- By this point, when it comes to budget microphones,
you probably know that I "ApplaudMic", the PodMic.
For about a hundred dollars,
I think it's an awesome value for anyone
who wants to start podcasting or streaming.
However, even though it's only the early 2020s,
Audio-Technica seems to be on the road
to defeat RODE with the AT2040.
And so today, I wanna put both these microphones
in a head-to-head showdown to help you decide
which one might be the last one for you.
I purchased both of these microphones
at their normal retail price of a hundred dollars,
and I've had the PodMic for several years.
The Audio-Technica is newer.
It's not a Neewer microphone, but it's newer to me....anyway
Right now we're listening to the RODE PodMic
and both of these are running directly
through the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
and into Adobe Audition with no processing,
no effects, no equalization, nothing.
It's just as clean and dry of a signal
as I could hope to get.
And the reason I am standing up today
is because both of these are outstanding microphones,
just like the scarecrow who got an award
for being outstanding in his field.
And for quite a long time now,
the PodMic has been my recommendation for anyone
who's looking to take their audio to that next level,
get into podcasting, get into streaming,
that kind of stuff.
For a few reasons, it's relatively affordable.
I think that it's a great sounding microphone.
It's incredibly durable and well built,
and it has some really awesome mounting options.
You might remember me talking about this from other videos,
including my full length PodMic review,
but I have several PodMics because I do like them so much.
The yoke of the PodMic is incredibly strong
and super easy to adjust,
but on the bottom of it, it has a 5/8 to 3/8 inch mount
just built into it so you don't need any adapters
or anything like that.
And so for me, that makes this a great recommendation
because somebody gets this microphone out of the box,
they plug it into their interface or their mixer,
and they're pretty much all set and ready to go.
However, I'll be the first to admit that the PodMic
isn't objectively the best sounding microphone in the world.
I do think that it sounds good,
but whether it's gonna work for you
definitely depends on your voice and your environment.
It leans very much towards the high end
so it tends to lack some of that low end,
which means you might need to EQ it a bit
if you're using it with something like the RODECaster pro,
it's pretty simple to just add on a DSer,
add in some of that big bottom bass boost,
and then it's gonna sound pretty awesome.
I have other videos where I've tried to EQ it
to sound like an SM7B and gotten it very, very close
with just a little bit of equalization.
However, switching over to the Audio-Technica 2040,
it really seems like they're coming after RODE
with this microphone.
You can definitely see just a few design similarities
between them.
Although, you know, a microphone kind of just looks
like a microphone, but this is the same price.
It has a lot of similar features
and it has a built-in mount.
It doesn't have a super fancy yoke like the PodMic does.
It does have just the standard 5/8 inch mount on the bottom
and it comes with an adapter
so if you're using it on something like the PSA1
that has a 3/8 inch mount,
you'll be able to do that straight out of the box
but you definitely need to use the little adapter.
It has slightly higher output than the PodMic,
which means you can maybe more easily get a cleaner signal,
probably a little less likely to need something
like a cloud booster, Cloudlifter signal booster.
Both of these microphones do benefit from using them
with a Cloudlifter or some kind of signal booster.
But as you can see right now
with the way I'm recording this, you don't have to do that.
I'm running them directly into the Focusrite
with no other funny business or anything like that.
And just so you can get some of the basic
out of the box sounds again,
this is the Audio-Technica 2040.
Peter Piper pitched a podcast. How it rejects plosives.
And this is the RODE PodMic.
Peter Piper pitched a podcast.
Puh, puh, plosives.
I would say in my listening that they're about the same
in terms of rejecting plosives.
So as long as you're not projecting directly
into the front of the microphone,
and you're speaking across the front of it,
you're probably gonna be pretty safe,
but they would both benefit from a wind screen
like the WS2 for the RODE
or something similar for the Audio-Technica.
And if you're wondering why the microphones
looked censored right now,
it's because I may or may not have switched their positions,
which means they may or may not be in the same spot
that they were before.
And this is a great time for a blind mic taste test
to give you a taste of how each microphone sounds
without any preconceived notions.
It's also with this extra real estate down here,
a good time to tell you about the sponsor of today's video,
which is Artlist.
You probably know by now that I rarely do sponsor videos,
but I've used Artlist for many, many years,
and they've been always happy to support my channel.
