Curious about Condenser Microphone Quality

[PandaLolii]

Hi, hi!! Recently, I've had this urge to upgrade my mic so I would like to hear what others think.

Currently, I have a Logitech headset and it's quite nice for regular banks and for what I paid for, don't get me wrong!!
It can pass for decent soft bank quality, but it's really rough on power banks and higher notes as you'd expect.

So, how do certain other mics fair with this? *___*
The Audio-Technica AT2020 sounds like a beauty for this but it /is/ 150 (Canadian) on average. I'm trying to raise money from commissions and whatnot but aha, that's quite a mighty goal.

While searching AT mics, I found the Audio-Technica ATR2500-USB Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone which is significantly cheaper. Does anyone have it and wouldn't mind testing powerful recordings and soft recordings or other tests of that nature for me? *___* //or show voicebanks

I also considered the Blue Yeti. Slightly cheaper than the AT2020 but again, I don't know how it is with powerful banks. It sounds pretty nice with softer banks, I believe. (I wonder about Nessie too, but I heard the first version was a failure.)

Are there any other USB condenser mics that are recommended (and can be provided with samples?) That would be appreciated, thank you!!

(Please don't recommend Blue Snowball. Its quality is frankly not that much better than my logitech mic I think.)

 

[Lolitas-modesty]

Wow i'm really dumb and didn't read to the bottom of your post and suggested to blue snowball. I'm so sorry :holy--:
While it does work for me, If you don't like it, i completely understand!
I hope you find what you're looking for!

 

[PandaLolii]

Wow i'm really dumb and didn't read to the bottom of your post and suggested to blue snowball. I'm so sorry :holy--:
While it does work for me, If you don't like it, i completely understand!
I hope you find what you're looking for!

Ahh, don't worry!! I do understand that it's quite good on its own, but I don't think it's just better than my mic enough to fork out another 60+ dollars. xD; This is only judging from a few banks though. @ __ @
If I may though, have you dealt with several of the settings on the mic for optimum use? It could be that the banks I've heard didn't adjust the settings. If so, I'd love to hear samples of belting, regular power I guess???? and soft/whisper tones. *A*
//Also, do you use a pop filter? *___*
Thank for the interest in helping!!

 

[shinami]

Yeti is cheaper than AT2020? I remember a while ago it was the other way around. Maybe when I was shopping for a mic it was on sale too alongside the Yeti or something.

The Yeti should be very good for all voice types as long as you edit your raw files properly. I mostly hear AT2020 recommended for soft stuff, it supposedly handles those amazingly, but I haven't heard about how it handles strong voices. I know a wide variety of people use the Yeti though. I tried my own attempt at "Kire" a long time ago if you remember, and while my voice just isn't very capable of doing it I think the sound came out very nice.

i endlessly endorse the yeti though so i'd still ask around, you have tumblr right, ask them folks for more ideas

On the matter of Snowball, I know that Brella USED to use one. Not sure if she ever upgraded her mic though.

POP FILTER - I recommend one that's cheap but not dirt cheap. I have a Nady, ~ $22 US, which is more expensive than some but cheaper than others (Blue asks for about $40 for their's dear god). I mainly got the Nady for the extra articulation so I could twist it around more if I needed to. XD You will end up getting air puffs in the mic, especially if you do an English bank, if you don't. Not as much of a problem with JP banks since they don't use as much air.

 

[PandaLolii]

@Shinami - It seems like it is on Amazon at least. @ __ @ Yeti (not the pro version) is 113ish and AT2020 is 150 for me.

"The Yeti should be very good for all voice types as long as you edit your raw files properly." >>ahh, editing. Like EQ editing or..?
Well, I listened to Hachi's ACUTE samples with the AT2020, and the highset sounds quite clear! *_*)//

Ahh, who else do you know has a Yeti that also has attempted belting stuff? It's a tad bit hard judging from just that sample on SC. @ __ @ //oh wait, I think Fuzzle released Hana's belting bank... I should look into that

But ah yes. I'm waiting for answers on Tumblr too. xD;

Brella's mic >> Mhm! EDEN is one of the banks I judged from assuming that she still has Blue Snowball. But personally, I don't think it was that much better than my mic for belting, if at all. *A* ack..

