A Few Good USB Podcasting Mics
The topic of USB podcasting mics has recently come up on the LStech listserv and during a training that I did on podcasting with Liz Keith and David Bonebrake, so I wanted to share a few mics that Wired recently reviewed in its January 2009 issue:
- Alesis USB Mic Podcasting Kit (8 out of 10)
- Audio-Technica AT2020 USB (8 out of 10)
- Marshall Electronics MXL Studio 1 (7 out of 10)
- Blue Microphones Snowball (6 out of 10)
All of these except for the Blue Snowball are cardioid mics, so they record only what's in front of them. The Blue Snowball also has an omnidirectional polar pattern option, so you can record around the mic (if you are doing an interview with someone sitting across from you, for example).
Another mic that's not mentioned here is the Blue Snowflake, which is more compact and less expensive than the Snowball. In doing a little research for this post, I also noticed that Blue has a new portable iPod recording device called the Mikey, a USB converter and mic preamp that allows you to connect an XLR mic directly into your computer, and a nice video on getting started podcasting. -M
