Audio-Technica’s ATV Mics Are Its First Made for On-Camera in a Decade

Audio-Technica has announced the ATV-SG1 and ATV-SG1LE, two new on-camera microphones designed for professional videographers and content creators — its first in this segment in a decade.

While Audio-Technica has other mics for on-camera use, they are quite old — the company has been quiet in this segment for 10 years. Its two other mics with integrated hot-shoe mounts are the AT8024 and the PRO24-CM, which were introduced back in 2014 and 2013, respectively. Designed and made in Japan, these two mics feature a completely new, compact design that is meant to appeal to the modern content creator.

The product line ATV stands for “Audio-Technica products for Video content creators,” and the ATV-SG1 is the flagship of this new line. Audio-Technica says it features a highly directional 100mm acoustic tube that is able to keep the pickup focused on a sound source while blocking background noise.

“Inspired by A-T’s experience developing microphones for global broadcasting applications, the ATV-SG1 provides professional-quality sound for lifelike reproduction of the human voice and other sources; the microphone cuts out the low frequencies, ensuring users can focus on the intended audio source,” Audio-Technica says.

The ATV-SG1 has a 14mm large-diameter diaphragm that the company says has high sensitivity and low noise characteristics, which it claims produces rich, detailed audio. It features an integrated shock mount to reduce noise caused by camera movements, and it has a patented RF noise-immunity technology that Audio-Technica says prevents it from picking up any noise from smartphones or other wireless electronic devices.

As the higher-end of the two mics, the SG1 also has a low-cut filter switch, a gain knob for stepless gain adjustment, and a safety track feature. Users can record the main audio level to the left channel and a backup track at -6db to the right channel, just in case audio spikes unexpectedly. Additionally, the SG1 has an external input jack and accessory shoe to allow users to mount a lavalier mic receiver to record simultaneously and facilitate backup recording. It also features a headphone jack with a volume adjustment knob for real-time audio monitoring.

The ATV-SG1 features a built-in rechargeable battery (via USB) that the company says provides up to 24 hours of continuous use.

The ATV-SG1LE is a more affordable version of the shotgun mic that Audio-Technica describes as “more streamlined,” as the actual audio capture capability should remain the same, but it removes the safety track/lavalier channel options, digital filters, and onboard gain control.

Both it and the flagship ATV-SG1 include a wind muff (deadcat) for cleaner audio capture in outdoor environments.

The Audio-Technica ATV series is available starting this week. The ATV-SG1 flagship microphone is priced at $249, and the more streamlined ATV-SG1LE costs $119.

Image credits: Audio-Technica