I've watched your videos since 2017, after 6 years now I have to buy a microphone and I came back here and to see you still doing the reviews with the same energy and have the same back room full of equipment and instruments even if the years has beaten us is just amazing, thanks for keeping this channel alive!
Thanks for the kind words and revisiting the channel. I'm fortunate enough to be able to still make videos and still enjoy it. I love making these videos to help people make more informed decisions and waste less money. Hope you got the mic you need and it's treating you well. Happy recording.
You are just the most amazing person ever. I already chose my microphone and not in the market anymore but find myself watching all your videos. Love your sense of humor
Dude, you have reviewed EVERYTHING. No matter what I'm looking at mic wise, if it's been in production in the last 20 years, your review comes up first
My god, 1st reviewer that i subscribe to. Seemed like the 20 min+ stretch at first but ffound myself thinking "omg, i really didn´t know i needed a shock test for the mics im buying". Thanks for the dedication :D
This sounds like a step backward for AT as far as off-axis rejection and picking up bumps and bangs around the mic. The previous AT2020USB had better rejection. However the sound quality is still very good for voice over work. Mids and bass are exceptional. The Rode USB Mini (and NT-1) are the better of the small USB portables, to my ears, and they're probably more expensive. One of the great bargains in USB microphones. Thorough review, as always.
NT USB Mini is still great value for anyone who is into streaming and wants features like what the Rode Connect software offers. Sounds way better than a lot of the Blue, Razer, Elgato, HyperX etc mics that kids seem to be using these days.
I personally preferred the NT-USB mini and NT-USB+ over this as well. However, for those who can't install all that software they lose the functionality of those mics. So for the office worker who needs a work from home usb mic where they can't install a bunch of recording software on a corporate device, this is interesting; the same way the Sennheiser Profile USB is interesting.
@@Podcastage I'm always on the lookout of high quality USB mics. I do a lot of voice over work on the road (recording in hotel rooms and cars to iPhones and iPads for Entertainment Tonight). We use blankets, mattresses--anything we can grab to deaden the sound. The old AT2020+ has been my go-to. It's rugged. I also like the Coles 4104B Lip Mic when we can't find a quiet place, but I'm always forgetting the damn USB adapter. Super expensive, but the Coles rejects everything. You can stand next to a generator and record a voice over.
Very useful and indepth microphone reviews. I particularly appreciate sharing country of origin on the box, I've noticed that's something a ton of reviewers leave out.
I was surprised it picked up your voice so well at 4ft away which scares me as I live in a house with people who don't walk but stomp and run along hallways, and with cats that aggressively scratch their cardboard anger pads. The desk noise was also maddening. It's too sensitive for anyone other singles living alone in the remotest parts of the land. Even then I bet this mic picks up every bird tweet and wind rustle.
I really enjoy your reviews and the format you are using. Works great. I'm looking for a new condenser USB mic because my C01u Pro is slowly giving up on me. If it did not have any issues I'd keep it for 8 more years! It sounds great and I apprecieate the relatively flat freq response. I can't decide between AT2020USB-X and Rode NT-USB Mini; Thanks for the video!
@@Podcastage It helped exactly the way it should. I'm enjoying my new AT2020+USB that I ordered on the day I watched your review. Gotta say I'm loving it.
We are all excited for your review of the new focusrite 4th generation. I'm sure there's no question that you will be reviewing all three different models and bundles together. Including all of the software it provide in detail inside your review. I wonder if you would be using the headphone jack on it to monitor or going rogue and plugging it directly into the microphone? Also just for fun, please do a comparison of each model to the previous generation and all of the pros and cons. I would love to see you do a interview with the makers. This video should be a breeze for a person like you and I'm sure it will show up before the weekend. I can't wait to see it. Cheers!
I will review one of them in the future. I will not be doing everything you say. I don't have the time to review 3 interfaces with full comparisons and interviews.
I think I'm gonna stay with my current AT2020USB+. It has a bit more bass, better shock and off-axis rejection and it's most likely gonna be cheaper now.
Great content, I use an AT2035 mainly, good microphone, but this one, sadly they didn't do a good work in noise/shock rejection :/ And again, always the music part is so GREAT to hear XD Great content ❤
Dang, the Neumann U87 Ai sounded so amazing, and it got me excited, until I found out the price!!.. Good you put it in there, but what comes close to the Neumann on a budget. I'm struggling with the Shure MV7, I think even the Yetis were better for me.
