At AES, Audio-Technica debuted a few new products one of the being the AT8024, a stereo/mono camera-mount microphone. Steve Savanyu of A-T walked us through the DSLR friendly microphone, and at first listen, it will definitely provide positive results for anyone looking to upgrade a DSLR’s on-board microphone.
To start, there’s a selectable line-cardioid mono or M-S stereo modes. The two options allow you to record a more directional source or a wider field range, good for concerts or outdoor ambiance. Switching between the two modes on the noisy convention floor, the stereo option did pick up a wider audio pattern, but further real-world testing would need to take place to see what it can truly do.
Since the microphone has a high output power, they added adjustable input pads at -20db, -10db, and a 0db setting. We actually like that AT didn’t add any +db gain here because it forces a shooter to be more conscious of their shooting distance. For most direct-in microphones, we find ourselves shooting closer to objects with the microphone set at a lower db to keep the unwanted ambient noise out, and adjusting the DSLR gain to a lower level in order keep the signal to noise ratio down. Let’s face it, the preamps on a DSLR are not the greatest, and each shooting environment is going to demand it’s own settings. The microphone is powered by a single AA battery and has a switchable low-frequency roll-off switch. Again, being on a convention floor, turning on the roll-off only produced minimal results.
The AT8024 is constructed from a hard plastic molding and the integrated shock mount helps isolate the microphone from camera handling noise when attached. There is a LED power indicator light and the kit includes a windscreen and a fuzzy. In hand, the microphone is really light-weight so it won’t add anything to your rig. It has a 3.5mm stereo mini-plug and the microphone measures about 6″ in length.
For the number crunchers, the frequency response is 40-15,000Hz with a low frequency roll-off of 80Hz. According to Audio-Technica, the dynamic range in mono mode is 106db and in stereo mode it’s104db. The AT8024 is available now and retails for $229. The other new product introduced was the AT5045 Cardioid Condenser Microphone.