I use the AT3035 from Audi Technica for my Voice Over work for several reasons.
First, VO really requires a good condenser mic, which means a large diaphragm, and the AT3035 is exactly that.
Second, I had to balance the price-points of other mics at the “high end” of the cost spectrum. It wasn’t that I could or couldn’t reach a Neumann U 87 Ai MT or something on that shelf but yes it is, I couldn’t reach it at the time. Plus my lifelong friend Van got himself a different mic that suited him better for his show and gave me the AT3035. Add to that I read all the professional reviews on both of those mics – yes, you can tell your kooky uncle I’m comparing these two cars as if they belong in the same garage – and for my work the added benefits in Neumann’s premiere product didn’t equate to the difference in costs.
Third, and this is the biggest one for me, the frequency range and resonance in the AT3035 are a really good match for my work. It can be a bit bass-ey on the low end if I’m too close to the mic but that was easy to correct by positioning myself correctly in relation to the mic. It didn’t take any eq to correct that at all. Also along these lines, the AT3035 has a buttery low frequency response and a natural, smooth, and true vocal reproduction that again doesn’t have to be eq’d out of the product.
I use a seriously good shock mount and a pop filter with this mic. That’s something I got from my radio days anyway, and this mic picks up as good as or even better than the mics I’ve used in radio station studios.
