I was surprised to find this mic for $4.99 at my local thrift store yesterday. I'm an avid birder and it seems like this will work perfectly for recording calls/songs in the field with a good dead cat. I had no idea this thing had a battery in it until I watched this video. It was great news because now I know I can use it with my current field recorder with an XLR to 1/8th inch adapter. Thanks for the great review!
The main reason I pick AT8035 over AT875 is, AT8035 has the battery so I don’t need the phantom power source. Most of the home video camcorder or camera does not provide the phantom power.
I have the shorter 875r and recommend it, I do narration. I have bad EMI hum from a door alarm system and Audio Technica mics somehow reject it and other mics don't, I've got quite a few good mics that hum from this.
This is a great special purpose shotgun mic. Have used this for TV and for podcast interviews on the road for a while and part of my regular road kit. Often have used it on a boom over a pair of people speaking on camera, also good for getting sound out in the field from interviews (you move the mic between people in that situation) and also getting natural sound for NPR-style podcasts. In the field, get a furry windscreen. It is much better than the stock foam dealing with wind noise. The battery is VERY important. Use it always for the phantom power when using with a mobile recorder because it will suck the life out of your Zoom H4, H6, or Tascam DR40 or otherwise. Experience has been it will be dead in 15 minutes or less without the battery in the mic itself.
If you're a pro, maybe try bodging a lithium-ion cell onto your Zoom. I can't speak for the other units you mentioned, but I did that with a H4N Pro and it's totally happy even hot off the charger (4.2 volts). I'm just using a crappy random laptop cell of perhaps 1500-2000 mAh, but you'd likely get super long life with a larger, newer cell (e.g. Samsung 50E, LG M50, both 21700 format @ 5000mAh). The only caveat is that your built-in battery meter becomes useless, as lithium doesn't run down in a linear fashion like alkaline, Ni-** or lead-acid...but you can buy a stick-on RC voltmeter for under $5 on Scamazon or a battery seller. I'm -cheap- poor, so I use my digital multimeter, but that would surely get old fast for a professional! You could alternatively use a prismatic cell like in cell phones, but those swell up...boo-urns. Another alternative is any battery using LiFePO^4 (lithium iron phosphate, or "ferrophosphate" as A123 calls it), which runs at a voltage closer to two AA cells, but I think would still have the useless-Zoom-battery-gauge problem; discharge characteristics are the same as other lithium chemistries, just at a lower voltage. In any case, thanks for the tip about the battery drain from this mic. I haven't used it much, but I'll know to be prepared if I go out to capture some bird song or whatever. Cheers.
Dunno why this would "redeem" anything. It predates every mic you mentioned in this video by decades, previously called the AT835/AT835a/AT835b. I mean, that's my baseless assertion anyway!
I don't actually know, but the power requirements are low enough for a condenser mic (a.k.a. "capacitor mic") that they all likely are in the hundreds of hours with a given battery. Some mics actually use button cells (like watches, or car keyfobs), which presumably means the life is quite long there too.
weird - Audio-Technica didn't list the self-noise in the spec sheet, and it's not on their website either. It's rather integral to know that, and know how louder/quiter it is than a rode NT shotgun mic. Disappointing.
Hi, BAndrew, Could You Help? Could you give me some feedback. I want to create some video teaching presentations that look professional. Well, they do. They look great. I figured that out. BUT, THEY SOUND LIKE SHIT! My setup is using Zoom conference call software as the recorder. I have a Dell XPS laptop and a Logitech external USB Camera to beef up the HD video quality. I plugged in a Blue Yeti mic to the Dell. BUT, I OWN AN AUDIO TECHNICA 8035!! DON'T HAVE A FOCUSRITE BOX or something like that. When I use the Yeti with my mouth up close like a classic cardiod broadcast setup, it sounds decent enough audio for this purpose. BUT, I'M SCREWED! To keep the mic off screen away from camera on the videos which I want for what I'm creating, I have to move the mic off camera and even with a desktop clamp/stand, it's too far. Sounds distant and like crap. So, I need to buy the right solution. I have an Audio Technica 8035 shotgun mic laying around that is XLR. But, after watching your review, it won't get the job done being distant off camera. How can I make it sound loud and rich and full great and not distant in a tunnel with my voice like when I watch you do your videos? Should I get a Focusrite and a Triton Fethead? Should I scrap using the AT8035 completely and invest in a condensor mic that plugs into USB? The easiest thing would be to go USB mic and just plug it into the laptop? But, I don't know what to buy. If I have to have multiple components like the Focusrite and a Triton or Cloudlifter or stuff like that, I'll do it. Could I bypass the dynamics and go condensor to solve this? It would be over the top to have to invest in a rodecaster and all kinds of other mixers and preamps and stuff. I know you would know what to do. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated Thanks!
