When you were distancing yourself from the mic it was off axis so it will fall off very quickly. Try again pointing straight at you at different distances.
I'm in the middle of researching for sdc and found your channel. Very good review! I have a question regarding mic recommendation. My use case is for overhead/off screen mic for desk/streaming setup. I have budget around 150 usd. Which one do you recommend, at2021, samson c02, isk little gem/cm 20, akg p170, or maybe other?
Nicely done I think there is a ring somewhere in room that the AT2021 resonates on. You might want to try notching it out. I just switched up from the cheap at2020 to and isk cm10 ("little gem") SDC cardioid to address room noise and it is an improvement. Unprocesse sound quality of the CM-10 is a little worse than the AT2020 BUT and it's a big but... In my untreated room with house AC runing and computer noises I can reduce my use of compression and gating significantly and by using the EQ to ring out the room before my condensor/gate and then to sweeten the voice after it you get the equivalent of a much more expensive microphone in the room. A successful experiment. I am definitely tempted to save up for an AT4053/AT4051.
Much appreciated! Definitely some EQ to notch out resonance frequencies would help the AT2021 out in my TH-cam space and thanks for the info on the CM10, it has a following and I find that once most people get one it tends to stay in their mic locker. I have used the AT4053 in my shared studio space to record acoustic guitar and a few woodwind instruments (it sounds very nice on flute). Lately I have found myself going to the Lauten LA-120. It has a very natural transparent sound and pairs nicely with many sources. I am currently doing some work on my TH-cam space and will have reviews for a few of these mics coming once the space is complete (I am planning to have things complete in about another three weeks, but acoustics take time). Thanks again for weighing in and sharing the approach you used in your space.
Thanks for the video! Have you tried the Behringer C2? I’m also looking for a pencil mic for voiceover and I’m between the Lewitt 140, AT2021 and the Behringer. Any suggestion?
I haven't tried the C2, but I have a Lewitt 140 and a Sennheiser E614 coming for review. I have found many Behringer mics to outperform their price, however based on the three you mentioned, I expect the LCT140 to perform the best as it is known to have excellent clarity without being too brittle in the upper frequencies (I will confirm this in my review). From studio use I have found that the e614 has very good background rejection, but I haven't tried it on voiceover yet. At this price point I also like the tone of the sE7 and will be doing a review on it soon as well. If it's a choice between the three, it is likely the LCT 140. If you have some time, both the E614 and the sE7 are worth considering at this price point. Hope this helps out!
I know it's been about two years, but are you sure there was no processing on this? It sounds like you had something like a gate or expander on the mic.
Yes, as long as its wider (cardiod) polar pattern is not an issue. I have the e614 and it is considerably more directional vs the AT2021. Another popular budget option for a supercardioid pencil mic is the Samson C02. The pickup pattern is closer to the e614, but the AT2021 is closer in tone.
For nylon I prefer the P170. I find it provides more clarity and depth in recordings vs the 2021 for instruments whose tone is not overly bright imo. Hope this helps out!
Thanks for letting me know what's happening when you listen to the video. I checked the loudness on TH-cam (with all playback resolutions just in case) and it is right in line with where it should be and with other videos on TH-cam. My original file is loudness normalized to -16.1 LUFS which is also within spec for TH-cam uploads. I also played back the video on multiple devices (2 PC's, 2 Smart TV's, my iPhone, and my iPad) and there were no volume level issues after which I compared the level to videos from other channels and again found no discrepancies in level. After all these tests I'm not sure what is causing the level to be low on your end. If you would like to share info on what you were watching on I will try to replicate and measure the normalized volume level.
Seems a bit low to me too. I could easily get it high enough using my studio monitors but I had to turn it up a lot more than normal. Perhaps just due to the unprocessed audio with no compression.
When you were distancing yourself from the mic it was off axis so it will fall off very quickly. Try again pointing straight at you at different distances.
I'm in the middle of researching for sdc and found your channel. Very good review!
I have a question regarding mic recommendation. My use case is for overhead/off screen mic for desk/streaming setup. I have budget around 150 usd. Which one do you recommend, at2021, samson c02, isk little gem/cm 20, akg p170, or maybe other?
I greatly appreciate the detailed review and comparison! It's hard to find videos on the AT2021 or even the Behringer B5.
