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147 of 151 found the following review helpful:
 Very good at its intended purposeJan 21, 2003
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.
UPDATE (03.07.2010): Be aware that the ATR-55 requires the use of one AA battery that is installed inside its aluminum shell.
66 of 67 found the following review helpful:
 Underwhelmed by PerformanceMar 24, 2009
By M. Hanlen
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R5X9NGD6PLGX1 I recently purchased this microphone, hoping to improve the audio picked up by my Canon GL1's built-in microphone. The price was good, the reviews seemed to lean a little more on the positive side, so I decided to bite. I assumed quality of the audio would be better, that it would filter out surrounding noise more efficiently, and that it would make my videos sound more professional. It also may be of note, that I planned on using this mic with a lot of handheld camera work, which you may or may not do. Well, it seemed to offer little to no performance upgrade from the camera's mic. To be fair though, the GL1 doesn't offer a lot of control over audio levels, so your milage may vary.
CONS:
-This microphone will pick up camera noise if mounted on the camera. The included shoe accessory to mount on your camera is absolutely useless if you want clean audio. I recommend using a shock mount if you have one (or better yet, a seperate mic stand).
-Despite the fact it can be mounted to the camera, it is in no way made for handheld work. The slightest bump of the camera or mic, will register as a loud thud in recorded audio. Using the zoom on certain cameras will be out of the question because it picks zoom motor noise and the sound of you pressing the buttons.
-Normal mode makes the audio sound compressed and unnatural compared to my camera's microphone.
-Tele mode does amplify the incoming audio significantly, but unfortunately doesn't filter out much of the noise that a directional microphone should.
-Not a professional level mic, by any means. If you have a $1000+ camera, this will be the weak link in your production. The Mic built into your prosumer (not consumer) camera probably works better.
PROS:
-Slightly more directional than my camera's microphone.
-Tele mode works well if your trying to capture the sounds of something further away than your camera mic would normally pick up. But be prepared to clean up audio in post to get rid of possibly unwanted ambient noise.
-The mic makes voices sound a bit clearer, but only in close range (no more than 10 feet away).
-An improvement if you have a very poor quality mic, or no mic at all.
-The simple fact that the mic is not attached to your camera means that you can place the mic close to your subject, even if you can't get the camera close. You'll need an extra long cable, of course. Make sure to place the cable in an area where it will not be bumped, because the cord can pic up reverberations if it's disturbed.
If I could do it again, I would have saved a bit more money to get a nicer mic in the $100-$200 range. This mic is really designed for amateur use only, as it sounds nowhere near broadcast quality. If your looking for a good mic to mount on the camera for handheld work, a nicer XLR mic would be a better bet. If I would have thought about it, I would have checked Youtube before I bought the mic, as there are many tests using this mic vs. other video mics. I would recommend trying that site to hear actual audio tests of this mic, and various other mics that Amazon sells- before you make a purchase. Also note, that this is a mono mic, so you'll need a mono to stereo adaptor if you'd like to hear this mic in both L&R channels.
34 of 34 found the following review helpful:
 Jeckyl and HydeJul 02, 2007
By John Creech
"the Audio Guy"
I've rented the high end gear before (Seinheiser shotgun with full zeppelin setup) and I've got to say that this little mic is an odd little option that I like having in my bag of tricks for shooting movies.
It is VERY easy to use. I love the tonality in the 'standard' mode, though the range is quite low when compared to other high end mics. So, as a 'shotgun', the standard mode is pretty useless. However, it delivers a very rich and engaging tone and I find myself using this mic in 'standard' mode very often for regular vocal performances.
The 'tele' mode definitely extends the range...Quite a bit further than the high end mics in fact. The problem is that the overall sound can become a little thin. It definitely doesn't have the same warm quality as the standard mode. However, if you can't get a boom in close enough (and you don't have LAV's), the telescopic mode can really get you out of a jam.
Standard mode = great sound with good directionality, but poor range.
Tele mode = thin sound, good directionality, very good range.
32 of 34 found the following review helpful:
cheep+decent pickup=worth itMar 28, 2004
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
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Great microphoneApr 15, 2005
By Martin
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.
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