AT2020 USB Cardioid Condenser Mic Test / Review.

[EpicDubz]

Can someone please explain the difference between cardioid and supercardioid shotgun mics?

[hiphop4lifetillidie]

hi,i need help with my mic.i bought a mic stand and the screw on it to put your mic is too small.my hole on my mic is too big.which makes it loose when i put it.so can you tell me what i need to buy?

[wongowonga]

@hiphop4lifetillidie I think there are a couple of standard screw sizes.... i have a screw that screws on to the smaller screw to fit larger holes. mine come from another mic that i own tho i guess you should be able tp buy the fitting from your local music shop....

[c4r50n1]

@hiphop4lifetillidie AT2020 Voice over set up and that shows how to solve your problem IF you're still having it.

[jchang911]

whats the difference between the usb mic and the cardoid one?

[ch3nx123]

would this mic be good for recording vocals?

[joshorrorr]

wat shock mount do u use

[666lilnickY]

how does this compare to the samson co1u?

[TheGeekaChic]

It sounds Great. but

what about latency in a windows pc for recording/monitorin in multitrack sessions??? is there any problems with wdm, asio???

Tanks for the review

[fereyland92]

hey do i need a good sound card to make it work good for this micraphone ?

[TheChicagoPimp]

i'm thinking about buying this mic do ya'll think it's a good one?

[drummking15]

Im new to this music thing. Hey. I need your help. I have a question about this.. I recently bought this mic and hooked it up to my pc.. Do you have to have a preamp and mixer or no.. Or do you have to have a music program to use it?? Please I really need your help (:

[kHennian]

CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT TO DO.. WHAT DO YOU USE ASIDE FROM LAPTOP VISTA, A WEBCAM AND AT2020 USB MICROPHONE IN ORDER TO RECORD A GOOD QUALITY SOUND? DO i need speakers, software, mixers? Normally, I don't hear what I recorded til the end of recording and play it back,.... PLEASE HELP!!

[xSBxUltrax]

how is the background noise?

[wongowonga]

@xSBxUltrax these mics are sensitive by nature but nothing that a gain tweak can't deal with...

[xSBxUltrax]

@wongowonga

Do you think this mic would be a good solution for recording vocals?

[GachoFromLV]

Thank You.. exactly what i've been lookin for.

[Halunlimited]

Thx for review. Do you think I can use this AT2020USB to put the mic on a small conference table and record the conversation of me interviewing 1 or 2 people seated about 4 feet away (Charlie Rose Show style)? Is it sensitive enough to pick up a good level of sound without getting a lot of hiss or hum? Thanks much, Hal.

[wongowonga]

yes it would be ideal for that use... as long as the subjects are sat in front of the mic.. its directional

[Halunlimited]

Thx, that's an important point. I thought the mic might be omnidirectional.

[MrMagicdonwan]

((((((((((((((((((((((((((if any one wants to here what it sounds like in a recording check my page))))))))))))))))))))))))))­))))))))) i use this mic when i record and it is a great usb only think i would not do is scream into it loud but it picks up the smallest sound great mic for beginner recording studio

[MartyHITD]

Thank you

[mair77]

thanks for the review, i just bought one, i hope i have some luck

[corrosivehp]

Can anyone help me? I have a usb condensor mic and it records great but I can't get the playback to work while i'm speaking into it. I need to be able to hear my voice while i'm recording but can't seem to figure out how to make it work. Any suggestions?

[defcon2XX8]

@corrosivehp

Well it depends what program you use as to what kind of output you've got, I use FL Studio so I can pick my input/output, no sure what you use maybe there's a tut or forum post that can help you try google

[corrosivehp]

Actually i figured out how to do it, I use Acid Pro 7. The only problem is the latency is way off so when i speak into the mic i hear myself a second later, and even messing with the settings i still can't seem to get it spot on.

[defcon2XX8]

yeah latency will always be a problem with software rendered audio, I use ASIO4ALL instead of the default audio driver, you may be able to use it with Acid pro, not sure.

but it basically replaces with default driver (eg: windows sound driver) with ASIO4ALL and there no latency issues all... look into it

[xSBxUltrax]

Is that high pitched humming noise in the background coming from your computer and not the microphone. How is the noise while recording? Is there a-lot, or little to none.

[corrosivehp]

cool, i downloaded that asio4all and it works but i can't get it to work with the usb mic. It's either i can record with the asio4all or i can record with the usb mic, can't seem to figure out how to use the usb mic WITH the asio4all driver.

[vx220na]

After your review.. I bought one today.

Hopefully my next "Songs" will sound a little better than my previous attempts.

