Best Podcasting Microphone Roundup and Review

[Antimorphic]

Very helpful! Thanks so much for posting this.

[gzairborne]

you rock. thank you! you have a great voice and a real talent for communication and being clear and concise and you are considerate to the layman and make it easy to be entreated.

thank you!

[TheDeepEndDesign]

great reviews, thanks! what about headset mics? any experience using those?

[KeopsTV]

how about the blue snowflake? im trying to find a low cost but good quality mic that is direct USB. Thanks!

[Saaaataan]

Great indepth look man, very informative! :)

[DogAndDeuce]

USB mics are ok to have but without using a mixer you are limited in what you can do for your show. Also, condensers are just unnecessary for podcasting.

Other than that this is a great video, very informative. I can't believe the PR40 doesn't come with a shock mount.

[JabbiNflippy]

Awesome reviews! but if i want the MXL 990 i need a mixer what can you recommend that can easily be connected to the computer?

[saidas108]

Every review I've found so far is for podcasting. I'm looking for a high end mic for web video/conferencing for business and don't want anything in shot to distract clients. What is my best desktop option at about a 30" distance from mouth? This is for a home office environment.

[wowshamanful]

@saidas108 get the blue yeti pro mic this one should do the job... :)

[BenD3333]

48V isn't exactly what I'd call "low voltage" haha .. I think you mean phantom power is low current ;) Helpful video though - thanks :)

[MichaelIanHenry]

Hey Chris...

What type of camera are you using for this video? Also how do you by pass the camera mic and use your studio mic instead? I am gathering my equipment as we speak, almost there matey. Thank you for the wonderful video! I will be going with the Rode PROcaster my self I saw a demo on the net and it sold me this mic looks to be the slightly less expensive option to the EV (R?) 20 mic.

Looking forward to your reply sir and keep up the great work!

Michael Ian Henry Host of Area33Live

[slitherlock]

anyone else want to see michael myers stand in the doorway with a butcher knife for a few seconds then turn and walk away?

[MandeepGadgetBoy]

lol what if ur dog jumps on the mic and eats it o.o

[RibbonArmyBlue]

very good for info

[mtait2001]

great great help, thumbs up :)

[Us3rname404]

i also would recommend the mxl 990, I've been using this mic for a few years and used it a lot for both voice/vocal recording and also for acoustic instruments while studying music technology at university, while there are better high end mics the MXL 990 definitely gives you the best quality for your money

[maddiekellyyoh]

where did you get the MXL 990?

[RetroPCDOS]

@maddiekellyyoh

You can get them at a Guitar Center, or online, but you are better off with the MXL V63M for vocal, it about the same price.

[maddiekellyyoh]

@RetroPCDOS can you explain to me how i can record a singing video using the MXL V63M? cause i dont really know how to lol.

[merlinemagic]

nice harmon kardon speakers :)

[405earth]

Awesome review, Chris! Thanks for the great information! Appreciate your work!

[twista0506]

I agree with the other comment about the electro voice re20. That is one of the best broadcast mics ever made. Great video.

[lduvelle]

Who would dislike this and why?

[Noruego]

great video, it went right to the point, you're a nice guy, and you made the video seem faster than the 16 min it actually lasts! well done!

[AwesomeEra]

i hate youtube, it makes everything buffer every 3 seconds!

[PugFuker]

I just dont think something as irrelevant as podcasting requires much more than an mxl

[medoelkorsan]

very nice video i was really curious to know how much does it cost to have a radio mic

[area51channel]

i love when podcast people or radio people say "god 300 buck for a mic, thats crazy"

haha us music audio techs are like $300? wtf is that. the mics we use start at about a grand, i mean the best mic in my opionion for a studio is a blue bottle, and we all know...well its $5000 so yea haha. 300 is super cheap for a mic

[tranceotaku]

This video is currently helping me very much. Good stuff sir!

[mrpishi1]

are you still a virgin?

[Justinvmorris]

@mrpishi1 thats pretty lame.,

[Decenium]

@mrpishi1

U jelly?

[silvercoke]

Could you try out the MXL Studio 1? It is about $100, and I have only seen a couple of guys on YouTube do a review on it, but only one of them had knowledge of microphones.

