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Trying to get a friend a really really cheap USB mic to upgrade from using voice memos/phone recordings, but the budget is $35 and under. I understand quality is a difficult thing to establish at this price point, but working within that boundary, does any one have suggestions?
Blue Yeti is crap
I've heard that Beyerdynamic FOX offers a 24 Bit 96 kHz quality but it's a bit overpriced. Do you think that for the price the quality is overall paid?
Just pointing out that the AT2020 is an XLR mic. The AT2020USB is a USB mic. Likewise the RE-20 is an XLR mic. Sorry for being pedantic, but if it's a poll for USB mics, including mics that would require an interface can be confusing.
To tack on to what Darsidhe said, though, if you're planning to do ANY kind of voice recording, take the time to acoustically treat your recording space regardless of the mic you use. Dynamics pick up a lot less of the room than a condenser, but using either one in a bathroom will still sound like you recorded in a bathroom. There are lots of really good tutorials for how to acoustically treat a space on a budget. Save yourself some heartache and use one of them.
STOP VOTING FOR THE YETI, IT SUCKS (SNOW)BALLS
I'm going to be a little opinionated, here, but I've spent years producing and directing audio books, so I'm going to claim expertise and give some advice for those looking at this for podcasting - or any spoken word purpose (mostly because I'm sick of my favourite podcasts being ruined by a recent switch to the hissy-whiney Yetis!)
If you're a musician and you want the mic to pick up whole room sound (and the dog down the street and round the corner lol) OR if you have a properly treated (sound-proof) space, then a condenser mic will be fine for your purpose but if you're podcasting especially from an untreated room, you NEED a dynamic mic. The Rode Podcaster is the best one for podcasters, and sounds sooooo much better than anything recorded on a Yeti - don't get sucked in by the hype. I use a Procaster from Rode with a baby Scarlett which connects by usb to avoid all usb whine (and to get a beautiful sound) but if I couldn't afford the Scarlett - or if I wanted to do some interviews at a cafe or some such, the Podcaster would be my choice.
Most people voting for Blue Yeti because they don't know any other mics. Makes me want to cry.
I found that the snowball has an issue with its plug after lots of use and unplug-replug. The port became loose for the cable and would be flaky with just the slightest vibration or even just fall out. The USB mini input on the yeti seems to be a better option for longevity.
As an aside, I wonder if lightning or usb-c plugs will show a new/better generation of USB mics.
AT2020 is better then yeti ,get that
How about some real studio mics?
The Blue Yeti is a glorified Snowball. It is maxed out on USB ability. All you are doing is paying for a glorified metal casing.
tcsoto900
0
agreed. The AT2020 is a much better microphone for USB. And, in all actuality, most USB mics aren't that good anyway. However, that is what this poll is about. If I were to recommend a cheap microphone setup for anything I would recommend the zoom h4n and a fairly cheap dynamic microphone like the sm57 or sm58 or a shotgun mic like the at875r. Personally, I think the AT875r sounds just like the AT2020 but without an annoying hiss from USB and much less inherent noise as it is a shotgun mic.
ThatOneDavid
0
Actually, it depends on purpose, for music, yes, for speech and podcasting, the Rode Podcaster is best - speech = dynamic mic :D