Audio-Technica has long been the microphone of choice for Mike Johnston, the creator of the educational website www.mikeslessons.com.
Recently Johnston acquired two Audio-Technica AT5045 cardioid condenser instrument microphones, which he has been using as the exclusive microphone to achieve his “dream drum sound” for the series.
“Currently, two AT5045’s are the only mics on my kit, and people are freaking out over the sound,” he remarks. “This mic is absolutely unbelievable. I never thought I would find a mic that captured the full spectrum of sound that I am used to hearing while sitting at the drum set.
“I’m using one AT5045 as a mono overhead and the other AT5045 as my bass drum mic. I have it about two feet away from the resonator head. The overhead picks up everything, including my most subtle ghost notes and left foot hi-hat chicks, but it doesn’t peak out when I nail an accented rimshot on my snare.”
He adds, “I have been making videos and recordings for social media since before it was even called social media, and I have always had trouble achieving the sound I wanted. As an educator, my videos need to have an honest sound that makes the viewer feel like they are almost in the room with me, but they also need to sound as professional as anything else out there.
“The AT5045 is the only mic that I’ve ever used to give me exactly that. As soon as I put the AT5045 above my kit, my ears were in heaven – so much so that I eventually took down all of my close mics. I am now just using a pair of AT5045’s, and it’s my dream drum sound.”
