Looking for USB mic for high soprano

O

OTT

New member
Hi everyone.

I am a coloratura soprano (voice range E4-G6) and I use AT4080 & RME babyface at home to record songs. I am quite happy with what I have now, however I just found out that I will be recording outside my home quite a bit in 2016-2017. I don't want to disconnect, transport, and reconnect my equipment every time I have to record elsewhere, so I am thinking of getting a USB mic with decent sound quality for on-the-go recording. My budget is around $300-400 max.

I did some research and the AT2020 or the Blue Yeti Pro seem to be suitable for my purposes.

If you have suggestions or recommendations for a USB mic for high soprano, that would be very much appreciated.
 
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Please, please don't! The features and quality on your existing preamp mean you are likely to be unhappy with any USB mic. Your preamp can cope with many ins and outs, levels and more than one at once. A USB mic has been optimised for one purpose - and singers can be VERY loud, or even quiet if for a specific need you need to record at a distance - maybe in a beautiful sounding space. USB mics rarely have the same kind of gain adjustment - many have none at all, and the audio to USB conversion cannot be adjusted. Once in your computer, you may have very little control.

If you have good results from the setup you have now, in terms of quality and features, and perhaps have a growing mic collection, I'd seriously consider getting another preamp. Let's be honest - if you've got used to the quality and sound it has, you are unlikely to want to go lower. The audio to USB components are a tiny proportion of the mic cost. Look at the makes where you can buy XLR and USB versions. The difference is the A to D conversion cost! Perhaps a slightly lower spec converter would do. I've got a Lexicon Omega that I take around with me, and I do like it a lot.

I have two USB mics, one cheap and one expensive, and use neither. One works just about ok on a macbook, the other doesn't work on anything without severe noise unless your lips are on the grill. Great for podcasting duties I suppose, but not music! The Mac driver gives me a small gain adjustment range, but turned up it is very noisy.

I will never buy another USB mic - I hate them (well, not the mics, just the USB in the body)
 
Where will you be recording? Have you considered the rather short maximum cable length for USB? Depending on the gear connected, and the port on your computer, this is either 3 or 5 metres...perhaps not the best if, for example, you're recording on a stage in front of people.

Seriously, have a listen to what Rob Aylestone said and seriously think about whether you want to go the USB mic route. You refer to the hassle of disconnecting and reconnecting your equipment--but going to a USB mic will save you one small box and one cable at the expense of a lot of compromises.
 
Thank you very much rob and Bobbsy for your valuable comments. Yes, I am willing to compromise on the quality, and I also understand the max USB cable length.

I just realized that I left out one rather important factor for opting the USB mic route. When I say I do not want to disconnect & reconnect, it is partly because of the convenience, but mostly because I don't want to look like I "have a lot of stuff".

You see, where I will be recording is not the safest place, where many things "go missing".

Chances are people will not know the difference between a $50 mic and a $5000 mic, but they will see a person carrying more than 1 device (a mic + interface + a long XLR cable), and believe that would be more valuable - you see, the more "complicated" it looks the more "professional" it looks, and therefore more "expensive" it looks. I am sure that if I brought in a $50 mic & a $50 interface & a XLR cable, people will think the total bill is more than if I brought in a $300 USB mic.

As I said earlier I am willing to compromise on the quality. I will still be recording my "mainstream" stuff at home, and any of my out-of-my-cozy-little-home-studio recording will be a USB-mic quality, and I understand. I simply want something a little more decent than a $10 USB mic, and wondered how the AT2020 or Yeti Pro would handle a high voice - or if there is another USB mic that someone can recommend.

I apologize for not explaining myself clearly, and please do not think that I am ignoring your recommendations. I just want you to understand that I will be recording in a setting where I personally think that a USB mic is the safer (if not the safest) route to go.
 
Okay, another try...

If you want to look "cheap" how about one of these: BLUE ICICLE USB ADAPTOR along with your existing mic. To anyone looking, it'll just be a mic plugged into your laptop...but a lot less than a whole new mic to buy.

If you still want to go the USB mic route, of the two you mention, my preference would be the Blue Yeti. However, to your list I'd add the RODE NT USB which is a very nice sounding mic for the money.
 
Hi Bobbsy and arcaxis,

Thank you for your input. I will add Rode NT-USB to my list of mics to try. I am planning to visit a store with an extensive selection of mics and they also let people try them, so having a good list really helps.

And Bobbsy, I actually bought the Blue Icicle a few years ago for on-the-go recording at the same place I will be returning next year. It was working fine and I loved its ease of use & the "cheap" look, but after a few months, the device-cable connection became loose and I was having connection problems. I eventually had to hold the Icicle and the cable with both hands and tilt the cable in a certain way to make it work. If I jiggled it a bit it would not record, or I would get noise. I am not sure if the Icicle I got was a dud, but since then I lost trust in the product... I am not sure if I should give it another try.

If others have other suggestions please let me know:)
 
Hi JefferySmith,

Thank you for your suggestion too, and I am sorry I seem to have missed your reply. I will add Shure PG42-USB and MTX USB .009 to the list.
 
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