Which USB Mic Should You Buy? (AKG, Blue, Rode, Shure, Apogee, Audio-Technica)
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- We round up six USB microphones - from the Audio-Technica ATR-2500x-USB, AKG Lyra, Blue Yeti Pro, Rode NT-USB Mini, Apogee HypeMic and Shure MV5 - to put them through their paces on voice and acoustic guitar in an old-fashioned shootout.
Want to skip to the audio comparisons?
Voiceover: 07:25
Acoustic Guitar: 08:26
N.B. Regarding comments at 11:20 - The base of the Rode NT-USB Mini is threaded and can be mounted to a microphone stand or boom arm.
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Not surprisingly, the mic that sounded best for voice was the one closest to the source (the AT on a boom arm). Hard to tell how well the others compared since they were picking up so much room reverb. I was really surprised at how well the Rode sounded all around, but especially with the guitar.
The AudioTechnica sounds the best, but only because it’s the closest to your mouth.
Proximity effect is a thing.
Plus it lacks gain knob
This would have been a killer video had the mic placement been uniform. If you have the Audio-Technica two inches from your mouth and the Rode 10 inches from your mouth thats going to make a massive difference. Unfortunately, this video doesn't offer useful sample comparisons.
@@Ziraya0 expect your wrong half of them can be put on a boom arm. Just because they come with them doesn't mean you can't take the 2 minutes to record the audio on a boom arm .
On the Apogee HypeMiC, the reason the legs are loose like that and won't stand up straight is just that you need to tighten the screw under the legs. You have an allen wrench that came with your HypeMiC for this!
I'm partial to the HypeMiC based on this and other reviews, plus I've had great experience with Apogee products. I bought a pair of the original Apogee MiCs in 2012 and I still use them all the time. The build quality is amazing, and to my ears they still sound great on a variety of sources. Also, the compactness of all the Apogee MiCs appeals to me since I usually tuck them into my backpack when I travel.
For me, the Audio-Technica ATR-2500x is the winner. Great sound and having just one pattern without extra button is a plus, there is always noise introduce with buttons on a long run.
Thank you for this overview. I think the Audio Technica sounded best in general but I will go for the AKG because 1. it has a stand already and 2. for the front & back pickup pattern. It also had a very clean sound without too much low's which will make the essence of spoken words easier to come through.
It's also a nice piece of decorations when not in use🤪
Finally a good review including the atr2500x! For some reason it's hard to find reviews about it in youtube. Thanks! :)
I have Shure MV5 and it has been fantastic for voice, music recording, even Microsoft Teams!
I have it too and use it for acoustic guitar 👍
I honestly thought the Shure MV5 had the best all around balance, especially for music. The Yeti needs a pop filter or maybe the settings needed to be tweaked. I like the Shure MV5 for plug in play on an iPhone or MacBook Air m2
Atr 2500x for overall balance between function, blue yeti sound best for just voice
I was not expecting that for Audio Technica! I think it was the best for the voice of the speaker. Second best for his voice although the worst performing was the shure one. I can feel it has less dynamic range(maybe because of built in compression) than the others but I really liked the coloring it did for his voice. As for the guitar the AKG was the best for me. It has brightness and warmth at the same time. The Rode one and the shure one couldn’t really handle that. It would be interesting if you had included the Shure MV51 in your comparison. Thank you for the test! Cheers! 🍺
For the podcast and voice-over or ZOOM, Teams, Skype and all other video calls, I would always go with Audio Technica, or RODE NT USB (normal size not mini). Thank you guys for great video and no post editing while testing those mics!
What makes you prefer The full size nt over the mini?
Thank you for a well presented review. I enjoyed the humour and the sound tests on both voice and guitar. Extremely useful info.
And Australian haha
Very informative video. Having a guitar player and a voice over narrator test the mics was absolutely brilliant. I also loved the way you played the guitar.
Mic placement is everything. The HypeMic can also be mounted onto a mic stand, I love mine.
I've done jobs in hotels with the HypeMic, it's a great travel mic.
Totally agree about mic placement.
Nice review, but would have been nice to have the same distance to the microphones on the sound tests.
Thanks for this. The mic placement variation made this pretty problematic.
Totally! no way to compare if the distance from mic is not the same.
amen to that. mic placement is everything.
I think this an unfair comparison of the mics. The mics that are near the table's surface are picking up way too much reverberation from the table. Mics should be positioned similarly if your going to make these type of comparisons.
