Audio-Technica PRO70 Cardioid Condenser Lavalier/Instrument Microphone

I don't write a lot of reviews, but felt inclined this time because this is one seriously useful microphone! I play several instruments - guitar, Irish bouzouki, mandolin, bass... The thing about acoustic instruments is a magnetic or contact piezo pick up never quite sounds right. Sure they'll amplify but even my tin ear notices frequencies that are lost in translation. I'm also an instrument builder - ok they're cigar-box and whiskey box guitars and ukuleles, but they're fun! I make my own pickups too but sometimes a microphone works best. I began experimenting with permanently-installed mics underneath the box lid - or resonator cone and had a lot of success. The bottom line is - a mic works best for acoustic instruments. The Audio-Technica PRO70 is a great mic and the most massive benefit is versatility. You can slide it off your guitar and slide it on your octave mandolin or bouzouki - even your fiddle - during a gig. And you'll get great sound, too. Is it the best mic out there? Probably not, but it's good enough for so many applications it's a bargain at twice the price. And you don't have to be rooted in front of a mic-stand! Soooo Build quality: Seems solid. Battery pack is sturdy and the cable connection between the pack and mic wire is stout. Sound: On my Irish bouzouki/octave mandolin it sounds great. That instrument doesn't have a lot of bass frequencies and if you use a mic on a stand or a piezo disc they are virtually lost. By putting the mic on the instrument all the precious few bass waves are caught. I tried putting the mic inside the body of the instrument and got more feedback when I cranked it up and lost some treble. On the outside it sounds great. Sound reproduction seems dead on. Granted I've never used a $1000 mic for a live performance, but I wager the difference between this mic and a top-end mic is little enough as to not matter for the vast majority of players. Value: A bargain. Cost-to-benefit ratio is huge. Glad I picked a winner this time. I would (and will) buy more.

This mic is amazing! It gives you the true acoustic sound of your guitar with no feedback issues. I used it in a live performance, plugged into a soundboard. It sounded wonderful, I got several comments about how great the guitar sounded. No feedback, even when using monitors. It can run off phantom power, you don't have to use a battery with it. Just clip it into the sound hole of the guitar. I located it on the bottom of the sound hole, close to the neck so it was out of the way. I don't know how well it would work in a loud band, but for solo use it is perfect. I also tried it with my Fishman Loudbox Artist and it sounded great.

I'm currently using the Pro 70 in four applications through a Roland AC 60: attached to the lapel (or somewhere on my shirt) to amplify chromatic and diatonic harmonicas, lapel attachment for vocals (singing), attached to a coordinator rod of an open back banjo (under the head), and dropped inside a wood-body single-cone resonator guitar. The harmonicas sound just like they do when I play without a microphone, just louder. The sound is very natural. Same goes for the singing, though it's strange not to have an SM-58 pointed at my mouth. At first with the banjo, I thought, oh my, this thing is too "hot". But with some experimenting with the mike's location and dialing in the AC 60, my banjo's true sound came through loud and clear. My resonator guitar has two f holes. At either end of the f shapes, there is a round hole, which is slightly larger in diameter than the Pro 70 mike. I inserted the mike into the body of the guitar through one of those holes. Again, with some dial-in of the amp, I got very nice amplified sound for the slide and finger picking. I've read that you should not put a microphone into the body of a guitar. I did it because I saw it done with the PRO 70 in a Youtube video by a traditional Mexican band and heard the results. Note that I've not performed with this setup yet in the real world, which for me is in a small bar or on the street. I've only done tests in my small "music room". After I've played "out", I may have to write another review. But for now the PRO 70 gets five stars.

Great product and the price on Amazon was about sixty bucks cheaper than Guitar Center. Item was brand new in the box. The only bad thing about this is that the clip and foam cap is ALWAYS coming off. So you have to be very careful not to leave it behind. The sound quality is pretty good. I'm using it for my DSLR camera and the quality with the mic is WAYYY better than without the mic. Overall I would recommend this to anyone wanting great sound with a low budget.

This is my second A T Pro70. I was first referred to this microphone by a music store employee. I needed a way to amplify my classical nylon-string acoustic guitar, mostly for solo gigs. The clip that is in the box with this mic attaches to the soundhole, holding the mic about two inches from the hole. I have used this for guitar solo pieces and when I have a second mic for singing. I plug them both into my Roland Cube Street EX by my right side and dial in great sound. I even accompanied a large youth choir in church and had guitarists in the audience running up after the concert to see what equipment I was using. "Just a great AT clip-on mic and a Roland." And it unclips easily for when I need to put it on my uke! This is not a wireless mic. But you can run a mic cable from the belt clip to your mixer or to your chair-side mixer/amp/speaker. LOVE IT.

I still use these all the time. I usually use them for my talking head style shoots where no one is moving. Why spend the major bucks on wireless if you shoot tutorials or talking heads over a green screen or white or black background. The bandwidth response is great and the mic packs clip on your belt easily. You'll want to make sure you don't jump up and run while wearing them, but the clean audio and low price will certainly help you make more profit from your shoots.

Extremely good quality and value I had one before 10 years with no problems

Ich hatte nach eine loesung um meine gypsy jazz guitare zu sonorisieren gesucht, da das loch zu klein ist fuer normale mikrofone. Piezzos klingen alle nicht gut genug fuer live musik, selbst bei hochwerigere die 50~60 euros kosten. Das hier ist perfekt, und klingt schon super ohne pre-amp.

Microfono a condensatore ideale per amplificare in modo naturale chitarre acustiche sia con corde di acciaio che di nylon. Dotato dell'alimentatore "Phantom" autonomo indispensabile per il collegamento a mixer e combo che non ne sono dotati. Laddove invece il sistema di amplificazione abbia strutturalmente detta alimentazione, l'ATPRO70 è ugualmente utilizzabile, semplicemente togliendo via la sua pila AAA da 1,5 V. E' il fratello minore del più costoso AT831B, ma non sembra: timbro naturale e gamma di frequenze estesa, tale da creare la giusta atmosfera sonora in molti frangenti "live". Attenzione solo a non pretendere abbinamenti con "combo" non dedicati alla chitarra acustica, ossia privi di ingresso microfonico. Ottimo il selettore "taglia basso" che elimina eventuali prevalenze di questa gamma. Ottima clip di aggancio alla buca della chitarra e quella per l'aggancio alla camicia o alla cravatta in caso di destinazione "voce". Spedizione rapidissima.

I shoot DSLR features, documentaries and music videos. I sneered at the producer who first suggested I use this mic. But I was wrong. When the wireless lavaliers went down and we pulled out a Pro 70 so we could carry on -- I wasn't expecting the quality of sound that we got. Since that day, I've decided to carry Pro 70s on every shoot. For the price it's an exceptional microphone - very good mid tones and a nice bottom end are excellent for dialogue. The fact that it is 'wired' has never given me any trouble in scenes where the actors are seated or relatively static. I've used it out on golf courses in high winds, in restaurants with heavy background noise, in fast-moving vehicles, on interiors with nasty hums and on ambient rich exteriors. The results are always good -- you just have to be aware that the actor is going to forget he/she is "wired". I'm now at the point of only using expensive wireless lavs when I really have to -- and when I do I always feel I'm at risk of an ADR session in post. My first choice is now the Pro 70. Moral. Listen to your producer. Carry a Pro 70.

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