Which microphone to buy??

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  • Which microphone to buy??

    Which one do you think is best? 4
    1.  
      At2020 Usb (0) 0%
    2.  
      Blue Yeti (2) 50%
    3.  
      At2020 Usb+ (2) 50%
    Hello Bros & Ladies. Setting out the scene: I've now owned a Youtube Channel for nearly 1.5 years (time goes by reeeaaaally fast o.O), and I was looking into a microphone upgrade seeing as at the moment I am using my Razer Kraken Pros microphone and I feel like it limits me in my commentary. So, I've been doing research for a while now, because I am looking to spend my money once and well, and so I've landed upon these three microphones: At2020 Usb, At2020 Usb+ and Blue Yeti. Now, if you've done a similar research, you'll be thinking 'Bloody hell, again with this question?' , but I haven't found a post on the internet that effectively gives a turning point on either microphones, which is why I'm asking for help!! There are contrasting opinions on the internet, which eventually got me really stuck in deciding what I want to buy. Here are a few points I've found out:

    People say the Yeti is waaaay too sensitive (even when gain is turned down) and I'll have keyboard, mouse and a bit of family background noise to deal with; on the other hand, the At2020 Usb doesn't have a gain knob and real-time headphone monitoring, and although people say it's not really needed because the At2020 already sounds great without any finetuning, if I'll ever need those two things then they won't be there and like I've already said I would like to get the best I can for my budget because it'll be a one time buy. Which is why I've included the At2020 Usb+, because it is the newest version that has both the knob for gain and real-time headphone monitoring, but it costs a bit more . At2020 Usb and Yeti both cost €120/$130, whilst the At2020 Usb+ costs €150/$170.
    There are few pros and cons of each thing of course:

    Yeti: Pros: Has 4 pickup patterns: Stereo, Cardiod, Bi-directional, Monodirectional/Real-time headphone monitoring
    Cons: Big/Heavy/Apparently picks up vibrations from surface(can be easily fixed)/Picks up quite a lot of noise

    At2020 Usb: Pros: No audio problems, smaller than yeti, doesn't pick up vibations
    Cons: No gain knob, no real-time headphone monitoring, only cardioid mode

    At2020 Usb+: Pros: Same as At2020 Usb, just has gain knob and real-time headphone monitoring
    Cons: Costs more than the other two microphones, only cardioid mode

    What are your thoughts on this?? Please help me out!!
    I'm a 14 year old Youtuber looking for a good microphone :P
    If you wanna help me out on my search click here.
    If you wanna check me out on youtube click HERE.
  • economicrex66 wrote:

    I would most preferably use the USB+ because of the voice quality but I would also prefer to use the blue yeti because it has many different voice qualities like cardioid, and stereo. The best one I would use is the Audio Tech AT2020 USB+.
    So the At2020 because it has the best sound? You see, if it wasn't for the multiple pickup patterns of the Yeti, I would go hands down for the At2020 Usb+...
    I'm a 14 year old Youtuber looking for a good microphone :P
    If you wanna help me out on my search click here.
    If you wanna check me out on youtube click HERE.
  • Going by the information you have given the At2020 Usb+ would seem like the best choice if you absolutely need to have the gain knob and real-time headphone monitoring.
    The Cardioid seems to be in every microphone which is good, since that's all you need for recording your voice.
  • Nugeddi wrote:

    Going by the information you have given the At2020 Usb+ would seem like the best choice if you absolutely need to have the gain knob and real-time headphone monitoring.
    The Cardioid seems to be in every microphone which is good, since that's all you need for recording your voice.


    I mean, the different pickup patterns may come in useful for other things such as recording in groups or when Cardiod simply won't do it for a certain situation. Real-time headphone monitoring will come in real handy to be honest, no voice recordings before beginning of video to hear what I sound like :p
    I'm a 14 year old Youtuber looking for a good microphone :P
    If you wanna help me out on my search click here.
    If you wanna check me out on youtube click HERE.
  • StealthBound wrote:

    Nugeddi wrote:

    Going by the information you have given the At2020 Usb+ would seem like the best choice if you absolutely need to have the gain knob and real-time headphone monitoring.
    The Cardioid seems to be in every microphone which is good, since that's all you need for recording your voice.


    I mean, the different pickup patterns may come in useful for other things such as recording in groups or when Cardiod simply won't do it for a certain situation. Real-time headphone monitoring will come in real handy to be honest, no voice recordings before beginning of video to hear what I sound like :p


    Well if you want to have the option for multiple pickup pattern than the Yeti is a good choice expect for the noise problem you mentioned, but that can be eliminated mostly with proper soundproofing.
  • Nugeddi wrote:


    Well if you want to have the option for multiple pickup pattern than the Yeti is a good choice expect for the noise problem you mentioned, but that can be eliminated mostly with proper soundproofing.


    How would I soundproof? Like, I know that I can just simply place a cloth or a book or anything under it to reduce vibrations etc. , but any other possible ways? According to most people Audio Technica sounds better... Do you happen to know whether that is true? I've listened to a few comparison tests but some were biased and others not too clear.
    I'm a 14 year old Youtuber looking for a good microphone :P
    If you wanna help me out on my search click here.
    If you wanna check me out on youtube click HERE.

