Is it worth it to upgrade to the AT2020 microphone from the USB version?

[Pixel_Databit]

I have been having issues with my USB AT2020 with it either being too quiet or way too loud. I have tried messing with the audio levels in software and updating drivers to no avail. I have also tried replacing the USB cable and using a different port. I've been looking into getting an XLR interface for streaming, but I am unsure if it's a good idea or not right now. Should I pull the trigger and get the XLR version of the AT2020 along with an amp, or should I stick with a USB one? Any hardware suggestions are welcome!

[OfficialTechSpace]

If you're going to buy a new mic you might as well go for an upgrade. The AT2020 may be pretty much the industry standard for a budget studio-capable microphone, but it's been beaten over the last few years. The Neat King Bee is one of its competitors, which released back in 2015 (since discontinued, replaced with the King Bee II). It's a bit warmer, and smoother on the top-end, so you won't get that same AT2020 shrillness. I personally daily-drive the cheaper Neat Worker Bee, and it's really not bad. Pairing the King Bee II with a cheap interface like the Focusrite Scarlett Solo will do you no harm.

[Entropy.]

1 hour ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

If you're going to buy a new mic you might as well go for an upgrade. The AT2020 may be pretty much the industry standard for a budget studio-capable microphone, but it's been beaten over the last few years. The Neat King Bee is one of its competitors, which released back in 2015 (since discontinued, replaced with the King Bee II). It's a bit warmer, and smoother on the top-end, so you won't get that same AT2020 shrillness. I personally daily-drive the cheaper Neat Worker Bee, and it's really not bad. Pairing the King Bee II with a cheap interface like the Focusrite Scarlett Solo will do you no harm.

umc22/202hd are also very viable options on the cheap, preamps are close to the same quality. 

[GingerellaMan]

I would recoment getting a xlr microphone. 

In my experience the control and audio quality jump is very noticable. I'm coming from a music production background so sound quality is what I'm looking for. 

 

For a audio interface I would recomend either a Focusrite Scarlette Solo or Focusrite Scarlette 2i2 as they are pretty good, "cheap" and usually widle available on the used market for cheap. 

 

As for a mic I would recomend the Røde NT2-A. I have used this microphone for 4 years at this point for streaming, gaming and vocals in music production and it is amazing. The sound quality is outstanding and the switches on the microphone where you can cut lower frequencies, adjust pickup pattern and lower sensitivity (db) is very nice to have to make it work better for many different uses. Especially when you don't own a fancy mixer with built in features like frequency cut. 

This microphone is also usually available for cheap on the used market. 

 

If the extra switches on the microphone is not something you care about then the Røde Nt1-A is also a good option. 

 

Important note it that both of the microphones require phantom power to funtion so make sure that the audio interface you get has that feature. Most I have seen do, but better to be safe than sorry. 

 

If you have any question please ask. I love talking about audio gear

Sorry for any writing mistakes, I'm very bad at typing on phone

Hope this helped.

Have a wonderful day

Edited April 8, 2022 by GingerellaMan
Writing mistakes 😅😂

[The Flying Sloth]

Take a look at the guide in my signature when you get the chance I talk in depth about the AT2020 and why I'm not a fan as well as tips on choosing a good mic.

The AT 2020 and 2035 are consistently recommended both here and everywhere else and certainly aren't bad microphones if you don't have much background noise (there's a reason they're the low budget go-to), if you do have background noise you may want to use a dynamic microphone.

 

Just remember that Condenser microphones are extremely sensitive (will pick up a tonne of background noise) and Dynamic microphones will often require an inline preamp to get any decent volume out of them (like the Klark Teknic CT1) and using a dynamic mic without one can make it sound very lifeless, just something to keep in mind.

 

There are a plethora of microphone options available with many microphones rivaling or outright beating the 2020/35 in a very similar price range (Brands like MXL, 3U, ADK, isk and CAD among others) so just take your time finding the microphone that will sound the best in your voice. If you can't try them yourself the Podcastage YouTube channel can be a very useful point of reference.

As for USB mics in general,
 

When comparing USB mics to XLR systems it's important to remember that it's not just price that controls quality, it's also the target market. You or I might be happy dealing with XLR cables, mic stands, low cut filters, pads and gain controls but the buyer of a USB mic just wants a plug and play solution so those extra features aren't available to them. They don't care about the bit depth so they only get 16 bits while we expect 24 and it's expected that they will mostly use it for gaming and voice calls so it's simply not built with the finesse required for exacting studio recording. It's a quick and dirty (and cheap) solution that might work great for gaming, light streaming and voice calls but severely disadvantages you if you're trying to do any serious recording.

 

The issue is not the fact it's USB. USB is great!

To Quote Derkoli,

Quote

USB Microphones tend to be cheap and noisy little buggers. Shoving all that analog circuitry close to a relatively sensitive transducer can fuck with it. Also if phantom power is needed, you can introduce noise from the transformer that is needed to take the voltage from the USB power lines and turn it into +48VDC Phantom power.