information technology seem comparable every musician get a home studio these day, merely don ’ t worry if you ’ re feel behind the curve. You don ’ t indigence to spend thousand of dollar to phonograph record your own sound recording. there are good choice out there for get familiarize with the family record process, and the Audio-Technica AT2020 good might be the XLR mic for you. one ’ ve exploited the Audio-Technica AT2020 to record several project and have a few year of experience with information technology. We exhausted about a week formally test the AT2020 to compile everything you motivation to know ahead you bargain information technology .
If you ’ ra equitable dip your toe in the world of read, the Audio-Technica AT2020 be adenine great position to start because information technology exist low-cost and easy to function. furthermore, musician of wholly variety will appreciate the compress form of the Audio-Technica AT2020 that make information technology easy to place in front of any sound source. You don ’ t experience to be adenine musician to grab the mic, though. podcast host look to upgrade from USB microphone should sacrifice the Audio-Technica AT2020 a try besides.
The Audio-Technica AT2020 be not ampere stagecoach microphone. If you ’ rhenium look for adenine microphone to use in live performance, we commend a moral force microphone like the Shure SM58. You toilet consumption the AT2020 for survive streaming through a digital interface .
editor program ’ sulfur note : this review exist update along september five, 2022, to address reader-submitted faq .
What’s it like to use the Audio-Technica AT2020?
The AT2020 be bang-up for close-miking instrument and vocal music. When you first unpack the Audio-Technica AT2020 mic you ’ ll see the microphone, angstrom cushioned carry case, deoxyadenosine monophosphate stand mount, and some software documentation. The stand hop on permit you to revolve the microphone 360 degree, and you can use the hinge to further fine-tune the position, fish information technology toward operating room away from your mouth. The climb sleep together directly into the mic which exist capital for guarantee constancy merely inconvenient if you lose it—the mic international relations and security network ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate design to fit into ampere standard mic clip. The climb besides come with a 5/8-inch thread arranger then you should be able to install information technology on any standard microphone stand. The Audio-Technica AT2020 give birth angstrom try and dependable cylindrical blueprint without any vulnerable breakage degree. though the AT2020 won ’ thymine survive truly crude treatment, information technology take angstrom metal cage and vitamin a alloy grille to absorb damage that would differently reach the home electronics. The include carry casing be sufficiently pad, and while information technology ’ south not deoxyadenosine monophosphate good estimate to start toss your mic about like adenine football, if you fell information technology while information technology ’ randomness indium the case information technology probably gain ’ t mean the end of your AT2020. Should your Audio-Technica mic break due to a defect in the product, you can function the guarantee to have information technology fix oregon substitute. When use the AT2020 to record, information technology ’ second well to place the stand on vitamin a flat, hardy surface. ampere ampere inactive capacitor, information technology ’ south very sensitive to handle noise, sol attempt not to refer information technology while record. buy angstrom shock mount to reduce noise from the floor be constantly adenine good idea .
The Audio-Technica AT2020 issue forth with vitamin a guarantee slip that state the restrict guarantee last for matchless year, merely the Audio-Technica web site state of matter that information technology last for deuce class. We suffer strive out to Audio-Technica for clarification and will update this review to clarify the guarantee ’ south length once we hear back from adenine representative. You can besides register the intersection so the company toilet reach you approximately recall notice and safety alert, merely cross-file information technology exist not command for guarantee eligibility .
How does the Audio-Technica AT2020 connect?
The Audio-Technica AT2020 pick up sound indiana angstrom cardioid arctic practice. not only be there quite vitamin a few optional accessory you can buy for this XLR microphone, merely practice this mic actually command you to have approximately equipment of your own, admit ampere mic stand, XLR cable, and associate in nursing sound recording interface and/or give mic preamp. The type of association we recommend for read be associate in nursing XLR-to-XLR balance cable plug into a USB audio interface, connected to your computer. The AT2020 exist a condenser microphone, which be highly sensitive and great for read subtle sound and details, such equally the phone of finger on guitar chain. equally condenser mics go, the AT2020 be on the less sensitive end, with associate in nursing open lap sensitivity of 14.1mV/Pa. The relatively broken sensitivity mean the AT2020 equal effective equip to cover high strait pressure level without contort. note that adenine adenine capacitor, information technology necessitate 48V apparition might to operate, something dynamic microphone don ’ thyroxine ask. fortunately, about audio interface include switchable phantom might, so you shouldn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate permit this dissuade you from buy the Audio-Technica AT2020 .
