Audio Technica AT2020USB Condenser USB Microphone

I use this mic in all kinds of recording situations. I use it mainly for recording electric and acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and vocals, but I have also used it to record full musical ensembles (including drums) and it reproduces the sound with amazing clarity. There is no background noise. This is the BEST usb microphone on the market. It is a condenser mic so it will pick up sounds accurately without coloring them. Another feature about condenser mics is that they are very sensitive; they don't "normalize" sounds like dynamic mics do. So recording with one is more difficult because you will have to keep constant volumes. You'll have to set the input volume on your computer very low if recording something loud, or else it will peak and sound broken and distorted; this is normal with all condenser mics. If you try to use a dynamic mic to record, it will have a "live" kind of sound to it (listen to Blink-182's self-titled album). Some people like that, but for a professional sounding r... Read more

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.

I was looking for a better quality Mic but not willing to pay a high price to sing on the Internet. This was a low price and high quality solution. Nothing to load and I was singing right out of the box. It does pick up noise around me since this is a condenser mic but, that just means you pick a quiet place to record.. LOL

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.

My review is not going to be too useful, but hopefully it will influence the mic's overall rating. Pros: - Great signal range! Seems to capture everything I've thrown at it, including deep lows from vehicles and crisp highs from breaking glass. (Used for sound production) - Decent noise floor... Could be better, I ended up switching to the non-USB version and a mixer. - Nice blue LED light... It adds some character to the mic in the dark, although looks are not everything. - Plug and play! No driver installation required. (Tested on XPSP3) Cons: Included stand picks up vibrations; I have replaced it with a better one after breaking it. It was an accident, I swear! UPDATE (12/2/08): Although this is a very convenient way to capture high quality audio, for a more serious solution, I would recommend going for the non-USB version with a mixer or mic preamp for better quality.