The Ultimate Guide to Condenser Microphones for Home Recording If you’re not sure what any of those terms mean, check out these posts: It’s basically fully ready to be used right out of the box.Īs for specs, this mic is a condenser mic with a cardioid polar patter.
The sound quality on this thing is impressively good and it even comes with a small tripod. It’s just a natural rule of technology.Īnd so considering this, let’s start with a ridiculouslycheap mic.īut don’t get fooled by its price, the only thing cheap about the FiFine K669B is, indeed its price. The perfect mic to get a good sound at a bargainĪs time goes by, you get better quality products at a lower price. So now that you have a pretty good idea of what type of USB mic you’ll need, let’s move on to the list. Simply because if you have a guest and you don’t want to buy a second mic, you’ll need a figure-8 polar pattern that picks up everything in front AND in the back of the mic, where you or your guest will be seating. Which is why you’ll want a mic that offers at least 2 polar patterns, including cardioid AND figure-8 patterns. Of course this second point is pretty discriminating as it reduces the choice drastically…īut with nomad home studios becoming ever more popular, you actually get a few good options today.Īlthough podcasting is virtually the same as streaming, there are a few differences, in particular allowing for various participants to talk at the same time…
Get a condenser mic with a good stand and ideally a shockmount, as well as a pop-filter.Ĭondenser mics are much more sensitive and are therefore perfect in a velveted environment, like a voiceover studio/cabin.
#How to setup usb mic software
These software generally allows for controlling any audio input and output so you can decide exactly what to monitor… Ideally too, get a microphone specifically designed for streaming, as they’ll generally come with a tailor-made software…Īnd sometime even with an anti-clipping feature, so that when you finally beat your personal record and scream of excitement you don’t make your viewers deaf. Meaning they won’t pick up these loud, nasty keyboard noises. Since most USB microphones share many features, let’s quickly state the most common use cases and the mic that’s best suitted for them: Streaming and gaming.Ĭardioid polar pattern will only pic what’s in front of the microphone and dynamic mics are much better at isolating sounds…
The hassle of finding compatible separate parts or accessories is virtually eliminated and you know that in 99% of cases, as soon as you receive your box, you’re pretty much good to start recording. Which means you get cables, a stands and even a shock-mount with some models. Typically, USB microphones are designed as an all-in-one solution, precisely because they KNOW people who buy them don’t necessarily know a lot about sound flux and routing. And potentially a mic pre-amplifier such as a Cloudlifter ( Amazon/ B&H/ Thomann) or a FetHead ( Amazon/ B&H/ Thomann).While you’d be right, you’d actually also be ignoring EVERYTHING ELSE you need in order to actually be able to use the SM7B, such as: The SM7B is just twice as expensive, what’s more to it? However, what you might not have considered is HOW MUCH you can actually save with USB microphones.įor example, compare the Shure SM7b and its USB counterpart - which is almost twice as cheap - the MV7. You plug them into your computer and they just work.
#How to setup usb mic professional
USB mics appeared from the necessity of providing decent sound to the biggest number, without the need of professional equipment. In today’s post we will look at the top USB mics to see exactly how they compare.īut before we start, first off… Why Use a USB Microphone? So if you’re looking to add one to your setup… They get closer and closer with each passing day. They have become standard tools of the trade.Īnd while they aren’t quite at the level of professional recording microphones yet… With home studios, podcasters, Youtubers, and many others… There’s no doubt that today, USB microphones are more popular than ever. While they started out as just a gimmick…