Cheers for the review fella. Much appreciated.

Lee.

[rogervduarte]

good to do voiceacting for flash animations?

[ShadyKDR]

more than good enough

[rogervduarte]

Thanks... Actually I bought it after asking you this question and, wow, more than good enough. =)

[BackStageBonanza]

good review. sold it to me!

[ninjashidan]

good review

[SummitPacific]

In response to Chrian31410, you need a usb or firewire interface with usb inputs.

[SlimxGrim]

i see dat mic as a "quick pick up shit and buy a better one." lololz

same to USB.

any help on buying a studio condenser mic(not USB) less than $200?

[tttinus]

Buy the non-USB AT2020. This sure is a fine little mike for this budget. Google-up some reviews.

[SlimxGrim]

@tttinus

Thanks, i just got a MXL990; pretty happy...FOR NOW

i'll be sure to buy a better one

[jozzas02]

is the quality any different between usb and non-usb?

[Rioboy07]

@jozzas02 Well i'm Not too sure if there is a difference but I think for the quality no but the down side for USB is I think it goes through slower to the computer so recordings will be very very little late but I dont think you'll notice the difference. best thing is to buy a non USB and buy a Audio interface I think that will give you the best sound and set up. Hope this helps! =)

[DjSairuncn]

buy a Audio Technica at2035, its an awsome microphone or a rode NT1A

[JordanMaster22]

@SlimxGrim Well, dumbass, you can get a non usb version of this mic under $100

[SlimxGrim]

@JordanMaster22

Well, jackass, I already have a fuckin microphone

[miyadv]

lmao his mic died after 10 mins of use at the very end it cut off jk lol but thanks for putting this up

[chrian31410]

Ok, I have a question. I have multiple USB condensers. AT2020's if you're wondering. And I want to record using all of them at the same time. The problem isn't the amount of ports. The problem is, recording each mic on a separate track (simultaneously). So if I have four USB mics, I should have four individual tracks. Right? But how do I do this?

[Jacksondavismusic]

what recording software are you using?

[KenGmusic1]

@Jacksondavismusic Cool Edit Pro2 is a great recording software, check it out

[HDwalkthroughsHD]

Pretty good review!

[RohainArora]

doo you have a better idea?

[flip18o]

my firend has this mic..

he's trying to record a song with it..

but when he's recording, he says that he cannot hear himself through the headphone... what could be the problem??

ps. he uses vista...

can you help me out here !!

thanks ^^

oh yeah.. and he uses acid 6.0 for his recordings^^

[maderomadero]

sound box.....help you control the volume on your voice and the music seperately also if you buy a good sound box you can have more than one set of headphones connected so two ppl kan hear

[RohainArora]

can you tell me what kind of a difference do they make?

[maderomadero]

sound quality no static on the sound voice sound alot more clear.

[RohainArora]

i bought apoigee for 600 dollars, and im thinkin of buying the at2020 for it, whaty do you guys think?

[maderomadero]

its not a bad idea

[daniellababz]

Wow I'm really surprised how well it picks up the guitar :D

[Dorkyxchiq]

This really helps. I was just looking on newegg to buy one of these! thank you :)

[audiotrax2000]

That was really usefull. Thanks for sharing it. Sounds good. I definately liked the up close sounds better on your voice and guitar.

[monlegaspi]

hey guys! im planning to buy one of these usb mics but dont know which is better the at2020 or the samson co1u? i like the samson but i read some reviews that is a mono mic :( like the g track. but i dnt know much about at2020. pls help! tnx!

[maderomadero]

dont buy a usb microphone i had a at2020 usb and switched to a regular cord mic, you can do a lot more with a regular just buy a sound box.

[RohainArora]

i bought a tascam, but i cant get it working.

by addin a sound box, will sound quality improve compared to usb?

[maderomadero]

sound boxes are a lil expensive but they are very kool and yes they are way better than usb cable

[M16TuB]

Go for the co3u! =)

[RohainArora]

Y for the samson???

[xturntofade]

I'm having this same problem right now. Did you end up buying the AT2020 or the Samson C01U?

[RohainArora]

SAME!???? have you figured it o ut?

[PauliiiB]

Thanks for this mate! great vid and has helped me loads! Think I'll be after one of these! Sound quality is great!

[dormanbenton]

Incredibe. I went to your music first before watching this. Forget that echo comment because it was dumb. This is an incredible review. Thanks.

[d790]

is cardioid better than a condenser mic?

[LukeSock]

Cardioid refers to the pattern that the microphone pics up.

