Audio-Technica AT2020 XLR Recording Microphone

I have never used a microphone before. I wanted to see how I sound. My voice is rusty, crusty, and not very trusty. This microphone does its best to flatter what little vocal talent I have. With the standard Garageband settings I have some compression and other stuff including a bit of echo. It sounded like I was in a hallway somewhere. I tried a bit of singing (the last song I heard), andsometimes I hit the right note, other times I ran out of phlegm and my voice disappeared, but overall it wasn’t too horrible. Ext I talked and it actually sounded OK. I went close to the mike with no booming, and I backed off, but then my weak voice got even thinner. Well, not weak, but not as masculine and commanding as the voice in my head. My voice is soft but has some ... MoreI have never used a microphone before. I wanted to see how I sound. My voice is rusty, crusty, and not very trusty. This microphone does its best to flatter what little vocal talent I have. With the standard Garageband settings I have some compression and other stuff including a bit of echo. It sounded like I was in a hallway somewhere. I tried a bit of singing (the last song I heard), andsometimes I hit the right note, other times I ran out of phlegm and my voice disappeared, but overall it wasn’t too horrible. Ext I talked and it actually sounded OK. I went close to the mike with no booming, and I backed off, but then my weak voice got even thinner. Well, not weak, but not as masculine and commanding as the voice in my head. My voice is soft but has some substance, and is quite clear when I concentrate. There is an intimate quality which is quite reassuring. When sitting next to a stranger on a train or at a social event, that stranger will often tell me their life story and we will become friends quickly. I would like that quality to come through a microphone, and I think the AT2020 achieves that. Money well spent (plus it was the only decent mike my local store had at a price I could afford. No regrets.

Best Microphone under 100 Dollars

Very good microphone, for the price point, this product is superior to all microphones below 100 dollars. (exaggerating I've only used a blue snowball before) But this was a definite upgrade. You do need a method of giving it 48V phantom power I'm using an exo 4 and it works great. It delivers crisp audio for all uses. Singing, commentary, any thing that captures sound it can do quite well. I have a feeling I won't have to replace my microphone for a while.

First USB Microphone

This is one of the best USB microphones I have tested. I do have dual Sennheiser MK8 and dual NTRs, and I find performance from this very similar to more expensive XLR mics. I now use this mic on (almost) a daily basis, apart from my XLR mics, to record my grand piano.Pros of this mic:*Very wide dynamic range and frequency, goes from 20Hz-20000Hz/20kHz.*Well balanced bass and treble voices for mono setup*Amazing build quality, solid full metal build*Internal LED light to indicate power to mic*Real-time zero latency monitoring off headphone jack*Sturdy included stand*Nice codec 16bit 44.1/48kHz*Premium mic pouchCons of this mic:*No pop filter or any other goodies apart from the short mic stand*USB mics, so no two way ORTF or any stereo type of ... MoreThis is one of the best USB microphones I have tested. I do have dual Sennheiser MK8 and dual NTRs, and I find performance from this very similar to more expensive XLR mics. I now use this mic on (almost) a daily basis, apart from my XLR mics, to record my grand piano.Pros of this mic:*Very wide dynamic range and frequency, goes from 20Hz-20000Hz/20kHz.*Well balanced bass and treble voices for mono setup*Amazing build quality, solid full metal build*Internal LED light to indicate power to mic*Real-time zero latency monitoring off headphone jack*Sturdy included stand*Nice codec 16bit 44.1/48kHz*Premium mic pouchCons of this mic:*No pop filter or any other goodies apart from the short mic stand*USB mics, so no two way ORTF or any stereo type of recording. You can't use two USB mics at the same time. Workaround: Plug each individual mic into different computers, then transfer both audio files into a single computer and sync audio in post*Wished they included an XLR port. Some USB mics have XLR built in as well.Overall, Audio-Technica does not dissapoint. Another amazing mic from the legendary Japanese audio company

Great Mic

Sound:Being 16 bit this mic will not compete with professional analog mics or 24 bit digital mics, however for 16 bit it is exceptional. It is a flat EQ mic and if I had to say where the weakness lies it might be in the high end, but it might be perfect depending on the range of the vocalist. I feel any frequency issues could be corrected with EQ in the DAW.Features:Most useful feature is the ease and simple connection via USB. There is also a mini-jack in the mic, so you can plug in headphones and monitor directly from the mic itself. Meaning, you could hear raw audio as the mic hears it, then via another pair of headphones hear the audio or mix from the DAW. Very handy. Weakest feature is the 16bit convertor. Its good, just 16 bit, not 24.Ease of ... MoreSound:Being 16 bit this mic will not compete with professional analog mics or 24 bit digital mics, however for 16 bit it is exceptional. It is a flat EQ mic and if I had to say where the weakness lies it might be in the high end, but it might be perfect depending on the range of the vocalist. I feel any frequency issues could be corrected with EQ in the DAW.Features:Most useful feature is the ease and simple connection via USB. There is also a mini-jack in the mic, so you can plug in headphones and monitor directly from the mic itself. Meaning, you could hear raw audio as the mic hears it, then via another pair of headphones hear the audio or mix from the DAW. Very handy. Weakest feature is the 16bit convertor. Its good, just 16 bit, not 24.Ease of Use:Extremely easy mic to set up and begin recording with.Quality:Mic is solid, well crafted. Heavy to the feel, good paint and nice cables. Includes a little stand.Value:This mic is extremely cheap compared to other mics of the same quality. I think it is the best of its class by far.Manufacturer Support:I haven't dealt with AudioTechnica before, but there is the good reputation.The Wow Factor:Very appealing to beginners and semi professional musicians. Could even be a great mic for a professional musician for the road, random spontaneous recording, since it is portable and connects via USB so easily.Overall:After researching for many months, I decided on the AT 2020 USB mic. This is a high quality mic with excellent range and detail for instrument and vocals. There really is no question that the mic has excellent recording, the only fact you need to be aware of is that this is a 16bit input not a 24bit input. 16bit is 'just' enough quality for a semi-pro recording session. I believe in terms of 16bit mics and USB mics this is the best model.

