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Hi guys. I'm new here and i'm looking for a good beginner mic. I am a music producer, sort of. I have a bunch of wannabe rappers at my school who want me to record them rapping and make a beat for them. I said why not, makes me money. I am also a singer, but I will also be recording electric and acoustic guitar. I also do some game commentary and pod-casting. I run this show for my school called "3 somewhat disgruntled sports commentators", its actually pretty funny. The way I want to run it this year is have one mic in the middle of the table and people just sit around it and talk, so we only need one mic. That's why i'm leaning towards the yeti, because it is omni-directional. I do like the atr2500 because it is cheaper and smaller. How much of a sound difference is there? My major turn-offs with the yeti is it has such an odd shape compatibility with different accessories may be difficult. It is also pretty big, which isn't a huge problem, but if the quality is not much different from say the atr2500 then I don't know why I would pay extra for such an awkward and more expensive mic.

Also, are there any other usb mics that would be better? Must be under $100 but preferably under $75, and also must be usb. Thanks guys, I appreciate it!

Comments

pan60 Tue, 11/20/2012 - 11:06

I have always loved BLUE mics, i am not familiar with either of these two mic: (
But I will say for my two cents look at a good dynamic mic.
I think you would be better served with a studio standard such as the shure SM57 or 58, or a Audix OM2 ( I love and have several they are very affordable used or new ), and there are a number of other mics that would be great choices.

RemyRAD Tue, 11/20/2012 - 22:30

I'll tell you, neither of those microphones will sound like a real radio show. And radio shows don't have a bunch of goofy guys all sitting around an omnidirectional microphone. That's BS sounding. The acoustics of the room will become hugely accentuated since you're going to need plenty of limiting. And that will all sound like total crap. You need separate microphones that are directional for each and every person. Maybe a single microphone that's directional for two people? And ya have to have it close enough so as to eliminate the sound of a crummy room with lots of background noise. So do this professionally, you would probably need a small mixer capable of about eight inputs. Andy would do fine with a few SHURE SM58's or the lesser expensive 48's. You really don't want a condenser microphone for this application. You really don't want that, really don't. You should just go with decent dynamic microphones like the 58's because that single $100 microphone and sound every bit as good for talking heads as the $3000 + Neumann 87's. Then your show will sound professional. If you're not going to bother with that, go bother somebody else.

There's a right way and a wrong way and you're going that way.
Mx. Remy Ann David

moonbaby Fri, 11/23/2012 - 06:23

What she said. Omni mics -especially sensitive condensers - SUCK BIG TIME in a less-than-ideally treated room. All this marketing hype that mic manufacturers put out to get you to buy a cheap condenser is crap. I'm surprised that Pan didn't say something, being the dynamic mic fan that he is. Get the Shure SM57 or 58 (you could probably get by with 2 of those), a little USB mixer and be done with it. Look on Craigslist or e-Bay for the mixer- even a little Yamaha/Mackie/Bear-ringer will do. There's a line of Yamahas that even have built-in compressors on the mic channels - they pop up used all the time for cheap- there's always someone out there who's given up on being the next American Idol who wants to dump their gear and buy a new Wii...

Derek M Sun, 11/25/2012 - 15:41

OK, thanks guys. I saw googling the shure m58s and saw the akg d5's which appear to be better than the m58s. I was watching a comparison between the two mics and I'm not sure if it was just the video but it seemed if you were more than say 6 inches it would be difficult to hear. I think it might just be the video, but i'm not sure. How would this mic work in an area of loud sounds, say I was interviewing someone at E3, or a bar, or somewhere where there is a lot of background noise? Thanks everyone!

RemyRAD Sun, 11/25/2012 - 21:59

Of course there are many dynamic microphones made by many different manufacturers that all appeared to be, well, better. But better is only better if you like that sound of the better. Personally, I don't. Better is a relative issue. It's what works out for you that counts. And that 58, everybody keeps trying to catch up to it. I mean it's actually virtually the same as their much more expensive SM-7, which costs 200+ dollars more. The real difference comes down to where the diaphragm is in comparison in distance to your mouth. Too close and everything will sound like crap. Too far and it will be weak and thin. And for vocals, you should stick on the additional foam pop filter over top of that big 58 metal ball. This will help keep your vocals from getting too close to the diaphragm. Otherwise, you don't need the pop filter. And you don't usually use them live, because they block your face a little more. The difference between the foam and no foam and how it affects frequency response, is nothing anybody should be concerned with. We're talking only -.5 DB down at 15 kHz BFD. That doesn't change the quality in which it delivers to you.

Sorry really cannot advise you whether you should get that other dynamic microphone or the 58? Personally, I would throw most every other dynamic microphone into the trash with the exception of very few. The one microphone no studio and no engineer can live without is the SHURE SM57/58. More hits have been recorded with those than any other dynamic microphone ever made. And it's the most widely used microphone in the studio. It exceeds and surpasses most others. The only other dynamic microphones I would recommend or consider are the Sennheiser M D-421, the 441, the Electro-Voice RE-10/11/15/16 and the incredible 20. So purchase what you want but know that most of us will only recommend the 57 and 58. I've actually found it to be one of the closest matches to one of the most expensive microphones in the world today the Neumann U87, MSRP $3300 US for a single microphone. You could purchase 33 SM58's for the cost of that single microphone, of which I have 2 of those and two of its older siblings the 67's tube earlier version. So $100 for a microphone that sounds like a $3300 microphone is SUCH A DEAL! The better dynamic microphones don't sound anything like the 87 but the 58 does. So does that change your decision-making process any? You got professionals recommending equipment to you that are not salespeople. I don't work for SHURE. But I wish I did so I get an additional discount LOL. Doesn't matter, I love all their microphones, every single last one of them. They are total workhorses that will last you for the rest of your life and the rest of your children's lives. Many of us have more than 40 year old versions of these things still going strong. And there is absolutely nothing else that can take the kind of beating these things can. You can literally use them to hammer nails with and open beer bottles. And what kind of microphone do know that's that versatile? Answer: none.

You don't buy a microphone just because of advertising or the on sale price. Watch and listen any rock band on television at 80% of the time or more you will see the 58 as the vocal microphone and 57's on the drums and guitar amplifiers. And they did use the same way in the studio to record those megahits by those mega-groups by the mega-engineers.

So those 57 and 58's work and sound well plugged into virtually anything. Plug them into a first-rate microphone preamp like you find in the hit making consoles and even more magic begins to happen to that microphone. Of course those preamps started over $300 each, average at $600 each and frequently extend up to $1500 each per channel. But even going into a cheap computer USB audio interface, they still sound fantastic.

The choice is up to you.
Mx. Remy Ann David

pan60 Mon, 11/26/2012 - 09:31

I am with Remy, there are tried true and proven dynamic mics

The only other dynamic microphones I would recommend or consider are the Sennheiser M D-421, the 441, the [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.electrov…"]Electro-Voice[/]="http://www.electrov…"]Electro-Voice[/] RE-10/11/15/16 and the incredible 20.

there are some others but they are more difficult to acquire and most like far outside you budget.
The only mic I would place with these is the Audix.
Really it is hard to beat the EV RE-10/11/15/16 or the sure 57/58 mic line ups.