And so when I told them I was doing a series
of head-to-head mic reviews,
they were happy to jump on and support me
and I really appreciate that.
Artlist gives you awesome royalty free music
with unlimited downloads
and a universal royalty free license
and the music you download is yours to use forever.
And right now they're hosting the Artgrid X Artlist Edit Challenge
where you can create a video
using Artlist royalty free music
and Artgrid royalty free stock footage
for your chance to win up to $75,000 in filmmaking gear.
All you need to do is use the link in the description
to download your Challenge Kit, follow the guidelines,
and be sure to submit your video by the deadline
for your chance to win.
And all the music you're hearing in today's video
is from Artlist
and all of those background textures on the B roll shots
of the microphones were downloaded from Artgrid.
If you want to sign up for your own Artlist
or Artgrid subscription,
you can use my link in the description
to get two additional months on your annual subscription.
So thank you again to Artlist for sponsoring today's video.
And now hopefully as I've been going back and forth,
you've been able to decide which microphone you prefer.
Nothing has changed.
They're both running directly
into the Focusrite 2i2 with no effects,
no processing, straight out of the box.
And now here's the moment of truth.
The microphone on my right is the PodMic
and the microphone on my left is the Audio-Technica.
Now I did mention the use of a Cloudlifter
or a signal booster with these microphones.
And most dynamic microphones do benefit
from using some kind of signal booster.
I did an entire video on using the Cloudlifter
with the PodMic and in that video,
what I noticed and what other people noticed
was that there were changes to the sound of the microphone
when it was running through the Cloudlifter.
That could just be because the Cloudlifter
might color things in a certain way,
but it also might be that boosting the signal,
lets you hear different qualities of the microphone
that you can't hear when without that, basically.
For today's video, I'm gonna use the Cloudlifter CL-2
which is a two-channel Cloudlifter
and that's so each microphone
will be running through the exact same thing
and there will be no difference between them.
However, if you're looking for something
a little less expensive,
I've had a lot of good luck
with the Klark Teknik Mic Booster CT1,
which usually sells for like 35 or $40.
However, I would definitely recommend
getting your microphone, setting it up,
and using it without any kind of signal booster
to see if that works for you
and then add it in later if you decide that you need to.
So that way the signal booster doesn't boost
the cost of your entire audio setup.
So this is the Audio-Technica microphone
running directly into the Focusrite.
And this is the PodMic running directly
into the Focusrite.
And this is the pod migrating through the Cloudlifter.
And this is the Audio-Technica 2040
running through the Cloudlifter.
Very interesting thing to note
is prior to using the Cloudlifter,
I have the gain on both channels set to about 3 o'clock
for each microphone.
And after using the Cloudlifter,
I have the PodMic set to about 12 o'clock
on the Focusrite.
And I have the Audio-Technica set to about 11 o'clock,
so pretty similar.
However, there is definitely higher output
for the Audio-Technica.
If I turn this up to where it was before,
the 3 o'clock position.
Now you can probably hear a lot of background noise,
but I can get really far away from the microphone
and you can still hear me.
This is uncomfortable.
I mentioned the less expensive Klark Teknik booster
and in my very scientific tests so far,
I have found no difference in audio quality
between using the Cloudlifter and the Klark Teknik.
So if you want to save some money and you need a booster,
I definitely recommend.
So now depending on what you're using to listen
to this video, if it's headphones or crazy media system
or just your phone speakers,
you may or may not notice some difference
between the microphones
and running them through the Cloudlifter
may or may not bring out some different qualities.
And right now I'd like to focus on why I'm running
both of these microphones through the Focusrite right now,
and that's really because it's pretty much the best
and most budget, two-channel XLR audio interface
that I know of.
And it's very, very popular.
And because whenever I run my microphones
through the RODECaster,
which is what I use most of the time,
I do oftentimes get people telling me that,
"Of course it sounds good.
You're running it through a $600 mixer."
And I can tell you after using both of these things
side by side for years now,
that without any processing turned on in the RODECaster,
there is no difference in audio quality
between the Focusrite and the RODECaster.
The $600 that the RODECaster costs
is for other features like multi-track, internal recording,
all the built-in EQ that you could add if you wanted,
sound pads, all of those things.
