Coles 4040

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Hi James,

I posted a question a few days ago asking if you had any experience with the new Coles 4040 yet. Unfortunately I don't seem to be able to press the 'Submit' button correctly, so I'm just reporting back to say that after a very helpful conversation with Coles I've just bought two 4040 mics. I'll be testing them out over the next few days and will let you know how I get on.

Sincerely,

Diarmuid Dunne

-- Diarmuid Dunne (diarmuid.dunne@virgin.net), February 06, 2004

Answers

I look forward to hearing your comments. Do you have 4038's to compare them to? What preamps are you using?

-- James Boyk (boyk@caltech.edu), February 06, 2004.

Thanks James,

Unfortunately I don't have the 4038's to compare them too, so it will be a rather subjective opinion, and I'm also not very experienced with ribbon mics so it will also be a bit of a new area for me. I'm using a Dacs MicAmp which I hope will provide the right high gain/low noise combination.

Sincerely,

Diarmuid Dunne.

-- Diarmuid Dunne (diarmuid.dunne@virgin.net), February 07, 2004.


Well I've just completed a recording on a Bosendorfer 225 (to each their own, but not my favourite make of piano - woolly, booming base and tonky, xylophone treble - some of the old ones are gorgeous though). Anyway the 4040 gives by far the most superbly detailed and natural piano sound I've ever heard. I used a Blumlein pair about 4 feet off the crook of the piano. The stereo image was fantastic, very tight, and the sound is simply so much more piano-like than condensers.

I'd love to hear what you eventually make of these microphones James (my serial numbers were 39 & 40 - so not a lot of them around at the moment?).

Sincerely,

Diarmuid Dunne.

-- Diarmuid Dunne (diarmuid.dunne@virgin.net), February 08, 2004.


Nice to hear this. I'll have to hear them against the 4038 when I get a chance. A Boesendorfer which sounds as you describe needs, I would say, either a technician who's better at tone regulation or perhaps an owner with better taste!

-- James Boyk (boyk@performancerecordings.com), February 08, 2004.

Do try any ribbon mikes at a variety of distances, as the bass balance will be correct over a fairly narrow narrow range. I would try distances up to at least 10 feet. And anyway, at 4 feet, you were almost as close as Blumlein miking can be done on that size piano (without having some of the sound come in the rear of one or the other mike). Purely from an imagine point of view, Blumlein works best when the source subtends an angle of less than 60 degrees from the mike position. Of course there are other factors which matter: noise in the room, or bad acoustics, may force you to mike closer than ideal.

-- James Boyk (boyk@performancerecordings.com), February 08, 2004.


Thanks James,

Will take that on board. I could have gone back another foot, but no more as the edge of the stage was too close. The sound was definitely of the "intimate" variety at 4 feet (I'm kid of partial to that, to be honest?).

Many thanks, your web pages are a constant source of inspiration to me.

Diarmuid.

-- Diarmuid Dunne (diarmuid.dunne@virgin.net), February 09, 2004.


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