The Surprising Microphone Solution for Podcasters and Streamers: SE Electronics SE2200 Review

[@riforka]

Thank you very much for the high-quality review of the SE 2200! I have this beauty myself and I'm very happy with it, it sounds open and clear, and it's very easy to work with. I use it for voiceover and sound design, and it's more than enough for all my tasks. It's very important to prepare the room, because it's very sensitive to noise, for studio recording, streams, KZbin, it's just cool and a very good microphone. In the video you compared it to the Rode NT1, I would also compare it to the Aston Microphones Origin, they are sometimes even similar. Thank you for the work done, I am now your subscriber :)

[@MatthewHaines]

Thanks for your comment! I have yet to get my hands on an Origin, but it sounds like an interesting mic.

[@shaftofwitcomedy3174]

I have two of these badboys for podcasting and they are awesome. I have the older 2200A in silver. With a Focusrite 2i2 USB preamp. They came with the metal shockmount but no popfilter. I notice almost all podcasts are using cardioid microphones and wondered if they are the better option, but your review has reassured me that I made the right choice. Thanks! Sub+1

[@MatthewHaines]

Thanks for your comment, and glad to hear you like the 2200. It has a cardioid polar pattern, as does the 2200A. Did you mean "dynamic"? A lot of podcasters use dynamic mics such as the Shure SM7B, but I think condenser mics don't get a fair shake. 👍

[@shaftofwitcomedy3174]

​@@MatthewHaines Yes, my mistake, the dynamic mics, like the SM7B. I thought they were similar construction to SM58's

[@MatthewHaines]

@@shaftofwitcomedy3174 yes you’re right. Generally speaking, the SM7B and SM58 are of the same design.

[@Boofcan]

Was the audio in this video raw? Just picked up the microphone and running through an Audient ID4 and this mic sounds very thin.

[@MatthewHaines]

The only processing I did was add some limiting to make it suitable for KZbin. No EQ whatsoever. Maybe it's defective?

[@Boofcan]

@ plugged it into a usb 3.0 and that seemed to fix the issue so far! :)

[@dr-jn9nv]

Great, great review! Thank you

[@MatthewHaines]

You’re welcome, and thanks for watching!

[@voyti8587]

Deciding between se2200 or se 1x These two interest me so much. Thanks for the video btw

[@MatthewHaines]

Glad you liked it! The 2200 and the X1A are in different leagues. The X1S is probably somewhere in between, but I haven’t had a chance to check that one yet. I would probably choose the 2200 for a general studio workhorse and the X1a if I were doing voiceovers, podcasting, or other content creation. But both mics are capable of doing all of those things!

[@voyti8587]

@@MatthewHaines thanks for the answer. I like 2200 a lot, but difference in price is literally 2x with x1s. But I have time to decide😂

[@campar1043]

@@voyti8587 I have the se x1s, although its a great mic for its budget, after hearing this mic i'm wishing I saved up a bit more and bought this one. It picks up alot more body of the vocals than the x1s imo

[@esenathan-adaka9776]

nice. thanks for the review

[@MatthewHaines]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for your comment!

[@luk7n]

It is a good mic but as a streamer I would not recommend it to anyone who is streaming, especially game streamers, there is a lot of background noise from pc, keyboard, mouse, etc, and not everybody is in a treated studio, or space. I had a lot of these microphones, NT1A, AKGP120, Lewitt LCT 440, Rode Broadcaster, and so on, they pick up a lot of the room reverb in my voice and the stuff that is going on, so I bought dynamic mic which helps quite a lot

[@MatthewHaines]

I respectfully disagree. 😀 It’s a myth that condensers pick up more room sound. A cardioid mic has the same pickup pattern whether it’s a condenser or dynamic. However, we tend to use condensers at a further distance away from our mouths, which is where the background noise comes in. Dynamic mics have less output and respond less strongly to plosives. People tend to get up close to them as a result, and thus the room sound is reduced. A good pop filter and lowering the level should allow people to get in close.

[@irinasmith5588]

Do you need some equipment to connect to computer, or does it have usb cord?

