What Why Who How, ATK?
Which mic catches your ear?
What is Audio Test Kitchen?
Audio Test Kitchen is the only resource that enables engineers, producers, and musicians to cook up their own truly unbiased audio comparisons between hundreds of products, starting with microphones.
In partnership with 54 mic manufacturers (so far), the ATK team created Audio Test Kitchen to empower you to MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICE.
Whether you’re an engineer seeking knowledge to inform your next purchase, a microphone enthusiast curious how budget gear stacks up against the high end, or just warming up to the wide world of microphones, Audio Test Kitchen allows you to audition it all - and to trust what you hear.
Why should I trust the platform’s science?
The Audio Test Kitchen crew is mix of seasoned engineers, producers, product developers, acousticians, musicians, and researchers with decades of experience in the fields of recording and audio science. Over the course of two years, the platform’s methodologies were developed to ensure complete consistency in the process and outcome, and the platform’s audio content was captured in some of the greatest recording studios and the most precise audio laboratories in the world.
Audio Test Kitchen’s comparison content spans multiple genres, multiple instruments, and multiple acoustic environments, revealing the true personality of each microphone across a real-world range of uses. These are not simulations or digital models - these are all real, analog recordings, captured under meticulously controlled conditions with an astonishing degree of precision and repeatability, ensuring that the only differences you hear are between the microphones themselves.
Tips for using the platform
Audio Test Kitchen is currently designed only for laptop and desktop web browsers. Join our mailing list at the bottom of this blog page to be notified when Audio Test Kitchen becomes available for your mobile device.
Start by logging in or creating your free account to get access to all 300+ microphones, to take & save notes, and to create & save favorites as well as entire comparison sessions.
Make your listening comparisons are done on your very best speakers and / or headphones, in the listening environment most familiar to you.
If finding the best sound is your top priority, we recommend using the Blind Taste Test mode. Take notes as you listen (make sure to click ‘Submit’ each time so your notes are saved!) and choose your favorite without the influence of brand, looks, or even price. That’s what this platform is for!
Contemplating your next purchase? Start by creating a new session in the upper left, where you’ll also discover your session dashboard. Your session is automatically saved as you go — when you reopen it, it will be just as you last left it.
Listen to the Mystery Mic to discover new gear, challenge your assumptions, and reset your ears. You might be surprised by what you find.
Check out the Spotify links to hear how these microphones sound in released recordings.
About our Advertisers
We intentionally curate advertising from our partners to bring the Audio Test Kitchen experience to you for free. We encourage you to click their ads, visit their websites, and learn much more about all the gear and associated equipment on our platform. Advertisers are people, too. They make the gear we rely on to make our art. Thank you!
In case you’re worried about advertisers affecting fairness, our standardized audio content creation methodology eliminates any opportunity for favoritism. All audio samples and products on our platform have been recorded exactly the same - no bias.
