USB Microphone ?

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mrStones

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Hi everyone,
I am thinking about getting a microphone to record some samples and hopefully try to partecipate in UU seasons (so mainly vocal and uke).
I've seen Blue Microphones Yeti and Snowball and seems good, but I am not really an expert, not at all.

What is your experience about USB microphones ?
Have you any brand/model to advice ?

I use only Linux SOs, if it matters.

Thanks everybody !
 
Your question couldn't come at a better time.
I have been buying and returning so many mics ( $100-$220 range) in the last four weeks.
I finally settled on Shure MV 5
It's a plug and play with the Shure app or any app will work. The self-montior headphone is directly plug from the device itself. It's light weight , it comes with a stand and wind screen. Three modes - voice, flat, acoustic. Very simple to use and doesn't drain your battery as much as others.
Although it is advertised as apple Ipad and Iphone but it comes with a regular USB cable so you can definitely use it on you Linux.
What I like the most about this mic is that it doesn't record unwanted sound. I was recording while my daughter walked in to say hi and the mic did not pick up her voice.
The cost of this mic is $99U.S. You can order from Amazon. If you don't like it, just return it . No risk.

Here is a sound sample of my playing recorded with this Shure MV . The click click sounds is actually from my guitar pick !
https://soundcloud.com/brenda-lee-wong/romance-6-strings-mini-r-a-tuning
 
Last edited:
I have the Blue Yeti Pro so I will speak to that. I used to own a recording studio, and I have owned and used $5000.00 microphones. I was really impressed with the recording quality of the Blue Yeti Pro. Frankly, I was shocked at how easy it was to use and how good it sounded. I use mine with Macbook Pro and Logic Pro. I have never used Linux that I am aware of.
 
Are you planning to record stationary at your computer? If so, I'd consider getting an audio interface (much like an external sound card), which would let you use nearly any microphone that you choose, plus open up other possibilities (recording with two microphones, audio procsessing. You can also connect proper speakers to the interface. I feel it's a much more flexible and open solution than a USB microphone, especially with Linux. Affordable and good interfaces are the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (the revised model) and the Steinberg UR22 (this one also comes with Midi I/O).

The downside that the upfront cost is a little higher and you have an extra device, but for a stationary recording setup I feel the advantages outweigh the downsides by a large margin. For a mobile setup, I'd get an iPad and a Apogee MiC 96k (at least that's what I use; I also have 2i2 and a bunch of mics for the PC setup, but for the mobile recording system I wanted something very portable).
 
Just an FYI - this topic has been thoroughly hashed out with lots of great info in a previous thread, which you might find helpful, here:

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?120478-I-d-like-to-buy-a-mic

100 posts long and much deeper discussion than what you've got so far as of this (my) post.

[edit] having said the above, if you dont want to read it all, I also use Linux (as well as Mac) and the Apogee MiC and Apogee JAM both work perfectly fine with Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Debian as per my own hands on tests, as will most USB 'Class Compliant' devices that do not require the use of OEM 'drivers' on Windows or hardware-specific 'Extensions' on Mac.

Apogee has had refurb units for sale on their own web store for some time now for like 20% off. see here:

http://www.apogeedigital.com/shop/apogee-mic-refurbished

YouTube has lots of videos for sound demos, and I have quite a few that I have done for the Seasons myself with this mic.

Libranian and Harry122 also both use this mic for their Seasons videos.

One cable, small, and will not suck down the battery in your tablet or phone if you use it that way, and best of all, it SOUNDS AMAZING!
 
Last edited:
SoloRule said:
Your question couldn't come at a better time.
I have been buying and returning so many mics ( $100-$220 range) in the last four weeks.
I finally settled on Shure MV 5
It's a plug and play with the Shure app or any app will work. The self-montior headphone is directly plug from the device itself. It's light weight , it comes with a stand and wind screen. Three modes - voice, flat, acoustic. Very simple to use and doesn't drain your battery as much as others.
Although it is advertised as apple Ipad and Iphone but it comes with a regular USB cable so you can definitely use it on you Linux.
What I like the most about this mic is that it doesn't record unwanted sound. I was recording while my daughter walked in to say hi and the mic did not pick up her voice.
The cost of this mic is $99U.S. You can order from Amazon. If you don't like it, just return it . No risk.

Here is a sound sample of my playing recorded with this Shure MV . The click click sounds is actually from my guitar pick !
https://soundcloud.com/brenda-lee-wong/romance-6-strings-mini-r-a-tuning
Click to expand...

Thank you SoloRule !
Nice recording, thanks a lot.
It seems a great mic and in my budget, unluckly amazon.it (I live in Italy... forgot to mention...) does not have it right now.
I'll keep an eye on it, maybe it will become available in a few weeks.
 
