As a blogger, you may wisely decide to extend your audience outreach to platforms such as Youtube, Soundcloud, Podcasting, gaming etc.. When you decide to do that there are going to be a few items you’ll need. Whether you’re doing video or audio, you’re going to need a microphone. I hate to break it to you, but the microphone that is built into your laptop isn’t going to cut it. One of the least expensive and most effective ways to add amazing sound quality to a Youtube video, Podcast, etc.. is to use a good quality USB microphone. As you’ll see, USB microphones have improved over the years and in 2021 USB microphones are at a whole new level.
If you’re streaming, I also suggest a great USB cam. Check out my best choices for USB webcams.
USB Micrphones Have Improved
Fortunately, USB microphones have come a long way in regards to quality. Many people will say they are starting to become studio-quality. This means that people can now use USB microphones for professional purposes. So in this list we are going to review 10 of the best USB microphones around. The goal here is to help you purchase the right microphone.
What Applications Are USB Microphones Commonly Used For?
USB microphones are being used for a variety of applications. Here are a few:
- Podcasting
- Skype calls
- Music (singing/acoustic guitar)
- Voice-overs
- Gaming
- And more..
Why Go With USB Microphones
- Portability – Taking a full recording studio with you may be a difficult thing to do. Not if you’re using a studio-quality USB microphone. All you will really need is the microphone on a USB cord to connect it to your laptop.
- Less Expensive – USB microphones are affordable.
- Ease-of-use – Most USB microphones are plug-and-play. They all come with detailed instructions so you’ll be up and running in no time at all.
- Quality – Quality has come a long way and many professional podcasters, musicians, and voice-over artists rely on USB microphones.
Suggestions For Your USB Microphone
Aside from the mic, you may also want to invest in the following to go along with your USB microphone:
- Pop Filter
- Shock Mount
- Arm Stand
- Isolation Shield
Without further ado, let’s get into the list.
| Make/Model | Polar Patterns | Headphone Jack |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Yeti | Cardioid Stereo Omnidirectional Bidirectional |
Yes |
| Fifine | Cardioid | No |
| Audio-Technica AT2020USB | Cardioid | Yes |
| Samson Meteor | Cardioid | Yes |
| Blue Snowball | Cardioid Omnidirectional Cardioid with -10dB Pad |
No |
| Rode NT-USB | Cardioid | Yes |
| ASUS ROG Strix Magnus | Cardioid | Yes |
| MXL 990 USB | Cardioid | No |
| Rode Podcaster | Cardioid | Yes |
| Samson Go Mic | Cardioid | |
| Razer Seiren X | Cardioid |
Blue Yeti
As of this writing, the Blue Yeti has a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Amazon out of over 23K ratings.
Personally, I used it when I created my Udemy course. Needless to say I was very happy with the sound quality. I could hear a world of a difference in my voice when recording on the Yeti compared to the microphone built into my laptop. So much so that I actually liked the way my voice sounded on the Yeti. I was able to use this microphone right out of the box. Plug and play. Good to go. People who have reviewed this item claim it to be better than some of the top-end microphones.
This microphone has a solid build. So don’t be surprised when you pull this microphone out to realize how heavy it is. But I don’t see that as a con. I see it as well-built, quality piece of equipment.
After going through 100 verified reviews here are some of the main points I can sum up about the Blue Yeti
Pros
Better than most high-end mics
Cardioid pattern adds richness for voice over work
Solid build. It’s made from solid metal.
Great for Skype calls
Zero-latency headphone jack makes it great for radio/Podcasts. No delay.
Can be mounted onto a standard microphone floor stand
For Podcasters, whether you’re going solo or doing an interview, this one mic will do the trick.
Good for recording music (vocals)
THX-compliant
Cons
Not ideal for recording outside due to it’s bulkiness and heaviness
Suggestions – Purchase
- Mic stand since it picks up keystrokes when typing
- Pop-screen
- Shock mount
Fifine
The Fifine is currently Amazon’s Choice for USB microphones. This seems to be a newer microphone as well since I don’t remember seeing it a year ago when I updated this list. But with a 4.4 rating out of over 3,500 ratings, I would say this is probably a great mic. Let’s look a little further in to why that is.
