So How Does The AT4060 Measure?

With all that said, how does the AT4060 do? The spec sheet supplied by Audio Technica shows generally flat on-axis response except for a gentle broad peak of ca. 3 dB from about 2 kHz. through 10 kHz. and a rolloff beginning at about 15 kHz. Further, AT includes polar response plots from 200 Hz. through 8 kHz. that indicate extremely stable response off-axis, so that overall amplitude is down about 5 dB at 90° but with the same response as on-axis, while 180° is about 18 dB down. Equivalent Input Noise (EIN) is specified as being equal to 19 dBA SPL (which is to say that the amplitude of the mic noise is equal to an acoustic amplitude of 19 dBA SPL - which is quite a soft acoustic level), while sensitivity is -34 dBV for a 94 dB SPL input. Rated maximum level at 1% Total Harmonic Distortion is 150 dB SPL, which is loud enough for any of us.

What these specs suggest, in combination, is that the mic is “hot,” reasonably and acceptably quiet, got plenty o’ headroom, and really quite flat for a large diaphragm condenser, with commendable off-axis response.

I ran some informal trials using my TEF system in Time Delay Spectrometry mode, using my calibrated B&K 4007 microphone as a reference. Basically, I found that AT told the truth about response, sensitivity, and noise. I didn’t test maximum level, ‘cause my .357 Magnum is in the shop getting a fresh firing pin.

I also found out a little more about the mic. The family of response curves from 0 to 90° is really surprisingly and elegantly constant up to 8 kHz. Beyond 90°, response below 100 Hz. doesn’t fall off as much as the 200-8K Hz. band does, but that is to be expected and does not present any odd operational problems. Just so you know, at extremely low frequencies (long wavelengths), all microphones become omnidirectional.

Of more interest, response above 8 kHz. does not fall off as the acoustical signal goes off axis. Instead, there is a sort of “constant directivity” peak just below 10 kHz. that hangs on at approximately 0 dB all the way to 90° off-axis, and then falls to about -10 dB by 180°. Above that frequency peak, response falls off erratically as a function of angle, just like you’d expect.

Now, while this HF behavior doesn’t look so hot on a plot of frequency responses vs. off-axis angle, I personally think it’s actually a virtue, in that it adds a generalized sparkle to the sound of the mic, and maintains brilliance of off-axis sounds, which is generally a benefit in complex situations such as drum miking, where there is a lot of cross-talk and leakage in almost every case.

So How Does It Sound?

That’s right, how does it sound? I auditioned the 4060 with a bunch of acoustic instruments and some reference recordings, as well as my own voice and various bits of barnyard Foley. What I found is that this is one nice microphone!

Compared to the acoustic sources as heard in a nice live big room (8,000 cubic feet, half a second reverb time, oak floors, wood, glass and brick walls and ceiling), the 4060 gave me an extremely convincing and satisfying timbral match with the real things. At the same time, the microphone did a nice, very smooth job of knocking down room ambience, with none of the boominess or tubbiness that often occurs with lesser cardioids. Compared to my reference omni microphone, the sense of room just disappeared with the 4060, while direct timbral quality was as good or better. I was able to back the mic out into the far field of instrumental sound (would you believe 30 inches?) for some really nice instrumental sound quality without also collecting too much unwanted room ambience, even when recording percussion, all in said live room.

Low frequency extension was very convincing, and the broad high frequency plateau did a nice job of maintaining a kind of timbral “presence” that sounded both very natural and very musical on all of the instrumental sources, very close to the way we perceive REAL musical instruments with our ears in a reverberant space. Low level performance was equally commendable. While tubes are noisier than solid state (the AT4050 has an EIN of 16.5 dBA SPL, for instance, as opposed to the AT4060’s 19 dBA SPL), low level sonics, including a reference fade, worked flawlessly, with the electronic fade smoothly disappearing into room ambience, including such 20th-bit things as a telcon going on in an office on the next floor, the occasional tick of wallboard heating elements, and the occasional car passing on a highway across the little valley where I live and work. There’s no low-level grunge here - just a little white noise that’s mostly gonna be down there with the dither. 19 dBA really is pretty quiet!

Fun ‘n Profit Time

This is another really solid studio workhorse microphone from Audio-Technica. It has a really remarkably commendable off-axis performance, with plenty of capability for a wide range of applications. I would have no qualms at all using it in a variety of close miked applications (including drums), think it should make a GREAT vocal mic (I really liked how it handled my less-than-prime-time Golden Ears voice: “Hello, this is Dave Moulton”), and I am sure it will work extremely well in a bunch of orchestral and surround applications, as well as the more typical and less demanding close-miked applications for which it will more normally be used.

My past experience suggests that AT microphones are quite stable and reliable over the long term, and that unit-to-unit consistency, particularly for their top-end mics, is very good. I see no reason why this shouldn’t be so for the 4060 as well. So, if you’re looking for a reasonably priced tube condenser that will give you really professional results, the Audio-Technica AT4060 can sure fill the bill.

I like it a lot!

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