The complete guide for buying a USB microphone, understanding the following points before you opted
1. What is the USB microphone.
USB microphones are microphones that transmit audio via a USB cable. These microphones usually integrate a microphone and a sound card with a built-in amplifier, AD module, etc. Most similar products on the market today are lacking in sound quality and other professional aspects compared to professional XLR microphone + sound card combinations.
However, the advantages of USB microphones are also obvious, mainly in the following aspects:
A wide range of applications
Most USB microphones will be equipped with a variety of pick-up modes, which can be flexibly adjusted to suit your recording needs.
Real-time monitoring function
Some USB microphones come with their own monitoring function, so you can adjust your recording status in real time based on sound feedback while using them to achieve the perfect recording result.
Some fully featured USB microphones will come with gain adjustment, headphone volume adjustment and one-touch mute, making it very easy to get started even for the first time.
Compared to more professional microphone + sound card combinations, the USB microphone has a big price advantage, cos it requires no audio knowledge to use and can be plug and play, making it the perfect choice for the microphone novice to buy a starter recording device. In addition, the USB microphone can be connected to mobile devices via the corresponding adapter cable, etc., which is equivalent to an external recording device for your mobile phone.
If you don't have much professional need for audio recording, then the USB microphone would be your first choice for amateur film dubbing, indoor recording, online classes, online meetings, gaming, live streaming and many other scenarios.
2. Things to know before getting the USB microphone.
Choose an ideal USB microphone for you within an affordable financial range. Determining a budget can help us to spend wisely and prevent impulse purchases.
There are many similar products on the market, so depending on your budget, you can cross out a large number of unsuitable products and narrow down your choice to improve your shopping efficiency and save time.
The products produced by professional brands are more reassuring, both in terms of quality and pre-sales and after-sales service.
The microphones currently available on the market are mainly divided into two types: dynamic microphones and condenser microphones, both of which have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Dynamic microphones are characterized by low sensitivity, good noise reduction and durability.
Condenser microphones offer higher sensitivity and more detailed sound, but they are also more delicate and less durable than dynamic microphones.
Directivity: Directivity is a parameter that refers to the microphone's pick-up range. The main types of directivity currently available for USB microphones are as follows:
Omnidirectional pattern: 360° Degree pickup pattern.
Cardioid pattern: picks up sound in front of the microphone and is insensitive to sound from the sides and rear.
Hypercardioid pattern: Same as cardioid pointing but will also pick up some of the sound behind the microphone.
Note that as the hypercardioid pointing picks up some of the sound behind it, it should be used without the noise source being behind the microphone.
Response frequency: The frequency range of sound that can be heard by the human ear is from 20Hz to 20kHz, which is the range that you can refer to in this parameter. The higher the range, the more realistic and specific the sound picked up, but not necessarily clearer.
On some microphones, there is a low cut function which reduces low frequency noise and makes the sound clearer.
This is the ratio of the sound signal to the noise, the higher the value the better.
Whether the unit is mv/pa or BV/pa, the higher the value the better
