AT2035 questions

[BKinBWa]

Hi all. I just got an AT2035 LDC microphone. I'd first ordered the AT 2020, but it was backordered, backordered, backordered and I lost patience. Anyway, can someone tell me, in simple terms, what those two little switches actually do? There's an "80 Hz high pass filter" and a "10Db pad" switch. How do they help or hinder when recording guitar and vocals?
Any other suggestions regarding this mic will also be much appreciated. I am fairly new at recording.
Thank you.
-BKin BWA

[ronmac]

You should have received an "owner's manual" with the mic. Reading it will solve the mystery....

https://www.audio-technica.com/media...035_submit.pdf

An integral 80 Hz high-pass filter provides easy switching from a flat
frequency response to a low-end roll-off. The roll-off position reduces the
microphone’s sensitivity to popping in close vocal use. It also reduces
the pickup of low-frequency ambient noise (such as traffic, air-handling
systems, etc.), room reverberation and mechanically coupled vibrations.
To engage the high-pass filter, slide the switch toward the “bent” line.
The microphone is also equipped with a switchable 10 dB pad that lowers
the microphone's sensitivity, thus providing higher SPL capability for
flexible use with a wide range of users and system configurations. To
engage the 10 dB pad, slide the switch toward the -10 position.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by BKinBWa

Hi all. I just got an AT2035 LDC microphone. I'd first ordered the AT 2020, but it was backordered, backordered, backordered and I lost patience. Anyway, can someone tell me, in simple terms, what those two little switches actually do? There's an "80 Hz high pass filter" and a "10Db pad" switch. How do they help or hinder when recording guitar and vocals?
Any other suggestions regarding this mic will also be much appreciated. I am fairly new at recording.
Thank you.
-BKin BWA

In the simplest terms, the "80 Hz high pass filter" is going to reduce the low frequencies the microphone picks up. If when you record your guitar it sounds boomy, engaging this filter should eliminate some of that boominess.

The -10db pad lowers the strength of the signal coming from your mic into your preamp by 10 decibels. Acoustic guitars don't usually test the limits of a mic to the point you'd need the pad but louder instruments, like a trumpet for example, can overload a mic depending on how close it is to the source. This lets you make the mic less sensitive so it can handle louder sources.

[TBman]

I have two AT-2035 mics that I record solo instrumental guitar with. What Ron and Jim said is spot on. The 80db hi pass is nice to have (its easy to do in post eq too), also not pointing a mic at the sound hole is a big help too

[alohachris]

Aloha ronmac,

It's rare that I speak negatively about anyone's gear choices. But with the AT2035 MDC, I'll make an exception. You might want to think about returning that mic, Ron.

IMO, it's a dog! It's a poor vocal, Medium-sized DC mic & below average for acoustic guitar, IMO. Based on auditions & hearing several recordings with it, I think you'd even be better off with an SM-58 dynamic mic over the 2035! Price point is what sells it.

I recently had a home recording friend with a great voice move on from the 2035. It was as if there were a heavy coat removed from his vocal recordings & details of his fine guitar finally came alive. Now, he's re-recording all his previous 2035 recordings ASAP. Just saying.

You can do much better, ronmac. You will clearly hear the differences if you move up a tad on the mic hit parade, to say, a used Mojave MA-200 for $500-$600 bucks, etc. Even a live SDC like the Neumann KMS-105 will destroy the 2035 for better quality recordings of vocals & guitar.

IMO, tbman (Sorry, Barry) has been "fighting" the limitations of his 2035's (and untreated spaces) for years now, even though he's a fine player. The price may be right, but the recorded results are not - at least for me. That said, if you can make that mic work, then fine, ronmac. But I predict you won't stay with it for very long.

alohachris

[TBman]

Originally Posted by alohachris

IMO, it's a dog! It's a poor vocal, Medium-sized DC mic & below average for acoustic guitar, IMO. Based on auditions & hearing several recordings with it, I think you'd even be better off with an SM-58 dynamic mic over the 2035! Price point is what sells it.
.
.
.
.
IMO, tbman (Sorry, Barry) has been "fighting" the limitations of his 2035's (and untreated spaces) for years now, even though he's a fine player. The price may be right, but the recorded results are not - at least for me.

alohachris

Wow, I feel like my girlfriend just told me she likes my brother better,

Chris, now you have me thinking about the Rode NT-1A with very low self noise btw.

