Audio-Technica AT 2035

I am a musician and a producer and own a recording studio for almost 10 years already. I wanted to get a cheap condenser for everyday use in the studio - voiceovers, vocals, acoustic guitars and stuff like that.
I narrowed my options down to 3 microphones - AT2035, NT-1 and P220. I knew that they all are quite similar sounding and I just had to pick one. I picked this and have been very happy with my choice!
First of all - it is a solid microphone. The build quality is great, it is heavy, feels durable and looks professional. Soundwise I feel like this microphone gives me relatively flat representation of whatever I record with it. It doesn't have that boominess and uncontrolled bottom end that other cheap microphones do. Since I bought it I have had a chance to record some stuff with the Rode NT-1 too and I have to say - I feel like I made the right choice buying this. To me the bottom frequencies sound much better on the AT2035 so that the NT1 sounds a bit unnatural and glassy in comparison.
But let me tell you - whatever microphone you choose to buy - just buy it and don't look back. You can do wonders with any decent sounding microphone as long as you know what you are actually doing. In this price category every microphone I've tried sounds more or less similar and lets be honest - you can't expect this or any other 150$ microphone to sound like JZ Blackhole, Neumann u87 or stuff like that. Every microphone in this category will have its limitations and flaws that you have to learn to work around. Learn about microphone placement, position, recording techniques and you will get great results no matter what you use.

The AT 2035 is a step up from the very popular low price AT 2020 from Audio Technica. I read quite a number of online reviews comparing both and was swayed towards the 2035 for its slightly warmer low end and cleaner top end. It also includes a low cut and pad switch which I don't think you get on the AT2020.
The mic is supplied in a cardboard box with a simple but effective padded zip carrying case, a plastic suspension mount and a mic stand adaptor. The mic itself is of excellent build quality and although a bit lightweight, the supplied suspended mount works well and provides a snug fit for the mic. One of the advantages of the AT2035 is its realtively small size and lighter weight which makes it great for positioning infront of a keyboard player as myself. Using a K&M mic stand I am able to extend the boom fully with the mic horizontal and it remains steady without falling.
Sound wise I connected the 2035 to a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP which also provides the 48V phantom powering. Immediately I noticed the extremely low level of background noise and warmth to the mic, despite it not having the common 1 inch diaphragm of similar studio type mics. The sound is clean and smooth, a step up from my previous tbone mic. I've also tried it with a few percussion instruments including a shaker (always a good test for splashiness) and it performed extremely well. The mic handles high volume levels and despite not using a pop filter screen with it, I didn't notice any plosive interference.
I would definitely recommend the AT2035 to anyone looking for a decent all purpose small studio mic and not wanting to break the bank. Its key feature I would say is its small form factor and low mass, making it very flexible for use on extended booms and lighter mic stands. The low cut filter and pad are useful extras to have on hand should you need them. I can also vouch for it working extremely well with the Saffire Pro 24 DSP interface.

Phantom-powered by my Digital Audio Interface, the AT 2035 delivers low-noise audio with only the tiniest of coloring. A switchable, high-pass filter and a low pad are included - which adds in some useful versatility. Even without kicking in the pad to add another 10dB capacity, the mic can handle a very high 148dB sound pressure level, while its signal-to-noise ratio is about 9% less than for the AT 2020.

The build is robust. It looks as if it could dent the floor rather than the other way round if I dropped it - but I am not going to try! There is no pop-shield included but, hey, what do you expect for the keen price I sourced it from Thomann for? The shock-mount included is reasonable enough quality and allows for some flexibility in positioning the mic.

Delivers clear vocal audio in my home studio, which is in a location prone to a good bit of unpredictable ambient noise intruding from the street and other houses. But with my trusty homemade audio shield (drapes) protecting it, the AT2035's side-address, cardiod characteristics meet the challenge of excluding sounds that I do not want. I read that this mic is OK for pro studios and live use as well, but have no experience of using it for these applications.

The AT 2035 is also proving good at conveying accurately the sound of an acoustic guitar or a guitar amp. I wrote 'tiniest of coloring' earlier. If anything, there is perhaps a little warmth added. I can live with that!

All in all, this beats the heck out of a lot of pricier mics and is worth paying a little more for than the AT 2020 given that the AT 2035 has a filter and pad and that improved signal-to-noise performance. I can see me buying more of these.

It feels has the law of diminishing returns happens at around this price point, for large diaphragm condenser microphones. So you’ll get the best bang for the buck with the AT2035. This is mostly an opinionated observation, so it’s value may be up for debate. On paper, the AT2035 is better than the NT1, but there is a lot to consider for that to be of any relevance in actual use.

Use:
I use it to evaluate my vocals in an occasionally “noisy”, non treated room

Pros:
- The first time I monitored the microphone with active noise canceling headphones, I could hear dogs barking and birds chirping at a long distance.
- Clarity of vocals feels crazy good when using the proximity effect.
- 10 decibels padding switch in the mic
- Low cut filter directly in the mic

Cons:
- None so far

On a final note:
- It’s fine for my use case, but for actually tracking vocals, this is a large diaphragm condenser mic, and it should be used in an appropriate environment, if that's what you're doing. This thing will capture "everything". Of course you can always trim 10 decibels if you're not tracking vocals, and there is a padding switch for that, and a low cut too.