Audio-TechnicaAT4053B Hypercardioid Condenser Microphone

Bench tested this mic raised about 15" from my mouth pointed down at my sternum against Shure MX150 omni lav clipped to my shirt with the high boost cap installed on the MX150. The AT sounded warner and fuller than the MX150 with slighter higher output level and much less ambient noise. Both mics had foam windscreen installed which came with each mic. These mics are not comparable by price nor by type, but i found it remarkable that the closer proximity of the lav did not outperform the stick mic much further away from the sound source. Also, huge difference in cost of each. I think a better comparison might have been a COS-11d against the AT, but that was not available for my testing purposes. I'm convinced that the AT is a better choice than the lavs in my cabinet.

My colleagues on the west coast all laud the Schoeps CMC6 as the Cadillac of indoor location dialogue mics. But that will set you back about 3-4 times the price of this. Then you still need a shotgun for outdoor work! (Don't make the mistake of trying to use the same mic for both indoor and outdoor locations). Some say the Sennheiser ME66 can do both indoor and outdoor, but it is a compromise. The reality is, what makes a shotgun very directional also makes it susceptible to reflections off the ceiling. For indoor work, I feel there is only the Hypercardoid/supercardoid to be considered for the job. In this price range, the only other mic I would consider would be a matched pair of the Michael Joly modified Octava MK12. A few friends tell me the RODE NTG-2 (touted as a supercardoid pattern shotgun) can handle indoor and outdoor booming reasonably well. I'll have to take their word for it.So anyway, I got this AT4053b for indoor booming and have not been disappointed. It has a reasonably flat response, is sharp and clear, and responsive and just seems to handle dialogue very well. If the Schoeps is the Cadillac, then this is the Buick of indoor location mics. The HPF really does cut down on rumble and wind noise, and using a 10db pad can make all the difference between capturing that yelling and banging on the desk, or acquiring a clipped out mess.I can't recommend this mic enough for this use and at this price range.

I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said. I've had this mike for a few weeks now and the sound quality is great. I use it for voice over work videos, podcasts, and even radio ads.

I found the mic to be sensitive and able to pick up really small sounds. I don't know if it is the case with all mics, but this one picks up noise from lots of electrical devices, AC, phone etc. I did not test the high pass filter much.

I compared the AT4053B to the Sennheiser MKH 50 and, unless you need the absolute best, this microphone is a fantastic value. Using high-end audio equipment, I was unable to identify meaningful differences and certainly nothing that would motivate me to spend double the amount on the MKH 50 for prosumer purposes. If your primary interest is which sounds best, the AT4053B is going to sound as good as even the highest end microphones for most use cases for which it is intended.

I shoot a lot of interviews, and before buying this microphone had used a variety of shotgun and super cardiod microphones. I found these mics to be a bit hollow and echoey when shooting indoors, and they had a tendency to pick up much more background noise and than I cared for. This mic though has been a true treat to work with. It is much more forgiving in its directionality, which is particularly handy when shooting with people who are less than experienced on camera and tend to move and fidget. That said, it does seem to offer more rear-end rejection, which cuts down on the echos considerably. It also boasts a much fuller sound and seems to reject much more of the background sounds than other mics I have used. While I will stick to the shotgun mics for outdoor use, this is and will continue to be my indoor microphone of choice!

i love this mic it's has made a world of differencei am a vlogger and when i moved in to my place it had hardwood floor and high ceilingsmy $200 mic sounded like crap, it was echoing and people complained so much that i had to get a new mic.after researching for a week i decided to get this mic. i thought it was a bit much in price, but through help from my fans,i was able to purchase it and i don't regret it at all! everyone is happy it sounds so crisp and clear.i even had the laundry and a.c. running while vlogging and you couldn't hear ANYTHING in the background besidesmy voice coming through loud and clear it removes excess background noise.i do all my editing in fcpx i synchronize my clips and that how i was able to tell the difference between this mic and my $200 mic which i keep on as well for backup purposes. this mic is the real deal, i also use a zoom external as my output.

Low self noise, deals with small recording booth reverb really well, resulting in a clean, crisp recording with no distortion.The sound is so good it needs no EQ. (Does benefit from a bit of compression)I used it with a Volt276.