Mezcalero said:
I have the Blue Yeti Pro so I will speak to that. I used to own a recording studio, and I have owned and used $5000.00 microphones. I was really impressed with the recording quality of the Blue Yeti Pro. Frankly, I was shocked at how easy it was to use and how good it sounded. I use mine with Macbook Pro and Logic Pro. I have never used Linux that I am aware of.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mezcalero ! The Yeti Pro is a little out of my budget, but it seems great.
 
Mivo said:
Are you planning to record stationary at your computer? If so, I'd consider getting an audio interface (much like an external sound card), which would let you use nearly any microphone that you choose, plus open up other possibilities (recording with two microphones, audio procsessing. You can also connect proper speakers to the interface. I feel it's a much more flexible and open solution than a USB microphone, especially with Linux. Affordable and good interfaces are the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (the revised model) and the Steinberg UR22 (this one also comes with Midi I/O).

The downside that the upfront cost is a little higher and you have an extra device, but for a stationary recording setup I feel the advantages outweigh the downsides by a large margin. For a mobile setup, I'd get an iPad and a Apogee MiC 96k (at least that's what I use; I also have 2i2 and a bunch of mics for the PC setup, but for the mobile recording system I wanted something very portable).
Click to expand...

Hi Mivo !
Yes, stationary. Your solution sounds great, but I am looking something in 100-150$ range that could easily fit into my desk without invading all the free space. As I said, I am not going to record an album or something like that.
Just have little fun.
Thanks a lot ! Maybe in future, who knows :)
 
Booli said:
Just an FYI - this topic has been thoroughly hashed out with lots of great info in a previous thread, which you might find helpful, here:

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?120478-I-d-like-to-buy-a-mic

100 posts long and much deeper discussion than what you've got so far as of this (my) post.

[edit] having said the above, if you dont want to read it all, I also use Linux (as well as Mac) and the Apogee MiC and Apogee JAM both work perfectly fine with Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Debian as per my own hands on tests, as will most USB 'Class Compliant' devices that do not require the use of OEM 'drivers' on Windows or hardware-specific 'Extensions' on Mac.

Apogee has had refurb units for sale on their own web store for some time now for like 20% off. see here:

http://www.apogeedigital.com/shop/apogee-mic-refurbished

YouTube has lots of videos for sound demos, and I have quite a few that I have done for the Seasons myself with this mic.

Libranian and Harry122 also both use this mic for their Seasons videos.

One cable, small, and will not suck down the battery in your tablet or phone if you use it that way, and best of all, it SOUNDS AMAZING!
Click to expand...


Argh, really hate forum searches. I did some searches with "microphone", "usb microphone", "mike" and so, never though about the simple "mic" search :)
Thank you Booli. I will look the Apogee too on amazon.it. They right now have the mic 96k (is like yours ?). Little more than I would pay, but Black Friday is near.
 
Just to ask :
has anyone tried the Rode NT-USB ?
Seems quite good too.
I had a cardioid Rode back in the day and was really happy about it, but it was nearly a decade ago, so I don't know how Rode products are these days.
 
mrStones said:
Argh, really hate forum searches. I did some searches with "microphone", "usb microphone", "mike" and so, never though about the simple "mic" search :)
Thank you Booli. I will look the Apogee too on amazon.it. They right now have the mic 96k (is like yours ?). Little more than I would pay, but Black Friday is near.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. No search required.

You owe it to yourself to read the specific thread I linked to, a discussion similar to this one you have right here now, with all kinds of options discussed, exactly on this same topic of getting a microphone.

Not 96k, I have the previous model which is 48k. Everyone thinks 96k will sound better, but unless you have an $800 pair of Tannoy or Genelec studio monitors, or a $400 pair of Beyerdynamic headphones, you will likely not be able to tell the difference of 96k audio vs 48k audio, especially in YouTube videos or if you make MP3 files (which have lossy compression) or put files on Soundcloud. YouTube and Soundcloud are both famous for making audio sound bad due to their own compression schemes when they transcode anything you put on their services.

The Refurbished Apogee MiC is only $175 right now, maybe it will be less on Black Friday, but sounds comparable to a high-end large-diaphragm condenser. Apogee is no joke and they have been noted by lots of pro audio engineers for their high-end equipment and excellent sound quality.

No, I am not endorsed or compensated by Apogee, just a very happy customer.

Good luck with your choice. :music:
 
mrStones said:
Thank you SoloRule !
Nice recording, thanks a lot.
It seems a great mic and in my budget, unluckly amazon.it (I live in Italy... forgot to mention...) does not have it right now.
I'll keep an eye on it, maybe it will become available in a few weeks.
Click to expand...

