Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Reviews

All of A$AP RUN WITH THE 2020. It grabs voice very well. Great for yah P's and b's with a pop on the shiz.


\-Rocky

I ordered this mic from the advice given to me by my voice over coach. I quickly got online and found Sweetwater and placed the order. It came very quickly, I frantically tore open the box and easily plugged it in my USB port on my computer and Voila!! Instantly I could tell a difference in the sound quality and ease of response with this microphone. I am recording auditions left and right, and even the people upstairs with their heavy feet don't make a dent in the recording!

I will be recording at home on my computer and needed a good quality yet moderately priced microphone.
My Sweetwater rep suggested the AT2020USB. He also recommended adding a softward package to support the recording.

I am thrilled with the results. Studio quality at my own computer.

I purchased this microphone with the intention of recording lyrics for a homemade rap record. It is extremely efficient, picks up all sounds within range, records crisply and clearly, etc. The cardioid pattern is also very good. Sometimes I record while other people are in the house and none of the noises that they make are audible in the recording. Overall, I am extremely happy with this product, which I nearly overlooked due to its low price.

I originally bought this mic to record voice acting lines for a voice audition. My original mic was pretty bad- it sounded like i was talking through a tin can. I was directed here, and I honestly feel like this was 100% worth the price. The mic works very well, it looks very nice, too. It comes with a desk stand and it is very portable and easy to carry around via the pouch that also comes with it. The cable is really long, too long for my purposes, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest. Overall, it was a great buy. I recommend this mic!

I found the Sweetwater crew by accident! What a spectular find! My consultant Jeff is amazing!. I fail to return his calls but he remains unduanted. His job is to make sure I have a great product that fits my needs. He does that and much more. He listened to what I needed, solved my problems and cares enough to check on me to make sure it is perfect! Amazing! That does not happen at the mall!!!!!

My SE recommended this mic as a great starting point in higher quality mics....man was he right. I love it on just about instrument I try it on. Smokes the old dynamic mics I was using. Cool!

Literally blown away. i have a 4033 at home and have always loved it for my room but this little gem is amazing. I recorded some scratch vocals in the sleeper of one of my trucks. Running reefer vibration and all. YES, SLEEPER OF MY TRUCK. With a little noise gate, it blew me away. I can only imagine how great it would sound in a studio setting.

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

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!

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.

My friend and I wanted to try recording some vocals for a project. All we had were gaming headsets and the miss were ok, but not really what we needed. This mic is perfect for what we needed it for and totally affordable. Couldn't ask for a better deal, or customer service. Definitely will be a return customer at some point.

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.

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

I am totally enjoying this microphone. I was a little apprehensive about it being a USB mic, but the first time I plugged it in and sang into it I was sold. It sounded great without a filter, but I think once I really start using it I'll need one.

I'm taking my first baby steps toward a goal of getting into the voice-over business. This mic was a first step, and I've been happy with my choice. Being semi-retired, cost was a BIG consideration. The AT2020 was recommended to me by someone in a technical group at Eons.com and the person who recommended it knew what he was talking about.

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.

Works great in XP operating system for windows, but the microphone does not work with Windows 7. At least I can't get it to work.

I needed a well rounded mic for recording vocals and guitar at my home studio. Got the mic plugged it in, was recognized as the at2020usb, awesome! Then a couple weeks later plugged it into my pc and is now being detected as a "USB DEVICE" And now when i load up my DAW to record it is not being condensed anymore and is in the red even when my amp is literally at 1 for volume. Tried updating drivers and plugged into multiple pcs and still shows as "usb device" and is SUPER sensitive. It was great while it worked which was less than a month and now i am severely angry.