Well it comes with a 5.9ft USB cable. I like that it advertises that. Having a long USB cable can be important if you decide to pick the mic up during a Podcast.
The tripod stand that it comes with appears to be very sturdy.
I’m a big fan of the volume knob. It’s there so that you can adjust the volume during your recording so that quality is perfect. It helps to make sure your voice is as clear as can be.
It seems to be marketed towards streamers/gamers. Looking at some of the reviews, people have gave it good reviews as a mic that can be used for voice-overs, and music recording.
It’s also small in size and should fit in most computer cases.
As of the writing of this article, it’s only $38.99. Compared to the Blue Yeti, that’s a lot less!
Pros
From the reviews I’m seeing, quality is just as good, if not better, than the Blue Yeti.
Suggestions – Purchase
- Mic stand since it picks up keystrokes when typing
- Pop-screen
- Shock mount
Blue Yeti X Professional
The Blue Yeti X Professional is another USB mic given the excellent badge of being Amazon’s Choice. It’s a CES 2020 Innovation award honoree. It has a four-capsul array, making it amazing for streaming, creating Youtube productions, podcasting, and more.
You can also download Logitech G HUB or Blue Sherpa (for PC and Mac) and get instant access to Blue VO!CE broadcast effects with presets for achieving professional on-stream sound quality.
You can also customize the LED lighting on the knob which is really cool.
The LED metering lets you visualize your voice level. This way, just glancing at it, you can check if your voice level is too high or too low and adjust accordingly.
Similar to the Yeti, it has four pickup patterns. Switch between cardioid for recording and streaming, omni for conference calls, bi-directional for podcast interviews and stereo for immersive experiences.
Pros
Just as good as the original Blue Yeti but smaller in size.
Suggestions – Purchase
Audio-Technica AT2020USB PLUS Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone
- Frequency response – 20Hz-20kHz
- Sample Rate: 16bit
If you want a product that is going to be comparable in sound quality to the Blue Yeti (which is my top pick) then the Audio-Technica AT2020USB is sure to match. It also comes in at around the same price point as the Yeti. Again, I try to stay away from “Top picks,” That said, this microphone comes in number two to the Blue Yeti.
This microphone has some amazing reviews on Amazon around sound capture (which is probably the most important quality in a microphone). In some reviews, people who have actually used both the Yeti and the AT2020USB prefer the AT2020USB as it has given them better sound quality. So decision, decisions…
It has a built-in headphone jack that lets you directly monitor your microphone signal with no delay (zero-latency).
From reviews that I’ve heard, it’s highly suggested to purchase a pop filter to go along with it since it’s very sensitive (which is a good thing).
Samson Meteor – Great Quality, Great Price
- Frequency response – 20Hz-20kHz
- Sample Rate: 16bit
The Samson Meteor comes up as Amazon’s Choice. Backed by some very favorable ratings from professionals, this microphone, especially for the price, is sure to please. From a price-point, as of the writing of this post, it’s around $30 less than the Yeti.
The Meteor is the only other microphone, besides the Yeti, to offer a mute switch built-into the microphone. It has a stereo ⅛” headphone jack for zero-latency monitoring. Finally, it has a large 25mm diaphragm.
Great microphone for the price.
Blue Snowball
- Frequency response – 20Hz-20kHz
- Sample Rate: 16bit
If you’re on a tighter budget and don’t want to purchase the Blue Yeti microphone then Blue also offers the Snowball. Much like the Yeti, the Snowball is well-suited for podcasts, song vocals, and other voice-work. It’s been highly purchased and highly rated on Amazon and for good reason. Blue makes great USB microphones.
The Snowball has three settings modes
Cardioid mode – Only picks up sounds directly in front while blocking out sounds from the sides and back.
Cardiod Mode with -10 dB PAD – Same as Cardioid mode but made for recording loud noises as it puts a -10dB attenuation that helps you capture louder sounds with greater quality and fidelity.