[ronmac]

I am not the op and I do not own that mic..,

Although you show an extreme lack of reading comprehension you have displayed an amazing ability to quickly craft a supercilious, condescending post, IMO.

You can do much better...

Originally Posted by alohachris

Aloha ronmac,

It's rare that I speak negatively about anyone's gear choices. But with the AT2035 MDC, I'll make an exception. You might want to think about returning that mic, Ron.

IMO, it's a dog! It's a poor vocal, Medium-sized DC mic & below average for acoustic guitar, IMO. Based on auditions & hearing several recordings with it, I think you'd even be better off with an SM-58 dynamic mic over the 2035! Price point is what sells it.

I recently had a home recording friend with a great voice move on from the 2035. It was as if there were a heavy coat removed from his vocal recordings & details of his fine guitar finally came alive. Now, he's re-recording all his previous 2035 recordings ASAP. Just saying.

You can do much better, ronmac. You will clearly hear the differences if you move up a tad on the mic hit parade, to say, a used Mojave MA-200 for $500-$600 bucks, etc. Even a live SDC like the Neumann KMS-105 will destroy the 2035 for better quality recordings of vocals & guitar.

IMO, tbman (Sorry, Barry) has been "fighting" the limitations of his 2035's (and untreated spaces) for years now, even though he's a fine player. The price may be right, but the recorded results are not - at least for me. That said, if you can make that mic work, then fine, ronmac. But I predict you won't stay with it for very long.

alohachris

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by ronmac

I am not the op and I do not own that mic..,

Although you show an extreme lack of reading comprehension you have displayed an amazing ability to quickly craft a supercilious, condescending post, IMO.

You can do much better...

Whether you are the OP or not or own the mic or not , has absolutely nothing to do with "reading comprehension". It's a simple mistake in overlooking who the the OP was , not comprehension.
Attempting to use that mistake as some imaginary justification for your Ad hominem flavored post is, specious disrespectful nonsense.

BTW answering the OP question with "read the manual" can be taken as condescending also. So yes "you can do better".

While Alohachris and I have occasionally had different opinions in the past (particularly on which DAW is the most intuitive, and easiest to use ) , BUT it's never been with any disrespect.

Trust me when comes to experience in auditioning a significant number microphones, (with the exception of a few pros) very few home recordists here, can match alohachris, in accumulated years worth of first hand knowledge on the subject of mics for vocal and guitar. Including myself.

Now obviously in the long run,( given each persons specific voice, guitar, recording chain, and room situation, is different) ultimately it's subjective.

BUT People post here with questions and to specifically solicit the opinions of others. So giving an opinion and stated as an opinion, like Chris's post , is completely valid even if that opinion may not be what the OP wants to hear,,,,, it's still valid .

While alohachris's post is a bit on the blunt side it's not a matter of condescension as much as simply having "been there and done that" in a process of buying and selling mics, which results in spending a lot of money and time that "might" be avoided by simply short circuiting that process and spending more at the get go. Which is something he and I do agree on .

Which is a very valid opinion and worth considering because it is based in the reality THAT: Almost invariably in the end, people often arrive at more or less the same place on the path of "audio acquisition" the only difference being.,,, having it been a more direct shorter route, or a lengthier more winding (and probably costlier) one. Just sayin' .................

[TBman]

Originally Posted by ronmac

I am not the op and I do not own that mic..,

Although you show an extreme lack of reading comprehension you have displayed an amazing ability to quickly craft a supercilious, condescending post, IMO.

You can do much better...

