If you’ve made the decision to record your own audiobook or start a podcast, chances are you’ve already begun thinking about microphones. Even for someone who’s never recorded before, several different types of microphones may come to mind: cylindrical ones, round ones, the ones you see performers using on stage, old radio broadcasters’ mics—the point is, there’s a lot of options out there.
The question is, which one is best for you, whether as someone narrating an audiobook, starting a podcast, or narrating blog posts or other marketing materials?
Despite the vast plethora of microphones of different types, brands, and price points, there are a few that stick out as mainstay favorites of consumers for their affordability, flexibility, and relative quality.
The following are a list, from lowest to highest price, of some of the best options out there on the market as of 2020.
1. Fifine USB Microphone
For the under-$50 market, the Fifine USB microphone is one of the most popular among home recordists. For $40, this condenser mic is small and portable, and is one of the best options for simple desktop recording.
The microphone comes with a stand, making it easy to set on a desk. It also features a gain knob on the microphone itself, allowing you to adjust the volume of your voice as it feeds into your computer, adding to its flexibility. The mic also will work with an iPad and iPhone with the proper adapter.
If the most affordable option is what interests you, the Fifine USB microphone is probably the way to go.
Price: $40
Accessories: Desk stand
Best for: Budget
2. Blue Snowflake
Blue is a company well known for its affordable, high-quality consumer-level microphones. The Snowflake is Blue’s travel-friendly model, small enough to fit in your pocket.
The greatest advantage of the Snowflake is its flexibility: its adjustable stand attached to the mic allows for multiple configurations, including the ability to set it on a desk or clip it onto the screen of a laptop. When not in use, the microphone folds smoothly into the stand for easy portability.
Price: $99
Accessories: Dual stand and clip mount
Best for: Portability
3. Blue Snowball
The Snowball is the widely-celebrated affordable microphone offering from Blue, due as much to its relative good sound quality as to it distinctive spherical shape. It’s as popular with podcasters as with video game streamers, YouTubers, and amateur musicians.
While roughly at the same price point as its portable sibling the Blue Snowflake, the Snowball boasts several features not found in its younger brother. Included are pickup pattern modes for omnidirectional, meaning it will pick up sound from a full 360 degrees around the mic, and cardioid, designed to pick up sound from in front of the mic. This makes it suitable for standard single voice recording as well as allowing for the ability to record multiple people through its omnidirectional mode, which may be desired as a podcaster featuring guests.
The cardioid pattern mode further features a -10 db attenuation (lowering of input volume) for recording in louder environments.
If you like the idea of the Blue Snowflake but want something with a bit more features and heft, you can’t go wrong with the Snowball.
Price: $99
Accessories: Desk stand
Best for: Podcasters with in-person guests
4. Blue Yeti
The Blue Yeti is the next step up from the Blue Snowball. This microphone, equally as popular as the Snowball, is extremely well-regarded by home recordists of all types for its great sound quality and features.
In comparison with the Snowball, the Yeti offers a wider frequency response (20hz – 20khz as opposed to the Snowball’s 40hz – 18kHz) as well as a higher bit depth of 24-bit, compared to the Snowball’s 16-bit. These are numbers the average podcaster may not need to worry about; the point is that the Yeti boasts a better sound quality than its sibling.
The Yeti also features a number of pickup patterns, including omnidirectional, cardioid, stereo, and bidirectional. Stereo, though probably not necessary for podcasters or audiobook narrators, is great for capturing a wide sound for instruments. Bidirectional is similar to cardioid, but will also pick up sound from directly behind the mic as well.
Other features include direct monitoring with volume control for plugging in headphones directly to the mic, as well as microphone gain control to control the volume going into the mic.
With its wide array of features, high quality, and affordable price point, it’s no wonder the Blue Yeti is consistently rated one of the best USB microphones on the market.
Price: $130
Accessories: Desk stand
Best for: Budget-friendly, high-quality recording
5. Samson Q2U USB/XLR
The Samson Q2U is a favorite among podcasters and narrators. In contrast to the condenser-style microphones that make up the rest of this list, the Q2U is a dynamic mic. The technical difference is not necessary to illustrate here, but what would benefit the reader to understand is that dynamic mics are better at handling sounds in a louder environment.
Dynamic mics are more adept at picking up sounds directly in front of it while rejecting more background noise than a condenser mic. So, if you are recording in an environment that is less well-suited to a quiet recording, such as one with a lot of outside traffic noise or a room with little in the way of sound dampening measures taken, a dynamic mic such as the Samson Q2U would be an ideal solution.
Featuring a headphone jack for monitoring, the Q2U is also unique in the fact that it features both a USB output and an XLR output, meaning you would be able to upgrade to an audio interface or mixer down the line using the XLR output without having to buy a brand new XLR microphone.
Price: $69.99
Accessories: Desk stand, wind shield
Best for: Noisy environments and connection flexibility
6. Audio-Technica AT2020+
The Audio-Technica AT2020 series of microphones are a mainstay of home recordists. The “Plus” version of the AT2020 is recommended, as it includes a headphone jack for input monitoring, so that you may hear yourself as you record with zero latency.
Like the previous Rode, the AT2020+ features a mix control with which to control the mic feed relative to sound from the computer.
Well-known among home recordists, the AT2020+ is a microphone that will deliver a good quality sound for any podcast or audiobook.
Price: $199
Accessories: Desk stand
Best for: Name brand recognition and quality
Conclusion
This is but a small sampling of some of the more common and most popular USB microphones on the market. There are many (many) more, but depending on your needs, at least one of the above should cover all your bases.
There are a number of accessories that may be helpful to buy in addition to a microphone. These include pop filters, to remove unwanted plosives, and various types of stands. Stands are helpful, as setting up a mic on a desk poses the risk of unwanted noise from bumping or touching the desk and bass-y frequencies being picked up by the microphone.
However, if you are just starting out, it might not be a priority to jump on any peripheral equipment just yet; what matters most is finding a microphone that works for you and a space quiet enough to record in.
I hope this has been of help to those looking for a budget-friendly USB microphone.
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