Great affordable mic

I had my MXL Condenser mic for a few years. I wanted to try a new one to see if quality of style would differ. I enjoy the sound difference it has on my vocals, I really enjoy the quality of this. I would recommend, especially if this is a first time mic. As I learn and study engineering though, I must state that different styles of music, different artists ad their voices affect mics differently. You should test/research to see if this fits your style/sound. I use it for podcasts and rap.

Nothing but praise so far

Haven't been using this microphone long enough to get a real grip on its ups and downs, but I can immediately tell compared to my previous microphone, a USB mic, that I am picking up more clear tones. More than that, the unpleasant noises that snuck in with recording are conspicuously absent.Despite the fact that purchasing this microphone in the end required me to replace nearly my entire audio setup, I consider it worthwhile.

Power Meets Beauty

This is my first condenser mic, but I have heard great things about AT in the past. I have owned multiple of their ATH 50s. Very quality products. This mic is no exception. I upgraded to this for my video conference setup and the sound quality is superb.I know must audio professionals know this but if this is your first mic, be sure to have all your cables, interfaces, and holding arms locked in to make unboxing day as smooth as possible.I am only about a month into using the mic but after about 30 hours of zoom and a few short tutorial style videos, I am still in love. I will update this review once I have had some more hours in this unit. I'll also post an raw audio clip for reference!

Quality build

I use a mike for voice overs and connect the mike via a Behringer Q502USB mixer and I was plugging in a cheap mike into the phono jack which didn't give me a good sound. The Behringer has an XLR input so I wanted to try that. Did a lot of research on mikes and settled on this one. It was a good choice. I purchased the Kopul Studio Elite 4000 XLR cable along with the mike to make sure I had a quality cable connected to the mike. It's a condenser mike so it needs phantom power which the Behringer mixer supplies. The mike's cardiod pattern suppresses background noise not coming from the front of the mike. Note that you don't talk into the top of the mike, but rather into the side. Thus, the mike is optimized for sound coming directly in front of it. So far, I'm very ... MoreI use a mike for voice overs and connect the mike via a Behringer Q502USB mixer and I was plugging in a cheap mike into the phono jack which didn't give me a good sound. The Behringer has an XLR input so I wanted to try that. Did a lot of research on mikes and settled on this one. It was a good choice. I purchased the Kopul Studio Elite 4000 XLR cable along with the mike to make sure I had a quality cable connected to the mike. It's a condenser mike so it needs phantom power which the Behringer mixer supplies. The mike's cardiod pattern suppresses background noise not coming from the front of the mike. Note that you don't talk into the top of the mike, but rather into the side. Thus, the mike is optimized for sound coming directly in front of it. So far, I'm very happy with the mike.

Top Notch Gear

I have been using a M.I.C. off brand something-or-other condenser microphone for a few years. It was okay, sounded fair but the shock mount wouldn't fit on any stand I had (too loose and wouldn't thread) as a result it would often flop around and I had to finally tape it. My headphones were of the Amazon variety and finally gave out leaving me with nothing but a pair of old Sony on-the-ear headphones. Great for listening to music from your iPhone but not doing serious recording. As a podcaster and musician, it was time. So, being a guy on a budget that needed stuff, I saw this. I've always like audiotechnica gear so I thought "How bad can it be, gotta be better than what I got". Well.... let me tell you. I am overwhelmed with joy on how good this thing sounds, how ... MoreI have been using a M.I.C. off brand something-or-other condenser microphone for a few years. It was okay, sounded fair but the shock mount wouldn't fit on any stand I had (too loose and wouldn't thread) as a result it would often flop around and I had to finally tape it. My headphones were of the Amazon variety and finally gave out leaving me with nothing but a pair of old Sony on-the-ear headphones. Great for listening to music from your iPhone but not doing serious recording. As a podcaster and musician, it was time. So, being a guy on a budget that needed stuff, I saw this. I've always like audiotechnica gear so I thought "How bad can it be, gotta be better than what I got". Well.... let me tell you. I am overwhelmed with joy on how good this thing sounds, how great and solid the mount is and how clear the headphones are. No more fumbling and shuffling things around on my desk for a place to put my mic. Now I just reach over and pull it over on it's articulating mount. I sounds spectacular and I can't even begin to wonder what the hell I was thinking not getting this setup sooner than I did. As always, Sweetwater delivers a great package. Thanks guys!

great product that will last years!

This mic has lasted me over 8 years! It sounds great, and is very durable. it has gone through a number of moves and setup changes. each time it has taken it like a champ. the audio quality come out clear and smooth. picks up your voice easily and is sensitive enough to pick up those who are quiet. I would recommend this to anyone who is into voice acting, or casual podcasting.