AKG P120 USB Condenser Microphone Discussions | Drop

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AKG P120 USB Condenser Microphone

Audiophile

Battlestations

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AKG P120 USB Condenser Microphone

vrillusions

Dec 31, 2013

I have a similar style mic (ATR2500, it's pretty popular) so some tips for people that aren't used to these.
First off that stand is pretty much just strong enough to hold the mic but at least on mine it felt really flimsy. Also it will pick up your typing. Thing is mic booms are really expensive. I got one off some china seller on ebay and it works good enough (maybe an idea for a new drop?). The screw that the tripod uses should be a standard size that will match up with the mic boom as well. This lets me mount the stand further away from keyboard so it doesn't pick up the vibrations from typing. Also I can move the mic real close when talking but then fold it back when not using it.
Speaking of, to get the best quality you do need get as close to the mic as possible. The further away you are the louder you have to make the mic and the more likely it is to pick up sound around you. Also worth mentioning it is a side address mic so you should talk to the side instead of the end like you see with unidirectional mics you probably have more experience with. The way it's shown in picture is the side you would talk to. Talking into the end or some other side won't sound good because the mic tries to attenuate those angles to reduce background noise. And unless you want to blow your ear drums start with the mic volume at 0. If you're used to the cheap mics and having to crank them to 100 with +40 gain then this will be a surprise to you. Currently the volume on mine is set to 40.
Also don't be surprised if the integrated pop filter doesn't really work. Pretty much unless it's one of those pop screens that you attach to a mic stand it's not going to work too well. But it will work as a dust filter. I got around it on mine by purchasing a foam mic filter and then I have the mic not directly in front of me.