Neewer NW-700 Budget Mic Review / Test

Today I re-review one of the cheapest microphones on amazon, the NW700. This is a $20-$25 XLR microphone, and I put it through the gauntlet to see if it’s still worth the $20 in 2021.

Buy the Neewer NW700 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/nw700x

Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/k6g4d

00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:26 - Setup
00:51 - What’s in the Box
01:18 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
01:50 - Comparison to Original NW700
02:41 - Specifications
03:27 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation)
03:45 - Plosive Test
04:03 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
04:19 - Background Noise Test
04:37 - Untreated Room Test
04:51 - Shockmount Test
05:06 - Mic Resonance Tap Test
05:34 - Foam Windscreen Tone Test
06:03 - Intro to Comparison
06:17 - Original NW700 Comparison
06:47 - Mackie EM-91C Comparison
07:23 - Tascam TM80 Comparison
07:58 - Neat Worker Bee Comparison
08:35 - MXL V67G Comparison
09:15 - Audio Technica AT2020 Comparison
09:53 - AKG P120 Comparison
10:25 - Presonus PX-1 Comparison
11:00 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison
11:56 - Music Test
13:21 - Pros & Cons
14:52 - Overall Thoughts
17:26 - Is It Worth It in 2021 / Recommendation
19:06 - Outro

Maono AU-HD300T USB / XLR Mic Review / Test

Today I review another budget usb microphone. This is a USB & XLR dynamic mic similar to the Shure MV7, Samson Q2u and Audio Technica ATR2100. The sound of this is slightly V-shaped so if you want a bit of a recessed midsection with powerful low mids and crisp top, this will do that. This is limited to 16-bit 48khz in terms of conversion and the inbuilt preamp is quiet.

Buy the Mono AU-HD300T (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/hd300t

Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/k6g4d

00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:20 - Setup
00:40 - What’s in the Box
01:15 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
02:13 - Specifications
02:34 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation)
02:52 - Plosive Test
03:03 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
03:21 - Background Noise Test
03:40 - Untreated Room Test
03:54 - Shockmount Test
04:10 - Mic Resonance Tap Test
04:28 - On Off Switch Noise Test
04:42 - Volume Button Noise Test
04:55 - Handling Noise Test
05:12 - Cup the Mic Test
05:36 - Noise Floor Test
06:20 - XLR vs. USB Output
07:20 - Intro to Comparison
07:35 - Samson Q2u Comparison
08:24 - Audio Technica ATR2100-USB Comparison
09:08 - Audio Technica ATR2100S-USB Comparison
10:04 - Samson Q9u Comparison
10:56 - Shure MV7 Comparison
11:41 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison
13:01 - Latency Measure
13:31 - Music Test
14:46 - Pros & Cons
16:00 - Overall Thoughts
18:50 - Recommendation
21:09 - Outro

Royer R-10 Ribbon Mic Review / Test

Today I review the Royer R10, a miniature R121 for less than half the price. It is a very smooth figure 8 ribbon mic with a very mid forward sound and tame top end.

Buy the Royer R10 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/royerr10
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/r10

Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/k6g4d

00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:20 - Setup
00:37 - What’s in the Box
01:09 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
01:43 - Specifications
02:02 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation)
02:24 - Plosive Test
02:47 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
03:07 - Background Noise Test
03:28 - Untreated Room Test
03:42 - Microphone Mount Bump Test
04:00 - Mic Resonance Tap Test
04:14 - Intro to Comparison
04:34 - MXL R144 Comparison
05:23 - Shure SM7b Comparison
06:00 - Beyerdynamic M160 Comparison
06:48 - AEA KU5a Comparison
07:29 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison
08:00 - Music Test
10:02 - Pros & Cons
11:40 - Overall Thoughts
14:21 - Recommendation
16:00 - Outro

Shure SM5b Review / Test

Today I review the original Shure SM7b, the SM5b! This is regarded as one of the best broadcast dynamics of all time, but it was too hard to build and didn’t sell well enough. This mic debuted in 1966, I think, although I did find it in the 1965 brochure from Shure and it was discontinued in 1986. It has been replaced by the SM7 and then the SM7b.