[playerlilp3]

Really random I know but you actually have a really nice voice! :)

[unplugged1994]

i am getting s samson c03u will this work for live broadcasting using xp

[killersof94]

the xlr to usb is by blue and is called the icicle

[PersonalSuccessMktg]

Chris,

Really liked your intro - that's a great tip for people doing videos - start with an intro to let us know what will happen in the video so we know to stick around.

Thanks for the mic reviews! Personally I use the Snowball OR a USB headset - both are great for podcasting.

Charlie Seymour Jr

CreateYourOwnLegendNow (dotcom)

[DJJDBass]

I own two Heil Fins (which has the PR-20 element) & one PR-30 & PR-35. I may buy a PR-40 some day!

[DJDADoctor]

Hey there great video on the mic's, but the best mic to broadcast is Electro Voice Re-20. I own a online radio station call power92 fm, and the EV Re-20 is the only mic that we use here at Power. This mic you will find in most radio station around the world. I think that you should look in to getting one. Have a listen to the station at power92fm.2ya.com

[Topaz1115]

I have a computer with a built-in Microphone/1.3Mp Webcam. Would the podcasting mic work with my webcam? please answer back when you can, I am thinking about buying one, Thank You.

[cleanmusic213]

MXL sounds very good. The sound sounds like my local rock radio station's mic.

[SnykeHD]

true statement for the microphones that cost a little more.

for podcasts you can surely use the rode procaster/podcaster.

An alternative to your microphone is the ElectroVoice RE-20 or the Shure SM7 B

Those are the standard microphones used in larger radio stations.

(just watch "private parts" with Howard Stern)

I recommend you to turn your head a little so that less air from "pop" konsonants get into your microphone. it's all about the technique.

great video ! keep up the good work!

[dubleloozer14]

im in the process of turning my room into a studio...right now i have a dynamic mic with the pop filter...so its ehh..you know ofcourse it could be better..i hear condenser mics i great for a recording studio...but your opinion..you know alot about mics except wireless like you stated...but what type of mic would be great or any specific mic??? or out of the three mics you presented in the video which would be the best option for a recording studio??

[Twinhit]

How about the Electro-Voice RE20? IMHO that would be a top of the line mic for podcasting. What say you?

[sxdemon]

Does the MXL 990 work well into a normal with, let say with "normal" ambiant sound? (and maybe a little echo)

If I get two MXL 990 (for podcasting) will both mic pick each other sound? My mic picking the voice of my guess and the mic of my guess picking my voice?

If yes how to avoid or remove in a software?

Thanks !

[theinspiredlife]

Thanks for the great information. Saved me a lot of time trying to figure things out. Just getting into podcasting.

[fraguzz]

blue snowball! was the best i think.. no pop pop..

what would you recomend to record cars, sometimes recording from enginebay sounds and it has to resist wind also to record out of the window..

have been looking on the Røde you showed but has been looking on the NTG-1 and 2..

[SnykeHD]

@fraguzz : if you shoot outside, you should want to reduce all noise around and use either dynamic microphones (you'll have to go very near and get the mic into your video) or use so called "shotgun" mics, like that rode.

we use the beyerdynamic 86 with a thick windshield.

if you wanna stick to rode, the ntg- should do the job.

but i recommend using headphones, because those shotgun mics tend to change the sound if you don't place them right to what you want to record

[C20rules]

@fraguzz

If you are into DIY I can recommend the one I use, Panasonic WM61capsules. Otherwise it's good to look at some omnidirectional small capsule microphone.

Those podcast microphones is not good for that, as they are not good off axis (when sound source is not right in front on it) - cardioid mics will also loose bass at a distance from sound source.

For wind protection you need to build or buy a wind screen - and you need a large one to handle the wind speeds as outside a car window.

[MyRandomReviews]

Very useful, thanks for the information!

