moosers
Published on 03/08/10 at 23:03
The Audio-Technica ATM450 is a low budget large diaphragm condenser microphone designed for use in the recording studio. I wouldn't recommend using it at all outside of the studio, as it simply isn't designed for any other sort of use. The mic has a cardioid polar pick up pattern, and will pick up frequencies between 40 Hz and 20 kHz. It has a -10 db pad and a high pass filter at 80 Hz.
OVERALL OPINION
For home studio owners, the Audio-Technica ATM450 provides a decent option for a large diaphragm condenser mic at a great price. It has a pretty nice look and sturdy build, but certainly isn't the most well designed or made microphone around. I've used the ATM450 a few times for recording a few different applications including acoustic piano and acoustic guitar. I definitely got a pretty full sound for recording both of these, but I liked the sound I got with the piano more as the tone wasn't crisp enough on the acoustic guitar for my taste. Of course the final sound that you get depends on a number of different things, not just the mic, but I've used a number of microphones in the same chain with the same guitar, so I did have something to compare it to. It worked well for recording the piano, as I was looking for a boomier sort of piano sound, while with the guitar I was aiming for something a bit more brilliant and cutting. As always, it really just depends on the type of sound that you're after. Of course what will really drive people to the Audio-Technica ATM450 is the price. It is just about as cheap as possible for a microphone like this, which isn't to say that this is the best mic in this price range, but it should definitely be considered. I'm not a huge fan of the mics made by Audio-Technica in general, but I do think that the ATM450 is a great deal.
OVERALL OPINION
For home studio owners, the Audio-Technica ATM450 provides a decent option for a large diaphragm condenser mic at a great price. It has a pretty nice look and sturdy build, but certainly isn't the most well designed or made microphone around. I've used the ATM450 a few times for recording a few different applications including acoustic piano and acoustic guitar. I definitely got a pretty full sound for recording both of these, but I liked the sound I got with the piano more as the tone wasn't crisp enough on the acoustic guitar for my taste. Of course the final sound that you get depends on a number of different things, not just the mic, but I've used a number of microphones in the same chain with the same guitar, so I did have something to compare it to. It worked well for recording the piano, as I was looking for a boomier sort of piano sound, while with the guitar I was aiming for something a bit more brilliant and cutting. As always, it really just depends on the type of sound that you're after. Of course what will really drive people to the Audio-Technica ATM450 is the price. It is just about as cheap as possible for a microphone like this, which isn't to say that this is the best mic in this price range, but it should definitely be considered. I'm not a huge fan of the mics made by Audio-Technica in general, but I do think that the ATM450 is a great deal.