The terms "Condenser," "dynamic," "condenser ribbon," "digital," etc. all refer to the way sound is "picked up" and converted.

This mic happens to be "uni-directional" or "cardioid" and is a condenser microphone.

[UnstableCore]

Thanks

[PuroMojo]

Very nice review and you gave us also useful examples: voice from many distances, and guitar on different positions!

I can also recognize the distortion you tube does when you upload a video, so I guess it can sound even better.

I was looking for it. Very good job. Thank you.

[loafpork]

Go look at his whack off guitar solo videos,,, ha ha,, I don't think you can get any gayer than Dream Theater. Dude sucks.

[amharjew]

you have a good point lke i said in he post, but big studios are connected to the universal bullshit industryand at2020 mics are not exspensive i got one on ebay for 50$ and its fucking awesome mic, but i also use a 25$ radio shack mic for back up vocals, and sometimes just for a different texture on solo vocals,depends on how you use it..if you have good songs recorded at good levels,and the sound in the panorama is correct, fuck big studios,sale on the net or the trunk of your car.

[loafpork]

"Those large studios make the "boring shit" that sells millions of records."

If this is why you make music, it's no wonder I'm sure your music is garbage. Go make it in the music industry,, like every turd who's gone to tech school for record engineering. heh heh,, you're funny. guess what, you're not going to 'make it' in the industry, you'll be lucky if you scrape by working for some douche bag with a home studio.... or better yet,, why not say you want to be a rock star. heh

[loafpork]

This guy is using the same mic... tell me that's not a nice warm sound. Probably has everything to do with the plug ins he's using and his eq. Anything can be tweaked, it's all about having good ears and patience. Not a big wallet.

watch?v=3BK49k-xYao&feature=re­lated

[loafpork]

Blah blah blah,, you've got to spend thousands of dollars to get a good sound. such bull fox.

People who usually talk like this are equipment junkies, usually this is because they're compensating for lack of talent, and they know this deep down. It just makes them feel cool to talk about the tech like it means something. I bet his music sucks balls.

[kusta16]

is this a good quality sounding mic for rapping?

[kusta16]

do you need an interface to actually use the mic onto ur computer?!

[Individuell83]

no you can directly connect it with your pc by one cabel to usb

[Gharper23]

dont listen to foxtrotalexs comments. They are pointless. Sorry but not everyone wants to spend 1000 dollars on a microphone and then have to buy a preamp or audio interface. which, if your using the 414 you will need a good one, so thatl rack up at LEAST another 500 bucks. People want this mic for the portability, ease of use.. and affordable cost etc.. and when you put all those together this is a great valued mic. It sounds pretty descent if you ask me. And I work with U87s, 414, etc..

[patrickmanning94]

is this better than the Blue Snowball??

[muckypops]

YES!!!

[patrickmanning94]

Cool, but i just recieved the SAMSON C01U. And it's awesome!

[Chipstastegood]

hi question.. could i use this microphone thru audacity??

[bestbacon]

wongowonga should this work out of the box? when i plug in into my usb port and record with audacity with out of the box settings.. all i get is static.. and when i try to say something to it, the pitch of the static changes higher.. is my mic DOA?

[TEDDYPPHE]

has anybody recorded a different type of song with this mic?????

[P0Psyckle]

would this mic be any good for recording my electric guitar though the amplifier?

[CMMusic1094]

would this mic be good for like recording songs like singing or rapping

[4543563]

Yes, but not singing.

Condensers cannot handle the high Spl's of singing (sound pressure levels.) You're much better off with a Stage, Dynamic Mic, they can handle high SPL's.

[madeyes4u]

Excellent review, but I wish you had video

[SPACEFACE70]

Just got this mic today i think its great. Unless your a real pro this seems perfect,thanks for the vid.

[foxtrotalex]

When i heard about this mic i was so excited. It was cheap as crap, and the reviews were pretty good. It is the single worst condenser mic i have ever used. There is nothing in the audio technica large diaphram line worth looking at below the 4040

[TaktikzMusic]

You should of got the cable version of this mic, Its like the best condenser mic I've ever come across. All USB mics have shitty quality, I wouldn't recommend any of them.

[foxtrotalex]

i didn't buy this mic, because its terrible, and the regular version of this mic is complete ass too, so i dont know why ou say its the best condenser mic you've com across. I'm just guessing you've never used a microphone that costs any more. In the Audio Technica range the lowest you can go is the 40 series. And for that price I would suggest going for an AKG 414, amazing microphone. But don't think you can get a good microphone for the price of the 2020, cause your can't

[TaktikzMusic]

Woahhh lol you know a lot about mics, a lot of people recommended the cable version of the AT 2020 but you seem to know a lot about mics what mic would you recommend for 100 and under?

