AKGP420 High-performance dual-capsule true condenser microphone - Black & Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen USB Audio Interface, for the Guitarist, Vocalist

To compete with mics made in China, you must make your mics in China. That seems to be the thought that AKG brought forth when they entered the home recording market. Rather than slapping their name on anonymous designs, the Vienna-based company instead designed their own circuits while subcontracting the manufacture.Such is the case with the dual diaphragm AKG P420 (Amazon), one of the Perception series mic lineup. With a street price of $200, the AKG P420 is the higher end of the affordable mic range, but as an AKG, it’s towards the low end of their product line. It has the features and the performance to justify choosing it over a less expensive competitor. The AKG logo never fails to add an “I’m serious” note to your home studio.Switch It UpIf you’re not familiar with the term “dual diaphragm” condenser, you might be new to the concept of multiple polar patterns in one microphone. The AKG P420 has a pair of one-inch diaphragms, the textbook definition of a large diaphragm microphone. The pair of diaphragms, along with some nifty electronics, offer you a switchable choice of cardioid, omnidirectional, and figure-8 polar patterns.Most mics have a cardioid pattern, which means they have an area of sensitivity that looks sort of like the simple drawn heart shape, where the bottom of the heart is the area of greatest sensitivity. This is usually where you point toward your sound source.Omnidirectional means equal sensitivity in the shape of a circle surrounding the mic. If you need a room mic to pick up everything, or if you have several singers recording to a single track, you can use an omnidirectional mic to capture sounds all around.Figure-8 offers two areas of sensitivity in front and behind the mic, while rejecting sounds to the side. You could capture the sound directly from a guitar amp, for example, while simultaneously grabbing room sound from the back of the mic. Two singers can face each other while in close harmony also. Multiple polar patterns add to a microphone’s versatility, and the best “Swiss Army” microphones feature this capability.As well as a switch to select polar patterns, the AKG P420 also features a -20 dB pad switch and high pass filter switch, used for high sound pressure levels and rumble reduction respectively.Perceptions of the AKG P420This is an affordable microphone that proudly honors its manufacturer’s reputation. AKG’s product page recommends the P420 for use on pianos, strings, horns, woodwinds, drums, and percussion instruments. Oddly missing from the list is vocals, yet there’s nothing that keeps this from being a very good vocal mic.Typically, large diaphragm condensers used for vocals feature a pronounced presence peak around the 5,000 to 10,000 Hertz range. The AKG P420 comes closest to this ideal when in figure-8 mode, but there and with the other patterns, this boost is modest compared to other mics.However, the typical inexpensive Chinese large diaphragm mic is often strident and harsh, overproducing sibilance for some voices because of that presence peak. Putting a mic like that on a solo violin may be an invitation to a screech fest.The AKG P420 is, by design, going to avoid those issues, regardless of which polar pattern you choose. Its frequency response curve for the cardioid pattern looks silky, and this plays out in practice. Voices are clear and articulated without hype. It’s the large diaphragm sound that still sounds natural.Other SpecsPublished numbers are sometimes of little value, originating in lab conditions that your home studio will never see. Usually. These favor the mic over the user, but with the AKG P420, we see a specification that works the other way. Signal to noise shows as a modest 79 dB, which isn’t a stunning figure. Yet, pumping preamp gain for miking an acoustic guitar at about 18 inches displayed no self-noise. Noise was never an issue, despite AKG’s rather average assessment of the mic.With a maximum sound pressure handling of 135 dB straight and 155 dB with the pad switched on, there’s little short of a rocket launch that the AKG P420 won’t handle in terms of volume, so don’t worry about placing this mic in front of a screaming guitar amp. In fact, its frequency response will likely keep the scream to a minimum.ConclusionThe AKG P420 (Amazon) is most at home with acoustic instruments, though, producing very balanced and flattering results, without brittleness in the upper frequencies. You’ll be hard pressed to find a use for this mic where it completely fails, the hallmark of a great all-purpose mic. For a couple hundred bucks, you can buy a lot of value with the AKG P420.

