Product review - Audio Technica AT2020
In the newsletter this month, we’re switching the product focus that we’ve had in the past few months. We’ve covered products that will help you maintain your voice, but this month we’re turning our attention to the products that will help you record your voice. A microphone is an essential item for any home studio, and we’ve found and tested a good value microphone that won’t break the bank, but will still get you great results. This month we shine the spotlight on the Audio Technica AT2020, a microphone designed with home studios in mind.
Look and practicality
The microphone definitely looks to part. It’s smooth, sleek black design makes it pleasing on the eyes. It’ll fit into your home studio set-up easily, without standing out, and it easy to erect and put away. The microphone features a pivoted thread stand mount that allows precision microphone placement, so you won’t need to waste time trying to balance the microphone so that it stays in the correct position. The microphone weighs only 345 grams, and each stand we tried it with could easily support the weight without falling over or re-adjusting itself.
Sound quality
Usually you find yourself paying well into the hundreds for a quality sounding microphone, but here you have an item that you can get for below £100, and it provides that expensive sound everyone wants. We’ve tested it ourselves, and were blown away by the crystal clear sound; the microphone really does deliver a high quality sound that you wouldn’t expect. The microphone features a low-mass diaphragm which is made for an extended frequency response, which means that it can pick up a large range of frequencies, so if you need to go high, or low, it won’t be an issue. One of the most impressive things regarding the microphone is the all around sound capture. Most microphones in this price range can only pick up sound from one point of the microphone, however the AT 2020 picks up sound from the sides and the top, -and we literally tested it from every angle- giving you a fuller, richer sound, and helping your voice to come alive like it never has before.
Value for money
As previously stated, the microphone is priced below £100, but can give you the sound of a £100 plus microphone. You can find the product for around £88 without looking too hard, and you’d struggle to find a better microphone at this price. It’s a must for anyone who wants to have a home studio but is on a tight budget. You get a great sound quality, and you can be confident that the microphone will get you the results that you want. You could get a cheaper microphone for slightly less, however if you’re serious about getting a recording that’s professional sounding and that will set you apart from the rest, then this is a product that can’t be ignored. We’ve tested a good number of microphones, and this is up there with the best of them, and for value for money, it can’t be beaten.
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