Audio Technica AT2020USB Studio Condenser USB Microphone

Feature:
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).

Quality:
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.

Value:
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.

Desirability:
It has a sweet looking LED inside it which tells you it's on. The metal casing is black. It looks pretty cool I guess. As good as any other pro mic anyway.

Sound:
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.

Ease of Use:
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.

Support:
Comes with a 1-year manufacturers warranty; pretty standard. Never had a problem with it.

Overall:
I think it's pretty obvious that I couldn't be more pleased with this mic. Whether you just want to make podcasts, record band practice, or make track-by-track songs this is well worth the money.

Feature:
includes carrying bag usb cable and mini tripod

Quality:
quality i gave it an eight out of ten. resons .. bad reasons)) 1. the sound of the mic only pleases me if its in a padded area. it doesnt sound good in an open room.. 2. it comes with BS accessories. i wish it came with its own pop filter and a shockmount. along with the usb cord. instead of the lame tripod. good reasons)) 1. after the mic is set to the settings of your taste. you cant complain about the quality of the mic. it sounds good.. 2. it saves you hundreds of bucks. because you skip around mixers and pre amps or interfaces because the mic goes directly into the computer. 3. another thing the mic looks good and its SOLID its not plastic its the real deal . 4. its my first condenser mic and it gave me evry thing i expected for 150.00 and i still use it today.. the two things i think the mic could have used to make it a solid ten, is.. 1. a shockmount and popfilter. and 2. it should have came with its own recording software program like the samson condenser microphones they come with cakewalk.. (( i hope audio tecnica makes an upgrade on the usb condenser mics and this time give it a black and gold finish, for the same price but better quality,,)) i WILL BUY

Value:
i think its a good price for the quality, even tho i paid 40 bucks less than what you guys sell it for

Sound:
i ONLY use this mic for vocals.i own this mic, and the sound from it is very high as far as noise level and quality. meaning the quality is good BUT it records very loud wich is good and bad. most people bought the mic and expected to just record with out adjusting settings, and expected it to sound proffessional and thats not how it works. you have to set your microphone level really low and stand about a foot away from the mic wen you speak in it. and keep adjusting the sound untill it suits your taste. and a pop filter. improves sound for vocals. this is a condenser mic so it will record the EXACT sound that it hears, and if the sound is very loud then thats how it will play back. so adjust the microphone level and you will be satisfied.

Ease of Use:
to modify the sound to MY particular taste actually took a few hours but thats the time it takes to make a quality recording. it all depends on the recording program you use and the location of the mic. if you're recording vocals and your in a room with no acoustic treatment then your vocals arent going to sound like a person's vocal with the same exact mic , but they use it insode a booth. a pop filter helps also.

Overall:
i think i'll keep this mic for a few more months and then hopefully upgrade not because its a bad mic, but to experiment with diffrent variaties because even though i thing the quality is wonderful on this mic. its still always something better out there. so.. yeah.