Audio-Technica ATR2100X-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone Reviews
The Audio Technica ATR2100x-USB is a budget-friendly USB handheld dynamic mic with a stellar sound that podcasters, home recordists, and voiceover artists will love. With simple plug-and-play operation, the ATR2100x-USB is compatible with PC and Mac and works with your favorite DAW without the need for an audio interface. Featuring high-quality A/D conversion up to 192kHz sampling rate, low self-noise, and frequency range from 50Hz to 15kHz, the ATR2100x-USB has a pleasant and flattering tone, and its cardioid polar pattern does an excellent job of rejecting unwanted ambient noise that can ruin your recordings and live streams. This mic includes a built-in headphone jack and volume control for direct monitoring, an XLR output for running into a live mixing console, and it comes with a collapsible desktop stand you can toss in a backpack and set up in seconds on location — something artists and engineers at Sweetwater really appreciate. Make the Audio Technica ATR2100x-USB your new go-to USB microphone!
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Highest Rated Reviews
Great mic for beginners
As a new podcaster, I did a ton of research regarding starter microphones. The ATR2100X-USB kept coming up. So, I decided to start with it, which turned out to be a great choice. The mic is dead simple and provides awesome sound quality. I really like that it has both USB and XLR interfaces. Currently, I'm using it through USB, but it's nice to have the flexibility.
Everything you need to sound good online
This isn't so much a "microphone with USB" as it is a digital audio interface housed in a microphone. (And it's one that goes to 192 KHz 24 bit!) That being said, this mic and the accessories that come with it are all you need to sound good on your podcast, or on Zoom, as the sound you'll get is much, much better than that little omnidirectonal mic on your laptop or other device.
All the cables you could possibly need come with the mic: Two USB cables (USB A to C, and USB C to C), plus an XLR cable in case you need to make an analog connection to a audio interface or mixer. And there's even a handy little desktop stand that you can place the mic and its supplied stand adapter on. The mic itself is very solidly built.
Connecting the mic to my laptop and getting it working was easy, -in Windows no driver needs to be installed and it appears in Windows as another audio device that applications can access. You can monitor yourself while recording (or hear playback) through the headphone jack built into the mic. Sound wise it has maybe a bit more of a "presence boost" than your typical mic of this type (such as an SM-58 or Beta 58) but that really helps your voice to cut through online.
A couple of minor quibbles: The mic is described as "hand held", but I found that it picks up a tad more handling noise than you might like. I'd suggest keeping it on a stand in a shock mount, although the mic body is tad on the thick side, so finding a suitable one might be a problem. When you have both a USB cable and headphone cord plugged in while the mic is in use it's hard to get to the headphone volume control that's on the mic in between those connections. But you can control your monitor volume from your computer, so that's not so much of a problem. And finally, the stand adapter doesn't have the usual threaded metal insert inside, and where the adapter threads onto the desktop stand is also plastic, so those parts might wear out quickly. I'm using a quick disconnect fitting on both the mic adapter and the stand so I don't have to worry about that.
Other than those few criticisms, this is the mic you need to sound good online. And that doesn't mean it's not suitable for other uses, such as recording.
