Audio Technica ATR-55 Condenser Shotgun Microphone | 
| Brand: Audio-Technica
List Price: $99.95
Buy New: $47.49
You Save: $52.46 (52%)
New (20) Used (1) from $35.00
Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 40
Color: black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 13 x 3 x 9
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: ATR-55
Model: ATR-55
UPC: 042005305506
EAN: 0042005305506
ASIN: B00006J04Z
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | 2 condenser microphones in one | | • | Normal for close- and medium- distance recording, Tele for long-distance pickup | | • | Integrated 3ft. cable terminated with 3.5mm mini plug | | • | Designed for video use | | • | Camera-mount, pistol-grip/mike stand clamp, foam windscreen, battery and 1/4 phone plug adapter included |
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| Accessories:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Condenser shotgun microphone
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| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
 Very good at its intended purpose January 21, 2003
105 out of 107 found this review helpful
Been using my ATR-55 for over a year. Really like the amplified TELE feature that seems to reach out and grab sounds, without picking up hardly any surrounding noise. But hey, its uni-directional, so that's one of the things it's supposed to do. Nevertheless, the NORMAL zone is about a 120degree V in front of the mic, and the TELE is about a 90degree V-zone. Was videotaping our school's football game, and filmed one half in TELE mode, and the second half in NORMAL mode. The TELE mode was almost eerie, because you could pick up the voices out on the field, but all the surrounding noise (fans) could hardly be heard. The NORMAL mode picked up a little more audience noise, so it sounded more natural, but nevertheless still filtered out the other people talking in the press tower with me. The TELE mode is very nice for lectures, so that it doesn't pick up distracting noises, including that of the camcorder's mechanism - that's why I go this in the first place, because the OMNI-directional microphone in the digital camcorder was picking up too much noise (including its own motor) during really quiet lectures. Just be aware that this unit is _not_ stereo - you should either get a mono-to-stereo adapter to use with it, or set the sound input on the camcorder to mono. Otherwise, you'll just get sound coming out of one speaker on stereo play-back. If you need stereo, get the ATR-25, which is very nice and also uni-directional, but lacks the ATR-55's TELE feature. Basically, TELE was more important to me than stereo, but it might be different for you. I wear headphones plugged into the camcorder while filming, this way I can better monitor the sound pickup, and make a determination between whether TELE or NORMAL is best for any given situation - the difference is noticeable. I gave it four stars because it is very good, but I'm sure units like a nice Sennheiser are better, but for much more money. This is a nice looking, solidly built unit, and a decent value to boot.
cheep+decent pickup=worth it March 29, 2004
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
this is a good mic
i just got back from our first shoot using this thing insted of onboard camera mics
what a difference
the range in incridble
we had someone just walk out and keep talking, i switched the mic to tele and i could hear him allmost 100 meters away from the camera on headphones
has both tele (for long distance, often picks up to much back ground noise, and is not best for close up situations) and normal(which has decent distance as well and works fine indoors)
the only problem was that we kept getting it in the picture, but thats not a mic malfunction, just me being stupid
the windscreen is very useful, i have allways had trouble with wind using onbard camera mics, and this works much better
yes, it is mono, only putting out sound to the left ear, but using premeire you can just duplicate the left audio track and it comes out fine.well worth it
only downside is the tele pickup gets a bit fuzzy with background noise
 Great microphone April 15, 2005
Martin (West Virginia)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This is a great microphone. I bought it and tested all functions the same day. I am shooting some non-budget short movies and it comes in very handy. Very clean sound. Deep base and crisp high tone. The price is outstanding, I feel like I'm ripping off Audio-Technica. What a steal! I don't see any reason not giving it 5 stars. It does what it promises for so little money. My only wish is that the cable would be a little longer, but then it would loose on quality, because it's not an XLR connector. Who cares though, most camcorders don't come with XLR anyway (not mine). I say buy it, you won't regret it. It's gold for peanuts.
 Sub par experience March 3, 2007
Kenneth H. Fisher (san francisco, ca)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Well, I did considerable research for comparable low-budget microphones. I have a 3-chip Panasonic consumer video camera and I'm interested in producing documentaries, shorts and travel videos. My goal was to enhance the audio that came standard with my PV GS300 when filming and capturing both near and far-range audio.
I performed a few mic. tests to create a standard for evaluation. I filmed six scenes. 3 scenes at close-range with these 3 mics, and 3 scenes at long-range using these 3 different mics. I used iMovie to import my recordings to evaluate the audio. For this review I tested my on-board stock mic., a Radioshack lavaliere mic. and the Audio Technica mic. My results are as follows:
I. Out-of-the-box standard mic.: Performs with mediocre results, less than desired by Current.tv standards. The recorded audio has a slight echo/ reverberation, it performs like a stock mic. is expected to perform and produces a somewhat muffled sound.
II. Audio Technica Mic.: Disappointing sound quality. For $53 I expected this mic. to improve upon my equipment's stock microphone; it did not. The regular setting was just as loud and clear as the stock mic. The upside is that it had slightly less of an echo than the stock mic. but it also delivered a softer audio recording. The Tele setting essentially acted as a volume increase; the subject was louder, but so were ambient noises. Overall it was difficult to distinguish between this mic. and the on-board mic.; and certainly not worth the extra duckets.
III. Radioshack lavaliere mic: The audio was significantly enhanced. When interviewing a subject sitting 3 feet away the recording of both my questions and the subject's answers were louder and clearer. Down-side : this mic. is less convenient because it requires attaching a corded microphone to the subject's lapel. There are ways around this like a wireless receiver but what is gained in audio might be lost by creating technical intricacies with your subject. Don't forget to switch the mic. on; this one also requires a stereo adapter.
I was hoping this Audio Technica mic. would provide an increase in performance worth the additional cost. The lesson I learned is that it is all or nothing. Shell out $200 for a pro/pro-sumer grade mic. or get by with what you have. You can improve your situation with a lav. mic. but so far I have not discovered a budget shotgun mic.
FANTASTIC! February 16, 2006
W. LEE (poconos)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Used it to shoot two features, and the third this summer. Great product. Our film distributor wondered how we got such good sound, and he said he was surprised because most indpendent films have sound quality that sucks. Want a great mic that doesn't suck? Get this!
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