Audio-Technica BP4025 X/Y Stereo Condenser Microphone

You don't think about it much, but good stereo ambi - ambient sound - can add a lot to the feeling of a video sound track. But how do you capture it? There are many stereo mics and the cost range varies significantly; from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The Audio Technica BP4025 is a relative newcomer. B&H lists it for $.It's a professional X/Y patterned mic and requires phantom power. It has a five-pin XLR output connector, 10 dB pad and low frequency roll-off. The BP4025 comes with a five-pin to dual three-pin XLR Y-cable that plugs into any professional mic input. A simple foam pop filter is included, but for serious outdoor work, you'll need something more wind resistant. The significant difference between the BP4025 and other stereo mics is that ... MoreYou don't think about it much, but good stereo ambi - ambient sound - can add a lot to the feeling of a video sound track. But how do you capture it? There are many stereo mics and the cost range varies significantly; from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The Audio Technica BP4025 is a relative newcomer. B&H lists it for $.It's a professional X/Y patterned mic and requires phantom power. It has a five-pin XLR output connector, 10 dB pad and low frequency roll-off. The BP4025 comes with a five-pin to dual three-pin XLR Y-cable that plugs into any professional mic input. A simple foam pop filter is included, but for serious outdoor work, you'll need something more wind resistant. The significant difference between the BP4025 and other stereo mics is that the BP4025 has relatively large diaphragms; about an inch in diameter. These larger diaphragms grab sound with less selfnoise than mics with smaller diaphragms. Selfnoise exhibits as high frequency hiss and can really spoil the sound. My first test with the BP4025 was a simple walk around the backyard. I plugged the BP4025 into my Sound Devices 744T audio recorder grabbed my headphones and headed out. It was a great Spring day with birds tweeting everywhere. Using the headphones to help me find a good spot. I held the mic in my hand and hit RECORD. The BP4025 is so quiet that the selfnoise was well below the noise floor of my quiet suburban neighborhood. I heard absolutely no hiss. As I stood listening to nature in stereo, I spotted one of my neighbors walking her dog. She was about 150 feet away from me. As I watched her approach, I head a sharp clack.She's used to seeing me with audio gear hanging off me and as she got closer, she stopped to see what I was up to...THIS TIME. When she got within comfortable conversation range I noticed she was chewing gum. I asked her if she had clacked her gum as she was walking. Yup. That was the clack I had heard from about 150 feet away. The recording proved very useful a few months later when I was posting Hot Flash, a double award-winning indie short I produced last year. There was a backyard scene in which Diana Sowle, wearing an electric dog collar, walks aimlessly across the lawn, only to be stopped by an invisible electric pet fence. The boom mic was obviously not in stereo, nor did it hear much ambience. It was not a nice Spring morning and there were no birds chirping. In fact, there was a rather noisy air conditioner across the street.The stereo ambi track fit perfectly. I chose a particular section so the scene opens with a particularly nice bird tweet. No one has ever questioned me about the sound. No one knows, until now, that the ambi was from a different neighborhood on a different day. You can hear for yourself at the HotFlashMovie web site. I've always felt the most important quality of great sound is that is doesn't draw attention to itself. Since then I have continued to record stereo ambi and have created a small but growing archive of great sounding stereo ambi tracks; all done with the AudioTechnica BP4025.

Purchased this mic based on a number of exceptional examples from other respected field recordists I have heard using this mic. I have been looking for that perfect-almost mic for professional field recording. I need a mic that's sensitive, selective and able to catch real-world sound with little color - but as much nuance as possible. Ideally, it would also be a stereo mic to save one equipment costs and weight. The impossible dream I suppose. From my testing so far, this mic hits very nicely on all points of interest and concerns. In testing, it simply performed flawlessly as it ticked off each of my concerns with little effort. In the studio, the sounds came to life nicely. We are all truly impressed and believe any discerning set of ears will be as well. I ... MorePurchased this mic based on a number of exceptional examples from other respected field recordists I have heard using this mic. I have been looking for that perfect-almost mic for professional field recording. I need a mic that's sensitive, selective and able to catch real-world sound with little color - but as much nuance as possible. Ideally, it would also be a stereo mic to save one equipment costs and weight. The impossible dream I suppose. From my testing so far, this mic hits very nicely on all points of interest and concerns. In testing, it simply performed flawlessly as it ticked off each of my concerns with little effort. In the studio, the sounds came to life nicely. We are all truly impressed and believe any discerning set of ears will be as well. I personally don't believe you can go wrong with this mic for field recording. I have worked with waaaay too many pro mics in my life. This mic is likely the best to date for field recording.

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 ... MoreI 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.