amps onto whatever reasonable sound source you can think of. ), a 30Hz to 18kHz frequency response and a signal-to-noise ratio of 69dB. I'm surprised no one has tested these two groups of mic's side by side yet(at least not to my knowledge). A-T’s first ribbon offerings are two handmade, well-built, versatile, reliable, great sounding and well-priced products -- more than … The 4081 easily smoked them all in front of an amp. Click here to login, The ability to reply to and create new discussions, Access to members-only giveaways & competitions, Interact with VIP industry experts in our guest Q&As, Access to members-only sub forum discussions, Get INSTANT ACCESS to the world's best private pro audio, Promote your eBay auctions and Reverb.com listings for free. Back when Royer Labs first built the Royer 122, it was the FIRST EVER ribbon mic with active electronics. The second issue – that of a ribbon motor’s exceedingly low output – is addressed by the incorporation of a Fet-based active stage, which raises the output of the microphone to a more typical condenser mic level. Introduced in 2009, the AT4080 and AT4081 feature several new ribbon-motor developments. for a ribbon. Royer R, & SF Ribbon Mic. Resophonic instruments can sometimes prove difficult to record thanks to their nasal honk, which can sound strident and ugly when recorded unsympathetically. 's in a shootout for anything from drum overheads to guitar amps onto whatever reasonable sound source you can think of. As I’d hoped, the ribbon element miraculously dodged all the mechanical button noises that can drive you mad when miking these instruments with condensers or dynamics. I completely fell for the warm silky sound of all these mics and consequently used the same lineup to record my next three albums. The AT4081 package ships with a generic yet sturdy black vinyl case, a wind shield and what the manual describes as an ‘isolation clamp’ – which looks a lot like a plastic mic clip to me (but, in use, seems to limit stand vibrations fairly well). i really would like the check out the new 4080 AT ribbon.. Audio-Technica - Microphones, headphones, wireless microphone systems, noise-cancelling headphones & more : New A-T ribbon microphones certified by the METAlliance, The Music Engineering & Technology Alliance (METAlliance) - 'It's about the music. Create a username and password below and an account will be created and your post entered. The frequency response chart shows a gentle lift in the 150Hz region and several more abrupt peaks at around 6 and 9kHz, but With music the music of singer songwriter Joel Tavares and his … Suddenly I found myself using the 4081 on everything – even recording certain tracks again from scratch to benefit from the mic’s unique sonic perspective. of a tambourine bouncing off the walls. SM57, AT4060 tube mic, Peluso 2247SE, and an Audio Technica ATM63HE dynamic. The METAlliance does not make money for making R&D (at least this goal is not indicated on their web site). Pro Partners include Audio-Technica, Cakewalk, GML, JBL, Lexicon, Manley Labs, Millennia Music and Media Systems, Neumann, Prism Sound, Royer Labs, Sanken Microphones, Sonnox, TC Electronic, and Universal Audio. Unlike the sudden ramp-up of low frequencies that some ribbons, like the Royer R-121 (Tape Op #19), exhibit, the lows seem to increase with more … It doesn’t blow you away; it sucks you in. In this video for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey reviews the Audio Technica 4080 and 4081 ribbon microphones. Firstly, the design approach has freed up a swag of high-quality, medium-gain preamps to act as the amplifier stage; secondly it’s lowered the output impedance to 100Ω, which has the bonus effect of rendering the mic largely immune to issues of capacitance when using long cables that can significantly alter its frequency response. Not in the ‘I love Mrs Ferguson’ kind of way, mind you, but it’s a love affair nonetheless. 3. 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