Thanks for the help and pop filter recommendation! *^*

 

[shinami]

Well yeah, with all quality mics they're not instantly "clear" (something I had to adjust to after getting it because I was so used to just exporting what I directly recorded with my old headset). I EQ once or maybe even twice with something resembling REAPER's Clear Vocals EQ from ReaEQ, SRS (There's a person who has done strong banks with a Yeti! She has a SC, just look up Takoe Zuii) once told me she Normalizes her samples - just find what suits your voice.

Did Yeti have a permanent price drop? Or is it the Amazon price? They're still $150 by Blue, and I remember buying it for $120 on sale (though now when it's on sale it's $100). huh

and never bother with pro that's a huuuuuge waste of money
barely better sound quality for an extra $100
not even pro youtubers bother with pro, they just use a yeti
Oh pffft, PewDiePie uses a Yeti and edits his audio, he screams and yells a lot and it handles it really well. XD i wonder what his setup is, it's really nice sounding

 

[PandaLolii]

Oh, I see. I thought most settings would be dealt with on the microphone itself. //already EQ's and whatnot and I was hoping I could avoid it since it's a tad bit tedious

Ah her. * ^ * I've heard of her, but thanks~ I'll look into her samples.

Mm, I'm not quite sure? It was around 100 last month too, so possibly.
And haha, yep! I'm aware that pro is not worth it. I just thought to differentiate from the two in case there was a misunderstanding in the new prices.

 

[shinami]

Well this is my "guide" to using the Yeti:

http://utaforum.net/thread-my-blue-yeti-microphone-is-a-bit-retarded-possibly-solved?pid=40790#pid40790

my suggestions alone of course
I don't find it too tedious, I just record a batch of samples in one take, select the whole thing, then slap on the EQ and export the good samples. Depends on how you record I guess.

ah okay

Well good luck with your mic decision hunt!

 

[Lolitas-modesty]

I have messed with the settings, And personally i like the preset ones, But i can totally record a couple samples with custom!
And yes it records very quality soft banks, And my sweet bank had a powerful tone to it, And it sounded great! I can share if you want ;v;/
And as for a pop filter, I used one on my UTAU first bank, But didn't use it on her two appends due to it breaking when it fell, But i still think it sounds great. though a little more static-ey

But yeah like i said if you want me to record a few samples on custom settings i totally can!

 

[Halo]

Honestly I think after a certain point quality doesn't matter as much in UTAU, and unlike shinami I'd never bother EQing a raw sample. As far as I've found, UTAU deals with raws perfectly fine...? Maybe its a combination of my admittedly sharp consonants and tendency to use mics with a high treble range, though.

I have an ATR-2500 USB, though, if you want any samples (I got it while it was on sale on amazon, and it appears it's on sale again). I have yet to record a bank with it, so not much to show right now, but from what I've tested (and the few samples I've used to fill blanks in Hayao's new banks), it seems to do just fine.

 

[PandaLolii]

@Shinami - Oh, I record batch by batch too. Exporting individual recordings makes me procrastinate aha.. //was hoping I could maybe use OREMO but I guess a little bit more work is worth the results u___u;

Woaah, that looks helpful. *___* ww I would probably ask you about better gain settings if I ever got it so glad that it's already out there!! Thank you!

@Lolitas-modesty - It would be appreciated!! Whatever settings you believe will create optimum samples ; u ;

@Halo - Ahh, I guess EQ should really be reserved for lower quality mics, if at all I suppose? *___* hehe, guess it's a matter of playing around with the mics I guess.

Ah! Samples would be appreciated!! Have you done any belting and whispering tests particularly?

 

[Halo]

Whispering I've got, unfortunately I generally only record for Hayao so Belting is a no... I can't belt that low. I'll upload some samples...

Mind the samples, I'm recording in a new environment so...
Recorded a while ago, mellow/soft (OMAKE and a sample from Hayao Meek):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o7ss6o6wihp5zri/ganbatte.wav
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wvpphu3q31dmt4a/gomenne.wav
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gzsw8ryx4ui7bi7/maa_maa.wav
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i8nfak8yblk7645/%E3%81%A7%E3%81%83%E3%81%A7%E3%81%83%E3%81%A7%E3%82%85%E3%81%A7%E3%82%83%E3%81%A7%E3%81%83%E3%81%87%E3%81%A7%E3%81%83%E3%81%A7%E3%81%83%E3%81%87.wav

And for you I just recorded a bunch of aaiauea's on different tones (whisper, mellow, regular/loud, semibelting, belting) then two general mic tests with songs (Rasberry Monster and an English song for consonant quality example).

https://soundcloud.com/bagel-hero/testing-the-atr-2500-usb-for

Hope this helps at all?? idk I think it's pretty good especially for the sale price.