[foxtrotalex]

To be honest there is no microphone better than this for 100. But that still doesn't make it a good microphone. People seem to be convinced that you can get a good condenser microphone for about 100-200 dollars. I can't see you getting anything good for anything under 500, and even those are bottom of the line. For instance the AKG 414 i mentioned earlier goes for about 1000 new, but search on ebay and you can find great deals.

[TaktikzMusic]

Well I don't have that kinda money lol but thanx for the advice anyway!

[foxtrotalex]

lol i know eh, who does. I had no idea until i went to school about the cost of good condenser microphones. I would suggest trying to find something second hand, I managed to save almost $1000 that way

[TaktikzMusic]

Yeah well I'll probably get this mic cuz I dunno where to get second hand mics, would and audio interface improve the quality of this mic?

[foxtrotalex]

yeah a good interface with good preamps will make the mic sound better. The preamps are one of the most important part of your recording sound

[TaktikzMusic]

Whats the difference between an Interface & PreAmp? Which is better? A Tascam US144 is good right?

[loafpork]

Dude, you're an idiot. Listen to all of the great recordings that have been made for decades with lesser technology than we have now. The tech is accessible and within the means of your average working stiff. It's most definitely not about the amount of money you spend on your equipment, or your schooling... which mostly amounts to debt anyway. Equipment ownership doesn't equal talent. I've heard great stuff made with casio toy keyboards that's more interesting than the crap on the radio.

[foxtrotalex]

man, you come on here, and throw out an insult, to someone who is here trying to help people. Big man... If you think the at2020 is a good mic your the fucking idiot, and you clearly have never used good equipment in your life. Why do you think big studios even make money if everyone can afford to make their own studios? It's because they have the microphones. You seem to think you know what your talking about, but you clearly dont, so shut it

[loafpork]

Didn't sound like you were trying to help anyone, but just inflate your small penis by talking about the expensive gadgets you have an understanding of. My thoughts are this. It's not the equipment one uses to get a sound, it's what one does with it that makes quality. All these large expensive studios are dying. 1.because everything sounds too processed and uninteresting 2. because people can make something that sounds good at home.

[loafpork]

But good luck finding a job, I hope you didn't waste to much money on that education you seem to think means something. sheesh, some people,,, douchebag takes a couple of classes at some tech school and automatically thinks it makes him phil specter. The large studios make boring shit, that nobody wants to listen to anymore,,, well, maybe not the idiots... ooooh yeah,,, three doors down is awesome,,, heh

[foxtrotalex]

man your living in a dream world. First off, i know what i'm talking about, and don't try and convince yourself i don't, and trust me, i have more than a couple classes at some tech school. Those large studios make the "boring shit" that sells millions of records. I come on here and give advice to someone on what mics to buy (taktics music and I have now exchanged many messages about microphones), and you come on trying to prove yourself to....I don't even know.

[loafpork]

Dumb fuck.

[foxtrotalex]

o good one, You can throw insults out on youtube. How about this, you clearly haven't made it in the music industry, so shut your mouth. I'm not even arguing that the music the huge studios produce is good! i'm just stating facts, pure facts. and you are just stating opinionated drivel.

[amharjew]

i have an at 2020 good fucking mic, why?

not compared to a MAnnley,RHODES,or NEVE but the at2020 gives you just wat you need and without tweeking, if you have a good voice and song..your there!!, the sweet spot on this low budget mic is like 4 inhces away, but you have to really be personal with your song, now, i do send it through a auto leveler ..the signal on the at2020 is beautiful man for the buck, use it right, its a good mic for the buck.and people who listen to music dont know,YOU KNOW.

[FeelingTwo]

hey, it works with vista too ?

[justinartcore]

can u use this with garageband??

[AltroLog]

They used Garageband to demo the microphone at shows, so probably, yes you can.

[DrumNBum]

this is a really good demo man, awsome job this is what muscians need on youtube, great demos like this, and good pop filter demo

[riseofhonor]

hey this was a good test but

id like to know if this mic will record good in front of an amp for an electric drumset

will it distort?

also

im not so good with tech so do all i do is plug this mic into my computer usb port and run and recording software and it will record just fine?

it would be nice if u can reply quikly

thanks

[wongowonga]

ok... i'm not an expert but from what i've read condenser mics are not great for micing amps... you would probably need a dynamic mic... I have heard this mic record drums very well though...

and yes, plug into USB and youre software will see it as a USB sound device...