I didn't find Chris condescending at all. I'd rather have a sugarless opinion than have to read between the lines.

[ronmac]

If my response to the OP was taken as condescending, I apologize.

My intent was to give him an answer to his question by a) alerting him to the fact he should have received a manual with his mic; b) give him a link to the manual; c) quote the relevant section that covered both of his questions.

My response to the other poster may seem to be harsh, but I saw red when the OP was told that he had bought a “dog” and the only way he could redeem himself was to spend more money. I don’t know the OP, but perhaps he is quite happy with his purchase and it was the one that fit his budget.

[alohachris]

Aloha friends,

I want to apologize to both the OP BkinBWa & also to ronmac for my wrongly-directed response yesterday to a question RE: the AT2035. I simply got mixed up on who was who - which happens more now than when I was younger.

Yeah, I do have a strong opinion about the 2035. I was trying to save BkinBWa some anguish in trying to dial in that lousy mic. My opinion stands & I hope he looks for alternatives.

And sorry, ronmac for suggesting that the OP make a change & buy a more expensive mic. The 2035 is an inexpensive mic. However, it is quality, clarity, details, easy control & better recordings I want for BkinBWa, NOT spending only just to spend. The AT2035 doesn't deliver those.

O course, I do love values in gear, especially for on USED gear. But over 50 years in recording & collecting mic's has taught me that you cannot record WELL or CONSISTENTLY on the cheap, especially as DAW home recording has evolved.

But speaking of cheap? I can provide an excellent, over-looked alternative to the 2035 for BkinBWa: GET A USED PAIR OF AKG C 535 EB live condenser, vocal mic's. Used they often go for around $150/mic. The 535 is a Great Sounding Mic's for live or studio, excelling on on both instruments & many types of voices.

The AKG 535 has been around for 40 years. It was the favorite LIVE condenser mic of such very different voices as James Taylor, Barbra Streisand, the late great Richie Havens Sting, Paul McCartney & even Frank Sinatra! It was really popular in the 80's, 90's, & early 2000's.

And it really works very well as a studio condenser mic for vocals or instruments. It was my all-time favorite live condenser mic for gigs where I could use condensers. I liked my recordings with it too. Very detailed & clear., a tad noisy on spec's, but not an issue for my recordings. Has a roll-off switch too that is useful.

There are usually several USED 535's available. I would highly recommend the AKG 535 as an AT2035 replacement mic. Check it out!

Thank you(!) Kev Wind for clarifying where I was coming from with yesterday's response. That's exactly it - I was only sharing my actual experience & opinions of the 2035, trying to help & nothing personal to anyone at all.

Again fellas, sorry about my mistake. Hope this clarifies it.

A Hui Hou!
alohachris

[BKinBWa]

Actually, I do rather like it. Of course, my experience is limited and underfed…
All I was asking for were some real-world experiences with the high pass filter and 10 Db pad switches. Thank you.
-BK in BWA

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by BKinBWa

Actually, I do rather like it. Of course, my experience is limited and underfed…
All I was asking for were some real-world experiences with the high pass filter and 10 Db pad switches. Thank you.
-BK in BWA

OK real world:
An acoustic guitar in standard tuning has a low E @ aprox. 83 hz so the that HP filter @80 is pretty useful IMO (I have it on one LDC) and I often use it ,,,, on my mics that do not have an HP,,,, as others have stated , it's easy to do in mixing with most DAW's which will offer a multi-band EQ and most will have an adjustable HP filter (which I usually set to about 80 -100 hz.)

The 10 db pad ?,,,, personally I seldom use because I try to stay at fairly consistent level in both guitar and vocals. On something like percussion instruments I would tend to be more likely to use it

[Guitarist-1977]

I know this is an old thread. So you think the AKG c535EB is warmer than an LDC for a classical guitar?
Thanks

[jim1960]

One of the very first mics I owned was an AKG C525S. It was noisy and the high end was very brittle. I've never tried the EB version so perhaps that wasn't an issue on that mic, but the one I owned was terrible.