If you have a 2020USB+ and you don't need higher end conversion, if you don't need a mute button, NO. Keep that mic. If you need an XLR mic, NO. It doesn't have XLR so it's not the best AT2020 because it doesn't offer that. If you need a USB mic, I don't know...they JUST released the XP which I haven't tried and that has built in noise reduction which will be interesting to hear.
hey, great review as always, a lot of comparisons and tests, can't imagine the time it requires. huge kudos. but I have a question. I see you set the level of the mic to 21% but still made post-boost +4dB. what's the benefit of not increasing the level to smth 30%(as an example).
ive see this a few days ago and thought "uuuh... i hope the "x" brings extra performance but thx to this AWESOME channel... nope... it sounds okay but its nothing i would jump into my car and want it. but i guess... if this thing will drop in price... so for around 90-100 bucks it would be a great mic but the same is true for the competition. as usual an rly good review ive enjoyed a lot. i love the comparison part... this is internetgold. thx for sharing this and keep going ur channel is EPIC.
Thank you so much for watching and for the kind words. It's possible the new XP improves upon this, but I didn't know that existed until after I finished this video and was working on the description.
Not bad and like you said, not my favorite. I know you get asked about other microphone reviews but I have 2 mics that I feel deserve your expertise reviewing... the Audix PDX720 and the Neat Worker Bee 2. LMK if you're interested and I can send them to you.
Aril - Thanks so much for the suggestion. I'll definitely consider checking both of those out. I do need to check out the worker bee 2 for sure. I haven't gotten around to looking into the Audix much. I know a few reviewers covered it but I haven't listened yet.
Sorry that the comparison didn't include the mic you wanted. I try to cover a wide group of mics but always end up leaving one out that someone wants. The video is already way too long and turns people off from watching it so I have to draw the line somewhere .Sorry again that the video didn't include what you wanted.
I just wonder if adding colour LEDs to the microphone not add any emf and increase the noise? I know it's now very popular to have rainbow 🌈 🎤 but does it influence the sound quality? Should the 🎤 be the key point in the video or you as content creator? Maybe I am old fashioned.
I imagine it's possible that they could impact the noise floor by introducing EMF interference. However, a company would HOPEFULLY account for that in added shielding. The noise floor I heard was less of an EMF interference sound and more of a noisy preamp hiss.
Hii, thank you for the detailed explanation and showed us the test on different microphones~ But I’m a complete noob that I actually confused on the recording setting🥹🥹 I’m not sure what those are and how can I adjust those for the microphone🥲🥲
The USB-x is OK. If it was me I would spend the extra $20 and get the sE Electronics Neom at $150. I seen a review A few years ago on a cheap microphone Oscure Mics Did where there was a plastic sleeve over the microphone and the way it made the cheap microphone sound while handling it was incredible. Why don't more manufactures do this? I think more people would be willing to pay a extra $5 to improve the microphone handling 100%.
They should all invest in improving the handling noise and shock rejection. I wonder if this suffers because they abandoned the old style of mounting (which was the same as the XLR AT2020) in lieu of a 1/4" thread that goes directly into the mics body. I'm not sure.
For vocal and acoustic guitar recording, what do you recommend between AKA LYRA and RODE NT USB MINI or you can recommend USB MIC UNDER 150$ that you think it’s worth to buy? Thank you so much.
Absolutely. I haven't watched him in a while but JackSucksAtLife had the 2020USB+ and sounded more than listenable. Never had a complaint about his audio.
I appreciate all your work in testing so many products, but I seem to have a unique situation and I'm fairly lost. What would you recommend for a usb interfaced Mic that would compliment a deep voice? I currently use the Razer Seiren mini, and I pretty much have to eat it in order for it to pick up my voice. At a Foot away, you can't hear me at all (it may be defective). I was eyeballing the AT2020+ and X, but now I'm second guessing those. Thanks in advance!
This would probably work fine for you. The Elgato Wave 3 is a nice option too if you want all the features. Depends on what you're looking for in the mic if you just want plug and play or if you want software features as well.
Your videos are so informative and funny. Quock question, i'm looking for a usb mic to mess about with recording some songs for fun. Looking at the blue yeti, your video on it was great, but do you think a few years on that the yeti is still good?
Awesome review! One question I'm wondering about is if the monitoring audio from the headphone jack is adjustable. I just pickedup the ATR2500x-USB because it's on a great sale but the monitoring isn't adjustable according to your review of it that cameout a long time ago now. Just wondering if this newer USB Mic from AT has that feature or if it's still stuck at the default setting which you found too loud on the ATR2500x-USB. Thanks for the review, subscribed! EDIT: Just looking at the microphone some more and noticed the Headphones and Monitor symbols next to one of the wheels, is that what's that is for? Sorry microphone beginner here. Thanks again.