I missed this video while researching (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_hJSs7PoPM), and apparently the SM5 was originally developed in 1964, and it was discontinued in 1988.

Buy the Shure SM7b (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/shuresm7b
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/sm7b

Buy the Shure SM5b (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: N/A
Sweetwater: N/A

Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/k6g4d

00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:28 - Setup
00:49 - History of the SM5b
02:23 - What’s in the Box
02:37 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
04:02 - Specifications
04:18 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation)
04:39 - Plosive Test
04:48 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
05:11 - Background Noise Test
05:29 - Untreated Room Test
05:47 - Mic Mount Bump Test
06:06 - Mic Resonance Tap Test
06:22 - Intro to Comparison
06:51 - Shure SM57 Comparison
07:33 - Shure SM58 Comparison
08:07 - Shure SM7B Comparison
09:19 - Shure SM7 Comparison
10:10 - Electro Voice RE20 Comparison
10:52 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison
12:11 - Music Test
13:20 - Pros & Cons
15:36 - Overall Thoughts
17:35 - Recommendation
19:02 - Outro

MXL Revelation II Tube Microphone Review / Test

Today I review the MXL Revelation II which is an affordable multiple polar pattern tube condenser microphone. This has a very detailed top end and a round low end which over powers the mid section causing a slight V shaped sound.

Buy the MXL Revelation II (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/mxlrevii
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/mxlrevii

Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/k6g4d

00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:25 - Setup
00:46 - What’s in the Box
01:38 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
02:59 - Specifications
03:33 - 3 Polar Pattern (Tone / Rotation)
04:39 - Plosive Test
05:10 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
05:27 - Background Noise Test
05:44 - Untreated Room Test
06:09 - Shock Mount Bump Test
06:28 - Mic Resonance Tap Test
06:51 - High Pass Filter Test
07:23 - High End Interface / Outboard Preamp Test
09:20 - Intro to Comparison
09:34 - Audio Technica AT2020 Comparison
10:08 - Lewitt LCT240 Pro Comparison
10:41 - Rode NT1 Comparison
11:14 - Shure KSM32 Comparison
12:01 - Avantone CV12 Comparison
12:49 - Lewitt LCT840 Comparison
13:34 - Neumann TLM103 Comparison
14:27 - Telefunken TF47 Comparison
15:27 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison
16:24 - Neumann U67 Reissue Comparison
17:52 - Music Test
19:25 - Pros & Cons
21:09 - Overall Thoughts
24:07 - Recommendation
25:44 - Outro

Sennheiser MD445 Review / Test

Today I review the brand new microphone from Sennheiser, the MD445. This is a super cardioid handheld dynamic microphone that does a great job at background noise rejection and handling noise rejection. The mic tone is very bright and offers some nice shimmer to singing vocals, but for spoken word I personally think the boost in the top end is a bit too much.

Buy the Sennheiser MD445 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: N/A
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/md445

Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/k6g4d

00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:29 - Setup
00:46 - What’s in the Box
01:10 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
01:47 - Specifications
02:11 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation)
02:37 - Plosive Test
02:47 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
03:07 - Background Noise Test
03:26 - Untreated Room Test
03:40 - Handling Noise Test
03:54 - Mic Mount Bump Test
04:14 - Mic Resonance Tap Test
04:32 - Cup The Mic Test
04:58 - Intro to Comparison
05:09 - AKG D5 Comparison
05:42 - Shure SM58 Comparison
06:15 - Sennheiser E835 Comparison
06:52 - Electro Voice ND76 Comparison
07:28 - sE Electronics V7 Comparison
08:06 - Audix OM2 Comparison
08:36 - Sennheiser E935 Comaparison
09:14 - Beyerdynamic TG V70d Comparison
09:50 - Beyerdynamic M88 TG Comparison
10:36 - Shure KSM8 Comparison
11:22 - Sennheiser MD435 Comparison
12:17 - Lewitt MTP940CM Comparison
13:20 - Neumann KMS 105 Comparison
14:32 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison
15:47 - Music Test
17:08 - Pros & Cons
18:16 - Overall Thoughts
20:54 - Recommendation
23:21 - Outro

Addressing the Controversy...

