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Best USB Microphones for Recording

BlueMic — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:32:37 +0000

Whether you’re podcasting, recording music to your computer, posting a YouTube video or recording professional voiceover material, you need a professional-quality USB microphone for recording. Blue Microphones offers a range of USB microphones to fit your specific needs. Need help deciding what you need? Take a quick look at each, their features and strengths:

Blue Microphones Snowball

Snowball Style: Black, Brushed Aluminum or White

Features:

*Great for podcasting, vocal and instrumental recording

*Three settings: Cardioid for talking in front of the mic, Omni for round-table or multiple source recording and Cardioid with a -10dB pad for louder sounds such as a band, guitar, or if you want to temper any “popping” you hear in your audio

*Plug-and-play: No complicated drivers required and works on PC and Mac – Use it with GarageBand, Audacity, iChat, Skype, Power Point, YouTube

* Buy here

Yeti

The world's first THX-certified microphone

The ultimate in-home studio USB mic, features:

*Perfect for instrumental or vocal recording, podcasts, Skype, voiceover, sound effects, broadcast, and more

* Contains three premium condenser capsules for allowing four recording patterns – Omni: For round-table or multiple source; Cardioid: For directly in front of the mic; Bi-directional (or Figure of 8): For front and back of the mic (great for duets or interviews); Stereo: Records the right and left channels (great for music; paints a true audio picture of your live instrumentals)

* Gain control

* Zero-latency headphone jack for direct monitoring, along with volume control so that you can hear instantly what’s being recorded

* Digital mute button (for a cough or content you don’t want on the podcast)

* Buy here

Snowflake

The portable solution for USB recording, features:

* Great for Skype calls, recording quick musical demos on the road or podcasts on location

* Carrying case for protected, easy traveling

* Cardioid pattern for recording Skype, podcasts, interviews on-the-go

* Sits on the tabletop or hangs on the back of your laptop for easy positioning

* Buy here

Icicle

Do you have your favorite professional microphone, but you want to get that sound onto your computer? The Icicle XLR-to-USB converter allows you to do just that!

* Great for getting that XLR professional sound straight into your computer without the mixing board

* Plug the XLR cable into one end, then plug the USB cable into your computer

* Supplies phantom power

* Analog gain control

* Buy here

Blue MOB Artist, DJ Skee, honored in Billboard Magazines’ 30 under 30

BlueMic — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:41:12 +0000

This month, Blue MOB Artist DJ Skee was honored in Billboard Magazines‘ PowerPlayers: 30 Under 3o!

You can find all 30 under 30 here.

DJ Skee is back with his revolutionary live new band & stage show, SKEETOX! Find out what you missed at the legendary Roxy when DJ Skee, Pall Wall and Xzibit performed Wednesday 8/25/10. (Video of the winner of the DJ Skee and Xzibit “Hurt Locker” remix contest, coming soon!)

Skipper’s Tip: Capture bass frequencies with the enCORE 200

BlueMic — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:32:47 +0000

Did you know? The enCORE 200 is incredible in handling loud bass frequencies that could muddy up a live performance. Its ability to handle loud SPL (sound pressure level) makes it the perfect mic for kick drums, tom toms and bass amplifiers.

Tips for great bass sound:

Don’t forget to put on the phantom power, the active circuit helps create the smooth response need in this application.

Place the microphone closes to the signal source. Don’t be afraid to get right on top of the amplifier or drum, the enCORE 200 will not distort. This way there is little bleed through in the mix.

EQ to your liking adding or subtracting the frequencies that help blend the mix of your live performance.

Next Generation Mikey found on bar stool in Redwood City, at Gourmet Haus Stuadt

BlueMic — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:31:38 +0000

You are looking at Blue Microphones’ next generation Mikey. It was found lost in a bar in Redwood City, camouflaged to look like a first generation Mikey. This is the exact same stool inside of German beer house, Gourmet Haus Staudt, where the lost iPhone 4G was recovered and reported by Gizmodo.

Next generation Mikey found on bar stool at Gourmet Haus Staudt, in Redwood City

Proof!

We got it. We recorded with it. It’s the real thing, and here are all the details.

While Blue Microphones may tinker with the final packaging and design of the final mic, it’s clear that the features in this lost-and-found next-generation Mikey are drastically new and drastically different from what came before. Here’s the detailed list of our findings:

What’s new

• The second generation is certified for iPod, iPhone and iTouch
• Improved circuitry for superior recording at higher volumes
• 3.5mm line-input for direct recording of other sound sources such as a guitar or mixer
• a USB pass-thru connection to allow for simultaneous charging and syncing
• compatible with most protective cases
• a 230-degree range of adjustability with seven detent positions for perfect positioning
•comes with a soft carrying pouch for convenient protection and portability

•a headphone extension cable for instant playback monitoring when using iPod Touch and iPod Nano

How it was lost

The Gourmet Haus Staudt. A nice place to enjoy good German lagers. And if you are a VP of Sales named William Merchan, it’s also a nice place to make the honest mistake of losing the next-generation Mikey. William Merchan—a UC Berkeley graduate and business development extraordinaire—is the Vice President of Sales working on the next generation Mikey, the little mic with powerful audio for recording on your iPhone.

On the night of March 18, he was enjoying the fine imported ales at Gourmet Haus Staudt, a nice German beer garden in Redwood City, California. He was happy. The place was great. The beer was excellent. “I underestimated how good German beer is,” he recorded into the next-generation Mikey, iPhone edition, he was testing on the field, cleverly disguised as a first generation Mikey. It was his last recording from the secret Mikey. It was the last time he ever saw the Mikey, right before he abandoned it on bar stool, leaving to go home.

What all this means

Blue Microphones has updated the exterior drastically adding the 3.5mm line-input and USB pass-thru. Now you have more features and updated circuitry allowing you to recoring 16-bit, 44Khz, CD-quality audio at higher volumes. The iPhone certification means that you can plug-and-record with instant compatibility on your iPhone, iTouch and iPod.

They’ve delivered many of the features people have been waiting for—including a soft carrying pouch for convenient protection and portability. If confirmed, it should be released this summer. And if it performs as we expect, this next-generation Mikey looks like a winner.

What types of microphones are used by top artists?

BlueMic — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:46:52 +0000

Have you ever wondered how your favorite artist gets their sound? Or what types of microphones other musicians use to record in studio or perform live?

Choosing a microphone is about more than putting sound to hardware. You wouldn’t cook with the wrong spices or drive without a steering wheel; it’s about choosing the right tool for the job.

You can find an artist using a Blue microphone in almost every genre, whether it’s Jay-Z or Bruce Springstein using the Bottle, our flagship tube condenser microphone, or Will.i.am and producer, Andy Wallace, using the Cactus, our multipattern condenser microphone. Hundreds of artist have used a Blue microphone to record their music – Are you using the right mic for your sound?

Check out some of your favorite artists below who use a Blue microphone to deliver their style of sound or visit the Blue artist page for the full list:

Live Mics:
enCORE 100:

enCORE 200:

Know of any other artists using a Blue Microphone? Let us know!