At2020 Not Picking Up Sound

I've had my AT2020 for around 6 months now and have had no problems with it up until recently. It just stopped picking up my voice all of a sudden. Windows recognizes it as a connected device, and the blue light is on, but it just won't pick up my voice. I can only think of two things I've done recently that might have caused the problem.

  • Audio-Technica AT2020 USB+V. They pick up any sound! In this guide, we have tracked down the most popular condenser microphones for you.
  • Not using a sound card either, just using an integrated one. The problem I am having is this: when talking to someone in Skype, my microphone is somehow picking up any output audio that my headset.
  • Welcome to the KOMPLETE AUDIO 1 Quick Start Guide. You will learn how to use the KOMPLETE AUDIO 1 for audio playback and recording. If you have some experience already, feel free to jump straight into any section using the navigation above. For beginners, we recommend spending some time reading through the whole guide.

If you’re just starting out as a voice actor, you want to be able to deliver professional quality work to clients and directors. In order to do this, you’re going to need several things— including a nice microphone. And while you may have been led to believe otherwise, an inexpensive USB mic like the Blue Yeti isn’t the right pick if you want anyone to take you seriously.

Enter the AT2020:

At2020 Not Picking Up Sound Deadening

This microphone was made in 2004 by Audio Technica, a Japanese audio equipment manufacturer. And while this specific model is over 15 years old, it still holds up as the best microphone for voice actors at its price point who want to immediately improve the quality of their recordings.

Check out our Audio Technica AT2020 review below to find out what makes this such a great tool for voice actors!

Audio Technica AT2020 Specs

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The AT2020 is a condenser microphone, which means you’ll need to connect it to an audio interface with 48V Phantom Power via an XLR cable. Additionally, it has a cardioid polar pattern, meaning that it primarily captures audio from the front, it captures a bit less from the sides, and it blocks most noise from the back.

According to Audio Technica, the AT2020 has a Sound Pressure Level (SPL) of 144 decibels— about as loud as a firecracker going off. Does this mean you should use this mic to record fireworks? No, but it does mean you can scream your voice acting lines without distortion or damage to the capsule.

Address book manager mac cpu. This is all just basic info that you can find anywhere. Let’s go a little deeper with the Audio Technica AT2020 spec sheet and some recording tests.

AT2020 Frequency Response

Check out this frequency response chart for a more detailed look at the AT2020:

Not sure what you’re looking at? Bluestacks 1 baixaki. You can read more about the importance of frequency response in microphones here, but I’ll give you a basic summary:

The AT2020 doesn’t have a massive variance in frequency response — which is good — but it also isn’t perfectly flat. The dip on the left side means it will be less sensitive to low tones, and the small bumps on the right mean it tends to be less accurate when capturing tones on the high end.

But what does this mean for a voice actor like you?

Well, if your only experience with audio equipment is a USB microphone or headset, you’re not going to notice any of these finer details. Instead, you’re just going to notice the huge boost in quality when switching to a professional setup.

It’s a different story if you’ve already had some experience with this kind of audio equipment. For starters, speaking in a deep voice may require you to move closer to the mic to trigger proximity effect. Additionally, higher voices and sharp tones (including sibilance) can be more of an issue— although not by much.

AT2020 Polar Pattern

Now let’s look at the AT2020’s polar pattern:

This isn’t a big surprise. Since the AT2020 is a cardioid mic, it picks up more sound from the front and sides than it does from the back. But what’s nice about this particular polar pattern is that you can speak into the mic from an angle of around 30 degrees on either side without losing much sensitivity. This is a handy way to avoid capturing plosives in your recordings— no pop filter necessary.

Something else to keep in mind is the pattern towards the rear. Although it’s significantly less sensitive than the front and sides, you’re still in danger of picking up noise from behind the AT2020 when recording. Check out the recording tests below and you’ll see what I mean.

At2020

Audio Technica AT2020 Recording Tests

Now that you know the technical details of the Audio Technica AT2020, it’s time to hear how it actually sounds.

These three tests were taken in a 100 square foot room with minimal acoustic padding. The AT2020 was connected to my PC via a Steinberg UR12 audio interface and recordings were made in Audacity with no post-processing.

Since this is a cardioid microphone, I spoke into it from three different angles. Check out these recording samples below:

This first clip was recorded from a distance of 6 inches directly into the front of the mic.

The second clip was recorded at the same distance. However, the mic was tilted downwards so I was speaking into the top instead of the front.

This third clip was recorded at the same distance— but this time, I tilted it upwards and spoke into the bottom of the mic.

Did you notice the differences between these three recordings? You can definitely tell that the third recording was weaker than the first two — except for that high-pitched click at around the three second mark — but did you notice that the second recording had a bit more low end than the first? These differences can be explained by the AT2020’s polar pattern: the top captures a full range of frequencies, the front is a bet less receptive, and the back is only really capable of capturing the highest frequencies. Because of this, I recommend using the second position for making high-quality recordings.

The above clips should give you a basic idea of the AT2020’s ability to record speech, but how does it sound when used by a professional voice actor? Easeus data recovery wizard for mac coupon. Check out this clip to hear what a professional can do with this microphone:

This clip was recorded by Elsie Lovelock at a home studio without any post processing. Notice how clear her voice is the entire time, even while shouting— that’s because the AT2020 has such a high SPL.