There’s not really any controversy, it’s a joke. I made a video parodying youtuber apology videos because Dark Corner Studios watched creators first videos, and he saw stickers in my first video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5g2fSTqZYY

Golden Age Project Pre-73 MKIII Review / Test / Explained

Today I walkthrough, explain, test and review Golden Age Project Pre-73 MKIII which is a budget Neve 1073 style preamp. This offers +80dB of gain with 2 high pass filters and 2 high shelf filters as well as a variable mic input impedance. For a budget outboard pre, this thing is very powerful and versatile.

Buy the Golden Age Project Pre-73 MKIII (Affiliate Links)
Amazon: https://geni.us/gapre73iii
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/gap73iii

Buy the Rode NT1 Kit (Affiliate)
Amazon: http://geni.us/rodent1
Sweetwater: http://bit.ly/2Xrwl62

Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/k6g4d

00:00 - Intro / Pricing
00:26 - Signal Chain for Testing
00:56 - What’s in the Box
01:11 - Build Quality
01:43 - Walkthrough of Preamp
03:15 - Specifications
03:49 - High Pass / High Shelf Test
05:37 - Input Impedance Test
07:01 - Shure SM7b Mic Test (No Cloudlifter or Fethead)
08:42 - Preamp Gain Noise Test
09:37 - Preamp vs. Interface Preamp
12:23 - Pros & Cons
13:41 - Opinion on Pre
14:17 - Recommendation
16:03 - Outro

Rode NT1 vs. 1990's Rode NT1 Comparison (Versus Series)

Today we compare the original 90’s/00’s Rode NT1 to the current model of the Rode NT1 to determine if the new model is an improvement over the original or if the vintage model is a secret weapon.

Buy the Rode NT1 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/rodent1
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/nt1

Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/k6g4d

00:00 - Intro to Rode NT1
00:22 - Build Quality
01:34 - Microphone Spoken Word Test (Price / Specs)
02:55 - Polar Pattern Tests
03:41 - Background Noise Tests
04:25 - Distance Tests
05:10 - Music Tests
06:45 - Winner
08:44 - Conclusion
09:28 - Outro

Audio Technica ATR2500x-USB Review / Test

Today I review the ATR2500x-USB, an affordable USB condenser microphone. It records up to 24-bit 192khz, has a USB-c port, and has zero latency monitoring. In this video, I compare the mic to the Razer Seiren Mini, AKG P120, Samson Q2u, AT2005 USB, Blue Yeti Nano, Rode NT USB Mini, AT2020, LCT240, and more.

Buy the Audio Technica ATR2500x-USB (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: https://geni.us/atr2500x
Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/atr2500x

00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:29 - Setup
00:47 - What’s in the Box
01:18 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
02:03 - Specifications
02:23 - Polar Pattern (Tone / Rotation)
02:44 - Plosive Test
02:54 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
03:12 - Background Noise Test
03:31 - Untreated Room Test
03:49 - Mic Mount Bump Test
04:07 - Mic Resonance Tap Test
04:24 - Desktop Stand Test
05:18 - Preamp Noise Measurement
06:11 - Latency Measurement
07:00 - Headphone Amp Power
07:24 - Zero Latency Monitoring Quirk?
07:58 - Intro to Comparison
08:15 - Razer Seiren Mini Comparison
09:00 - Samson Q2u Comparison
09:37 - AKG P120 Comparison
10:13 - Audio Technica AT2005 Comparison
10:50 - Rode NT USB Mini Comparison
11:36 - Audio Technica AT2100x-USB Comparison
12:15 - Blue Yeti Nano Comprison
12:45 - Audio Technica AT2020 Comparison
13:25 - Audio Techinca AT2500-USB Comparison
14:13 - Lewitt LCT240 Pro Comparison
14:54 - Audio Technica AT2020-USB+ Comparison
15:38 - El Gato Wave 3 Comparison
16:13 - Rode NT-USB Comparison
16:50 - Rode NT1 Comparison
17:36 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison
18:45 - Music Test
20:00 - Pros & Cons
21:28 - Overall Thoughts
23:36 - Recommendation
26:16 - Outro