Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Condenser USB Microphone

• Side-address studio condenser with USB digital output (Windows and Mac compatible)
• Crystal-clear, natural sound for podcasting, home studio recording, field recording, and voiceover use
• Custom-engineered low-mass diaphragm provides extended frequency response and superior transient response
• Cardioid polar pattern reduces pickup of sounds from the sides and rear, improving isolation of desired sound source
• Low self-noise-perfectly suited for sophisticated digital recording equipment

This is my video review of the AT2020 USB microphone from Audio-Technica. USB Microphones are made to be plugged in directly to a laptop or desktop. I connected this to a Vista 64 laptop during filming and did the voice over on a Macbook Pro.

Text review:

I give this product a 5 star rating. It is easy to use, high quality and very competitively priced. This is a great desktop mic to use for making podcasts or recording music.

I am not a musician so I am not able to speak to that aspect of the microphones ability. I did use it to make several voice over videos and it performed perfectly. Never a hick-up or any spurious noises heard at all.

I did not include specs into my video review because it would add to the file size and be too small to read here on Amazon's video player.

Regular readers of my reviews know I try to supply specs when necessary.

Here are the specs:

Element: Fixed-charge back plate permanently polarized condenser

Polar pattern: Cardioid

Frequency Response: 20Hz-16,000Hz

Power Requirements: USB power (+5VDC)

Bit depth: 16

Sample Rate: 44,000 kHz

Weight: 374g (13.2 oz)

Dimensions: 162.0 mm (6.38") long

52.0mm max body diameter (2.05")

Output connector: USB type

Accessories: Pivoting stand for 5/8"-27 threaded stands, 5/8"-27 to 3/8"-16 threaded adapter, soft protective pouch, tripod desk stand; 3.1m 10' USB cable

System Reqs: Mac OSX, USB 1.0 or 2.0 64MB RAM minimum. Windows XP Home or professional USB 1.0 or 2.0 64MB RAM minimum.

So for a great USB microphone I recommend this highly!

About the video: After uploading I noticed that Amazon's codec (video compressor) has made the video quality sub-par. I will try to reupload it again with a different codec.

Thank you for watching!

Buy Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Condenser USB Microphone Now

I've had this condenser microphone for about a month now and it has suited my purposes very well. I needed something to record podcasts with and do some voiceover work as well. I do my recording with Audacity, and the microphone was imediately recognized and easily installed as my primary microphone for Audacity. It is a very sensitive mic, and I had to build a small "porta-booth" ()to reduce the echo in the room where I record, but was able to get good clear recording after that. I recomend using a pop filter with this microphone to help reduce "S" & "P" sybillance. All in all, a very good microphone for the price.

Read Best Reviews of Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Condenser USB Microphone Here

I was looking for the pre Amp for my microphone to do do voice over video and found this USB microphone from Audio technica. So I did not have to buy the preamp . Just plug it to the USB port then you go. It was very easy to use and noise floor very quiet, it does not record the fan noise from your computer or the background noise in the recording room, very happy with the purchase.

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This here is truly one of those hidden gem type products that you just don't really get to appreciate unless you have one for yourself. This is a great investment for anyone looking to do ANY type of recording on the casual level, vocals in particular. But why buy, you might ask?

1) This mic is USB powered. This is pretty much the prime reason that this is the perfect mic for the casual/beginning level user. If you were to buy a regular condenseor mic, or even the regular version of the AT Condenser Mic, you would have to have additional equiptment to power it. For those who, like me, know very little about audio equipment, you would end up paying for far more then you originally expected to spend and most likely been all kinds of confused about how to use it. Being USB powered is truely a God-sent, because all you need to do to make it work is plug it in. Theres no program to load, no instructions to follow, and best of all no sweat to break. As soon as you plug it in, the computer acknowledges it just like any other UBS device and you go on with your buesiness. You dont even need to sit and "safely" eject the thing, just yank it out and your done. No damage done to you computer or your mic. Best of all, the UBS cord is pretty standard, so you can easily replace it if the one that comes with it gets damaged.

2) The price. A lot of professional level condenser mics are pretty expensive, like around three hundred dollars at the cheapest level. Granted, that's a somewhat random number, but again, for the casual user, that's not exactly wallet friendly. I got mine in a music store for one fifty. I wish I had looked online for one a little cheaper, but it was still a wise investment. Thus far I haven't seen another mic this good for this cheap.

3) Durability. If you have any experience with audio equipment, mics in particular, you know that you need to be gentle with it when handling. I got my mic a good year and a half ago, and it's traveled with me a lot, sometimes in less gentle conditions then I would like. Its been bumped, dropped, and even sat on, yet it still runs strong. The only fragile thing this thing has on it is the legs that prop it up.

4) Sound Quality. Ok I lied, THIS is the best reason to get this mic. I started out doing vocals with a regular stage mic and one thing I can honestly say is that the quality was absolutely terrible. It was grainy, smothered, and I had to almost whisper to make sure my levels didn't peak while recording. The purpose of a condenser mic is to pretty much rectify all that. This one does it over and over again. My recordings come out crisp and professional sounding, and thus far, no one has been able to tell that I did all the recording my my basement with nothing but the mic, my laptop, and some quite time.

So if you looking for great quality for a affordable price, look no further then

Audio Technica AT2020USB. I have yet to find something I don't like about this thing. I am a very satisfied customer, and I can almost guarantee you will be too if you decide to get one too.

Peace

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I recorded this song with the mic to put on my youtube channel (rhyeleee at YouTube). Needless to say, the quality is great for the price.

The only reason why I put 4 stars instead of 5 is because it's not very good at accepting very loud sound.