Audio Technica AT2020 Final Recommendation

As you can see from the information and recording samples listed above, the Audio Technica AT2020 is a solid entry-level voice acting microphone. If you want to record lines as a voice actor, this is the bare minimum that you’ll need for professional quality audio— along with an interface, a mic stand, and some recording software, that is.

Is there room for improvement? Absolutely, and you should consider upgrading to a nicer microphone later in your career. But if you’re just starting out, this is the best way to do it.

Sound
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I am a total newbie, so I apologize in advance for probably making this more difficult than it needed to be.
When I go to the Audio I/O Setup, Studio One sees the M-Box Mini that I am using and shows Front Left and Front Right channels, but neither are selectable or clickable or whatever they should be.
When I try to Arm the track for recording, it won't Arm and I can't record.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I may be doing wrong? Thank you.
I am using an iMac running 10.6.8 and the mic goes through a Symetrix voice processor before it goes through the M-Box.
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Make sure you've installed the driver for your interface. After you set up your ins hit apply and make default. After you set up your outputs hit apply and make defaults/
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At2020 Not Picking Up Sound Noise

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Unfortunately, that didn't make any difference. Other DAWs have no problem finding the input, but not so here. Thank you for the suggestion though.
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This same exact thing is happening to me. I have installed, reinstalled, rebooted, restarted everything several times. All drivers for everything is up to date, installed properly and I can even hear myself through the microphone.
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roughmagic wroteI am a total newbie, so I apologize in advance for probably making this more difficult than it needed to be.
When I go to the Audio I/O Setup, Studio One sees the M-Box Mini that I am using and shows Front Left and Front Right channels, but neither are selectable or clickable or whatever they should be.
When I try to Arm the track for recording, it won't Arm and I can't record.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I may be doing wrong? Thank you.
I am using an iMac running 10.6.8 and the mic goes through a Symetrix voice processor before it goes through the M-Box.

I have this problem when the sample rate of my audio interface does not match the one of the project. Try this. Make sure the sample rate of the project matches the one of your audio interface. Then, choose the 'Built-in' audio as audio interface in S1 an then switch again to your external audio interface. It should work. At least it does so here..
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Something else that may get in the way, make sure you have write permissions to the disc you are recording to. 9 times out of 10 when you have the proper interface selected this is the problem. On windows there is an option to run as administrator. Not sure what the equivalent is on a mac. Another possibility s trying to write to the CD Drive by mistake. Another is trying to write to an external drive that is not present at the time.
Double chech the default file path you are recording to, and make sure that nothing is wonky there.
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shakaama wroteThis same exact thing is happening to me. I have installed, reinstalled, rebooted, restarted everything several times. All drivers for everything is up to date, installed properly and I can even hear myself through the microphone.
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Did you ever resolve this? I also have an at2020. It worked at first, then stopped after I had done some editing and came back to it. The mic works with Garage band and Audacity and I am able to arm it, but when I hit record, the verticle line moves to the right but nothing gets recorded. The green indicator in the left doesn't move so it appears that S1 is not recognizing the microphone.
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S1 is not recognizing the microphone.

Unless its a USB mic, S1 doesn't recognize microphones. It recognizes the inputs that the mic is plugged in to. Something seems to be off on how you have everything connected and set up. Hard to tell exactly without more details.
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I am having the same issue. I had the mic connected and I was able to record. Now all of the sudden it won’t. My mic is selected, it shows up on audio devices and is selected, sample rates match, but when I create a track to record, it doesn’t show up in the inputs. I am confused, lost and a little irritated. Someone please help
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A usb microphone is a microphone and an audio interface in one. Some of them (e.g. the Samson Meteor) have an output for say a headphone too, but many don’t. Using a usb mic with Studio One means that you have to choose that mic as your audio interface in Studio One. That’s the first thing to check.
It also means that you may not be able to listen to anything from the computer while you are recording. That’s the drawback of using a usb mic (without output) rather than an audio interface with inputs AND outputs. So if you switched audio interfaces to be able to listen to what you recorded then you have to configure your audio I/O in Studio One back for further recording.
On a Mac there’s a way out by creating an aggregate device, where you combine several audio interfaces (e.g. the usb mic and the computer’s onboard audio) into one device. No such luck on a PC.
So, a usb microphone does work with Studio One, but it can deny you the possibility to listen to anything while you’re recording. Not a very convenient setup as you'll keep switching between interfaces for recording and listening.
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I have just purchased the audio box bundle and registered the software and hardware but when I create song I can hear the backing track through my headphones but not the speakers and the mic isn't registering that it's there at all!!
Any help or advice will be appreciated as iv searched high and low for answers
At2020 Not Picking Up Sound
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What OS? Catalina updates force users to re enable microphone in device settings.
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Perhaps helpful, when you have a Studio One I/O setup issue, to post pictures of the I/O Setup Inputs and Outputs tabs. I think in 4 out of 5 cases that will clear things up immediately.
If you never set up an input or output before in S1 it is easy to miss that you have to add mono and stereo channels first, before you can use your interface's inputs and outputs.
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I had the same problem but the fix is super simple. Under 'Mic' select Audio I/O Setup. You can assign Mic 1 to Input 1, Mic 2 to Input 2, etc., and click OK. Then you should get levels on your mic and should be able to record sound.
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