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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
 Posted - 04/07/2007 : 09:06:53 AM
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I mentioned this as an appendage to the mac interface topic, but I think it deserves its own heading.
USB microphones are essentially mics with built in A/D (analog to digital) converters that plug into your computer via the USB port. That eliminates the need for an audio interface, in case you were wondering. They've been around for a couple of years, but only now are getting some serious critique. Karl mentioned a review of the Blue Snowball in Acoustic Guitar, and the current issue of Electronic Musician has capsule reviews of six mics from Blue, Marshall, Rode, Samson and sE Electronics.
The EM article is pretty techie I'm afraid, but raises some interesting points and is worth a look if you are considering going this route.
The bottom line? All do a pretty decent job of capturing voice and/or acoustic guitar. Spend more money, get better quality? Sorta, though the Blue and Marshall fared well at less than $150. Some have extras like headphone outs or even double as audio interfaces.
I'd love to hear from anyone who's used a USB mic -- does it fit the bill? What are the advantages/disadvantages over using a conventional mic and audio interface? Anybody tried one as a remote rig w/ a laptop?
One interesting thing: EM's reviewer noted that USB mics are "not futureproof" and says "If you have a SCSI peripheral collectiong dust.. you know how quickly computer products drop support for data protocols."
Anybody want to buy a used 20-gig hard drive and, oh, about 20 cables and terminator blocks?
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