 

[shinami]

http://soundcloud.com/shinami/blue-yeti-sampler-for-panda

saw halo's in my inbox and wanted to do this

THOUGH KEEP IN MIND
We have very VERY different voice types. I feel bad, I may have made the illusion that the Yeti makes you sound "powerful" just because I have a strong voice. But I still wanted to, and I get asked about the Yeti fairly frequently actually, so I'm happy to have finally done this.

hope you don't get upset i copied you halo orz orz orz sob

 

[Halo]

Why would I even be upset this is pretty interesting!
For the record, I actually went and looked up the specs just then.

The Yeti:
Sample Rate: 48 kHz
Bit Rate: 16bit
Polar Patterns: Cardioid, Bidirectional, Omnidirectional, Stereo
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz

The ATR-2500 USB:
SAMPLE RATE: 44.1 kHz/48 kHz
BIT DEPTH: 16 bit
POLAR PATTERN: Cardioid
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 30 – 15,000 Hz

The ATR-2500 USB is a little more basic, but for $20-$70 less I guess that's what you'd expect.

 

[PandaLolii]

sobs your singing...you guys.....//lies down

Hmm, I'm not sure how I feel.. I think a Yeti doesn't sound too bad for its price since I could get both the mic and a pop filter for the price of only the AT2020 *___* But I'm still thinking I suppose xD;;

I feel iffy on the Yeti's kire results.. but you did say you didn't like how you did it xD;

Erm, just for comparison, I quickly recorded the same line (or something like it lol) * ___ *
http://www.mediafire.com/listen/1urzv1l4ub8046o/kakakik_etc_quick_kire_sample.mp3

My specs are:
Microphone: 100 Hz – 10,000 Hz
Sensitivity: -62 dBV/µBar
-42 dBV/Pa +/- 3 dB

//sobs it sounds less scratchy in Audacity so maybe it was just the MP3 encoding
Also, it hasn't been EQd.

Hmm, it might be the fact that as a headset, naturally the mic is closer. But it really catches an echo so urg.....//SORRY, I suppose I'm kinda just rambling about my thoughts because even though I have a better idea, I'm kinda indecisive
Ahh and naturally, it's much more prone to clipping eep..

Thank you very much for your trouble ;x;;

 

[shinami]

yeah i can't kire
i just really don't think it's in my voice type, i really struggle with it
it's jus t a solid voice and nothing more orz
but i think srs can kire so maybe ask her

But you can Kire pretty well! You don't sound like a dying duck.
Maybe it's something mature voices can do better, which is why I only really know two or three shoujo/younger sounding Kire banks in comparison to mature ones which are many. My voice actually isn't very mature, once I leave my chest voice (which was a majority of the samples because it sounds more mature and i like it more than my immature voice orz). Just a theory, I dunno.

But it's all up to you. One other good thing about the Yeti (I'm not saying this to be all "lol yeti is best buy it", just to say it's something I've realized and appreciate) is that it has lots of uses. By having those other modes you can use it for more than singing/UTAU/recording/chatting. For example I used the Bidirectional mode when doing some tutorials because I didn't have the option of recording system audio, so it could record me and my speakers. It just gives it more flexibility for you to use it for other things. I can see myself using this mic as long as it holds up.

 

[PandaLolii]

well... maybe only marginally more mature sounding than your voice ww < v >;;; But aah I see.. huffs I don't know SRS that well so I feel kinda imposing asking her but I'll look around first ahh---

wheezes
I just looked up the specs for AT2020 and it's
POLAR PATTERN: Cardioid
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20 – 16,000 Hz

so in theory, it's actually worse than the Yeti while being more expensive?? *___* And mhm, I think Fuzzle mentioned the multiple settings being a plus over using it on only UTAU related stuff.
Aha, no need to feel like you keep sounding like you think Yeti is the best!! I mean.. to make a good decision, I want to hear all that I can. xD; So thank you once moreeeee
Uwaah, and right now.. I am probably leaning towards the Yeti!! //hoping that by the time I earn the money...it'd still be only 100ish instead of 150 sobs..now to earn money eep

 

[Hentai]

Remember just because the box says 20, 30, 15 Hz or whatever on the box it means ABSOLUTELY nothing.