The AKG P420 large-diaphragm condenser microphone produces great sounding audio especially considering its price.The microphone is supplied in a sturdy carry case that also contains a spider shock mount. The spider shock mount holds the mic securely and can be attached to any standard mic stand. It is worth noting that the mic and shock mount are quite heavy so you need to ensure you have a sturdy mic stand that won't topple over.Paired with a pop filter, the microphone is ideal for voice-over and podcast work. This is not a USB microphone. It has an XLR output and, being a condenser microphone, it requires 48V phantom power to operate. I get great results from this mic when paired with a Samson pop filter and a Focusrite Scarlett audio interface.The microphone is also great for picking a variety of instruments. The switchable -20dB pad is useful for loud sources such as drums and guitar amplifiers and the selectable pickup patterns offer great flexibility.Whether you have a specific purpose or are looking for a flexible mic to add to your audio toolkit, I would definitely recommend the AKG P420.

Having owned a Rode NT1 which was about a hundred pounds dearer I wasn't expecting this one to be at the same level, having said that, all of my headphones (I have 3 sets) are AKG so I knew this mic was going to be good, I just didn't expect it to be better than the Rode.The Mic comes in a nice handy carry-case with Aluminium edges and corners, the shock mount is all metal construction and comes with a thread adapter, the mic is about as heavy as the NT1, all metal body and a very firm mesh grill. The -20db switch is in my opinion a bit too much, -10db would have been sufficient but that is my only reservation. The High pass (low cut) switch is really effective and you 'can' hear the difference.The sound quality is excellent with no discernible self-noise, without the Low cut switch it has a nice warm sound and you can hear the lower frequencies coming through, with the low cut on, it just makes the sound a bit brighter so if you have a deep or boomy voice just switch on the low cut switch, my voice tends to be around the mid range so the mic is perfect as it is.At this price point this is an absolute bargain and I would certainly put AKG mics on my shopping list next time, I have some excellent Rode ones for my voiceover and video work but I can see me buying into AKG mics in the future.

I bought this mic after researching various options on GS/Reddit. Using it solely for vocals and I'll be honest I didn't really like the way it sounded, had a thin quality to it on comparison to my KSM32, it also picks up a lot of room noise so if you aren't in the best treated room then maybe try something else. However YMMV. The switches are good, build quality of the mic, shockmount & case are great and my refund was accepted without an issue so top marks for that 👊Feels kind of weird to say but even though it wasn't the mic for me it might well be for you so I still can't say it's a bad option.

SIN DUDA ES UN MICROFONO CON UNA CALIDAD MAGNIFICA, NO DUDES EN ADQUIRIRLO, ES CALIDAD SEGURA

Perfecto

Soy productor musical, y buscaba un buen microfono para mi estudio, que no fuera de un precio tan elevado como los neumann o los shure, pero que tuviera una gran calidad para tomas de voz profesional o instrumentos, y quede asombrado con este microfono de AKG. Tuve como opcion el P120, pero la verdad es que por $800 mas, llegas a este microfono premium que captura las voces de manera nitida y con gran cuerpo de frecuencias graves.

this is just a unicorn of an xlr mic takes and needs 48v phantom power {I saw a reviewer on this page that had a mixer but the 48v was off} otherwise you can make it sound like a dynamic with some eq and compression for a radio voice, has a low noise floor thought I would have to pad my room but cars drive by but the mics cardioid recording pattern works very well an inch away and it picks up way to much s his and is not easy to denoise even with a deeSer so a foot away is best for my voice, noise repellent a linux audio denoiser in ardour works great with it but is not needed same as a digital tube amp for that "analog warmth" this mic with filters is a joy to use its easier to remove when you have so much clean frequency to work with and recording is a breeze now if only I stopped turning off 48v compulsively, as far as I know akg tunes all there mics to sound like the legendary akg c414 so this mic is a very safe bet, its extremely professional sounding and I love it

I just used it as. Vocal Mike and I have had a pro anologue recording studio in the late eighties and I would have used it along side my u87 and other mikes. Very good Mike for the price . Very warm tone . I would recommend !!!