Glad the review helped out! I agree, broadcast dynamics and large diaphragm condensers do seem to get the most attention.
Best review I've seen of this mic thus far, thanks man!
All good - glad it helped out!
what did you end up settling on for your set up?
Nicely done I think there is a ring somewhere in room that the AT2021 resonates on. You might want to try notching it out. I just switched up from the cheap at2020 to and isk cm10 ("little gem") SDC cardioid to address room noise and it is an improvement. Unprocesse sound quality of the CM-10 is a little worse than the AT2020 BUT and it's a big but... In my untreated room with house AC runing and computer noises I can reduce my use of compression and gating significantly and by using the EQ to ring out the room before my condensor/gate and then to sweeten the voice after it you get the equivalent of a much more expensive microphone in the room. A successful experiment. I am definitely tempted to save up for an AT4053/AT4051.
Much appreciated! Definitely some EQ to notch out resonance frequencies would help the AT2021 out in my TH-cam space and thanks for the info on the CM10, it has a following and I find that once most people get one it tends to stay in their mic locker. I have used the AT4053 in my shared studio space to record acoustic guitar and a few woodwind instruments (it sounds very nice on flute). Lately I have found myself going to the Lauten LA-120. It has a very natural transparent sound and pairs nicely with many sources. I am currently doing some work on my TH-cam space and will have reviews for a few of these mics coming once the space is complete (I am planning to have things complete in about another three weeks, but acoustics take time). Thanks again for weighing in and sharing the approach you used in your space.
Thanks for the video! Have you tried the Behringer C2? I’m also looking for a pencil mic for voiceover and I’m between the Lewitt 140, AT2021 and the Behringer. Any suggestion?
I haven't tried the C2, but I have a Lewitt 140 and a Sennheiser E614 coming for review. I have found many Behringer mics to outperform their price, however based on the three you mentioned, I expect the LCT140 to perform the best as it is known to have excellent clarity without being too brittle in the upper frequencies (I will confirm this in my review). From studio use I have found that the e614 has very good background rejection, but I haven't tried it on voiceover yet. At this price point I also like the tone of the sE7 and will be doing a review on it soon as well. If it's a choice between the three, it is likely the LCT 140. If you have some time, both the E614 and the sE7 are worth considering at this price point. Hope this helps out!
@@askdrtkwhat about e614 self noise, does it audible for boomed dialoque?
I know it's been about two years, but are you sure there was no processing on this? It sounds like you had something like a gate or expander on the mic.
Of the microphones tested I would go for the AKG P170.
The P170 gets high marks for even frequency / dynamic response and low noise. One of the best overall values in pencil condenser mics imo.
This could be a budget option to the Sennheiser e614?
Yes, as long as its wider (cardiod) polar pattern is not an issue. I have the e614 and it is considerably more directional vs the AT2021. Another popular budget option for a supercardioid pencil mic is the Samson C02. The pickup pattern is closer to the e614, but the AT2021 is closer in tone.
@@askdrtk like always, your opinion is very useful, thanks buddy
@@askdrtk what pencil microphone do you think is the best competitor to the Sennheiser e614 in the 200 dollars or less range?
Wich one do you prefer for nylon guitar record? P170 or at2021?
For nylon I prefer the P170. I find it provides more clarity and depth in recordings vs the 2021 for instruments whose tone is not overly bright imo. Hope this helps out!
@@askdrtk what about between AKG P170 and AT2031?
I think your recording level is way too low on this video...I can barely hear you with volume way up.
Thanks for letting me know what's happening when you listen to the video. I checked the loudness on TH-cam (with all playback resolutions just in case) and it is right in line with where it should be and with other videos on TH-cam. My original file is loudness normalized to -16.1 LUFS which is also within spec for TH-cam uploads.
I also played back the video on multiple devices (2 PC's, 2 Smart TV's, my iPhone, and my iPad) and there were no volume level issues after which I compared the level to videos from other channels and again found no discrepancies in level.
After all these tests I'm not sure what is causing the level to be low on your end. If you would like to share info on what you were watching on I will try to replicate and measure the normalized volume level.
Seems a bit low to me too. I could easily get it high enough using my studio monitors but I had to turn it up a lot more than normal. Perhaps just due to the unprocessed audio with no compression.