@@_dfph Both yes and no, apart from the Audio Technica they all had their own stands and none of them was adjustable so whatever difference the distance makes, it will be there for the end-user. For the guitar, it is different, in that situation the microphone placement would most likely be carefully optimized and even a small difference in positioning can make a huge difference in sound.
They were showing it with the included stands so you know what you get out of the box, as the majority of people probably wouldn't buy a mic stand like the audio technica one comes with
Bought the Lyra last week, if I would've known of rhodes existence, I might of gotten that, but I have no regrets, it sounds great and i'm glad I got it.
Rode.
Good review, thank you. I nearly bought the Rode NT-USB Mini before watching it, now I am having second thoughts (it would have been nice to have had the Rode NT-USB non-mini in this review, Rode being an Australian company). I listened to this video through my computer, which has decent (AudioEngine) speakers plus a SubWoofer. I found that the otherwise good-sounding Audio-Technica was the only mic to have triggered my SubWoofer due to its low-end, causing vibration. That was during the Voiceover. Maybe I'll save up for the Apogee instead.
apply a high pass filter and you'll be right
AKG Lyra ROCKS!
A Great Big ThankYou! fellas.. watched (listened) to parts of this vid a gazillion times to choose a usb mic for acoustic guitar... very pleased with the choice you help me make.. I'm just recording with now for 6 takes or so.. the Shure MV5 I chose. Had been close to the Lyra. But choosing for both fullness of tone and fine detail MV5 sounded best to me. I find the flat setting best..into my ipad daw with a little compression. Very pleased🤘
For the acoustic guitar, it was a no-brainer. The Apogee sounded the clearest and most natural. The AKG sounded a little low in the low end. I thought the Rode did as well. The others were a little distorted and not as clear.
I think pricewise as well the Shure was the best mic for voiceover and podcasting.
The Rode as much as these guys would want to like it sounded a bit USB-y, tinny to me.
I like the sound from the Apogee and Rode for voice. The voice sounded like it had more warmth whereas the others sounded a bit flat and plain. That is what I noticed anyway after you had completed the voice tests. I later found out around 16 minutes where you talk about the Apogee having an analog compressor and all the good stuff inside it.
This is what I am looking for. Cheerz mate!
Excellent review. I like the way you give your expert, honest opinions. Great you tried it on acoustic guitar as well as vocals, allways a good test. Well done ATM gentlemen!
that mv5 sounded fire!
Great vid, guys :-) Comprehensive and cool! Good guitar playing and good voiceover stuff!!
Love the the 3 ranges of the Audio-Technica and second, the clarity of the Shure
AKG and A-T win hands down on voice (hugely more natural). Sadly you didn't really pay much attantion to the acoustic environment so it's hardly a meaningful test.
Thank you both for this video. 👍👍
guys you should also test all of them on a mic arm and on the same high
Would have liked to see how the M-Audio Uber Mic stacked up to these. A thoughtful and broad review, gentlemen. Well done and informative.
Thanks guys you literally got me sold on the yeti I was comparing it with the Lyra and this helped me make my decision
They: "Every mic did sound so different"
Me: What???
Audio-Tech is the best to go. Surprisingly AKG has too much noise.
all other mics in this review, tend to make much ''artificial bass'. AKG is more clear. are you sure, he does much noise? ...
@@iaia5368 agree
I bought the blue yeti and im absolutely enjoying it
This video was so helpful! Thanks a lot for putting in that effort 👏
The Audio Technica sounded the best to me. I think it has to be close to your mouth to really deliver the best.
I might get the Audio Technica if I can find a suitable stand that will work on top of a desk.
This video was extremely helpful!!!
The best in this video for me is the audio-technica
Blue Yeti is a big surprise for me! Sounds good! Thank you for this comparison!
This video got me even more confused, in a nice kinda way. ;)
Fk it's so hard to pick a mic
I got the blue yeti X for 150€ I searched for months and now got the best for my needs!
@@jaakkotoivanen3437 broo
Keep that yeti at a long distance(not much) increase its gain, and check how does it sound like.
@@kunalzagde6486 It sound fanominal such a great mic !
@@jaakkotoivanen3437 i got my yeti two days before. And i am completely satisfied with it.
With the price of some of these mics might as well do your research and buy a condenser with an audio interface.
