A new audio toy has arrived. My new home studio mic came and I got it hooked up today. It's an essential piece of gear as I continue to build out my home studio - at least that's what I told my wife ;-). I went with the Audio Technica 2035 for a couple of reasons, and so far I'm very happy with it. I wanted something I could record EDM vocals, voice overs for my YouTube channel, and also use to record my acoustic piano if I ever wanted. For those reasons I went for more of a studio type microphone than a simple USB mic. However, if I didn't already have a nice Focusrite audio interface, I probably would have gone the USB route. The 2035 has a 10db pad feature, so even if you have it close to your source audio (as I do with it right near me on my desk, or would have to do if mounting it to the piano in our little place), you'll be able to record without bouncing out due to volume. It also has a feature for recording vocals that limits pickup below 80db, so like our fridge or my big computer tower that sits under my desk don't get picked up - even when they're only a few feet away. Really was impressed with how well that feature works on the first couple test recordings.
Having the mic opens up some fun creative possibilities. I did a quick test recording with my son this afternoon, and he got a big kick out of being able to hear himself in a "song." The bass beat, intro sound, as well as the "wowie" were done with our voices, then added a couple instruments and loops for a quick silly but fun loop. Check out our loop over on soundcloud here.