AT3035 - Worthy to Record Acoustic Instruments

INTRODUCTION:

When recording an acoustic instrument, one must spend a little money for the proper condenser microphone. One must search out for a microphone that replicates the sound that an instrument produces. If you look towards Audio-Technica, you need not look far. They have many high quality mics that are reasonably priced. To get those higher quality sounds, you must step away from the 20-series mics, stop for second, look forward, and look at an Audio-Technica 30-series condenser microphone.

At only $200.00 the AT3035 is a bargain. The AT3035 is the second microphone a home studio should look at for high quality and fairly accurate replication of acoustic instruments, and should be considered for purchase as a pair, for stereo sound of instruments that deserve such attention, like a piano, or an old time B-3 organ, or even a drum kit. This is a strong mid-level microphone, especially when they are recording the piano as a pair.

A small reminder, when recording the piano with a pair of AT3035s, place them parallel to the strings, and 6 inches from the hammers’ strike points. Also, make sure they are about 2 feet apart. I also recommend to fiddle around with mic placements to suit your taste.


DESCRIPTION:

This slick condenser microphone has a raw silver finish that is fortified by a robust construction and design. With it’s frequency response having a wide range from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, there is no doubt that recording the lowest bass noises to the highest pitches, is easily obtainable. With it’s single cardioid pattern, you can entrust these microphones to isolate the sound source as intended by the manufacturer. The impedance is high at 250 ohms, so, a high quality pre-amp should be considered as an integral part of the microphone set-up. Also, these mics can take a beating, so placing them near a guitar amp should be no problem because they can handle up to 148 dB! However, please make sure that your amps do not exceed these levels, or test for volume before you place any microphone in front of them.

This microphone uses 11-52V DC, 3 mA typical, phantom power source, so your typical 48v standard phantom power setup should be adequate to run these puppies. It comes with a padded soft-case, and a AT8458 shock mount for 5/8"-27 threaded stands. I do not recommend tossing these mics into jet engines, or rolling over them with the Buick, or dropping them off the Empire State Building. You could permanently damage them if you do!


MY APPLICATIONS:

My main applications for these awesome condenser microphones are rapping, vocals, pianos, guitars, and sampling. They do a great job, surprisingly so, on rapping, pod-casting, and singing. You need to be careful because the AT3035 will pick up a lot of the background noises that are associated with home studios. When hearing the playback of the recorded sounds of a Kawai piano, you might think that you can’t get much better. However, as good as these mics are, there is still others that are out there that will do even a better job. Also, recording natural sounds, such as, tearing paper, breaking glass, etc., there is no doubt that you’ll get a crisp and clean sound.


CONCLUSION:

It’s one thing to record an acoustic instrument, but it’s another thing to capture the subtle nuances that always accompanies these instruments. For the most part, the AT3035 will suffice as a decent mic for acoustic instruments. They have demonstrated to me that they deserve a place in my arsenal of condenser microphones. Yet, if you are one of those who require the highest quality for sound replication, then maybe you should save more money for the legendary 40-series microphones by Audio-Technica. These mics, AT3035, would impress the hell out most people that are just starting out a home studio. I honestly believe that a pair of these mics is a perfect step forward to acoustic instrument recording bliss. I have no doubts that a newbie would completely be stunned by the quality these microphones bring to the table.


WARNING: This is a great microphone for acoustic instruments, however, the 40-series microphone will simply drop your jaw to the floor once you hear them. So, for you people who require a sweet and awesome mic, save your money for a versatile AT4050 condenser microphone.


COMING SOON: A write-up on the AT4050 mics.