Audio-Technica AT 2035

I am a musician and a producer and own a recording studio for almost 10 years already. I wanted to get a cheap condenser for everyday use in the studio - voiceovers, vocals, acoustic guitars and stuff like that.
I narrowed my options down to 3 microphones - AT2035, NT-1 and P220. I knew that they all are quite similar sounding and I just had to pick one. I picked this and have been very happy with my choice!
First of all - it is a solid microphone. The build quality is great, it is heavy, feels durable and looks professional. Soundwise I feel like this microphone gives me relatively flat representation of whatever I record with it. It doesn't have that boominess and uncontrolled bottom end that other cheap microphones do. Since I bought it I have had a chance to record some stuff with the Rode NT-1 too and I have to say - I feel like I made the right choice buying this. To me the bottom frequencies sound much better on the AT2035 so that the NT1 sounds a bit unnatural and glassy in comparison.
But let me tell you - whatever microphone you choose to buy - just buy it and don't look back. You can do wonders with any decent sounding microphone as long as you know what you are actually doing. In this price category every microphone I've tried sounds more or less similar and lets be honest - you can't expect this or any other 150$ microphone to sound like JZ Blackhole, Neumann u87 or stuff like that. Every microphone in this category will have its limitations and flaws that you have to learn to work around. Learn about microphone placement, position, recording techniques and you will get great results no matter what you use.

Phantom-powered by my Digital Audio Interface, the AT 2035 delivers low-noise audio with only the tiniest of coloring. A switchable, high-pass filter and a low pad are included - which adds in some useful versatility. Even without kicking in the pad to add another 10dB capacity, the mic can handle a very high 148dB sound pressure level, while its signal-to-noise ratio is about 9% less than for the AT 2020.

The build is robust. It looks as if it could dent the floor rather than the other way round if I dropped it - but I am not going to try! There is no pop-shield included but, hey, what do you expect for the keen price I sourced it from Thomann for? The shock-mount included is reasonable enough quality and allows for some flexibility in positioning the mic.

Delivers clear vocal audio in my home studio, which is in a location prone to a good bit of unpredictable ambient noise intruding from the street and other houses. But with my trusty homemade audio shield (drapes) protecting it, the AT2035's side-address, cardiod characteristics meet the challenge of excluding sounds that I do not want. I read that this mic is OK for pro studios and live use as well, but have no experience of using it for these applications.

The AT 2035 is also proving good at conveying accurately the sound of an acoustic guitar or a guitar amp. I wrote 'tiniest of coloring' earlier. If anything, there is perhaps a little warmth added. I can live with that!

All in all, this beats the heck out of a lot of pricier mics and is worth paying a little more for than the AT 2020 given that the AT 2035 has a filter and pad and that improved signal-to-noise performance. I can see me buying more of these.

Each mic will be the best for each persons voice.
My best singing voice is rather resonant, breathy, light and airy. Singing from a considerable distance, this mic captures every nuance of my voice, and for such good price. I had heard AT wasn't legendary in mics...I was quite unsure between Rode's NT1, or AKG C214, great mics no doubt, I am however completely satisfied by my choice of AT. In a mere throw of luck because of the incorporated switches, and the design which I greatly like. Also very solid, you can tell its good quality. No seriously, I need to stress, you do not need thousands not even further than, will there be differences? Maybe...but is it worth so much more money. I'd call it diminishing returns.
Watch youtube comparisons of Neumann's U87 and see what I mean.
I recommend it (at least on the type of vocalists that I can comment as i've said at the beginning)

Great mic for the price for home-studio use with USB interface like Steinberg UR-22 or Focusrite 2i2 or similar.


I bought AT 2035 specifically for cello recording, but it is incredibly versatile in general. The most important selling points for me were: low noise and good sound.

And for me and my ears its a win-win on both of them!
Its amazing how quiet the mic is, and how much soft, subtle details I can now capture, with almost zero noise.

Cello is considered one of the most challenging instruments to record, but AT 2035 does a great job with it, you just have to find a sweet spot. Judging from youtube reviews, its also great on vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar cabinets.


Cons:

Sound
Low noise
Robust build quality
Shockmount

The only downside I can think of is that its very sensitive, just like a good condenser mic should be. So you need your computer to be as quiet as possible, and your recording space to be isolated from unwanted sounds.

I was choosing between Rode NT-1A and AT 2035, and I'm very happy with my choice.