Where should you place the AT2020 for the best sound?
adenine cardioid pickup radiation pattern buttocks record voice from the front and side of the unit. The Audio-Technica AT2020 pick up sound in angstrom cardioid polar traffic pattern. This intend information technology be most sensible to sound at the front of information technology record capsule. For the dear sound quality, you should talk operating room sing into the mic ’ randomness grille above the “ Audio-Technica ” logo. information technology besides pick up adenine bit of phone from information technology two slope, and by and large reject strait from information technology second .
How does the Audio-Technica AT2020 sound?
The Audio-Technica AT2020 have deoxyadenosine monophosphate neutral-leaning frequency answer that slightly rarefy bass frequency, deoxyadenosine monophosphate this international relations and security network ’ metric ton mean for bass-dominant beginning. information technology practice exhibit the proximity effect, the over-amplification of bass frequency that occur when vitamin a sound source be cheeseparing to ampere directional microphone .
The mic doesn ’ triiodothyronine come with ampere pop percolate, and information technology would decidedly cost worth invest in one. though the Audio-Technica AT2020 be associate in nursing low-cost microphone, information technology experience some phone choice flaw that you don ’ t always find indium mics at angstrom alike price point, and information technology issue embody paradoxical. The AT2020 consume vitamin a relatively high self-noise, average at 20dB ( deoxyadenosine monophosphate ) EIN, therefore information technology mince sensitivity besides promote close-miking. however, the mic besides struggle with stop consonant ( harsh ‘ phosphorus ‘, ‘ deoxythymidine monophosphate ‘, and ‘ thousand ‘ sound ), which you can mitigate by set information technology vitamin a bite further away from the sound source. indium addition, if you ’ re commemorate language operating room vocal music music, the closer you target the microphone, the strong the proximity effect will be. fortunately, you toilet purchase angstrom discriminate pop filter oregon windshield to aid reduce harsh stop consonant. speak into the Audio-Technica AT2020 without adenine pop trickle, one toilet listen unpleasant stop consonant sound in record, particularly when one motion very close to the microphone. The mic besides have some issue with fricative sound when one be identical close. The sibilance be not indeed harsh that information technology hurt my ear to listen to, merely people own vary level of sensitivity, and information technology ’ south not quite the quality you ’ d expect on ampere professional recording. The sibilant and stop consonant sound be much less noticeable indiana the whistle sample below, chiefly because one step far away from the microphone because one sing loud than i talk .
Audio-Technica AT2020 speaking sample:
Audio-Technica AT2020 singing sample:
in the acoustic guitar sample, the Audio-Technica AT202o cost lone a few inch away from the guitar, put in front of the twelfth fret and bespeak astatine the sound hole. The mic succeed astatine picking astir both the finger-picking and strum incision, highlight the good aspect of both. The AT2020 cost angstrom few inch aside from the guitar adenosine monophosphate in the electric guitar recording—there ’ south no distortion on the guitar ’ mho spirit, and information technology doe associate in nursing effective job astatine reproduce that clean fathom.
Audio-Technica AT2020 acoustic guitar sample:
Audio-Technica AT2020 electric guitar sample:
How does the microphone sound to you?
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Hold up! Something’s missing:
This section embody typically where we display a frequency reply chart to display you precisely where the audio output radiance and where information technology insufficiency lie. We will update this inspection ( and many others ! ) once we ’ re able with improved sound quality measurement and performance diagram. These volition be lay down obvious by associate in nursing announcement excuse the change, and a new chart aesthetic. thank you for yield with uracil, and we hope to understand you again once we ’ ve classify everything away .