  • How would I soundproof? Like, I know that I can just simply place a cloth or a book or anything under it to reduce vibrations etc. , but any other possible ways? According to most people Audio Technica sounds better... Do you happen to know whether that is true? I've listened to a few comparison tests but some were biased and others not too clear.


    I don't know if you understand how sound works but simply put Sound bounces really well off from hard walls and objects just like a tennis ball would, but if you make the surface softer for the Sound or a ball to bounce off from, the bounce off from the wall will be greatly reduced.

    Here's a video that explains this pretty well.
    How to Make an Audition-Quality Home Recording Studio like you Robbed an Airport Baggage Claim - YouTube


    As for the Audio Technica, I have heard this brand name before, but I think the better sound comes off from the fact that most of the Audio Technica Microphones use an XLR cable that then connects to an xlr interface which then connects to the computer.
    I don't know if this is really true since I have not tested this myself, but the quality does depend on what XLR Microphone your going to use.
  • Nugeddi wrote:


    How would I soundproof? Like, I know that I can just simply place a cloth or a book or anything under it to reduce vibrations etc. , but any other possible ways? According to most people Audio Technica sounds better... Do you happen to know whether that is true? I've listened to a few comparison tests but some were biased and others not too clear.


    I don't know if you understand how sound works but simply put Sound bounces really well off from hard walls and objects just like a tennis ball would, but if you make the surface softer for the Sound or a ball to bounce off from, the bounce off from the wall will be greatly reduced.

    Here's a video that explains this pretty well.
    How to Make an Audition-Quality Home Recording Studio like you Robbed an Airport Baggage Claim - YouTube


    As for the Audio Technica, I have heard this brand name before, but I think the better sound comes off from the fact that most of the Audio Technica Microphones use an XLR cable that then connects to an xlr interface which then connects to the computer.
    I don't know if this is really true since I have not tested this myself, but the quality does depend on what XLR Microphone your going to use.


    Yeah I do know how sound works, I did it in Physics not long ago and had a test on it xD, but what I mean by vibrations is something like when you hit your desk or the keyboard wobbles a bit... Apparently the Yeti picks up LOADS of vibrations, so that's why I was saying I can dampen then with a cloth or something under it... But I guess your video taught me some things I didn't know, pretty cool to be honest, although I don't think I'll be facing those problems :P
    I'm a 14 year old Youtuber looking for a good microphone :P
    If you wanna help me out on my search click here.
    If you wanna check me out on youtube click HERE.
  • How would I soundproof? Like, I know that I can just simply place a cloth or a book or anything under it to reduce vibrations etc. , but any other possible ways? According to most people Audio Technica sounds better... Do you happen to know whether that is true? I've listened to a few comparison tests but some were biased and others not too clear.


    Yeah I do know how sound works, I did it in Physics not long ago and had a test on it xD, but what I mean by vibrations is something like when you hit your desk or the keyboard wobbles a bit... Apparently the Yeti picks up LOADS of vibrations, so that's why I was saying I can dampen then with a cloth or something under it... But I guess your video taught me some things I didn't know, pretty cool to be honest, although I don't think I'll be facing those problems :P


    For reducing vibration I can think of a few options.
    One is what you said is putting something under the microphone to reduce vibration going straight in to the microphone, this same could be done with the keyboard to reduce its vibration and maybe reduce the wobbliness.

    Other way would be to just put your microphone or the keyboard on to a separate surface, this is actually done in many recording studios both professional and in home studios. You could also use a stand for the microphone.

    For the table you can put the table against the wall to reduce the wobbliness and tighten the screws on the table. But if you feel like the wobbliness is still there too much then getting a new table would be also another option.


    Bumpz... I swear the forums are really inactive

    Most of the people in here the forums are here primarily because of Pewdiepie, and I don't think many fans of Pewdiepie are any tech savvy which could explain the lack of activity towards anything tech related.

    The post was edited 1 time, last by Anonym ().

  • Nugeddi wrote:

    How would I soundproof? Like, I know that I can just simply place a cloth or a book or anything under it to reduce vibrations etc. , but any other possible ways? According to most people Audio Technica sounds better... Do you happen to know whether that is true? I've listened to a few comparison tests but some were biased and others not too clear.


    Yeah I do know how sound works, I did it in Physics not long ago and had a test on it xD, but what I mean by vibrations is something like when you hit your desk or the keyboard wobbles a bit... Apparently the Yeti picks up LOADS of vibrations, so that's why I was saying I can dampen then with a cloth or something under it... But I guess your video taught me some things I didn't know, pretty cool to be honest, although I don't think I'll be facing those problems :P


    For reducing vibration I can think of a few options.
    One is what you said is putting something under the microphone to reduce vibration going straight in to the microphone, this same could be done with the keyboard to reduce its vibration and maybe reduce the wobbliness.

    Other way would be to just put your microphone or the keyboard on to a separate surface, this is actually done in many recording studios both professional and in home studios. You could also use a stand for the microphone.

