I will have two reviews on here, the "Basic Review For Beginners" and the "Audiophile Review." I will also have a section after the basic review that talks about the required equipment you need/should buy/obtain and hopefully already have (unlikely) to properly utilize the microphone.
-Basic Review For Beginners-
The AT2020 (XLR) Cardioid Condenser Microphones is perfect for beginners and newbies! The AT2020 is a good starter microphone but perhaps not the best, but it will still give you your money's worth, not to mention Audio Technica is an internationally trusted brand. For the use by beginners, amateurs, and 'some' semi-professionals (not really recommended for that last category) who are looking for a budget microphone for use in making music, podcasting, and voicovers it is a good condenser microphone. Also, if you get this, it's a sensitive piece of technology. Be careful with it and do your research, trust me.
-Equipment Information-
You will need/have to buy additional equipment to use this. Now this is not the company trying to screw you over (except not providing you with an XLR cable, that's just rude). Buying any XLR Microphone requires that you buy equipment to go with it so it can properly function. You are entering the peripheral of the world of professional recording, congratulations, it's expensive. The equipment needed is as follows, assuming you have a computer, you better have a computer...
1. Three-Pin XLR to XLR balanced cable. This is usually the standard (most common) XLR cable used and found. One end will plug into your mic and the other must plug into our next item...
2. USB Audio Interface and/or dedicated mic preamp MUST HAVE 48V PHANTOM POWER FOR MIC TO OPERATE. The XLR plugs into this and then the interface plugs into your computer via USB. Most interfaces already have 48V switchable phantom power so don't let this disuade you from purchasing this mic. I recommend doing a little research on interfaces before making a final purchase.
3. Mic Stand - You need somewhere to put your mic, period. Make sure you get a stand with the right size grooves or whatever that term is.
Recommended/You Really Should Buy This Equipment:
(If you're using this mic and you want the best possible sound and/or you're doing it semiprofessionally, I highly recommend buying the following)
1. Pop Filter/Windscreen - This prevents something called "plosives" from distorting or peaking your audio, it makes it sound better. Certain consonants seem to be picked up by the mic very easily and create an uneven listening experience so pop filters can almost completely fix this. Almost any different brand pop filter would do, they're very generic, common, and inexpensive. When I mention pop filter, in that I also mean windscreen. They do the same thing with the tiniest of already minor differences. I've seen these things referred to as pop filter, windscreen, recording shield, sound absorbing foam cover, foam mic cover, acoustic filter, pop screen, pop shield, mic screen. Any of those and/or any combination of any of those words and you've found it. They all do the same thing with very minor differences. If you really wanna know the specifics, google.
2. Headphones - I would get studio headphones for mixing because most headphones have enhancement features that change the sound while studio headphones provide an accurate representation of the sound, being designed to have a flat frequency response. The headphones I use are Beyerdynamic DT 770 Studio 80 Ohm which is the exact same as the DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm except the Studio says "Studio" on the side instead of "Pro." I wanted to feel special, leave me alone. Also, the Audio Technica ATH-M40x are really good.
Now! For those of you curious about how the AT2020 compares in the ears of an audiophile, listen up...
-Audiophile Review-
• Condenser microphones by nature are more sensitive, but on the spectrum of condenser microphones the AT2020 is on the less sensitive end.
• It can handle loud sounds without distorting.
• The self noise (the noise the microphone makes by simply operating) is a little too loud in my opinion. It's 20 dB(A) which is on the louder side of professional condenser mics. Most are around 15-19 dB(A) I would say and that's pretty good. For some reason that one extra dba kills me. But I'm an audiophile and I notice things like that.
• This isn't an audio thing but it's durable and that's nice. Now don't go throwing it against a wall or intentionally dropping it for that will most likely break it.
• Only use it in a studio and/or controlled and/or low noise environment. It's not meant to be a stage microphone meaning not live performances. This isn't a critique but a tidbit of information.
• It's quite sensitive to handling noise, so try not to touch it while recording. Buy a shock mount to reduce noise from the floor!
• Please god soundtreat and soundproof your rooms, there is a difference.
• It struggles with plosives and you could move the mic further away to combat this, but you would need the mic closer to combat the high self noise but that would make plosives worse, so this is paradoxical... Pop filter I guess but even then pop filter only reduces the plosives so much. Don't get me wrong, pop filters can get rid of (my personal guesstimate based on experience being) around 80-85% which is good.
• Mic struggles with sibilant sounds but that's a little complicated for me to explain so... Google.
• Has very midrange audio specs so you do you.
OVERALL: Not bad... If you're willing to shell out a little more money for something better because you want to go professional, and you're 100% sure, then go ahead. But if you're unsure and this is you dipping your toe in the water, go ahead and buy the AT2020. It's pretty good for a beginner mic. Just please don't buy USB mics, those make me sad. Self noise is my biggest personal complaint. Plosives really aren't that bad though there are others that say different, I disagree, just get a pop filter. Pop filters or windscreens should just be mandatory requirements for owning a mic. Also, it's interesting how they don't provide you with an XLR cable, it's kind of just a common courtesy, one they don't extend. Overall, not bad.
Dakota Courtney
Botik