It doesn't matter if a mic says it can reach 15 Hz because the human ear can only hear at 20 Hz so that 'extra' 5 Hz it has over its competitors means very little. More important than any single stat is how responsive it is throughout said range.

Beyond that at the stated range how sensitive is it? What is its frequency response?
Yes, the Blue Yeti can pick up those lows but it does so at -10 db. Its important to understand that if it can pick up a range, how effective the mic is at working at said range.

Here is a graphical representation of the AT2020 in vs Yeti in the same Cardioid pickup pattern:

When reading these Frequency Graphs it is important to note that the flatter the better. What you are buying when you get an AT2020 can't be listed on a spec sheet but can be heard by the ear and tested in a lab, its that amazingly flat frequency response.

While the Yeti is a fine mic and is very feature filled, I personally do not recommend it if you do not explicitly need those features for one reason. In order to have the multiple pickup patterns it uses multiple really small capsules, these capsules just don't have the frequency response that larger ones have. Put into perspective the Blue Yeti uses 3x 14mm capsules while my Oktava Mk-319 uses one large 34.5mm capsule.

To put these mics in perspective the capsule on a Blue Yeti in Cardioid Mode (only uses 1 capsule) has 154mm area of capsule of which to capture sound. In comparison my Mk-319 has 935mm of capsule surface area, with more surface area translating to higher sensitivity and wider frequency response. You could fit 6x Blue Yeti capsules within one of my large diaphragm Oktava mics.

Beyond that the tiny capsules on the Blue Yeti have a lot of character, and said character differs based on what pickup pattern you are on. You can see RecordingHack's full comparison here but the Blue Yeti's responsiveness can vary from -20db all the way to +5db. While some like the way the Blue makes them sound, I prefer my mics to be more representative rather than full of character.

So while the Blue is an excellent mic, it is not the be all end all of condenser microphones. You pay in performance for what the Blue has in versatility. Likewise, once you get to a certain point for every extra dollar invested you will receive increasingly diminishing returns in performance. At some point you just have to draw a line based on your own applications and budget. There will always be a better mic, but there comes a point in quality of mic matters less so much compare to how you use it.

The ATR-2500 is an EXCELLENT mic, while I don't have its lab testing data from what I have read in the reviews it is the best mic under $75 and can give the AT-2020 a run for its money in sound quality. Save some money and invest in useful accessories like a pop filter, I recommend this one from Amazon that runs for $7-ish. I'llSeeU-P and I use it in the studio and it rivals any one you could buy at Guitar Center for twice the price.

P.S. Unless you are trying to record an entire room (you would need omni for that) for most applications a Cardioid pickup pattern works just as well as any other when used correctly. The only time you need another pattern is if you can't keep the mic in front of you for your application.

 

[shinami]

Wish I knew about that pop filter two years ago, I spent around $18 on a Nady and that looks exactly the same for half the price.

And didn't know that about how the Cardiod modes stack up to each other! I already have the Yeti and will stick with it (plus I find uses here and there for the Bidirectional mode), but it might have been cool to know some of this back when the AT-2020 was actually really close in price to the Yeti which I'm guessing it isn't anymore. (or rather the other way around perhaps)

Hmm, I remember you had concerns in getting over $100 Panda - just get the ATR-2500 probably if you know you won't reach more than that. Hentai has a lot of good factual information that's a lot better than my opinionated blubbering. XD

 

[PandaLolii]

huffs... before that post, I was pretty set on getting a Yeti...but now I'm back to picking between the AT2020 or Yeti still ;; I'll probably decide after getting the money *_* //And to your comment concerning Shinami, it's more so the 150 mark. I kinda estimated that I should try to collect about 100 for a mic *O* I'm still iffy on the ATR-2500's improvement over my current mic ;; I'm going to have look into it more u__u
Regardless, thank you everyone for your input! I'll definitely take it all into consideration u v u/