Audio-Technica AT2020

I am recording live drums on demos and band tracks. I bought a pair of these AT2020 mics to use as drum overheads, after also considering others such as Behringer B1, Studio Projects B1, Samson C01, etc. I chose this model for sound quality and build quality based on reviews.

Set up in the 'recorderman' configuration, the AT2020's capture a nice balanced stereo image across the drums with a nice 'live' sound that doesn't require your room to be perfect. Add kick and snare and you have a great basic working drum sound with only 4 mics.

I am very happy with these mics. The sound is excellent and they are well-built. They don't have a lot of features (no pad or roll-off), so what you see is what you get; but they do the job very well.
Of course there are better mics on the market, but you have to spend an awful lot more to get a significant improvement. I tested my AT2020's against a friend's AKG C214 (which costs four times the price). The C214 was just a little warmer at high frequencies, but with a little EQ they were almost indistinguishable.
Highly recommended for the price.

(Don't forget to buy a shock-mount! T-bone SSM 6 works well with this mic).

These mics are great, I have used them on vocals, guitar cabs and drum overheads so far...

Only slight issue I have is that they do give a bit of a hiss at medium-high gain its not a lot but it is noticeable and needs gating off.... its not the end of the world and they are very usable mics however.
Needs a decent mic stand which won't droop if you are using a boom arm though as they are quite weighty

Pro's
Cheap
Very usable on anything I have thrown on it so far
Metal construction
Feels strong and sturdy

Con's
Noisy
Sounds a bit thin on a female vocal compared to a NT2

If you're after an entry level mic then this is the one, it's got a bumpy frequency response but if you're looking at getting a mic that doesn't you're looking in the wrong price range

It sounds pleasant, the mic has bumps in the right places, it might not be quite as smooth as some mics as stated before. You might get some shrill at 2kHz depending on the voice but some EQ can change that

It's an award winning mic, it stands out in the mix; if you're already considering it, buy it or save and get a more expensive mic. There's other more expensive mics that aren't as good as this

In my opinion, the source and the room is more important to than the microphone and if this is your first mic be aware that condensers will pick up a lot of the room sound

I've been using these for OH mics and Vocals mainly but there's nothing stopping you throwing it at a guitar cab

In summary, if you're after your first mic there's not much competition without spending twice as much

The AT2020 by Audio-Technica is a solid microphone. It does it job well without any unnecessary frills. If you're into audio recording, this is a practical choice. What makes it stand out is its ability to capture sound accurately. Whether you're doing vocals or playing an instrument, it gets the job done without fuss. The cardioid feature is handy for isolating your sound source and minimizing background noise, which is a plus if you're recording in less-than-ideal environments. Durability is decent. It can handle regular use without giving up on you. The design is straightforward, and the threaded stand mount is a practical touch.

This is a super cheap mic that gives results, sounds great for vocals (more so female than male) but also works great on acoustic and even on guitar amps!

I'll start with the cons of this mic. It is a tiny bit noisy when compared to say the Rode NT1-A - however is a lot cheaper than the Rode. It is nearly unnoticeable in fairness, unless you are recording quiet parts such as gentle singing, where the noise can be heard in the silent gaps.

Second is that it can be a little bright. Not necessarily harsh, but could maybe be a touch more natural sounding. However I am being super picky, It's so good for it's price I would have happily paid more!

It captures the extreme lows and extreme highs with ease, which sounds great on amps, especially in live situations - however the polar patterns are a bit inconsistent throughout the frequency spectrum so it can be worth keeping it well away from other sound sources.

Overall, it is a bit of a swiss army knife, and an absolutely solid, reliable, all-round mic - regardless of price! The cheap price point is just an added bonus!