Natural and neutral, the Audio-Technica BP4002 is a meritable contender in the growing reporter’s microphone field says ALISTAIR McGHEE. When Beyer introduced its excellent M58 hand held reporter’s mic I was appalled. Didn’t they know that Shure would forever ‘own’ the number 58 in the world of microphones? Didn’t they know that the SM58 is the only microphone in the history of the world to be named in a song? (And there’s 58 brownie points if you can name that song!). I suppose the Beyer naming department figured that no FOH guy would ever provide The Boss with an omni hand held reporter’s mic, and on that basis a bit of numeric resonance would be a good thing. Sennheiser HD800s, so I sent it out with Clive ‘the voice’ Roderick for a quick spin. Clive returned happy but not overwhelmed – he was ‘whelmed’, I’d say. I think the sticker inside the XLR that proudly proclaimed ‘Taiwan’ reduced his whelm a gnats. However when I asked would he rather it said ‘China’, he could see my point. Having disposed of the high-end cans I turned my attention to the BP4002. I suppose an omni is the easiest design: no vents, or slits, or other fancy things, just your best transducer in a sealed box. It’s a big ask (as we now say in Welsh rugby) to get a moving coil to accurately cover AUDIO-TECHNICA BP4002 Omni-directional Microphone THE REVIEWER ALISTAIR MCGHEE began audio life in Hi-Fi before joining the BBC as an audio engineer. After ten years in radio and TV, he moved to production. When BBC Choice started, he pioneered personal digital production in television. Alistair is now Assistant Editor, BBC Radio Wales, but is allowed out occasionally. I’m not sure if the same idea is behind the naming of Audio-Technica’s new venture into the world of the hand held ENG/reporter’s microphones, the BP4002. If you’re an old git (like me) you can remember the doyen of reporters mics, the STC 4037 (a mic you could defend yourself with should the interview turn nasty), and if not you will get a bit of a buzz out of the 40xx connection to DPA’s wondrous microphones. To be fair to Audio- Technica, it does have a well established 40-stylie product of its own in the 4040. I’ve just bought two. So the evolution of the handheld from where I stand goes 4037, EV 635, and Beyer M58. This has nothing to do with quality, just what we were buying. However we hit a snag with the onset of awful minidisk recorders – their mic amps were even worse than their ethos. And the 58 was a bit on the low output side. We dallied with the MCE version but batteries and reporters don’t mix, and that confusing on/ off switch was too much for new journalists already struggling to <strong>com</strong>e to terms with the pedal bin. So we went out hunting and came back with the Sennheiser MD 46. Nice shiny finish, cardioid, and one louder. That was seven or eight years ago and the 46 and 58 have lived happily side-by-side since. However, Audio-Technica has had a foot in this door for a while with its 8004 omni, but despite having a long version, suitable for that all important mic flag, the A-T hasn’t quite forced its way in on the reckoning. And of course that is the reasoning behind the BP4002. It’s long, it’s omni, it’s very well finished, and it’s bang in the price range of the German offerings. Making Comparisons I’m glad I started with that whole SM58/M58 thing because A-T claims that it’s imported some unique mechanical characteristics from its stage mics into the build of the BP4002 – something about back cavities that sounded all too medical for my liking. Anyway, the 4002 is handsome mic and looks altogether the business. Beyer has long supplied the M58 in a Nextel paint finish that looks and feels great, but suffers mightily when you force it into a mic clip that is too small, or indeed, apply copious amounts of camera tape. I know you’re not supposed to do either of those things but life isn’t always fair. The 4002 will laugh in the face of adhesive tape and actually <strong>com</strong>es with a mic clip of its own. Bonus to A-T – and if they change from plastic to a brass 3/8ths insert, that will be two bonuses. When the 4002 arrived I was still wrestling with the 20 to 20, but these days 40 to 14 will do me just fine. For ther record, the BP4002 frequency response is 80-20KHz. Setting up the 4002 and 58 side by side produced some interesting results. I gave the 4002 the edge on neutrality, while the 58 had better ‘cut through’. I checked the frequency response curves and learnt not very much. The 58 has a broad lift at 2k and a bump just above 5. The 4002 is flatter to 3k, bumps at 4, and then has two more bells before 10k. Listening back I felt the 4002 to be more neutral and more natural, but for intelligibility the 58 holds the higher ground. From ‘a what it sounds like’ point of view, either would make a good choice. If pushed I would plump for the 4002, but if I spent all my time recording against aggressively noisy backgrounds the M58 would be a better bet. The 58 seemed to resist pops marginally better, while the 4002 won out against wind noise – but again there wasn’t much to choose between them. Handling noise was also close, but all that work Audio-Technica has done on its back cavity seems to have paid off putting the 4002 just ahead. Conclusion The reporter’s mic market is not exactly a hotbed of activity constantly flooded with new products, so the BP4002 (there’s also a 4001 the cardioid brother) is an interesting addition to the established options available. I suppose the legendary reliability of EV, Sennheiser, and Beyer mean that few replacements get sold – and of course here the jury is out on the 4002. It’s just not been around long enough to build that sort of reputation. This segment of the market isn’t as big as the MI end of the studio mic product range, so there will always be less going on, which makes Audio-Technica’s interest all the more wel<strong>com</strong>e. I think the BP4002 is a worthy choice in a well-finished package. ∫ ................................... £ GB£189.00 (inc.VAT) INFORMATION A Audio-Technica UK, Technica House Royal London Industrial Estate, Old Lane, Leeds, LS11 8AG. T +44 (0) 113 277 1441 W www.audio-technica.<strong>com</strong> 22 AUDIO MEDIA JUNE 2011
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