This is the first time it's happened. As I was packing up the loaner 4047 to send back to Audio- Technica I got kinda sad. I'd been using this $500 beauty on everything - guitar amps, vocals, drums - you name it, it sounded great. I could set it up as a room mic for drums in spots where other mics have failed in the past, and it sounded clear and bright. On vocals there's a breathy sort of intimacy that sits in the track perfectly for certain tunes. On electric guitars it responded like my Langevin CR-3A, a mic that costs a bit more. With the proliferation of low- cost side-address condenser mics over the last few years this new addition to the AT4033 and 4050.family is a welcome sight and sound. (www.audio-technica.com)

Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making.

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