Audio Technica AT2020 Cardiod Condensor Studio Mic 3-pin XLRM-type

I bought this as a gift for a friend he was really happy with it but, I have a completely different view. The AT2020 is a pretty bright mic which sounds good at first but once you layer tracks on top of each other it can sound very harsh. Second it is not a true large diaphragm condenser. It is a very good mic for people starting out in music or just using it for podcasts, but there are a bunch of better mics near this price. Two that come to mind are the MXL V67g and Studio projects B1 (stay away from the studio projects C1) both exceptional microphones for the price. Although there is one mic you that is a bit more expensive but is absolutely amazing, the MXL 2003a. A lot of people have claimed the studio projects C1 sounds like the Neumann u87 it doesn't, the MXL 2003a however sounds very similar and is easily the best LDC mic under $500. With that being said the AT2020 is not a bad microphone but it is not great, to people who have just used built in mics on there computer or camera this will blow them away but as time goes on they will learn the limitations of this microphone.

Although to be fair I have a lot of experience in pro audio and production, so I maybe a bit overly critical. One thing is for sure though; there are definitely better mics in or near this price range.

Let's face it...I'm just a hobby musician. A guy in his mid-30's who has tinkered with music most of his adult life. I've played both as a solo artist and with bands. I've also been fortunate enough to spend time in actual recording studios with true professionals. None of this qualifies me as an expert...but I do have a certain level of familiarity on the subject.

I purchased this mic to supplement my home studio. I was hoping to get a little better sound than my usual stable of dynamic mics provide. I think I got pretty lucky with this purchase - it's my understanding that in this particular price range, you shouldn't expect a whole lot. I mean, it's just a microphone, right?

What I will say is that I was certainly satisfied with my purchase. I've used this microphone in conjunction with a tube preamp on a handful of recordings with great success. I bought this with the intention of using it for vocals, but I've found that I actually prefer it to record my acoustic guitar - this microphone picks up all the sound that I'm looking for from my acoustic - it's the nice, mellow, and full bodied sound that I hear when I'm playing, but that I was never able to capture before. In terms of its originally intended use, I felt is was only a slight improvement over the SM58 that I typically used for vocals - however, I wouldn't put too much stock into my assessment, as vocals are not one of my strengths when it comes to music (let's face it, autotune was created for a reason, right?)

Granted - everyone is going to have different opinions of this product, and I happen to think it works great for those of us on a budget. In terms of value - it is a great product for a fantastic price. I liked this microphone so much, I plan on buying at least one more.

Wow! This microphone is amazing. I see what people mean when they talk about condenser microphones being more fragile than normal dynamic microphones, but this isn't a piece of plastic, it's built well.

I paired it with the Behringer 502 5-input mixer, and it sounds great, totally professional quality. I just wanted something simple to begin home music projects, and this microphone's quality is more than enough for me.

It's very warm and highly sensitive. I don't even notice that it's side address, you can turn it up so that it picks up everything in the room.

I would have bought a stand for it as well, and a cheap pop filter. Otherwise, great deal for a mic of this quality.

Edit:
I now notice that the mic lacks full sound across all frequencies... which isn't something I noticed without looking for it specifically. Basically, the mic can be crystal clear and warm and all that, but still not retain the bass depth in a deep voice and the highs of a high voice. It is sensitive and clear, but it doesn't do what professional mics do--which is drop the midtones and hit the highs and lows.