[wclark89]

This may be dumb but how do you capture video and audio at the same time? I have an Alesis soundboard and MXL mic and want to use that to capture audio and then use my HD camera to do the video capturing. Any help is much appreciated

[shawshank73]

Nice review! I'm currently using the KEL HM-2D condenser mic. I love this thing. Fattens up your voice like a SM7B or PR40, but is a bit cheaper and being a condenser, you can change the angle to get more than one "sound" from it. :)

[tecksupport247]

great thanks good vid i love the mxl990

love should try the one i have samon usb condenser mic co3u

[rkeeme]

Great info! I was looking for a good mic to get back into podcasting (lost my MXL 990).

[brt5470]

What's your opinion on the Audio Technica AT2020 USB. I'm leaning to the snowball, but I'm wondering if I should spend the extra 20-30bucks for the AT2020 USB.

[fmackz]

Blue Snowball - Plug and play in Windows too. I have one of these microphones and they are brilliant. I use Mac and PC and it works well in both.

[RobGordon35]

thanks man, peace.

[dwpcfox]

Thanx Chris, good info!! I am just gearing up to do my podcast so any & all tips are welcome.

[ngvgnDOTcom]

That Rode Mic is now $150 dollars now you must have gotten a great deal on that mic.

[sharton14]

i use the SDM -663A uni directional microphone

[rynoweb]

thanks for the video review man... much appreciated

[SliceAndDicex]

Is the Blue Snowball Compatible With Windows 7 64bit ?

[fmackz]

I use it on a PC with Windows XO. Works brilliantly, no driver needed.

[DrIntrebec]

your dogs looked funny and furious at each other

[dennysugar]

Wow, great tutorial dude! I hope that was your aff link bc I just bought a snowball with the shock mount for my home studio.

[JimHornEntertainment]

which sound card are you using for the MXL 990? M-Audio?

[hippoman357]

hi im looking for shotgun mic for my prosumer canon hv30. what would you recomend. whats a good brand. Try to keep it on the cheap side 0-150 ??????????????????

[StreetStrider13]

Thank you Bryan,

[jthedwalker]

The MXL Mic Mate Pro does support 48V phantom power. How does the Heil PR-40 compare to the Electro-Voice RE-20 ? No one uses a pop filter with the RE-20, I see you're using one on the PR-40. How poppy is the PR-40 compared to the MXL-990?

[DiCola119]

The RE-20 has a build in pop filter

[langdonhillsman]

GREAT review video, thanks for putting it together!

[sinatrasingerableful]

Great video. A joy to watch. Thank you.

[TonysSales]

AWESOME review...

Would you say that a pair of MXL 990's would be the best for someone just starting out with a podcast ? Just a voice podcast and obviously 2 people. THANKS AGAIN!

[4543563]

Yes.

[ayetoday]

thanks for the video, very good

[widowsbreath]

HAHA THE DOGS ARE FUNNY

[widowsbreath]

i dunno what it is but your recordings are pretty thin - and i think you need a better preamp or something or maybe its the compression you are using in the video shame really as it does not do the mics justice especially the Heil

[mr4y]

Other great mic about the same price of the Heil would be the Shure SM7B.

[Dethc0]

ya the xlr to usb is called the mice mate from mxl it costs about 40 bucks

[mr4y]

Hosa also makes a XLR to USB cable

[sifs4]

yep and blue makes one (called the icicle) and shure makes one (called X2U).

[dcnyc45]

That was a great, in-depth review. Do you mind telling me the name of the scissor mic stand you are using? I am looking at different ones and I like the way the one you have looks. Thanks. Keep it up.

[kangaroo303]

For most "hobby" broadcasters and podcasters, USB mics arent good at all.

Most of us have dedicated sound cards in our pc's that are made for broadcasting, like a physical external board but cheaper. They dont pick up and signal distortion, and they are way better than any USB sound card. Bring in some 3.5mm Studio mics!

[jsyangyu]

nice review.

but the price for shotgun in Amazon is 140 not 40,50 as you said.

[mennoosmusic]

GREAT review, well done

Love the MXL 990...

[ASmokingFly]

Could you give me a link for the microphone pole that you have?

[ASmokingFly]

What do you mean by post-processing?

Also, what do you mean by "Putting it through a compressor"?. How do I do these things?

[speedyhomey]

Post-processing is what you do to the audio after you record it such as adding EQ and other effects like a compressor.