So I can tell you that the RODECaster does not color sound
if you don't have any of the presets
or any of the EQ engaged,
but just to keep things totally above board,
that's why I'm using the Focusrite.
However, I know that there are a lot of people out there
who buy microphones like this
specifically to use with the RODECaster.
So I would like to switch over to the RODECaster
so that way we can see what these sound like
running through that, both with and without the Cloudlifter.
So right now this is the PodMic through the Focusrite?
This is the Audio-Technica through the Focusrite?
And this is the PodMic running through the RODECaster.
And this is the Audio-Technica AT, 20, 40
running through the RODECaster.
Both of these are on the generic dynamic mic setting
with no audio processing turned on.
Their gain level is set to +35
and the channel fader is basically maxed out at the top.
It's like slightly below as high as it can go
on the channel.
And right now on the RODECaster,
it's giving me a reading of 15 on the broadcast meter.
So this is about the volume I would want things to be.
However, I have nowhere to go from here
without boosting the gain even more,
which is gonna bring in some noise and some hiss.
So it's definitely possible to use
either of these microphones without a signal booster,
but it's going to depend on how loud you are
and whether or not it works for your specific workflow.
I'm gonna keep the same settings now
and run them through the Cloudlifters.
So this is the Audio-Technica with no Cloudlifter.
This is the PodMic with no Cloudlifter.
And this is the PodMic running through the Cloudlifter.
And this is the AT 20 40 running through the Cloudlifter.
I don't know if you notice a difference
in terms of audio quality.
However for me, the channel faders
are now at halfway instead of being maxed out.
I didn't change the gain so it's still +35.
There's still no EQ being added.
However, now I have twice as much gain to work with.
And since I did mention using some of the processing
with the PodMic,
if I go in and I turn on audio processing
and I enable the DSer,
now we're gonna get rid of some of those sibilance.
So I can play with these until they sound
kind of how I would want them to sound.
That's gonna get rid of some of those harsh sibilance
at the higher end of the frequencies,
but I'm an only child, I never had any siblings.
And if I go through and then turn on the big bottom,
this is going to boost the base just a little bit.
So now I've added just two pieces of EQ to the PodMic.
This is the PodMic with EQ,
and this is the PodMic just straight out of the bat.
And we'll do the same thing with the Audio-Technica.
This is with no processing,
just on the generic dynamic setting.
And this is what that same amount of EQ put on.
So you hear the bass response totally different
on this microphone.
So that kind of brings me to my overall thoughts
on these microphones.
I think that they're both great
and you can't go wrong with either one.
However, I do think that if you already own one,
it's not worth switching to the other.
Like if you have a PodMic, don't be like,
"Oh geez, I'm gonna throw this in the trash
and now move over to the Audio-Technica
because it's gonna be a world of difference."
If you haven't yet bought your microphone
and you're trying to decide which one to get,
just go with your ears and go with the sound
that you like the most.
And of course, remember that your voice
is probably gonna sound different than my voice.
So you can use my voice as sort of a baseline
of this is what a nerdy white guy in his thirties
sounds like, where do you rank alongside that?
And that might help you to make your decision.
I can say, after using these microphones for a while now
and being very used to the PodMic
and spending time with the Audio-Technica,
the Audio-Technica out of the box has a more neutral sound.
It definitely has more low end,
and that's a great place if you just want
sort of neutral and natural.
The PodMic on the other hand leans much more
towards the high end.
It has more of that character.
It sounds wonderful on some voices,
it doesn't sound as great on other voices.
So again, it kind of depends.
The PodMic, I do think has more character.
So if you want a microphone that's gonna sort of just have
a little more character to your sound,
I think that's the PodMic.
And again, the Audio-Technica a little more neutral.
I like the overall visual style personally of the PodMic
a little bit more, but this is super sleek.
I like the yoke and the mounting system of the PodMic more,
but this is nice and simple and works incredibly well also.
And the most important thing to remember
is that it's all about your personal preference.
There is no right or wrong answer.
It's just what you like the most.
Both of these are the same price, same build quality.
I'd recommend either of them.
Now, if you're still not entirely sure,
you saw both of these and you're saying to yourself,
"Tom, but I wish there were more comparisons
and reviews that you had to help me choose
the perfect microphone."
Well, don't worry.
I got you set right here with this playlist
of microphone reviews and comparisons.
(Outro Music Type Beat)