Need A USB Condenser Microphone?

potatoman1000

Honorable
Jan 1, 2014
6
0
10,510
So, you've probably heard this a million times already. I wanna be a you tuber( not a 5 year old that plays minecraft) and i want the best quality i can get for my videos so i can get filtered out from all the others.

At the moment, the mics ive been looking at are the Behringer c1u, audio technica atr2500,samson go mic, samson c01u and blue snowball. My budget can go up to £55 but i feel like im such a small youtuber do i even need that kind of equipment yet. So im wondering are there any usb mics with good sound quality around £30. I know youtube is a big investent but i feel like ill be better of with a £30 mic or £40 headset.

Thanks for any help.:)
 
Solution
a few notes about each:

behringer c1u
-usb
-decent quality however in general there is lots of talk about the volume levels just being way too low.
-lacks a headphone jack so you cant listen to your voice in headphones without lag
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

audiotechnica atr2500
-usb
-great quality (comparable to the more expensive 2020)
-has a headphone jack for lag free listening to your voice on headphones as you talk
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

samson c01u
-usb
-good quality which is comparable to the blue yeti (though i have to say i prefer the sound of the yeti over this one)
-lacks a headphone jack so you cant listen to your own voice without lag
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

blue snowball
-usb
-good quality...
a few notes about each:

behringer c1u
-usb
-decent quality however in general there is lots of talk about the volume levels just being way too low.
-lacks a headphone jack so you cant listen to your voice in headphones without lag
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

audiotechnica atr2500
-usb
-great quality (comparable to the more expensive 2020)
-has a headphone jack for lag free listening to your voice on headphones as you talk
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

samson c01u
-usb
-good quality which is comparable to the blue yeti (though i have to say i prefer the sound of the yeti over this one)
-lacks a headphone jack so you cant listen to your own voice without lag
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

blue snowball
-usb
-good quality. not as nice as the at2020, blue yeti and others but not bad
-lacks a headphone jack so you cant listen to your own voice in headphones without lag
-has 3 pickup patterns for multiple recording scenarios.

---

not included on your list:

audiotechnica at2020+ usb
-usb
-great quality similar to atr2500 and blue yeti
-has a headphone jack for lag free listening to your voice on headphones as you talk
-only has cardioid pickup pattern.

blue yeti
-usb
-great quality similar to atr2500 and at2020
-has a headphone jack for lag free listening to your voice on headphones as you talk
-has 3 pickup patterns for multiple recording scenarios

notes:
-cardioid pickup pattern is typically best for picking up voices for commentary as it is limited and helps block out background noise.
-in order to listen to a your voice as you talk in the headset with a usb mic you need it to have a 3.5mm headphone connector
-generally the most respected microphones for youtubers are the at2020 and blue yeti. the blue snowball is often used for upstarts however since it lacks a headphone jack may be outgrown quickly.

if you can manage to stretch your budget a bit the blue yeti is a great microphone and will last you a long time (you shouldnt outgrow it).

if that is out of reach then i would say the atr2500 is a good choice (though it has less options than the yeti). if you dont care about being able to listen to your voice in your headphones then you could likely make do with a blue snowball.

keep in mind you will want to get a pop filter (or make one by stretching pantyhose over a wire frame and putting it in front of the mic).



 
Solution
well...

you could use a zalman clip on mic for 8gbp. quality is acceptable but really not all that great. if you plan do do some quality recording i'd look elsewhere though.

if you plan to use a good pair of headphones which dont have a mic on them then you could get a modmic for about 30gbp. quality is pretty good, price isnt bad, ver4 is on preorder soon on their website. if you dont have a pair of headphones already then this really isnt a choice.

if you plan to record though you might outgrow those two though eventually.

sorry but i dont know any other low budget solutions.

if you look on ebay you can find a blue snowball mic for 43gbp http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blue-Microphone-Snowball-iCE-USB-Cardioid-Microphone-with-MAC-PC-IPAD-/251323236567?pt=UK_MP3_Player_Accessories_AudioDocks_Speakers&hash=item3a840840d7

this is midway between your max of 55gbp and what you would like to spend at 30gbp. i think this looks like a pretty decent price for the UK seeing as how your prices are higher than ours. i'd spend a bit extra for this one.... but completely your call
 

potatoman1000

Honorable
Jan 1, 2014
6
0
10,510
Dude i got so lucky i just bought a snowball ice for £35 their rrp is £55 ish atm im short on money so i have to use my shitty beats studios as headphones. Im gonna use the razer surround sound software for now. By The Way ove already got zalman zm mic1 and imo its awful.

Thanks for all the help
 

ErrADDict

Estimable
Apr 14, 2014
1
0
4,510
I just picked up the Samson C01U in hopes I could use it while streaming on twitch, but with Windows 8, the volume is extremely soft. I have to turn up the volume to 96 before it becomes audible, but by then the gain is way too high to be usable. Any suggestions?

Here's my original thread
 

nishuoaiwo

Estimable
Jul 4, 2014
2
0
4,510
good info,quality is pretty good, price isnt bad, ver4 is on preorder soon on their website. if you dont have a pair of headphones already then this really isnt a choice.thank you
yvISPb