[riseofhonor]

alright ill look em up thanks

[wongowonga]

look up the Shure sm57... I've never owned one but from what i've read, its a great entry level mic...

[riseofhonor]

oh yeah i remember looking at that one

but this one i remember reading that i need another program or something for it?

can u check if all i need to do is just plug it into my computer and record for me?

seriously thanks for ur help so far =]

[wongowonga]

You wouldnt need another program... however you may need to buy an adapter to convert the XLR connection to a standard audio jack (if you wanted to plug mic into your pc sound card)

these adapters are only a few pounds...

[riseofhonor]

oh so would a American Recorder (ART) XLR Female to 1/4" Male Mono Adapter work?

[wongowonga]

any XLR Female to 1/4" male mono adapter would work as the SM57 has a male XLR connection

[riseofhonor]

wat about stereo?

[riseofhonor]

so yeah

i went get buy the shure sm57 but the cashier dude suggested the audix i5 so i got that one instead with a xlr to 1/8" audio jack so i have it right now and i am having trouble setting it at a good angle to record because wwhen i record it is very low

[wongowonga]

a couple of things to check...

a) make sure its plugged into mic port not line-in as the mic port has higher gain.

b) check that the gain is turned all the way up for your mic

c) check that you have the mic boost enabled on the mic gain control in windows

hope this helps

[riseofhonor]

where can i find these settings?

[wongowonga]

open the volume controls (there should be a little speaker icon in the bottom right hand corner of screen on the task bar) you should be able to see the mic gain control there... the mic will have an advanced button under the gain control, click that to go to the screen where the mic boost is enabled

[riseofhonor]

o yeah

it has been enabled at 20.0+db and its still low

and when i max it to 40.0+db it becomes very fuzzy

there has to be something else causing this problem

wat program should i use to record anyways

i use the audicity unicode all i know wat to do with it is record

mayb i need to do soemthing on there

but i doubt that cus its fine with my laptops built in mic

im thinking of returning this and just getting the shure sm57

[wongowonga]

try enabling the + 40db then turning the gain slider down slightly to see if that stops it peaking.

It doesnt really matter what program you use to record. bare in mind that the mic that the shop recommends is often the one that they have the biggest profit margin on... take advice from a sales man with a pinch of salt :P

[riseofhonor]

yeah he suggested this one but

i dont know

the only sliders there are is the volume(100) and microphone boost(40.0+)

wheres the gain?

[wongowonga]

can you not see the volume/gain controller for the mic? if after you have tried tweaking the the gain you are still not getting a satisfactory sound level it could be that you need a pre-amp for the mic... do you have an amplifier with line-out on it?? you could use that if so... alternatively no pre-amp would be required if you bought a USB condenser mic but you would have to keep the amp volume low to avoid damaging the mic..

[riseofhonor]

it doesnt have a line out

but ill see wat happens when iget the shure sm57

[infraredtechnician]

Let me just say fom a techys point of view ,this is one of the better basic tests of a microphone when played in HQ even on You Tube it gives a good account of itself,as for the guitar sound check it sounds clean on the 12 fret / boomy on the port ,and thin on the 1st,great test,and please feel free to critique my vids .

[julie1300]

wow what kinda loser friend am I Craigers? I never even commented this video...well i missed it !...anyhooos...very nice xmas gift :) What did Zoe get???

[wongowonga]

your comment is too late and therefor void.

i'm not listening. la la la la

[julie1300]

hahahahaha...wow this really made me smile...after 14 hour work night and I am void

[wongowonga]

hehe!!! It sounds like you could do with a nurse to look after your every need :P

[Andelrrn]

Can it work Pro Tools M-Box?

[wongowonga]

Never tried it mate... Though i don't see why not. Windows sees it as a USB audio device. Its worked fine with every application i've tried it with.

[Andelrrn]

So can you check and tell me if it will defiantly work with my Pro tools M-Box if i bye the mic.

[ninjasmu]

if i'm not mistaken, the M-box is hardware and will require a microphone with xlr output, not usb. correct me if i'm wrong

[mandalastar]

I am sold. I want one, bad. I'm not sure how many US dollars 99 pounds are equal to, but a piece of recording equiptment I use crapped out on me. That mic would fix everything.

[wongowonga]

£99=$145 but electronics are cheaper in US.. you could probably get one for about $99.

I read review after review on this mic and for its price it more than good.

If you do decide to get one, make sure its the USB version if you dont have a preamp.

I LOOOVE it =D

[LesPaulDude999]

1st view, comment and rating. whoo!

cool.

[wongowonga]

LOL!! Cheers dude =P