Rode NT-USB VS At2020 XLR w/ Scarlett Solo

[ChriffeR]

Hey everybody, I currently have two microphones one being a Blue Yeti, other being an Audio-Technica AT2020 XLR into a Scarlett Solo USB Mixer! Now I'm hard pressed to find a big difference between the two with the Yeti being a little more " warm " and more bassier?

Anyhow I wanna try out the Rode NT-USB Microphone with the company being so amazing in microphones, being one of the best. Does anybody have experience with The Rode NT USB? And maybe the XLR At2020? I wanna find the best option for my money, I spent around $216 with the AT2020 XLR Cable, and mixer, $120 for the Blue Yeti.

The NT-USB Is $160 but comes with a nice pop-filter for the mic itself, would it be a downgrade because it's usb and not XLR? Just want some opinions

 

[ssddx]

blue yeti is a nice usb mic that offers 3 different modes of recording although is very large (can get in the way and is hard to find shockmounts for) and in most cases you will only be using cardioid if doing just voiceovers or similar. it certainly compares in quality to the at2020usb/at2020usbplus although i personally prefer the audiotechnica sound just a tad more (opinion).

the normal at2020 is xlr. using an interface is nice because quality levels can be higher (depending on mic of course and device but the usb interfaces on certain mics is lower. 44.1 vs 96 sample rates if using the solo vs usb 2020. you also do get a convenient interface for listening to your voice in real time (live monitoring) and a nice volume control and depending on the interface some nice mixing options.

is usb or xlr better? i'd like to say xlr is better overall however usb is certainly more plug and play with less equipment needed. keep in mind you may want to also get a mic stand (boom arm), pop filter (popgard is low profile brand), and shock mount (easier to find one for mics the size of 2020 than for yeti). accessories for 2020 and other lighter weight mics will be cheaper and easier for heavy and large mics like yeti.

i was also rather impressed with the nice bass tones of the rode nt usb. the two microphones that i do like the sound of the most (from those i've heard) would have to be the 2020 or nt. it may be worth looking into the other rode products in the nt line but sorry i'm not too familiar with them.

all the products you're looking at are well received, so its hard to really go wrong with any of them but which one suits you most may depend on your voice, your needs/preferences, if you need it to travel and what accessories would cost.

 

[ChriffeR]

Yeah, I have the At2020 xlr with the Scarlett solo right now, along with a blue yeti blackout edition. People say the At2020 sounds better, but doesn't sound $60+ better. I paid $120 for the yeti, and $216 for At2020 and Scarlett solo with a cable. The rode nt is $170 so I'm just not sure for what I do if it's worth it.

TeamSpeak, Twitch streaming is all I use it for and in-game voice comms.

 

[ssddx]

the at2020usbplus (usb ver) is only $136. it helps to compare apples to apples, usb to usb. any xlr microphone is going to come with the added cost of getting an interface and its really not fair to add that in.

is the rode better? quality wise i would say its similar to what you have already although it has a slightly different sound signature. what sounds best depends on your ears. if you want something which is significantly better you may need to consider xlr mics of a higher price bracket than the 2020.