Audio-Technia AT2035-Studio Review – The Definitive Entry-Level Package

Price £299
Contact Audio-Technica | 0113 277 1441

AT2035-Studio key features:

• Complete project-studio recording kit. Contains…
• Audio-Technica AT2035 large-diaphragm condenser microphone with high SPL, wide dynamic range and custom shock mount
• Audio-Technica ATH-M40 headphones with 40mm drivers, tuned flat frequency range and carry case
• Audient ID-4 USB interface with a Class A mic pre, JFET instrument input and zero-latency monitoring
• Includes Cubase LE 9
• Includes leads/bags

We do love these complete recording kits, as they seem to be hotting up the entry-level market and companies are offering more and more bundles, of a higher quality. Here’s a prime example – we’re getting the best of two company worlds, with Audient supplying an iD4 interface for this “complete project-studio recording kit” from Audio- Technica, which fills it out with a mic and headphones. The combined price of all the components individually is around £430 (street), so £299 for the lot, with a nice neat box, seems like excellent value.

The ATH-M40x headphones are one level lower than MusicTech favourites, the M50s, and offer a great and precise sound. They’re comfortable and fit well around your head; they’re light enough for longer mix sessions. They stand up pretty well next to more expensive headphones, too and are only let down slightly by a cheaper, plastic feel.

The AT 2035 mic comes with a switchable 80Hz high-pass filter, a 10dB pad and a shock mount. It’s a large- diaphragm cardioid condenser that’s built well and is suitable for a good range of studio tasks, thanks to its SPL handling – stick it in front of an amp, drums or vocals and it performs with low noise and an even response. Never was the phrase ‘a good all-rounder’ more suitable.

The iD4 is also an MT fave. Audient makes fantastic interfaces with exceptional preamps, so you know your recording quality is going to be great – if it sounds bad, that’s something you’ve done wrong, not the interface. Okay, the iD4 may be basic, with a DI, one input, a pair of headphones and speaker outs, but it fits in your hand, you can take it anywhere and – thanks to buss power – you can record everywhere, too. And with a dynamic range of 112dB, it captures everything you play. It’s a great centrepiece for this whole package. Finally, there are Eventide plug-ins, Producertech vouchers, Cubase LE 9 and Cubasis LE 2 for iOS. These two titles are great and complete a superb all-round package.