Product Description

Stereo condenser video / recording microphone

Product Details

• Color: black
• Brand: Audio-Technica
• Model: ATR-25
• Dimensions: 6.00" h x 3.00" w x 11.00" l, .75 pounds

Features

• Ideal for use with video cameras
• Offers the convenience of high-quality stereo pickup in a single microphone
• Professional condenser circuitry ensures excellent sound quality
• On/off switch for convenient operation
• Includes short camera cable with stereo mini-plug, and long recording cable with dual mono mini-plugs and 1/4 adapters

Amazon.com Product Description
Ideal for use with video cameras, Audio-Technica's affordable ATR25 offers the convenience of a high-quality stereo pickup in a single, easy to position microphone. The mic's professional condenser circuitry ensures excellent sound quality, while its on/off switch gives you a convenient method for conserving batteries. (The mic's internal preamplifier uses a single AA battery, included).

Each of the mic's two recording capsules offers a unidirectional polar pattern, rejecting off-axis sound for clean, focused pickups. The ATR25 comes with two cables: a short camera cable with a stereo minijack .125-inch plug and a long recording cable with dual mono minijack plugs and .25-inch adapters for use with recording or public-address equipment. A camera-mount and an interchangeable microphone-stand adapter base are also supplied.

What's in the Box
Microphone, 1 AA battery, 1 short camera cable with stereo mini-plug, 1 long recording cable with dual mono mini-plugs, two .25-inch adapters, 1 camera mount, 1 interchangeable microphone stand adapter base, a user's manual, and warranty information

Customer Reviews

Excellent quality for the price
I bought this with some hesitation; I couldn't quite believe a quality camera mic could be had for this price.

I was very pleased and now plan to equip all my DV cameras with these mics. While the quality is not what you would get from a $500 professional stereo shotgun mic, it is FAR better than the built-in mics in any DV camera and neatly eliminates all motor noise while producing a clean, fresh-sounding stereo recording.

I teach digital filmmaking and do have more expensive mics (and cameras) that I pull out for demanding projects. However, for day-to-day use I now use Canon Optura 60 cameras with these ATR25 mics. We routinely intercut footage from a $25,000 Sony camera and pro-level studio mics with footage taken from these inexpensive, highly portable camera/mic combinations and viewers literally can't tell the difference in most cases.

I recommend getting a 15- or 20-foot extension cable for the mic, so that you can use it as a boom mic, position it in a scene or have an interviewer hold it newscaster-style. The short cable that comes with it is fine of on-camera mounting. (Notably, the mic comes with both a camera shoe mount and a mic-stand mount. Unfortunately, you need a screwdriver and a minute or two to switch the single clip between the two types of mounts. Save yourself the trouble and buy an extra two-dollar mic mount!) The windscreen that comes with this mic is fine for most situations, but not beefy enough for outdoor recording in the wind.

My only complaint with this mic is that the on-off switch sticks out so that it is very easy for it to turn on by accident when inside a camera case. This means the battery wears out more quickly, though I've had this happen a couple of times over the last few months and haven't had to replace the battery yet.

Be aware that this mic is about 8 inches long, and might not fit well in some smaller consumer/prosumer camera bags. I went through a few different bags before I found that the medium-sized Samsonite camera bag (about $15) was perfect for just about any handheld DV camera and has a quick-access pocket just the right size for an ATR25 on the front.

One more warning: if you want a mic to record straight into a computer, this one may give too strong a signal depending on your audio card. A cheapie computer mic would work better for that application. For camera use, however, this really can't be beat unless you want to spend at least $100 more.

Great Sounding Mic, Well Built
The review that says that this mic has a very low quiet sound is WRONG. That person was plugging this MIC level microphone output into a LINE level input. That means the sound is so quiet you can barely hear it. But what you do is you can use a USB audio adapter with a mic/line switch, or most camcorders have mic level input, so it will work beautifully with camcorders! Great value, very professional looking, great microphone!

Well made. Good value.
The ATR25 comes with everything you need for recording with most camcorders. It's very well made. It has plenty of output, good stereo separation and little self noise. Compared to my AT822, it's bass is a little weak, but most mics in this price range are. For music, it's tonal balance is better than my ATR55 (mono, shotgun). This mic typically sells for under $40 which makes it a very good value, but don't expect it to sound like the $250 AT822. I based my rating on it's value. I think there are a lot of people looking for a stereo mic in this price range and this one shouldn't be overlooked.