Ok now I know how the Neom compares to the Sennheiser... hahaha I bet you left that in because there's always one... FIIIIIIISSSHHH!!! great review as always. btw I believe that the AT2020USB-X is no longer relevant since AT put out the AT2020USB-XP.
I left it in because I said “Heck it. Let’s kill the channel faster by making the videos unnecessarily long by including as many tests, demos, and samples as I can. It’ll be more helpful but fewer people will watch it. LETSGO!” I saw the XP yesterday when i was looking for this on sweetwater. Hecking hecking HECKJHFKDSHKJFHJDKSHFLKDS!
I have a couple of these mics (Profile and C01U) and have owned the Snowball Ice (which is surprisingly good for the money) and although I really like the Profile, the Samson still sounds amazing next to all of these newer mics. Hopefully, they'll release a newer version with LED lighting.
Thanks for the continued support Olexander, I very much appreciate it. It's always fun to learn what the current offerings are from different companies in the field you're interested in.
The original AT2020usb can run off the power from an iPhone, and it sounds identical to the non-usb version. The other versions are trying to be an entire audio interfaces in a mic, which doesn’t really make sense to me
They all have audio interfaces in them because that's how it converts the microphone audio to a digital signal and the computer/phone signal into an electrical signal for your headphones. But if they have shifted things so you can no longer use the new mics on iPhone then that stinks. I imagine the voltage requirements would be pretty consistent from version to version, but I may be wrong. Or maybe the iPhones USB spec has changed or something.
@@Podcastage you just can’t power the newer ones from the iPhone’s internal power. The original version has no headphone or level controls. You just set the level in GarageBand or whatever. Yes, technically it has an interface in the sense that the AD conversion takes place in the mic, but that is the extent of it. The advantage of the original is that you can use your iPhone as a field recorder
I need to find the perfect allrounder mic for singing, asmr and podcast and now after I finally took the decision that xlr ist too ecpensive right now, I can't decide if I should take the Audio Technika 2020 or the blue Yeti X because of the program. I really like the sound of the Audio Technica but I feel like The blue Yeti is more sensitive for Asmr. Any oppinions on this?
If you're doing ASMR, you want a stereo mic because that creates the effect that allows you to move around the mic and sound like you're moving around the person. So that would mean the blue yeti.
Others have complained that this mic picks up a lot of room noise and is incredibly sensitive. Is this true? I see that you set the gain level to 29% with 0dB in post which is quite unusual to see even for a condenser.
As mentioned in the conclusion of this, I do think it picks up quite a bit of room noise. I set my level a bit too high on this so I didn't have to boost it in post but that should have zero impact on the amount of room tone the mic picks up.
Thank you SO much for the support Rainer. It truly means the world and helps with the overhead of buying a lot of the gear I review. You are so generous. Thank you.
i dont know if you would know whats going on with mine ... i got it so i could record in Reason 12 but no matter what i select as the sound driver. nothing happens. the software doesnt see it or something...but the PC definately picks it up. help! its frustrating me big time!
Aren't the mute colors reversed, or is it just me? I'd expect red to be "hot" and live, and blue to be "cool" and muted. I just did some comparison of some USB mics for a specific purpose (easy recording on location when I can't drag in my pre's etc.). I wound up going with the Rode Mini NT USB for a few reasons - portability being a big one, but sound and off-axis rejection just seemed better with the Rode. Price really wasn't a factor. I did try it verses this mic also, but while I found the sound was pretty good, there really wasn't much difference for me vs. the Rode and the side rejection was much worse and lack of low end roll-off meant I would be working much harder in placement.
I think the red = mute makes sense for me and most people because red means stop. I get that red means recording in many places, but for the general population they associate red with stop. Sounds like you've done your due diligence and landed on the right selection. Hope it works out really well for you.
I just bought one of these so that I could play my Native American drum and people on my zoom meeting could hear it. However it acts like it's blocking all background noise and you can't hear anything but my voice. Did I buy the wrong mic
I hope you can answer this. I'm trying to set up a makeshift studio here in the Philippines. It's almost impossible to avoid noise here from outside. Can you recommend a budget vocal singing mic. I'm looking at something like the AT2020, boya m1000, the Proar c414, or even one of the Fifine or Moano mics. I just can't buy something that will so easily pick up all the rooster, dog and motorcycle noise outside, lol.