A compressor, in the simplest of definitions just levels out audio/sound levels so that the highs and lows are closer together. In other words, it makes the loud portions of audio lower and the lower portions higher. It evens things out.

You can post-process in hardware or in software. Hardware is usually more expensive. For software, you can use Pro-Tools as an example.

[matbury]

Nice review and very informative. My only criticism is that all of the voice recording examples that you've presented here have been heavily processed. Wouldn't it be better to give some examples of the pure, unprocessed sound that the mics pick up?

[macianG5]

Hi, I have a bit of a tight budget and need to squeeze in a mic for usage in the field (shotgun) and one for later translation (voice overlay). All of that in a quite noisy environment. The heil would be nice since it cuts out all the nasty background noise. Is there any cheaper mic which has a similar behavior when it comes to background noise? Thanks! Great show!

[RMEProd]

Nice video..love the mic..Question..I thought the pros use the Electro Voice RE-27?

[BlueStoneTV]

The Electrovoice RE series use to be the standard mic for pro broadcasting, now they are beginning to transfer to the Shure SM7B, which is a great microphone might I add :)

[breustle]

very thorough, informative review. the heil is one gorgeous mic..sounds unbelievable!

[Panama0019]

The shure sm7b is 10,000 times better $50 cheaper and the industry standard in all major radio stations so y pay more for the heil? Cuz hollywood uses them to record cannons? I though we were podcasting people!!!!!!!

[K9educator1]

I really liked the info you gave. There are 2 of us doing the podcast, what do you recommend we use?  Right now we are plugging 2 headsets into the mic jack in the back using a splitter, but we'd like to use the usb port for the reason's you mentioned. However, we don't know how to plug 2 mics into one usb. Is that where the m-audio comes in? Also, neither of my audio programs has usb as the recording source. It only has line in, mic, phone, etc... Which of these would be the usb? Thanks!!

[controld333]

Hi, Chris

If it is not to much trouble can you recommend me a starting kit for pod-casting. I am a professor and I want to start doing video-podcast of the lectures to encourage students to review the materials. I do not have any hardware yet so include the camera also and a site where I can buy the video-podcasting hardware at a good price.

thanks in advance, I just do not want to buy the parts and find out that they are not compatible

[controld333]

Hey! Pretty informative and a good starting guide to get an idea of the world of mics.

Thanks a lot, I can definately hear the difference in sound of the voice pitch with the Cadilac of your mics as you call it, the PR-40.

[MsSweetMelody09]

Oh and I need it for singing. For Pop, RnB, Country, Rock, and Folk.

[MsSweetMelody09]

I'm browsing for a microphone. I've looking at Rode NT2-A/NT1000/NTK or Samsong C03/CL8. I need it for home recording for internet use. I don't know nothing about Mics. I want something that sounds Clear, smooth, Warmth and bright. Can anybody help me??

[rl45401]

What about the EV RE20?

[leahzero]

Thanks for posting this, was interested in hearing the Blue Snowball in action before buying.

[OneyNG]

hows about you tell people the truth. i got the snowball mic and it doesn't work on windows. at all.

[klisk]

I have the snowball and it works wonderfully on windows. You're doing something wrong.

[GotwishTv]

Yeah i'm watching in HD! this should be interesting!

[Winsucker]

Tnx

[osjcag]

Have you ever used the Røde Broadcaster? I'd like to know what you think about that mike ;)

[osjcag]

Which processing do you use for that Heil PR-40?

[ozmoroid]

There is a USB version of the MXL 990. Costs a bit more than the XLR version, though. I am fairly happy with it, but you definitely need a pop filter.

[hanna0viking]

Class! What a super guide for this!!! Invaluable. Thanks a lot.

[whoever137]

can anybody compare the mxl to the samson co1u...i dont know which one i should buy

[4543563]

Well, The Samson CO1U Compared to the Mxl 009, Well the MXL .009 Would be much better, but I doubt you'll hear a huge difference.

Only a minimal difference. You can monitor, control the Headphones / Mic Gain on the Mxl 009.

For an extra £150.