I recommend looking for the NEAT King Bee mic. This mic used to be $350 but now sells for $130 since the company went indie (Used to be under GIBSON). Also the founders of this company used to own BLUE Mics (ones making Blue Yeti, Snowball, Spar, Baby Bottle, etc). The mic's performance compares to the RODE NT1 and many other mics in the $300-$600 price range.
I own this mic to do my covers and it sounds great. I recommend checking out other reviews so you can get an in depth view to how it sounds.
I'm curious why you included the bottom rung Sure MV5 , which is priced the same as the Rode NT-USB Mini ($99 USD) instead of the Sure MV7 ($249 USD), which is intended for content creators, is an excellent mic and is priced in the middle of this group or the legendary radio/podcast studio microphone Sure SM7b/CloudFilter bundle ($549 to $589 USD).
Too bad you didn’t test the noise floor. It’s important. The yeti mics have a very high noise floor with a kind of a hissing sound and gets worse as it gets older (manufacturer chip problem) while the rode mics have a really low noise floor. I don’t know about the rest.
Shure MV5 is cheapest, but MV51 would be in same class as others and good competitor too.
MV5 style came from SHURE 520DX I believe ;)
One statement I would claim is that your distance to each diaphragm as well as the axis direction seemed to be different with each microphone.
wow nice comparison! For Voice- i vote for Audio Technica and Rode, Guitar goes to Shure first, next are random Audio Technica, Apogee, Blue.
This video was so helpful Thanks👏👏👏
Thank! That helped me a lot.
I think the rode NT-USB original should've been apart of this set up
right?
Good review. Thanks for posting it.
I enjoy the retro look. Thanks for the vid!
I bought a few days a go USB mic, the Audio technica AT2020 USB
I like the look of "the eyeball" best. Resembles a globe.
Great video!
Trying to find a comparison like this that also includes a ribbon mic like like the X1R, and a smaller desktop mic like the AC44.
omg! I stumbled across this video and I love you guys! You have best energy and your Australian YAY! haha thanks for the video
Thanks for watching!
As a professional musician who will be recording instruments the Rode is hands down, the best sound. It is the best mix of high and low frequencies. Many of the others had too much high or too much low at the base setting. For acoustic instruments the Rode was my winner.
I personally liked the sound clarity in Apogee
Would be great to have this same demo, but with all the mics placed as well for voice as the one on the boom arm.
Would be an essential information, wich of these run fine on some iPad, expecially bus-powered mics that you can use mobile in the wild without cable-terror, usb-powered hub etc.
Missing samson g track pro... seriously
I am looking for a mic upgrade. I have been using the Samson Meteor Mic for 2 years now. My budget for the mic (including other harware needed for it) is $220. I don't have any equipment other than my current (USB) mic, an arm and pop filter.
What I want to use it for:
Voice-overs (for tutorials or trailers)
Stereo/omni audio (asmr like)
Sound effect recording (game effects).
I am not brand loyal, so it doesn't have to be from a big brand.
So it needs to have at least stereo output. I can downmix this to mono for voiceover. So this doesn't need to be hardware implemented (but that would be a nice feature.
So far the Blue Yeti X, HyperX QuadCast and Samson GTrack Pro look the best rn. But please feel free to change my mind!
We've not tested the HyperX and the Samson, but we're fans of the discrete analogue outputs of the Yeti. It's a versatile mic that you'll find a use for regardless of your changing needs.
I use the AT2020 with the Scarlett solo (previously blue icicle) and it's holding up pretty well. And out of all the options you were looking at, the Samson G Track Pro Is (Personally) My favorite!
Edit: just checked your channel and saw you got the AT2020. What Interface did you go with?
Everyone does want to be a podcaster. I just started one
The AKG disassembles and can also go on a different stand or boom. Doesn't seem like you guys were aware of this, its on the instructions lol. So I think the AT had an unfair advantage but it still sounded good. I think the Blue Yeti is probably my favorite overall and sounds better than the Lyra (which I have) but do I think it's better for the price difference? No. I also think the mids from the Lyra sound just amazing compared to the others and with my own testing. I 100% agree that the Lyras problem is it picks up the most room noise and if it has any downfalls it is that.