Every single mic is going to pick some of that up. The trick is to play the polar pattern and point the null area towards the source of that sound (point the rear of the mic towards the loud sound sources like the road). This AT2020usbx is not great with background noise rejection. I haven't used the M1000, Proar C414 or any Fifine Maono condensers though so I'm not able to offer any advice on those.
From your, and dare I say other people's, reviews the newer AT USB mics seen to struggle versus their main predecessor the 2020-USB+. They don't add very much and lose some of the quality features such a handling noise. They end up competing too closely with the Fifine & Maono devices which have similar weaknesses but a rather lower price. The newer AT's may still be mechanically better than the economy brands but they seem to have lost some of the acoustic quality that we'd all hope the brand name & price would deliver. Whereas the Sennheiser Profile (as an example) is also software free, and superficially boring, but delivers on all fronts. Though to do that the price is higher than the budget brands.
The Sennheiser and this mic are very comparable. I wouldn't say the Sennheiser delivers on all fronts though, I think it sounds much worse than the 2020x. So if it's just based on the sound characteristics, I'd go AT2020X, but I record in a decent room and I shut off background noise. If someone doesn't care as much about the sound and they want a mindless mic that just works and is inoffensive, the Sennheiser I think would be the better route.
I'M VERY DEPRESSED 😭 please reply me I do both rap and sing... mostly rap ! But i need a new mic for my deep voice.. I don't have laptop I have my phone I have an interface called Audio array AI-04 And i have an audio technica ath m20x headphone Ok so .Some say AT2020 is best for rap vocal Some say AT2020 is bad in high end and bad at noise cancellation , it produces very harsh sound but because of its so popular all are saying it is best best best😒 i don't know. Others say there is MXL 770 best for deep voice..but it has 30hz-20khz 😭 not 20hz-20khz as others have..but I don't know whether it will be a problem or not for me .. On the other side some of the saying there is SE X1a , AKG P120 sir you tested all these mic.. Please sir choose one mic for my deep voice.. I just need the best mic for you for me for rapping under 100$ dollars please I'm requesting you...🥺 I want to rap..
I really hope you're not correct here. One of the reasons I love mics so much is because they have such a long life, and that's thanks to the analog nature. My SM7b doesn't need a firmware update and it won't become incompatible with the next OS., Let's hope this forecast is not accurate.
There are a lot of decisions based on the use case, what sound profile you like, and how you want to set it up. USB can be quick and easy so something like the Samson Q2u, AT2020X, AT2500X are all fine plug and play options. If you want a bit more control like processing Rode NT-USB Mini, Elgato Wave 3, Rode Podmic USB, Shure MV7, are good options if you want a bit more function out of your usb mic.
@@Podcastage thanks so much for the reply mate. If I can ask, do you have any particular boom arms you'd recommend? I've seen some brilliant ones but spending over $200 for an arm holding a mic half the price is a no go haha
The 2020USB+ is still my choice. Not sure why AT continuws to make the ATR2500. Thag was their usb iption before they made the 2020usb. Why offer both?
Yeah the 2020usb+ still sounds pretty good and I like the mounting option better. The mute button is a nice addition though. I don't know why they make both, maybe different departments and they're geared towards different people who want different sounds? Not sure.
I'm honored that the channel has helped make more informed gear choices. That means a lot. I hope you're making some great sounding recordings. Thanks for the kind words.
Hi. Like your channel. Im from Chile and starting voice over. I bought this mic at2020usbx. But think I mande a mistake. My voice sounds diferente, like cripsy. And with the pop filter it sounds kind of distorted. Should I have bought the blue yeti x where a can regulate the voice withe the software it brings? Maybe I can still give it back. Hope you answer. Thankyou
Make sure you have your input level on your computer set properly. Have your recording software up so you can see how loud you are in your meter, then do the following (assuming you're using windows): In Control Panel, click Hardware and Sound, and then click Sound. In the Sound dialog box, on the Recording tab, select your microphone, and then click Properties. In the Microphone Properties dialog box, on the Levels tab, adjust the microphone (and Microphone Boost, if available) levels. As you're talking or singing, adjust the level in windows so that you're peaking around -18 to -12dB. f your audio is still crispy and distorted, then you may not have a functioning microphone and it may be a lemon. I'd try to get a replacement or get a different mic. Also As I mention in the video this mic is a bit top end of focused and it's a little harsh and sizzle sounding, so if you're looking for smooth and ribbon like sound, this is not the right mic. I
@@Podcastage my answer was waaaay tooo long. The things is no one has give us clases about anything of this at the School whwerevi studiied. I realy Just need your opinión on maybe some smoother sounding mics to start. Tnaks .
mhm the decisions kinda hard as i'm coming off an AT2020USB+ which died off after 9 years of service (isn't picking up any audio anymore besides extreme loud clapping). Was looking at the 2040 and the 2020USB-X but with all these other options, it's even harder to decide now, especially if you're in an untreated room which is just barely 2m x 3m x 2m big
Podmic USB is a pretty decent option. Shure MV7 is another good one. Ultimately it comes down to what features you need in your mic though and which mic you like the sound of the best.