    For the table you can put the table against the wall to reduce the wobbliness and tighten the screws on the table. But if you feel like the wobbliness is still there too much then getting a new table would be also another option.


    Bumpz... I swear the forums are really inactive

    Most of the people in here the forums are here primarily because of Pewdiepie, and I don't think many fans of Pewdiepie are any tech savvy which could explain the lack of activity towards anything tech related.


    Hmmm... I think I'll put the microphone on another surface anyway, because I have a shelf on top on my desk etc. ,so I can make some sort of stand for it. The keyboard doesn't wobble at all for me, Apple's too pro to make it wobble :P

    As for the inactiveness, I don't know if you were here on the forums last Christmas like I was, but the forums were FULL of people back then; If you posted a thread like this you would get 5 answers within a day, with most people actually knowing something about technology. Now they just seem to have died away... Sorta sad D:

    But thanks for all the help so far! I'm leaning towards the At2020 Usb+, because of the extra functions and all that jazz, plus it looks nice :p (however the Blue Yeti blackout edition does look pretty beast)
    I'm a 14 year old Youtuber looking for a good microphone :P
    If you wanna help me out on my search click here.
    If you wanna check me out on youtube click HERE.

  • Hmmm... I think I'll put the microphone on another surface anyway, because I have a shelf on top on my desk etc. ,so I can make some sort of stand for it. The keyboard doesn't wobble at all for me, Apple's too pro to make it wobble :P

    As for the inactiveness, I don't know if you were here on the forums last Christmas like I was, but the forums were FULL of people back then; If you posted a thread like this you would get 5 answers within a day, with most people actually knowing something about technology. Now they just seem to have died away... Sorta sad D:

    But thanks for all the help so far! I'm leaning towards the At2020 Usb+, because of the extra functions and all that jazz, plus it looks nice :P (however the Blue Yeti blackout edition does look pretty beast)


    Yeah.. The activity just died here in the forums eventually but at least there's some activity here now since Pewdiepie started advertising it finally, but sadly most of those people came here to just comment on the videos.

    But I am glad to have helped and good luck with the microphone set up.
  • Nugeddi wrote:


    Hmmm... I think I'll put the microphone on another surface anyway, because I have a shelf on top on my desk etc. ,so I can make some sort of stand for it. The keyboard doesn't wobble at all for me, Apple's too pro to make it wobble :P

    As for the inactiveness, I don't know if you were here on the forums last Christmas like I was, but the forums were FULL of people back then; If you posted a thread like this you would get 5 answers within a day, with most people actually knowing something about technology. Now they just seem to have died away... Sorta sad D:

    But thanks for all the help so far! I'm leaning towards the At2020 Usb+, because of the extra functions and all that jazz, plus it looks nice :P (however the Blue Yeti blackout edition does look pretty beast)


    Yeah.. The activity just died here in the forums eventually but at least there's some activity here now since Pewdiepie started advertising it finally, but sadly most of those people came here to just comment on the videos.

    But I am glad to have helped and good luck with the microphone set up.


    Thanks for the help and I wish you happy holidays :D
    I'm a 14 year old Youtuber looking for a good microphone :P
    If you wanna help me out on my search click here.
    If you wanna check me out on youtube click HERE.
  • StealthBound wrote:

    Nugeddi wrote:


    Well if you want to have the option for multiple pickup pattern than the Yeti is a good choice expect for the noise problem you mentioned, but that can be eliminated mostly with proper soundproofing.


    How would I soundproof? Like, I know that I can just simply place a cloth or a book or anything under it to reduce vibrations etc. , but any other possible ways? According to most people Audio Technica sounds better... Do you happen to know whether that is true? I've listened to a few comparison tests but some were biased and others not too clear.



    Look, If you have a problem with soundproofing the mic because of outside noise, Use those foamy thick mic covers that help reduce outside noise & interference and some kind of soft thick foamy surface so the mic doesn't detect the vibration or sound bounce-offs.

    Plus, I have the Blue Yeti and the Audio Technica AT4040 usb+ which is better than the 2020 (*cough* mr. Obvious). I never used it yet but I can tell you this... The mic also consists with a shockproof mic holder which is useful for recording things without vibratory effects. If you don't like background sound that's in the mic, put on the foamy mic cover.

    Oh... let me tell you something, the Blue Yeti... I hate to tell you this... but it is a toy. But the Audio Technica AT2020 usb+ in the other hand, it is a real studio based mic. If you are recording any stereo and cardioid recordings, I would recommend the AT2020 usb+.

    8) :thumbsup: Happy Holidays & New years :brofist: :brofist:

    The post was edited 1 time, last by economicrex66 ().

  • Well it seems that Razer is entering the studio microphone scene with their own Razer Seiren.

    Wouldn't surprise me that they would give it to pewds for free as product endorsement.

    Anyway, I've got the Blue Yeti one and it sound pretty good. If you are willing to spend a little extra then I would recommend on buying a mic stand, a pop filter and Blue's Radius shockmount.
    -Brofist from Australia-