CO1U :  MXL .009

44.1KHZ / 48KHZ 44.1KHZ - 96KHZ

16Bit 24Bit

24Bit Microphones has been the Norm for ages. but their is only a minimal difference. The more KHZ the better sound quality. :)

[dansyn]

The MXL sounds better than the heil pr40 because the Heil mic is a Dynamic Acoustic Principal, whereas the MXL is a condenser microphone.

The heil PR40 isnt really a good voice over mic, because in production, you need the best coming in to get the best going out. Pros use a condenser in a voice over booth for that reason.

In broadcasting the most popular radio stations mics are EV RE20, Heil Sound PR40 & the Rode Broadcaster.

We use the Rode Broadcaster & EV RE20's

[Foster45678]

Thanks for the tip im planing on getting the MXL 990 but since i live in canada and i have checked on the sites that you had talked about and they dont have the mic on that site so if u can give me any feedback that would be great.

Thanks.

[dansyn]

I got the MXL 990.. its very very good! When i get a chance, i use it on air on the radio station!

[ricky2taan]

Thanks, this helped me a lot.

[Fraznor]

I am the second Zoom H2 user posting here. Would also like to hear your comparison of it to the other mics in the video. On my YouTube channel there are some sample vids made with the Zoom H2

[bamyo53]

What about the Audio Technica AT2020USB Condenser USB Microphone?

[JTproductions2009]

what would u rate the samson cou1 out of 5

[IvanGBarrera1]

what kind of mic boom do you use for the Heil PR ??

[jupiterbroadcasting]

Umm.. It is one sold by Heil, their standard boom.

-Chris

[gwillikers]

great review - thanks for the breakdown.

[mike94560]

Thanks to your video I got a Snowball and a MXL 990 setup. Wow does that make things sound better. I gave up with the Snowball on Linux. Stupid sample rate mess. But it works great as an alternate audio source for the webcam. And good for Skype too.

Thanks for the reviews

[gnumd]

Your the tech guru... let's start a "GNUtube" site that only uses non-proprietary code and file formats that is cross platform friendly and doesn't spy on or censor it's users.

Youtube/Google/Adobe need some healthy free software free market competition!

[gnumd]

Yeah so why are we using ADOBE's garbage proprietary and closed source (meaning secretive code) that spys on users and tracks them on Youtube? GNU/Linux is about 100% freedom from such oppression and invasions of privacy. Otherwise we'd use Macintosh computers.

[jupiterbroadcasting]

Hahahahaha

[fastni99a]

hey does the mxl 990 whisper or sounds bad when u say a word with an "s" in it?

[YoungCash82]

not realy, but its pretty good if you get a pop filter

[gnumd]

You are the best! Now you just need to start sharing such awesome works with the world in ogg format ;-)

-Dr. Steve

[jupiterbroadcasting]

YO DR. STEVE!

They are in OGG Theora over on our site! W00t!

[sphinxrising58]

Same with my Mini DV, builtin mic, but looking to have someone modify this arrangement by bypassing the stereo mic wiring so as to permit a port into which you could then plug an external mic of better quality.

[Flenos]

I use the zoom h2. I wonder what you think about this one. I like it because it is an usb mic and an audio recorder. I've payed 200 euros for it, and, for all it does, I think it was a great deal.

[siafulinux]

The MXL990 looks like a fantastic deal. The sound is great and is a darn less expensive than the PR40, especially if I don't need to do any post processing I think the MXL is a winner. Thanks for this.

JC

[kamaboko1]

Thanks for the mic review.  I worked on my first podcast recording this weekend using the mic on my webcam. Ughhh...was that terrible. Your input has been helpful.

[rubik224]

I'm a sound technician in my spare time (live mixing at weekends) and the PR40 is a great sounding mic for speech. If your thinking of buying a mic for podcasting and you have money to waste or simple want to go pro I'd go with the PR40 but if you are just looking for a good mic at a low price I'd go with the Blue Snowball which is a great consumer mic.

- Pete -

[jupiterbroadcasting]

I had to replace the last version of this video due to the issues with the HD version (since in the video I tell people to watch the HD version.. DOH).

REALLLLLY big sorry to all the commenters that already posted on the last video!

-Chris