Should I Buy a USB Microphone?

RockitHower said:
i used the usb snowball microphone and hated it! Rode nt1a is where its at!
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What is 'where its at' for you?

Glad that it is the mic you find working for your voice. We could all learn from how this is the right mic for you. Please post samples. :)
 
After 30 plus years....I can't believe that USB is even a suggestion. I get the ease, cost, but what do you do for lets say...a guitar amp? A BG vocal group, do you put the computer at their feet..... or a sax or violin that wants a ribbon or a anemic vocal that needs a bit of iron in the preamp to bring it to a balance with some girth....

A USB mic is a "one trick pony" great...but don't go thinking you will sound like anything close to a record.....nothing other then a narrator or podcaster. That and documenting ideas maybe, which I would just as soon use a ZOOM unit...which is a USB interface by the way....a USB mic is just a simple cheap way to get sound in a computer....the same way all the time....for when the real deal is not available...I am not trying to be a hot shot, I just want the original poster to realize, you can not get any more limited then a USB microphone only. A preamp. mic selection, will give way more sound choices. just saying.
 
It's my experience from selling them, USB mics are frequently prone to dropouts. Not all, but many. The Blue USB is probably your best bet.
 
There are two choices for USB mics :
i) AT2020
ii) Blue Yeti

I own AT2020, but I regret not choosing Blue Yeti instead.
You can check the sound tests on Youtube
 
Ignorance said:
Hey there. Great thread (and one I wish I read about a month ago).

I'm a total noob to home recording, and I've recently purchased a basic USB mic for podcast recording (T-Bone SC450 USB, yes price was the main concern). It works fine through Propaganda (podcasting software) on my sony vaio laptop, with none of the major issues noticed above (again, simple and cheap are what I'm going for).

The only real issue is that I'm considering adding a second USB mic (my friend owns one from a previous thing, an older model T-Bone) and can't work how to do it.

Basically, am I fucked? Is there possibly a way to sum the inputs using an outside program? Does anyone know of any programmes that might support multiple USB inputs by sorting out the issues described above?

If anyone has any insights I'd be grateful. Like I said, I wish I'd seen this a month ago and I would have just gotten a decent interface!
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You can run two USB devices in Samplitude. I have done this.
Download the demo of Sam Pro X and give it a shot. You have to use MME drivers.
I will try it my self as soon as I can with my cheapo ProSound USB mic and a Berry UCA202 (I am NOT buying another mic!) .

IF it works in Pro X I will find you the link to Samplitude Silver Pro, totally free but limited to 8 tracks.

Dave.
 
Hello Bobbsy...
your query is quiet obvious but as you have asked question along with that you gave answer also...
So, I think you are correct don't get confuse just buy it.

:thumbs up:
 
this was a harder question back in 2012, but I think you definitely should buy a USB microphone in 2015..

with everything going mobile nowadays "plug and play" aspect of usb mics just seem more and more enticing to me with usb mics becoming compatible even with tablets as well as regular computers..
 
Armistice said:
I can't wait for Apple Mic.... I'm sure they'll get to it once Apple Watch is sorted...
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that would have been a nice surprise..

although there isn't an Apple branded mic yet, Rode's NT-USB is a pretty good ipad compatible usb mic in my opinion..

I have bought it for podcasts and tutorials I am doing, and I have also done an unboxing and sound test video for it on my new channel..



I hope this isn't considered spamming.. I just thought this video would add value to the thread which is about USB mics.. It's my own video but I wouldn't have posted it for the sake of posting it, if it wasn't related to the subject..
 
rantoid said:
this was a harder question back in 2012, but I think you definitely should buy a USB microphone in 2015..

with everything going mobile nowadays "plug and play" aspect of usb mics just seem more and more enticing to me with usb mics becoming compatible even with tablets as well as regular computers..
Click to expand...

As I tried to say even back in 2012, it really depends on your needs.

If you:

-only ever need 1 mic a time
-can work with mics at the low end of the market (for example for voicing game videos)
-don't have to worry about monitoring (i.e. you don't over dub multiple music tracks

...then a USB mic might be the choice for you.

However, as soon as you go beyond these basics, then "plug and play" is a potentially expensive myth. The choice is yours but the supposed simplicity can easily come back to bite you if your needs get more complex...even up to, for example, wanting to use two mics at once or have low-latency monitoring of existing tracks as you record.

Caveat emptor!
 
I'm looking to do some (musical) recording and on a budget......the singing won't be anything amazing and will be accompanied by instruments to boot. Is a good USB mic really such a horrifically inferior choice for someone who's looking to make something that sounds "respectable" but doesn't have to measure up to a professional studio level sound?
 
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