Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone

Comments about Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone:

Audio Technic engineers help me to select this mic for the gig i was going to do recording very loud band in a club when the sound guy wouldn't let you hook to sound board. With the adjustments on mic and camera i was able to record in a room with 150db without distorion once you fine your sweet spot on your mic levels. This was referd by Audio Technic engineer department the #1 pick of mics for what i was doing, #2 was AT8022 but i went with the BP4025 and [...]. Also excellent for recording drum tracks all nature sound and crisp clear.

Comments about Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone:

I upgraded to this microphone from the Rode Stereo VidMic (3.5mm microphone adapter). With this being my first XLR Mic I was excited to use it based on the other reviews I have read, and the sound samples I listened to. This microphone is amazing. Audio recorded sounds very rich and clear. Low end frequencies are recorded accurately without any muddy sound. It's a very sensitive mic and can pick up all sorts of audio in the area. And there is indeed extremely low self noise, I can't even hear it with headphones on. It's perfectly silent with just clean audio.

The included cable is unreasonably long for my purposes though, I just wanted to mount it on a camcorder. I bought a 1.5 foot cable to solve that problem, and also got a fuzzy wind-tech wiffmuff to help with using it outdoors.

Overall, I am very pleased with this purchase. The other mic I was heavily considering was the Rode NT-4 but that seemed to be nearly double the weight. I feel I made the best choice.

Comments about Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone:

I use this mic primarily for nature recording/soundtrack for video. Only been using for 2 weeks. Works great so far. Well-built piece of equipment.

Comments about Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone:

I record nature sounds, particularly close lightning strikes. I use this on an EX-1 with a Rycote windjammer. I have tried so many microphones and many of them cannot handle the db thunder of a close lightning strike, the mics tend to "collapse" causing a crackle.

The low frequency, low wind noise, and almost perfect stereo imaging make the AT BP4025 my favorite mic.

I will always love my Senn. 416's

Other mics I have used:
Sennheiser 416/ME80/ME40 (X-Y config)
AudioTechnica 835ST (very good shotgun)
Rode NT5's (Least favorite)

The only sacrifice is directional pick-up, but that is what the AT 835ST is for.

The rolloff and -10db switch is located on the head, meaning you have to remove the windscreen to change them.

Comments about Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone:

I have experiences of stereo mics, AKG, SONY, RODE, Audio Technica for recording of classic music. Recently I had a chance to bring my PB4025 and NT-4 to concert hall for my friends of string quartet. I could compare the two mics under the exact same condition. My PB4025 could capture ambient very naturally with rich reverb. It has wide sound stage and flat frequency from low to high. Especially low frequency of the cello was very beautiful that NT-4 could not capture much. The sound of violin and viola were also natural. The high did not become shiny too much. There is fidelity of sound.My NT-4 is also wonderful. It has amazing characteristic sound image with fresh instrument sound and musicality. The sound stage is also very clear as like players can be seen. The low became a little weak at the off micing comparing with PB4025. It was not a problem at all. At the result, I mixed the two sounds, PB4025 and NT-4 to pick up advantages. It worked well in my purpose of the recording. There is different sound characters between. So, I would recommend to buy the both mics if possible. [...]

Comments about Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone:

I do a lot of ambient recording using a Sound Devices 702 recorder and have tried various microphone setups. I generally record very quiet settings with a large dynamic range of sound. I was first drawn to this microphone by the reviews I found online. Honestly, they sounded too good to be true for a stereo microphone at this price point.

I had tried several other alternatives, some didn't work well at all. My Rode NT-4 stereo was too noisy for a very quiet setting and had a very disappointing low end representation. The NT-1A matched pair had a booming low end with a high frequency artifact noticed by other nature recordists that I could not EQ out of the sound sample. The NT-1A pair was very subject to humidity problems when using them outside. Neither of those setups was sufficient to record very quiet settings. My Sennheiser MK-30/40 mid side pair gave me excellent quality with very low self noise and is the standard by which I judge other microphone setups. I became interested in this particular microphone because I wanted something with a better low end representation with low self noise. Once I read the reviews on this microphone, I wanted to give it a try. In theory, it would give me a little more presence in the lower frequencies because of the larger capsules which inherently have less self noise than smaller diaphragm microphones.

After a several of hours of recording sound samples in very quiet settings, I have to say I am shocked at the quality. As recorded through the Sound Devices 702, the sound samples are free of self-noise. I have detected no artifacts that are generally easy to pick up when recording in very quiet environments. I can hear the faint buzzing of insects and far distant birds against a dead quiet background. The low end sounds are very, very good. The stereo field is also excellent, although it is not quite as defined and spacious as the decoded Sennheiser MK-30/40 mid-side pair. However, the difference is barely detectable. Those subtleties will always exist for different microphone setups. So far, I have to say I love this microphone, especially at this price point. I consider this one a real find!

Another pleasant surprise is how easy it was to suppress wind noise. This microphone is very compact and easily fits inside of a small blimp. I have the Rode blimp with a custom suspension for my Sennheiser mid-side pair. I can easily just change O-rings and use the stock Rode clip for this microphone and viola, a stereo mic in a blimp. I also tried a dead kitten right on the top of the microphone and dealt with 8-10 mph winds with no wind noise other than the ambient sound of the breeze. Put the BP4025 on a simple handle with a dead kitten on the end and you have a very compact stereo setup for field recording in low to moderate wind.

If you are a beginner just getting into ambient field recording, this should be your first choice of a microphone. With low self-noise, which is usually a big problem, and the relatively low price point compared to other microphones, you can't go wrong. You won't get a better microphone for the money, and will do much better than microphones costing much more. You also won't outgrow it. For advanced amateurs, this microphone makes for a very portable and high quality setup if paired with a good recorder like the SD-702. You will find it a welcome addition to your arsenal and because it is very easy to set up and use. It will get used often. I often record in remote locations, and have already packed this microphone many miles. The compact and simple setup has been very nice.

I have not extensively tested this microphone in very humid conditions, which have no affect the Sennheiser pair. So that remains to be seen. But so far, this is a welcome addition to the gear that will get a lot of use.

Comments about Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone:

I use this mic. for use with my GY Hm 100e camcorder,it produces a very clear sound, good reproduction of low to high freq.
It's also very quiet (very good signal to noise ratio)
I think it's absolutely worth the money!

Comments about Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone:

I use this mic for recording stereo sound fx and ambiences in the field with my Sound Devices 702 digital recorder. It is extremely quiet and sensitive and does not have any undesirable coloration to it, plus it has a nice wide stereo image. What really makes it great is that it fits into the same shock mount clips and blimp as I use for my Rode NTG3 shotgun mic so it is very convenient to switch back and forth. I use this mic exclusively for sound fx recording, so I can't say how well it works for music, but for what I do it is an excellent mic.