@@Kamuixmod The features on the Wave 3 are great. It's well designed and functions as expected. It's not the greatest sounding mic ever, but it is functional as heck.
super nitpicky but the 1/4" threading seems to encourage non-stable photo/video-style mounting, sounds like a supremely bad idea given it's not particularly great at handling shocks (written as of ~6:00 in case that's talked about later)
I'm not sure if that is the cause of the poor shock rejection or not, but I'm not the biggest fan of it either. I prefer the older style of mounting on the AT2020USB+ and the standard XLR AT2020. I don't know why they made this shift.
@@Podcastage indeed! In fairness, background noise can still be an issue unless you use a noise suppression filter or treat the heck out of the recording environment. If only we had advanced processing through RODE central!
@@Podcastage But the problem with Rode and other USB microphones that need software to run either on MacOS or Windows, they prone to have driver issues. For example: my Rode NT USB+ cannot work on MBP on intel chip running MacOS Sonoma. The Rode tech support informed me that the Rode Central has issues with MacOS Sonoma on intel chip. This is true because I have no issue with Rode central running on my MacMini M2 with MacOS Sonoma. Now I plan to buy another USB microphone for my spouse that does not need any software for typical office use, office voice recording (not necessarily studio voice recording). Any suggestion, please let me know. Thanks 😊
Hey my WASD keys love me, They sad.. Yes but still love me. c: Also should of not have included XLR mic's in this usb review/test. may get new people confused. "should of posted it at the end about xlr mic reviewing"
I think, the world could realy need a U87 USB. I'm allready thinking on the review. "Greetings earthllings. Today i'm reviewing the world's most expensive USB-microphone. It cost around $4000." 😁
Too much high frequency push for my taste to use on spoken voice - too much sizzzzzle. Agree it is clear, which can be okay depending on what you are recording. Not wild about the noise. As someone already stated, spend a couple of more coins and get the sE NEOM, IMHO.
I don't really review headphones or amps. I'd highly recommend checking out The Headphone Show, DMS, Crinacle, ElJefeReviews, ThisIsTechToday. They all have great headphone coverage and they may have covered that device. Sorry I can't help.
@@Podcastage do you often get complaints about podcast audio? I always figured that a lot of the problems people have with getting audio is often due to bad mic technique. But of course, your podcast is for the more sound conscious folks...
@@needfortweed8734 oh people tell me regularly if something sounds bad. In the grand scheme of things I think it’s still pretty good audio, but people listening to my show are more critical than the average listener.
Why would a person monitor their audio through the microphone when obviously they are going to plug the microphone into their computer which would have an input jack?
@@FLOODOFSINS looks like you don't get it or never tried it. It clearly says in the name of that jack a "zero latency monitoring" When you listen to yourself through PC it WILL lag to the point you can hear yourself twice and it will be VERY distracting when you talk and try to think.
@@andy.cher404 it's $139 microphone and going by the 90/10 rule of business the parts are most likely costing $14 or less. Second, a professional is not buying this mic. This mic target audience is going to be the clueless millennial or virgin mic user. They don't know what the hell they're doing but have big dreams. Zero-latency will mean nothing knowing all of this other information because they're content will be lacking. You can have the best $5,000 PC and be using chatGBT and still have a crap essay. If a person is focusing on zero latency on a $139 mic they are in a world of hurt.
Someone would want a headphone jack on mic because it does offer zero latency monitoring. You may not think that's important or that people will not understand what it is, but it's quite important to be able to hear the sound you're recording to make sure you're not popping the mic and to make sure it's set up properly. Also, as someone points out if you're monitoring your mic input through the computers headphone output you would have to go into your settings and select "monitor audio source" (or whatever the windows selection is) which is quite delayed and it ends up sounding like slap back echo and I found it quite difficult to speak while hearing that latency. It's not quite as bad as speech jamming but it's difficult.
I can't give you any suggestions based on that single bit of criteria. I'm sorry. There are hundreds of mics under that price point that would serve different use cases or different preferences better.
ALL OF THEM! My goal is to not review mics until they're discontinued or outdated. Hence why this review came out a few days after the announcement of the XP.