Omnidirectional Mode – Picks up sounds from all directions.
Snowball vs. Yeti
It’s difficult for me to do a review of the Snowball without comparing it to the Yeti. It would only be fair to do so. This way, if you decide to go with the Snowball you know what features you’re going to be missing out on that you would receive with the Yeti.
| Snowball | Yeti | |
|---|---|---|
| Plug and Play | Yes | Yes |
| Mac & PC Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Instant Mute Button | No | Yes |
| Gain Control | No | Yes |
| Headphone Jack | No | Yes |
| Number of Polar Patterns | 3 | 4 |
| Types of Polar Patterns | Cardioid Omnidirectional Cardioid with -10dB Pad |
Cardioid Stereo Omnidirectional Bidirectional |
| Bit Rate | 44.1 kHz | 48 kHz |
| Capsules | 2 Condenser capsule design | 3 Blue-proprietary 14mm condenser capsules |
| Frequency Response | 40 –18 kHz | 20Hz – 20kHz |
Still a Great Mic
So the Snowball is missing some features that you receive with the Yeti. The big two that stand out to me are gain control and the headphone jack. For music artists and Podcasters, I feel it’s important to have the headphone jack. Also, considering the Yeti’s offers zero-latency from mic to headphone makes it a really great option for Podcasters and musicians on a budget that want great sound quality. Finally, having the gain control is a big advantage as it let’s you really get the best sound possible depending on how far away you are from the mic.
Rode NT-USB
Good for – Podcasting, voiceovers, online gaming, narrations
- Frequency response – 20Hz-20kHz
- Sample Rate: 16bit
- Pattern Selection – Cardioid
- Gain Control – No
- Mute Button – No
- Max SPL – 110dB
The Rode NT-USB is a studio quality USB microphone. It’s great for musical performance or pure vocal recording (podcasting, narration, voice-over, etc..).
Pop-filters are not very expensive, but I do like that they give you one with this microphone. Similar to the Yeti, it has a headphone jack with zero-latency stereo headphone monitoring.
The only con, in my opinion, is that there is no gain control.
ASUS ROG Strix Magnus
ASUS ROG Strix MagnusGood for – Gaming, Podcasting, voice-overs
- Pattern Selection – Cardioid, Stereo, Enc
- Gain Control – Yes
The Strix Magnus is definitely geared towards gamers. It’s a great alternative to a headphone setup. Asus did a great job in creating an excellent quality USB mic.
It has three 14mm studio-grade condenser capsules with optimized pickup patterns. So the quality is going to be very clear. It’s also about 50% than most USB microphones and at the same time doesn’t need a stand. A lot of these microphones are so big they basically cover your face up. It also comes with a nice carrying case, making it easy to travel with.
The controls, such as adjusting the sensitivity, are built into the microphone so that you can easily adjust the settings.
It’s also really cool looking with the exclusive aura RGB lighting effects.
Be sure to check out all the specs from ASUS and View it on Amazon to get yours today.
MXL 990 USB
- Pattern Selection – Cardioid
- Gain Control – No
- Mute Button – No
- Max SPL – 136dB
- Sample Rate – 16 bit
Install the Virtual Preamp software. It has a volume fader which will help you out by providing precise control over gain structure. There’s really good detailed documentation on their website for installing and using it.
The MXL 990 USB does not appear to come with a headphone jack. Based off research I have accomplished, I would only suggest this microphone for vocal work, at best.
Samson Go Mic
It’s also worth noting this microphone has two pick up patterns. The Go Mic has cardioid like all the other microphones in this list. But it also has an omnidirectional pickup pattern. This is great if you want to do an interview or record a lecture. I like the look of it to as it’s small and modern yet retro looking.
Razer Seiren X
Razer is a great company in the gaming industry. They’re keyboards and mice are also top notch. So it doesn’t surprise me that they’d come out with an amazing USB microphone.
It’s also shock resistant. So when you’re streaming on Twitch and hit your desk, it shouldn’t be a problem.
