Audio-Technica AT875R Condenser Microphone, 9.5 x 5 x 2.75 inches

I ordered this shotgun mic to use in my studio recording ADR for a film that used a wide variety of boom mics, ranging from pretty bargain-basement to some of the more expensive, top-of-the-line mics available. As the budgets tend to get pretty slim in post-production, I settled on this mic, because it seemed to meet all the criteria for being able to blend well with the other boom mics that had been used on set. Wow, was I impressed. This 7" long powerhouse of a shotgun mic has rich mods, tight lows, and a super crisp top end that doesn't fry your ears with sibilance or hiss. Perfect for filmmaking, YouTube, interviews, or indie films where space and money are tight, but you don't want to sacrifice quality. This mic has great laser-focus, and rejects off-axis noise like nobody's business. The XLR connection was super easy to get cabled into my interface (make sure yours provides 48v phantom power), and gave us clean, broadcast-quality audio in seconds. It does take a little post-EQ, as there's no low-cut switch, and no pad, but this is easy to take care of in any DAW or NLE... And honestly, for ~$170 I honestly expected a much harsher, less focused sound than what ultimately turned out to be the perfect boom mic for our ADR needs, and so much more... I've used this mic on a few projects since the initial purchase, and every single time I use it, I'm astonished at the quality I get from it. This is literally a secret weapon that any audio recordist, from hobbyist to professional, should have in their arsenal.

This is my first "true" shotgun microphone. For those of you that may be wondering if there is really a difference between this mic and some of the less expensive alternatives (Vidpro, Boya, Neewer), there is a DRAMATIC difference. This is not to say that you cannot shoot good video/decent audio with the less expensive alternatives - you can. For me - I discovered that my interviews and talking head videos did not have that rich vocal sound, and I had to do a lot of post processing to remove hiss & noise. This mic SOLVED that. This is the mic for frugal filmmakers & videographers who were stuck in the world of sub $100 microphones, and are looking to level up. Caution - this mic is NOT an alternative to the infamous Sennheiser MKH 416 although many people are attempted to compare - the 416 is in a class all by itself. This microphone is a short XLR with no extras - no low cut or db boost, no normal/tele mode. The mic is also not battery operated so you will need a good preamp to provide phantom power - either through a field recorder such as a zoom, or what I chose, a Saramonic PAX1 preamp connected directly to my primary camera. I use this primarily as a boom mic. Hanging this mic just out of camera over my subject creates for a nice rich sound. The microphone does an OK job of rejecting higher side noises, but it is not so precise that I have to toil with aiming the mic. The mic is a line+gradient polar pattern, but it seems similar to a cardioid pattern. This is a recommend. Know what you are getting into though - you will need more "supporting" equipment around this mic - preamps, XLR cables, a good shock mount.

I use many different mics for my video and podcast studio. It was no surprise to find another great Audio Technica mic. This company consistently blows my mind with there quality mics. The AT875R shotgun mic is no exception, this microphone does a fantastic job for picking up audio. This microphone is a condenser mic and needs to use 48V phantom power. It also has a narrow audio pick up beam, which does a great job picking up the subject you point at rather than all the background sounds. I have compared this mic to some of the favorite mics I use almost every day like the Heil PR40, the Audio Technica ATR 2100 and my Audio Technica Pro 70 lapel mic. Using the Shotgun mic is pretty easy, you plug into a mixer or a device that can supply phantom power the mic, you point the mic at your subject and hit record or broadcast. Don't have phantom power? You can always buy an adaptor, which I will be revising soon. The sound quality is very solid and crisp if you need a quality pro-grade shotgun mic that's a little less than 7 inches and is under 200 dollars, then this is the shotgun mic for you. The Audio Technica AT875R comes with a carrying bag, pop filter and a mic stand with a adaptor. I would toss the mic stand and grab a shock mount, I should have a review of one that fits multiple stand types very soon. I can totally recommend this mic and will be using it for my YouTube videos moving forward. I wish I would have had this mic from get go. I will not be using this mic for podcasting. You can use it for that but I prefer a dynamic mic for podcasting. Thank you for watching my video and/or reading my review. This has to be one of the best shotgun mics for this price point, easily being worth twice the current price.

