200$ Microphone for gaming commentary

Really? I saw alot of Youtube commentators using a condenser microphone and they sound great.
The only thing holding me back getting an dynamic microphone is the fact that it doesn't have a great frequency response.

What about the sE Electronics 2200a II Cardoid, found it around 250$.
 
Frequency response? It's spoken gaming commentary, not opera.
The vast majority of fm radio stations worldwide still use dynamics (EV RE-20, SM-7s or MD-421s, not condensers).
Condensers will pick up room noise, computer noise and everything moving down the street.

But it's your choice.
 
I am unclear here. What do you intend to plug this mic into? You have listed XLR and USB mics above, which are 2 completely different animals. In case you are not clear on the concept, real microphones don't plug into computers. USB mics do, but because of their cheap preamps and frequent lack of accessory capabilities (headphone jacks, etc.), they are usually inferior to a real mic plugged into a computer interface, *then* into a computer. So- like I said, what do you intend to plug the mic into? The answer to this is essential before any meaningful answer can be given.
 
I am going to purchase probably the Rode Podcaster, currently I have the Blue Snowball which is a Condenser microphone, I want to try a dynamic microphone to see how it performs, after all the Microphone industry is a Trial and Error kind of thing to suit me the best right? Thanks for the help! :)
 
Well the Posdcaster will work, but don't be surprised if the results are fairly similar to the Snowball. The limiting factor is the cruddy preamps and A-D conversion in USB mics, primarily due to the need for miniaturization. You would do better to simply get a decent USB powered interface and a good cheap mic.
 
Well the Posdcaster will work, but don't be surprised if the results are fairly similar to the Snowball. The limiting factor is the cruddy preamps and A-D conversion in USB mics, primarily due to the need for miniaturization. You would do better to simply get a decent USB powered interface and a good cheap mic.

Let's say i'm getting the procaster, which preamp/ audio interface will you suggest me that will not be expensive and will have great quality?
 
Let's say i'm getting the procaster, which preamp/ audio interface will you suggest me that will not be expensive and will have great quality?

You're not getting it. The Podcaster is a USB mic. It doesn't work with a preamp. The preamp is built into the mic, along with the analog to digital converter. That's the problem. If you choose a USB mic, you are stuck with an interface that's built into the mic, which can't be used on any other mic, and which has to be wicked small, so it can fit inside a mic housing. Dollar for dollar, the smaller something has to be, the more it costs for equivalent quality. It also means that you have very few of the functions that you get on a full size interface. You can't plug real mics directly into a computer, you need an interface. And- you can't plug USB mics into an interface. They're made to plug into a computer. Does that make sense?
 
You're not getting it. The Podcaster is a USB mic. It doesn't work with a preamp. The preamp is built into the mic, along with the analog to digital converter. That's the problem. If you choose a USB mic, you are stuck with an interface that's built into the mic, which can't be used on any other mic, and which has to be wicked small, so it can fit inside a mic housing. Dollar for dollar, the smaller something has to be, the more it costs for equivalent quality. It also means that you have very few of the functions that you get on a full size interface. You can't plug real mics directly into a computer, you need an interface. And- you can't plug USB mics into an interface. They're made to plug into a computer. Does that make sense?

I said the Procaster.. Which is the XLR version of the podcaster...
 
I said the Procaster.. Which is the XLR version of the podcaster...

Oops! I apologize for misreading your post. I recommend you get 2 channels. For your purposes, I doubt you'll need more. If you only get one channel, you'll regret it later. The second channel is handy if you want to mix in background music or stock tracks, or for interviews, stereo recording, lots of stuff. And of course, you want phantom power, as you may want to use condensers later. Consider Roland Duo-Capture EX (new at Namm):

Roland Duo-Capture EX | Sweetwater.com

Other standard units include Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Line6 UX-2, and Presonus Audiobox USB.

Then you can plug in whatever mics you want, use an external preamp if you want to. You get clip indicators, a headphone jack with volume control, etc. That kind of system is simply far more versatile than most USB mics. and the preamps are better in terms of bang for buck. Good luck.
 
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