Audio-Technica BP4025

I've been using this microphone for about 3,5 years. I'm a field recordist and sound artist. I record in urban and nature environments alike, all over the world. Over the past years, this microphone has become one of my go to microphones, especially for quick setups and run and gun ambiance work. And it's great as a backup or second mic on an expedition. Apart from this microphone, I also use the DPA 4006A, DPA 4060, Rode NT4, and Lom Usi a lot.

The BP4025 is a very quiet and natural sounding microphone, which delivers a lot of detail in its sound. It has a very low self-noise making it great for nature recordings. The XY stereo image is a tad smaller than other XY stereo mics I know, and because it uses a special mounting of the large diafragms, might take a bit getting used too. But when it is used well, it delivers a beautiful and enthralling stereo image, while remaining very uncolored. Because it uses large diaphragms (the only stereo mic I know that does so) it has a very present low end response. When I use this mic in urban areas, this can lead to an overpresent low end, but that's easy to correct in post. If necessary, the mic also sports a bass roll off. (I've never used it). And sometimes I've used this mics over my other ones precisely to take advantage of the low end response. The LDC's are also responsible for a quite lush midrange. The frequency reponse tapers of after 17K, but because of the fullness of the sound below this frequency, I rarely notice that.

I have my BP4025 fixed quasi permanently in a blimp, and it's great for quick setups and shoots. I've taken it everywhere in moderate climates, even sometimes in quite wet ones, and it is build sturdily enough to withstand a reasonable amount of abuse. I've not had humidity issues with it, but this is not the microphone I would be taking to the rainforest. For most places, it performs most adequatly. It's a bit front heavy, so get the correct suspension for it (I use a rycote duo lyre mounted in a rode blimp).

For this budget, I know of no other stereo microphone that would outperform the BP4025 for quiet ambiance recordings. And if you can live with the slightly smaller stereo field, it works great on music recordings too. So if you're looking for a versatile and quiet microphone that doesn't break the bank, this one's it.

I do field recording, atmosphere sound for films and relaxation. This thing is incredible for that purpose. Absolutely blows the built-in uni directional mics on my Tascam DR-100 MKIII out of water. It has zero self noise, you end up with a sound 100% clean of background hiss. I was so amazed by the total transformation of the audio I'm getting with this mic. Now I'm really regretting all the audio I have recorded with the built-in Tascam mics. Though to get the most out of this mic, you need to have high-end preamps as well.

To start, I'm not a professional, audio engineer or anything like that. But, I own a range of equipment from very cheap to reasonably expensive and so my comments are mostly relative

Firstly a few comparisons to the Rode NT4 which I bought used a few years ago. The BP-4025 is quite heavy but lighter than the Rode, narrower in diameter and shorter. It is is a little more top-heavy as the stem of the mic is narrow, most of the weight is in the head, this is not a problem, just an observation.

In terms of build quality, it feels great, very reassuring, when I pay this much for audio equipment I want to feel fairly sure that the item will not fall apart after a few years.

It comes with a mic stand adapter, 5 pin to twin 3 pin xlr lead and a basic foam wind cover. In use it needs more, I am planning to buy the appropriate Rycote BBG cover (I think 21mm) and will use it with the windjammer. I think it will probably just fit in my Rode Blimp II but I haven't tried it.

In terms of field use, the audio quality is superb, comparing it to my Sony PCM D100 and the Rode NT4 I think it just has the edge in terms of detail and has lower self noise.

It's quite sensitive to handling noise so I'll be using it in a grip or stand.

I do mostly field recordings or urban or mixed environments, occasionally nature sounds and I see myself using it more where there are fewer people. I find in the city and urban areas that a pair of binaural mics or the Sony handheld (with grip/shockmount) are more discreet.

Overall it's a superb mic. One of the things I like is that because of the design it will fit in a regular,cheaper blimp, unlike the rode which is has a much fatter diameter. The Rode is also a really good mic, but this one for me will be easier to use.

I searched for a long time for information about the application of this microphone as an overhead (on a drum kit), but since there is none anywhere, I decided to take a chance and bought it. The information is oriented towards drummers with more compact sets and those who record with an XY overhead configuration. For example Carter Beauford (Dave Mathews Band) who use Shure VP 88 live for ages or the Kings of Leon drummer Ivan “Nathan” Followill - Rode NT4. And I've seen so many studio recordings with AEA R88 or Royer SF 12. Everybody is saying to me - with stereo mics there's no options, you need two separate mics in AB configuration. But what if I don't need those options?! My opinion is that when the drum set is "one up one down" (tom and floor tom) there is no logic to pann far left and far right each. My set doesn't look like that in reality, nor is it logical when I do a fill the listener from a mainly centered sound of the drums - snare drum and kick drum suddenly hears a tom at one end of the spectrum, and then abruptly at the other floor tom, with no connection between them. So I like XY, ORTF, DIN configurations because they present the more organic picture of small drum kits. Until now, I mainly used a pair of AE3000, Rode NT5, EV PL 37, AKG C 430 and lastly beyerdynamic TG I53, and for that purpose I made stereo bars and special attachments to the microphone stand, so that it is easier and faster to position the two microphones in the appropriate stereo configuration. But it always takes time, then measuring distances, which slows down and complicates the process of recording in the studio or live. And if you are in a tight space and have to move the mic stands after changing something on the drums, again and again, positioning overheads become a nightmare. With this microphone, all that is unnecessary. You only need to choose its position in space. I place it above the straight line between the center of the snare drum batter head and the center of the batter bass drum head, so that both capsules are 90 degree to that line. Thus, snare and kick are always centered and each of the tom and floor tom remains on the sides of the two capsules and falls naturally into the stereo picture. That way, my left and right crashes are far left and far right in the stereo picture, the ride and hi hat are almost symmetrically on either side of the center, and the toms are around the snare and bass drum forming a solid center dominated by the drums. This leaves more space in the song arrangement for backing vocals, synths and guitars without the drums on top of them. In terms of the sound itself, my drum set opened up in the entire frequency spectrum. Some people claim that the low frequencies in this mic dominate, but that's exactly what we're looking for when recording drums. The 3D feel and depth I felt with this mic I was missing before. To keep it from getting too long, I think I'll make a video on the subject in the near future, that anyone can find with the keywords "Audio-Technica BP4025 on drums".
All about this mic has been' said by others, so I'll only mention the cable provided in the box - it is good enough for field recordings, but in the studio I’d prefer cables with better shielding. Such stereo cable can be done from two channel snake cable.