I love this Mic. For its price, I cannot think of anything that would detract from my recommending it. I was able to use this with a boom, a shock mount, and a Tascam DR-40 to capture sound for video project. This raised the level of my production considerably, and I was thrilled by the results. No feedback, no ambient noise, it just plucked to voices that I was trying to capture out of a regular office building that had all sorts of noises that I did not want showing up in my production. Audio-Technica creates outstanding mics, but I wasn't sure if their entry level products would be anywhere near the level of the mid-range or pro-sumer products, and although I did not test them head to head with their other higher end products I doubt the differences will be much more than differences of degree. You get a lot for your money with this. Be aware that this is not a big, long 14-inch or so shotgun mic. You are getting exactly what the is described a short 6.5" shotgun XLR condenser mic. You will likely get a little more residual side ambient sound than you would with a longer mic, and you will probably get a little less pick up sound with more feedback if you gain it up considerably, but like I said for the money you are getting a quality mic for amateur products. I was quite impressed with the clean sound I was able to start in post production with absolutely no regrets. I will continue to use this mic in the future, and have no thought to upgrade at this point.

Initially I was going for the Rode NTG-2, but later on I got recommended this microphone after my budget issue. This one is fairly cheap, is very short that fits in my hand, the quality is nice and solid, when I mount it to my windshield it just looks small. Works nice but it does not have good rear rejection as i thought, rather capture all the ambient sound around. I used it for the first time in a short feature, a party scene at a balcony. The ambient is under our control, no one else is talking nor there's a background music, however there are still some background noise from the city and can be clearly hear during the shot. A dog barking, a car passing by.. etc. I have never compared it to other shotgun microphone, I just thought it should have better rear rejection in that case, but cant really expect this microphone to cut off the rear noise like other larger shotgun microphone do. If you are a starter, this one is affordable and does deliver a clean sound.

I use this primarily for a V.O. microphone, some as a boom mic, and occasionally for recording foley. The AT875R has a great response, giving a clean, rich tone to the audio and doing a decent job of off-axis rejection. It is a line-and-gradient pick up pattern, as opposed to a lobar, meaning it doesn't completely reject off-axis sound but rather has a varying frequency response to make the off-axis sound that does get picked up sound more natural. For the price, it does an amazing job of that. This isn't going to replace the Sennheiser HKM416 as the industry standard, but it is one of the best you can get for under $300. The biggest issue I have had is that when I'm not careful with monitor volume, it will pick up the sound from my headphones while I monitor my recording (for V.O. work), but that has more to do with my headphones not being fully closed-back than anything wrong with the mic. Overall, I would highly recommend this microphone to anyone looking for a quality shotgun mic without the budget for a Sennheiser or DPA. It is good enough for most professional work, and the low cost will help you save for one of the industry standard mics down the road.

I had to discard this because it didn't work. Unfortunately, I missed my return window. I will never buy another such mic from this vendor. Edit: user error as it needs phantom power. I contacted the company directly, and they helped me figure out the issue quickly (using the first iteration of the Rodecaster). In short, great product, but I was also impressed with the Support at this company.

I bought this mic as it was one of the least expensive shotgun microphones I could find from a brand I knew and trusted. I watched some reviews on YouTube and was pretty impressed with the sound. I needed something with better off axis rejection than the condenser microphones I have for vocal narration work at home, and this delivered. The sound quality is very impressive when used correctly. Finding the sweet spot to place the microphone does take some trial and error, but once you do the results can’t be argued with. I found that placing it about two feet from my mouth offset to my right by about 30 degrees is the perfect spot. The captured recording is very rich and present, full, and dynamically interesting while rejecting off axis noises very well. Please note that the rejection is not perfect. You can’t use this with kids running around upstairs, birds chirping outside your window, or a helicopter flying overhead and expect it to not pick that up. This isn’t a quick fix for a noisy recording environment. But what it does do is help bring you to the front of that background noise. For its intended use of being attached to a camera and used to record its perfect. If using for vocal work, you still need a very quiet (and acoustically treated) environment to get that crisp, dry audio required for that line of work. Overall, I love this microphone and can’t recommend it enough!