Great quality, Portable

Initially, I purchased this microphone to do voiceovers while I was on the road. I needed something small to fit in my computer bag when I fly. This microphone really comes in handy.

Side note: when I write, I use a speech to text program. Until now, I was using a wireless headset. This microphone works FANTASTIC for speech to text. I can be for or 5 feet away from the microphone and it picks up my speech with incredible clarity. Just an FYI if there's anybody out there with similar needs. For the price, you just can't beat the AT 2020 USB

Perfect!!!

150 for a great mic!! I am a up and coming rapper i bought this mic because a old look to it but with a led blue light makes it stand out. Great mic!

The BEST usb mic on the market

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 recording condenser is the only way to go, and even though this one is most expensive one I tried (at $150) it was by FAR the best.

Comes with a small tripod desk stand, the USB cable, and a carrying pouch. I don't trust the stand; it is small and flimsy. If you don't set it just right, the mic will fall over. If you do set it just right, it won't fall over unless you touch the cable with a small amount of force. In all it's just not trustworthy. I am going to get a new stand. You'll also want to buy a hard case for the mic. Condenser mics are much more fragile than other mics and much more sensitive to moisture. I keep mine in the hard case whenever I'm not using it. It has paid off tremendously. No buttons, knobs, or dials to speak of. I wish it had a volume control on it. It is cartoid (as opposed to unidirectional or omnidirectional).

Just plug it in and use it. I have two computers; one with Windows XP and one with Windows Vista and they both immediately recognize the mic. You'll need to set the input volume via control panel, and set it LOW for instruments.

It has a metal casing, but as with all condenser mics, the insides will break before the outside if you don't take proper care of it. I treat mine with more care than any of my stuff; keep it in a safe place, away from moisture and risk of getting knocked over or hit. Use a pop filter when recording vocals to keep moisture away from it.

You could spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on a "pro setup"; get a mixing board, preamps, dedicated instrument mics, etc or if you just want to record one track at a time and have it sound great, get this for a fraction of the price. I would speculate that if you got multiple of these you could record multiple tracks at once.

The standard USB mic for me

This mic will get the job done when it comes to most of the tasks I need to accomplish. My company bought 5 of these to create eLearning materials, podcasts, and what not. All professionals who use the mics, are very pleased with the plug and play convenience and the quality of sound recording.

By night, I use this mic for studio recording and recording live performances at cafes and other small venues. I just set the mic on the table and capture everything. I would like to have the mic closer to the PA, but that would require a mic stand adapter. The mini-tripod it comes with is great, just a bit short in several of my applications.

The greatest challenge for my type of usage has been controlling the volume when recording. The mic is so sensitive (which is a good thing ultimately) that it makes it difficult to set the level with Windows (Start > Settings > Sounds > AT2020 > Volume).

Overall, you cannot go wrong with this mic. I consider it to be the industry standard for USB mics.

Bang for the buck

I just got one of these, and I am really impressed. Low self noise, flat response, great for voiceovers.

Very nice USB microphone

I'm quite happy with the AT2020 USB. I've been using it for voice over work. It picks up sound nicely, and is easy to take with you and plug in to a computer anywhere. The key, I've found, is to make sure you're lined up vertically with the microphone -- you'll want it to stand high enough that you're not coming at it from the top at all.