CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

  • December 31, 2015, 09:44:31 AM
  • Welcome, Guest
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: 1 [2] 3

Author Topic: USB Microphones.  (Read 1440 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Greed

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +29/-2
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 195
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2015, 11:11:43 PM »
Switching from a cardioid to a dynamic has been the best move I've made thus far. As a fellow streamer who skypes and uses twitch I can't see myself going back. I've owned the Blue Yeti, AT2020USB, Snowball, and demoed the Rode and they all were too sensitive for my liking. One of my pet peeves is when people in skype complain about my constant typing (Mech Keyboard). That and the fact that they can hear cars rolling past my house just annoys the yell out of me. Yes I know that this can be partially eliminated with software but I didn't want to deal with that so I just bought a podcasting setup.

Right now I'm running a simple, to the point setup.

PC > Scarlett 2i2 > TritonAudio Fethead > ElectroVoice RE-20 (best mic ever)
Stand: Rode PSA-1

You need that extra phantom power if you get something like the RE-20 or Shure SM7B. There are other great options at a lower cost. So far I love the setup and I don't see myself changing anything other than maybe adding a cleaner source later on.

Logged

Eric_C

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +13/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 230
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2015, 11:48:59 PM »
I had a mic + interface setup before. Dreams of using it to record music with friends, but it ended up being used mainly for...gaming VOIP.
AT2020 + interface (M-Audio Firewire) + Hercules mic stand + pop filter
Pretty troublesome to setup!

I guess if you have the space, a USB mic + stand + pop filter should do the trick. You really want to decouple it from the desk as far as possible, because it will pick up typing noise.
Greed's advice also makes a lot of sense--dynamic mics are probably better since they are less sensitive, so they won't pick up too much background noise.

Stick with less sensitive, directional mics, and keep them as close to your mouth as possible, and I think you're good to go.
Logged

firev1

  • Cynophobic Puss
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +52/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 490
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2015, 03:53:01 AM »
In that case most of the Shure SM series mics would be just about perfect for the application or maybe cheapy shotguns with a shure xlr usb thingy.
Logged
Time spent on enjoyment is not time wasted. - someone

Armaegis

  • Uphill, both ways
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +76/-3
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 883
  • metallurgist, rocket scientist, swing dancer
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2015, 04:16:33 AM »
Ah the SM57/58. I have literally beat someone over the head with those and they still work fine.
Logged
Do you think there may be an acoustic leak from the jack hole? ~Tyll Hertsens

Not sure if I like stuffing one hole or both holes. Tending toward one hole since both holes seems kinda ghey ~Purrin

Eric_C

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +13/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 230
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2015, 08:09:12 AM »
SM57/58 wouldn't even need a pop filter, come to think of it.
Logged

AstralStorm

  • Speculation and Speculums
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +250/-164
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 559
  • Warning: causes nearby electronics to go haywire
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2015, 02:32:06 PM »
All of Shure dynamic microphones have a pop filter built-in and decent anti-shake internals. If you want a cheap one, PGA58 is a good pick - pretty flat frequency response with decent extension.
No high frequency boost in this one, unlike PGA48, SM57/58. PGA57 differs in directional pattern - doesn't have as much near-field bass boost.

Shure's X2u interface is also ok, but not as good as a dedicated USB soundcard or a professional ADC + amplifier combination. Especially the -76 dB SNR which is quite 13-bit.

Note that sync between devices (incl. virtual) is tricky - they may drift and lag. Especially if one or more are USB devices.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2015, 03:05:42 PM by AstralStorm »
Logged
For sale: Hifiman HE-500; Paradox; Brainwavz B2. PM me if you would like to buy them.

Thad E Ginathom

  • Politically Incorrect Ex-Hippie
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +25/-5
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 648
  • In the end... cats.
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #16 on: April 28, 2015, 07:12:04 PM »
Quote from: Greed on April 27, 2015, 11:11:43 PM
Switching from a cardioid to a dynamic has been the best move I've made thus far.

Slip of the tongue/fingers? Cardioid is a sensitivity pattern, dynamic is a technology. Did you mean to type "condenser?"

Quote (selected)
You need that extra phantom power if you get something like the RE-20 or Shure SM7B. There are other great options at a lower cost.

Phantom power is for condenser microphones. It is not a case of more, less or extra, but that they need to be powered. IIRC, dynamic mics are built so that they safely ignore it rather than blow up.
Logged
Cats are nice

Greed

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +29/-2
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 195
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #17 on: April 28, 2015, 10:56:32 PM »
Quote from: Thad E Ginathom on April 28, 2015, 07:12:04 PM
Slip of the tongue/fingers? Cardioid is a sensitivity pattern, dynamic is a technology. Did you mean to type "condenser?"

Phantom power is for condenser microphones. It is not a case of more, less or extra, but that they need to be powered. IIRC, dynamic mics are built so that they safely ignore it rather than blow up.

I think it was fairly obvious what I meant when comparing the two but yes to be technical - condenser vs dynamic. In regards to phantom power I was commenting about my specific setup. To reiterate: the 2i2 doesn't have enough gain to sufficiently power my RE-20 (due to the low sens, etc.) and one of the cheapest and most cost effective solutions is adding a Fethead or Cloudlifter.
Logged

Thad E Ginathom

  • Politically Incorrect Ex-Hippie
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +25/-5
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 648
  • In the end... cats.
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #18 on: April 29, 2015, 10:50:59 AM »
Such things are fairly obvious to those who know already: to those who come looking for information, they are confusing.

You may be using phantom power to drive an intermediate device, but not to power the microphone. A dynamic microphone cannot be powered, sufficiently or otherwise.

Logged
Cats are nice

Greed

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +29/-2
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 195
Re: USB Microphones.
« Reply #19 on: May 02, 2015, 05:00:56 PM »
Here's a question for those that may know: Is it possible to hook up a dedicated mic pre to my Schiit Yggdrasil? I assume it wouldn't work if I need instrument application but since I'm using this setup only for streaming and podcasting, would this work?
Logged
Pages: 1 [2] 3
« previous next »