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USB microphones for Macs?

October 11 2009 at 8:11 AM
  (Login mweyandt)
NFCS Member

Has anyone had much success using USB stereo mics on their computers to record? I can't stand the internal mic anymore--it either records too softly or clips, and always picks up the laptop fan loud and clear. Any USB mics that get a good, clean, natural and full sound, that aren't several hundred dollars?

 
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(Login singwiththespirit)
NFCS Member

Reviews (with audio samples)

October 13 2009, 3:20 PM 

http://www.equixotic.com/2009/03/18/microphone-review-marshall-mxl-studio-1-usb-usb008-and-usb009/

http://www.macworld.com/article/134114/2008/07/usbmics.html



Another option:


Get Audio Into Your Mac
You can use your Mac to record late-night jam sessions, snatch work-in-progress tunes hummed into a microphone, turn the MIDI...

Christopher Breen, Macworld.com
Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:30:27 -0800

....

Microphone Interfaces

Not everyone needs a large audio interface. Some people may object to their bulk and the expense of buying one, or may find that they need just a single microphone input. A more portable option is a USB adapter that plugs directly into a microphone via an XLR connector. Soundtech offers the LightSnake Microphone to USB Cable ($40 online -http://pcworld.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.soundtech.com/products/home-recording/stusbxlr10/), a 10-foot cable featuring a female XLR connector on one end and a USB connector on the other. With this cable you can plug an XLR microphone directly into your Mac and record--no additional software required.

Regrettably, the LightSnake cable doesn't provide phantom power--the current some microphones require to operate. If you need phantom power, however, there are other options. CEntrance's MicPort Pro ($150 online -http://pcworld.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://centrance.com/products/mp/) is a 24-bit, 96kHz USB mic preamp that provides 48V phantom power. Blue Microphones' Icicle ($60 online -http://pcworld.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.bluemic.com/products/Icicle) costs about half as much, but offers 16-bit, 44.1kHz audio only.

--
Karen Mercedes - contralto
singwiththespirit [at] yahoo [dot] com
http://artfuljesus.0catch.com/karenmercedes.html

It's important to develop new skills.

 
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