Recommendations?

tumnusLOVE

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I sing quite loud, so my video sometimes have distortions. I'm looking for a cheaper USB mic to use for my videos (and quite possibly garageband recordings). What do you all recommend?
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I've heard nothing but great things about the Snowball microphone from Blue.
 
Hmmm...

I'm going to suggest a different path. I've tried various USB and non-USB options. I don't think USB is always the best solution as much as it appears to be an easy solution.

Consider going with a small mixing board (one or two inputs) and a dynamic mic. For a mixer I would recommend the Behringer Xenyx 502. For a mic I would recommend the Behringer XM8500 dynamic mic. This will give you a setup to run one microphone and also a uke with a pickup. If you want more mics you need to spend more for a mixer.

The total for what I shared will run about $70.

This is what people recommended to me as a first setup, and I tried other things. I've ended up with a mixer and mic. It truly is the most versatile and for the money is hard to beat.

I like dynamic mics for general recording. I've used both dynamic and condenser mics. I find that condenser mics can be too sensitive for non-studio environments, and inexpensive ones often have some hiss. Dynamic mics are much less expensive and provide excellent clarity for the dollars spent. For recording in a normal house environment dynamic mics work great.

A mixer lets you control the volume being fed into the computer. It will also let you adjust the high, mid, and low of your voice before it enters the computer. If you have highs that are causing distortion, you can turn the highs down, etc. You can get your voice to sound more natural as it is recorded.

The Xenyx 502 mixer also has an input and volume control for an instrument with a pickup. It's a nice option to have to further tweak the sound of your recording before it hits the computer.

So that's my recommendation, and the reasons why.
 
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I forgot to mention that the Xenyx 502 mixer does not have a phantom power option to power condenser mics. If you want to use a condenser mic you would need to step up to the Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer.
 
I have to agree with spots on mixers. The initial outlay of money is greater but I believe worth it. Get a good dynamic mic to start with (like a Shure SM58). This is a decent mic for recording and playing out-runs about $100.00. A small desktop mixer like a Mackie or Yamaha, with phantom power will run around $100.00.

Whether you go the Mackie/Shure or Behringer route, there are always a few more expenses like an XLR cord for the mic. There are various cords you might need to get from the mixer to your sound card.

On the loud singing thing, assuming that you are not about to shovel out more money for a compressor, I would suggest working on mic technique. Pull back from the mic when you are singing loud and closer to the mic for quiet stuff.

Look for live videos of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Watch how they work the mic when they sing.
 
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