Sounds fine, although I was surprised by how loud the keyboard sounded, considering this is a sh*tg*n mic. I do like the sound of the AT875r, for the few occasions when I want the mic to be off-camera, and I agree this sounds similar. Usually, like you, I don't need an off-camera mic because I'm happy to show that Shure SM7B front and center. Glad to see A-T redeem itself.
Mr Green Neither, 4 feet away is way too far to get decent audio. The furtgest you should be away only about 1ft. If you need the mic put of frame, just use a lav mic.
The " Street Howitzer microphone ".? Maybe that wouldn't get demonetized.? Great video, thank you for the comparison. I think I would save the $100. (The specs on ATs site said 90hz-20khz). Is it 90hz or 20hz.? Do you have a suggestion for something (under $300) at 20hz- 20khz other than the Audio Technica.? Thank you for your time.
Great review. Too bad it was completely and utterly ruined by a spelling mistake in the thumbnail! You hear me? Ruined! RUUUUUUUUIIIINED!!! That's right, for all your effort, this is the comment I'm going with. Welcome to RU-vid
If shotgun microphones are supposed to have a very precise and narrow polar pattern, why are they called “shotgun microphones”? Aren’t shotguns short range, wide spread weapons?
Hi, I'm a total novice when it comes to audio gear like this. Could you please make a video where you compare a shotgun mic to a podcast/singing mic for game streaming (and how both deal with keyboard noise). Also, with the holidays coming soon, it might be interesting to do a purchasing guide video for full recording setups at different budgets. I'd love to be able to just click the "200 dollar setup" link, and be sure to have everything I need. Thanks!
I have the AT835b (the earlier variant of the AT8035) that I got for free, and it's enjoying a 2nd life as my microphone in my home office for conference calls and hands-free calling with the soft phone on my PC. What's nice about it is I can tuck it out of the way above my monitors and still get good audio quality.
Do you have any idea if there is a way to shut the battery off besides taking it out? If it is unplugged from xlr does it shut off? I can't figure it out. Seems like the battery will last for a long time if I leave it alone. Non-phantom power application...
Phantom power... battery power... Phantom Power... Battery Power.. PHANTOM POWER... BATTERY POWER!!! All this power and although it was a good sounding mic but I'd be inclined to go with the AT875r. Cheaper, sounds just as good, easier to handle and it's not like a tank gun barrel...... |:-\ stupid tank gun barrel.
Greetings, little green Martian. (Oh, you're not green? My appologies). But ... then why DO you call it a shotgun microphone?? (Assuming you're at least a LITTLE serious - which I suspect you might not be. But I'll pretend you are). Now, I don't know much about weapons (I'm happy to say), but it really doesn't look much like any shotgun that I've seen! And it's more directional than most other microphones, whereas a shotgun is less directional than most other guns. (I think). And it doesn't shoot anything, but rather the opposite: It records. (Just like a camera doesn't shoot pictures! It records pictures). So I hope RU-vid will continue to demonetize (demon-etize?) your videos until you learn to call it a Directional Microphone.
They sound pretty much identical to me. BUT I feel like if you're using a shotgun mic, you should have enough space for the AT8040 since you usually use a shotgun mic outdoors. You could always use the AT875R indoors, but I'd just go with something like the Oktava MK-012 film set, which I prefer the sound of over things like the AT4053b. They're still not redeemed in my eyes though. They should offer that crappy cheap 3.5mm shotgun mic for a much cheaper price like the competition. It'd be okay for something like $20, but not $60.
Nice review of that AT8035 mic Bandrew! I was a little disappointed that you left out the word "Cherry" though..............Me thinks that I am watching way to many of your videos, or maybe not? :)
Please make a video about "Audio technica atr2500 vs Samson c01u pro vs Boya Pm700". Becasue they have the same price, they are all good. Why not compare them, right? Hahaha thanks!
I've heard shotgun microphones are extraordinarily effective at recording HATE SPEECH!!! Help. RU-vid! There's a hate-speecher with a shotgun mic! De-platform! De-platform at once!
One of these days, I’d be interested to hear your take on the AT 4047. It’s definitely a microphone with a particular vibe, not what I’d consider a neutral microphone. It has a very interesting character that I think works great for many voices (including mine), but definitely isn’t for everyone.
Honestly, This is exactly the information I was looking for. Nailed in on the head. Even the application for said mic was spot on. Much love and appreciation, brother.
Hey! I have a little audio issue, actually, my friends and I, are running a podcast. But we have bought 3 USB microphones but is a headache recording right now, I was thinking to buy a bunch of cables and an interface and fix this problem. Any suggestion or advice?
Unfortunately there are not any interfaces that allow you to connect USB microphones to the interface unless you have USB microphones that have an XLR output as well, which I'm guessing they don't.
Sades used to make nice headset mics for cheap (like $20), Samson USB mics for the midrange price (Like $50-$149), the AudioTechnica's BPHS-1 _[the headset Angry Joe Show uses]_ headset for high-price ($199)