Try ebay?
I think most music store carry it because Shure is a big name brand.
As I said I tried everything from Zoom IQ , IK Multimedia even Shure MV88 (more expensive than MV 5). Either I don't like the app or the mic doesn't seem to show much improvement from apple built-in. Shure MV5 is definitely a keeper for that price.
 
SoloRule said:
Try ebay?
I think most music store carry it because Shure is a big name brand.
As I said I tried everything from Zoom IQ , IK Multimedia even Shure MV88 (more expensive than MV 5). Either I don't like the app or the mic doesn't seem to show much improvement from apple built-in. Shure MV5 is definitely a keeper for that price.
Click to expand...

Yeah I use ebay a lot, but only when I am sure about the result.
With amazon you can effortless return an item with no costs, on ebay you have to pay and organize the return.
So you tried the Rode NT-USB too ? What do you think ?
Thanks again !
 
Booli said:
You're welcome. No search required.

You owe it to yourself to read the specific thread I linked to, a discussion similar to this one you have right here now, with all kinds of options discussed, exactly on this same topic of getting a microphone.

Not 96k, I have the previous model which is 48k. Everyone thinks 96k will sound better, but unless you have an $800 pair of Tannoy or Genelec studio monitors, or a $400 pair of Beyerdynamic headphones, you will likely not be able to tell the difference of 96k audio vs 48k audio, especially in YouTube videos or if you make MP3 files (which have lossy compression) or put files on Soundcloud. YouTube and Soundcloud are both famous for making audio sound bad due to their own compression schemes when they transcode anything you put on their services.

The Refurbished Apogee MiC is only $175 right now, maybe it will be less on Black Friday, but sounds comparable to a high-end large-diaphragm condenser. Apogee is no joke and they have been noted by lots of pro audio engineers for their high-end equipment and excellent sound quality.

No, I am not endorsed or compensated by Apogee, just a very happy customer.

Good luck with your choice. :music:
Click to expand...

Thanks again Booli. Wow THAT thread was long :) right now I am more confused than before but I just need some time to assimilate all the infos.
That has a side-result btw : made me consider also the Scarlett 2i2 studio bundle. Little over my budget and probably "too much" for my use... but it is so cool.
But maybe you are right in that thread, "buy cheap, buy twice".
 
Mr Stones
I also did some research on the RODE and it has great reviews. It is made in Australia. I was going to order one but decided not to because the plug seems to needs a lot more space from the Iphone/Ipad. Since you are not using these IOS devices, it is not an issue for you.
If Amazon has it , order it. As you said Amazon gives no hassle on return.
I think the first step for you is to see if you like the interface of the app that comes with the mic. Some mics only have self monitor when being used in their specific app.
 
I have a Shure MV5 that I am content with.

From what I hear, the Blue Yeti (can record stereo) and the Rode NT (normal mono) are better microphones, but they also take up way more space. The Yeti is the size of a lava lamp. With the filter the Rode will dominate your desktop equally much. I looked at them in a music store, went home and ordered the Shure.

Edit: I actually went to the store to buy the Shure MV5, but it was not in stock. When I asked about it, the salesman said that he could get it for me, but that it was more a microphone for podcasts, the Rode NT was the thing for recording music. Well, I went with the Shure anyway.
 
Last edited:
UkingViking said:
I have a Shure MV5 that I am content with.

From what I hear, the Blue Yeti (can record stereo) and the Rode NT (normal mono) are better microphones, but they also take up way more space. The Yeti is the size of a lava lamp. With the filter the Rode will dominate your desktop equally much. I looked at them in a music store, went home and ordered the Shure.
Click to expand...

Yea the Shure MV5 only record MONO but that's alright as I am just recording a single ukulele playing. No other accompany instruments and no singing. It's simple and I like the app except I don't know how to set it to record in a lower size format. It's pre-set in WAV format. Drive me crazy. Each song is like 35 MB. I then change the format one by one before I can email to anyone.
 
Booli said:
Not 96k, I have the previous model which is 48k. Everyone thinks 96k will sound better, but unless you have an $800 pair of Tannoy or Genelec studio monitors, or a $400 pair of Beyerdynamic headphones, you will likely not be able to tell the difference of 96k audio vs 48k audio [...]
Click to expand...

I'd go further and say that nobody, certainly not anyone older than early 20s, would (be physically able to) hear a difference between 48k and 96k even on the very best audio equipment. 96k does have benefits when processing enters the picture, like pitching and stretching, and that is also why I got the Apogee MiC 96k (besides it costing "only" 240 Euros with all the accessories and a hard case, which wasn't much more expensive than importing a refurb model). I like to record samples and then process/mangle them, so the higher sample rate is (sometimes, not always) good to have. But if someone just wants to record their ukulele playing (or pretty much anything else), 44k or 48k is really all they'll ever need, at least if their audience is human and there's no more sophisticated audio processing involved.
 
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