[@MatthewHaines]

Yes, you need a USB interface with an XLR mic input and phantom power. It is not in itself a USB mic. Something as inexpensive as the Behringer U-Phoria UM2 ($60) which I reviewed awhile back will do the trick. Thanks for watching!

[@photo-markus]

What is difference between this one and the 4400?

[@MatthewHaines]

The major difference is that the 4400 is a multi pattern mic, whereas the 2200 has only a cardioid pattern. Other differences are that the 2200 is transformer-based and the 4400 is not. In my most recent video, I compare the 4100 to the 2200 (the 4100 has an identical sound to the 4400, but is only cardioid). You can hear how the two mics compare with each other in that video.

[@domygiobbi8746]

GRAZIE ! L HO ACQUISTATO , PER SAX TENORE CHE CONFIGURAZIONE CONSIGLI ?

[@MatthewHaines]

inizia posizionando il microfono a circa 0,5 metri di distanza dal sassofono e a 1/3 della distanza tra la campana e il bocchino (più vicino alla campana). ma è importante sperimentare. goditi il tuo nuovo microfono!

[@essforsence2907]

and versus the aston origin? Would you recommend it? Thks in advance :3

[@MatthewHaines]

Unfortunately, I have no experience with Aston products, so I can't compare. You can compare them over at Audio Test Kitchen's website though.

[@essforsence2907]

@@MatthewHaines thanks :3

[@tricogustrico]

I use the Aston Spirit.

[@MatthewHaines]

Looks like an interesting mic! I haven't gotten to try one yet. $100+ more than the se2200 though, but with selectable polar patterns. How well does it do with plosives?

[@julioalperi5443]

SE electronis 👍

[@MatthewHaines]

Agreed!

[@themindunset]

Thanks for this review. I just ordered one. I have to say, I have been shopping for mics like the TLM 103 and the Austrian Audio OC18 and before I dropped $1000, I thought I'd try the 2200. In every review I've seen, it sounds clear, clean and absolutely natural. I hate what they did to the 5th Gen NT1. I still love the OC18 and will probably get one sooner than later but this mic fascinates me. I use the Dynacaster for my podcast right now. LOVE that too. It completely replaces my SM7B. Do you know if there is another shock mount option for the 2200? I haven't seen it yet so I don't know how it sits in there. Thanks again. Great review.

[@MatthewHaines]

Thanks for your comment! I continue to live the 2200, even as other mics come my way. I’m not aware of other shockmount options, although there generic ones that would no doubt work. The mic attaches to the inner part of the mount by a thumb wheel that tightens around the base of the mic. As I’ve used it more, I’m less concerned about the mic coming loose. It seems pretty secure. I don’t hang the mic upside down though. Even the mount is plastic, it feels very sturdy. For a traditional designed mount, it’s pretty slim. Much smaller than the STC-2’s mount that I just reviewed, for example.

[@themindunset]

@@MatthewHaines Thanks. I just got the mic today. I love it. However... I did hang it upside down because it works better at my workstation that way. Keeps the cable from hitting my hands when I use the laptop. It DROPPED out of the shock mount onto my desk. Ten minutes... lol. Big dent in the top of the grill. Still works but DO NOT trust the thumb screw compression fitting. I'll be looking for another option. It really does sound good. So smooth.

[@MatthewHaines]

@@themindunset oh no!! That’s horrible! It might be worth contacting sE and tell them about your mishap. Maybe they can fix the grill for you. I don’t work for them of course so I’m being hopeful. 🤞

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Mic lacks low end details.o

[@MatthewHaines]

I think it sounds very nice when the low end eq switch is used. The mic has an intentionally neutral sound when the switches are inactive. Do you have a Dynacaster?

[@officialWWM]

I have one of these. They aren’t bad for cheapies but there’s a lot better mics on the market.

[@MatthewHaines]

True! But those mics tend to be dramatically more expensive.

[@officialWWM]

@@MatthewHaines I guess it depends what you want to use it for.

[@pml394]

sibilant I think..

[@MatthewHaines]

Maybe check out the review I did on the CAD Equitek E100Sx then. It's a much darker mic. Thanks for listening!

[@pml394]

thanks a lot will do @@MatthewHaines