Audio-Technica bundles mics, headphones and arms in six packs

Audio-Technica has released six studio combo packs. Each one combines a microphone with M-series headphones and matching accessories, so a home recording setup can be assembled from a single box. This is the third generation of such packs in Australia. The range runs from a first recording kit to a setup for a professional podcast booth, with both XLR and USB options.

Creator Packs

Two Creator Packs use the AT2020 condenser microphone. One has the XLR version. The other has the AT2020USB-X, which plugs directly into a computer. Each comes with ATH-M20x headphones and the AT8700 boom arm, plus an AT8455 shock mount that cuts handling noise.

Streamer Pack-Pro USB

This pack is built on the AT2020USB-XP condenser microphone. The microphone has three noise-suppression modes that reduce background sound without room treatment. ATH-M40x headphones connect to the microphone for real-time monitoring. A slim AT8705 boom arm keeps the microphone out of the camera's view.

Podcast Packs

The two Podcast Packs are built on the AT2040, a dynamic microphone made for speech with a hypercardioid pattern. The narrow pattern focuses on the voice directly ahead and ignores sound from other directions. That is useful in rooms without acoustic treatment. As with the Creator Packs, there is an XLR and a USB version. Each includes the AT8700 arm and a pair of ATH-M20x headphones.

Podcaster Pack Elite

At the top of the range is the Podcaster Pack Elite. It is built around the AT-BP40, an all-metal broadcast microphone used by radio stations around the world. It has a switchable 100 Hz high-pass filter. The pack adds the AT8705 arm and ATH-M40x headphones.