The Apogee and Audio technica were good but the MV5 actually had the best overall balance IMO
Really helpful video, thank you!
thanks guys for doing this! Would it be possible to hear the mics all at the same mic placement or even at the same time? Cause that is greatly going to make a difference when it comes to the true sound of the mic. Also buy the Apogee Hype MiC from the USA...its only $349! ;D
It's really a shame you didn't keep the distance consistent. The way you presented this, the ATR-2500x sounds like 1000* better than the rest, and the Yeti Pro is like 100* better than the rest, however when you look at the video, the ATR-2500x is at a perfect distance, and the Yeti is at a decent distance, while the rest of them are very far away.
If you had spoken directly into each of these mics (up to 6-inches away from the capsule), we'd have an accurate idea of what they sound like. Come on, you should know this..
Great Video! Very Helpful
Apogee was very clean and warm, pretty impressive given how small it was. The Apogee and Blue Yeti were my personal favorites, trying to decide between these two.
I thought the Apogee sounds better and a little more clear to me. I had the Blue Yeti before and ended up getting rid of it. The bass always sounded a little muddy to me on Acoustic. I play fingerstyle and tried it in several different spots.
@@chaddaughtridge4642 Yeah the main draw for me is the stereo cardioid pattern to create a bigger soundstage. Hard to find that, especially in a USB mic. I'm curious, what did you end up switching to?
@@alexcorll90 I switched to the Apogee Hypemic. I like the sound and makes my guitar sound great. It's hard to find one for me , because of fingerstyle. A lot of mics that claim to be good don't shine with the bass when playing fingerstyle. I know it could have a bigger soundstage like you mentioned. I just like it right now though. I tend to switch out a lot after awhile and try new things.
Would the Yeti X be a more comparable one both due to price range and being a current model usb mic vs an older model usb/xlr hybrid, placing it in another class?
The Yeti X is cheaper, yet on paper looks way better in stats than the Pro, plus it seems to be aimed more at the same target audience as the rest here. Have you tested and compared the Yeti X and Pro together, choosing not to feature the (4 condenser vs 3 condenser) Yeti X over the Pro? If so, mind sharing why?
I’m hearing a high hum with the AKG...connection or gain issue...?
Hey! 10 years ago we were at SAE together!
Hey Nabil! Long time! Fancy crossing paths here. Hope you're well. - Preshan
Love it. You guys are awesome
The AKG is the only one with good Mid information.
Golden comparison. Guy has a golden voice too haha
Audio Technica wins, best sound !!!
Should've tested a horn--there was a question if you played a trumpet but no trumpet/horn was tested. That would've been helpful.
Its great video review and very helpfull for people to get insight before decide and buy it 👍👍👍👍
Hi!
Which one would you suggest for speech recording (audiobooks, voiceovers etc.): Audio-Technica ATR-2500x-USB vs Rode NT-USB Mini?
is this a ad for audio technica? since its the only one on a stand...
AKG lyra sounds good 👍🏻 almost no noise
WAT
Dear friend: Thanks for useful demo. Request your opinion on:
SHURE MV5 usb mic...&...
RODE NT USB Mini...
can you please tell which of the above TWO mic
- has crisp- clear- warmth sound quality suitable for Vocal- Singing for home recording.
Thanks
Dilip, India
I like the AKG but I prefer the Tula. Great video though.
Have to replace a first gen Razer Seiren mic. Has developed some nasty static sound that I can't get rid of. Rode mic it is. Thanks chaps.
I would go for the prettiest one which is the AKG hehe
Great video! Thanks!
Excellent review.
Great review video. Thanks u
shure mv5 is goated for its iOS capabilities + 3 preset's and zero latency monitoring + its $69 right now....$40 cheaper than the rode + it's the best for content creators who also make music, im planning on podcasting as well as using it to record vocals, and for occasional online gaming chat use, and eventually streaming, im also buying a pair of hyper x stinger and aluratek headset
Thanks for the review. what mic would you reccomend for a table top mic for podcasting, video content, and even live shows?
Great video!
Thank you
Good review 😀. What about that low frequency noise on the AT 🤔? It’s humming. Sounds like a grounding problem but how come? It’s a USB a microphone.
Im surprised that 4yo shure, still could pick up music better than blue yeti. Lyra is not disappointing. I owned 1
Thank you. Indeed, a helpful review. In another review on USB mics there was talk of 'latency' Is this an issue with any of these mics reviewed?
great video thanks!
It will be good if you have better mic placement and more treated room, its just too many room reverb, hope will better in next content tho, thanks