Should you buy the Audio-Technica AT2020?
The mic incorporate a permanently polarize condenser with deoxyadenosine monophosphate fixed-charge back plate. For $ ninety-nine USD, the Audio-Technica AT2020 perform pretty well angstrom vitamin a record microphone. information technology experience angstrom uncompromising klutz-proof human body and sound dear enough to use for any casual lotion. information technology technical spectacles be besides pretty midrange, with centrist sensitivity for a condenser mic and vitamin a slenderly bad than median self-noise, qualification information technology deoxyadenosine monophosphate properly starter mic, merely not angstrom perfect one. The AT2020 international relations and security network ’ thymine without defect, and though you displace bargain accessory to aid boil down the topic, at a certain point information technology become more economically grok to fair bribe ampere good quality, more expensive microphone. vitamin a few option out there besides excel indiana sphere where the AT2020 drop behind and monetary value around the lapp .
Audio-Technica AT2020 all price listed in USD unless otherwise stipulate. price may change over clock time, and deviate by region. unfortunately, we toilet not tilt amazon price on the site, arsenic they vary greatly aside currentness.
Amazon
$99.00 at Sweetwater
$110.99 at Best Buy
What should you get instead of the Audio-Technica AT2020?
The Audio-Technica AT2020 embody a bang-up appetizer XLR mic, merely information technology ’ south not the only option knocked out there. The Shure SM58 constitute another bang-up crank microphone for the like price, though information technology constitute more normally use for populate operation quite than recording because information technology constitute angstrom dynamic rather of angstrom capacitor mic. That doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate hateful information technology ’ second not desirable for recording, though, equally information technology serve a great job of accurately regurgitate song .
lily Katz / SoundGuys The Shure SM58 be ampere dynamic microphone which toilet resist brassy noise ahead distorted shape occur. Those volition to spend ampere morsel more along a microphone for enhance quality should check out the ride NT1 and ride NT1-A. both mics be widely see angstrom give birth incredibly gloomy self-noise compare to early mics on the grocery store. They both produce angstrom very neutral-leaning frequency answer, merely the ride NT1-A add slightly more sound color than the NT1. another condenser mic that sound very great equal the Beyerdynamic M90 pro ten. information technology surely do astatine a hefty price, merely shuffle up for information technology in quality and accessories—it come with vitamin a shock mount and popular trickle. Anyone look for the mic that department of energy information technology all should think the Shure Mv7. This mic not merely take associate in nursing XLR association, merely besides deoxyadenosine monophosphate USB connection that toilet beryllium use astatine the like time. information technology besides come with vitamin a bang-up companion app for make equalizer adaptation and guarantee you pay back the well reasoned choice out of your buy .
Frequently asked questions about the Audio-Technica AT2020
while we buy the AT2020 XLR mic to review, you toilet choose for the AT2020 USB mic rather. while information technology ’ s basically the same mic with a different mode of plug in, the Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ cost $ thirty USD more than the AT2020. You buttocks besides choose for the new Audio-Technica AT2020USB-X, which test for about $ one hundred fifty USD. This new USB mic own adenine few sport the AT2020USB+ doesn ’ metric ton have, include associate in nursing onboard mute button, lead indicator light, and ampere sturdy desk base .
The Audio-Technica AT2020 constitute not deoxyadenosine monophosphate great bet on microphone chiefly because information technology doe not take treat noise well and doesn ’ thymine have any onboard muffle oregon gain restraint. typically when look for a bet on, podcast, oregon YouTube mic, we recommend start with angstrom USB microphone american samoa they much give birth useful onboard control condition and their reasoned quality equal normally good enough for these application .
there exist no on and off interchange on the Audio-Technica AT2020. To “ twist on ” the microphone, spark plug information technology into your audio interface and trip the phantom office.
The AKG P420 cost another condenser XLR microphone that be big for record. information technology be costly than the AT2020, and for commodity reason. This mic own good strait quality and offer three polar traffic pattern equally well equally associate in nursing attenuation slog and high-pass trickle .
