blue microphones

Best USB microphones for high-quality Skype audio

I'm occasionally a guest on WTOP-FM in Washington, D.C., and it's been trying to convince guests to upgrade to USB Skype microphones instead of using lower-quality telephones for future interviews.

To help us pick the right ones, the good folks at WTOP, an all-news station that also broadcasts in Maryland and Virginia, have spent a month testing the best microphones to use with Skype in different price ranges.

Here's what their engineers found, according to Ari Ashe, an evening producer and reporter for WTOP Radio. They rated the audio quality on a scale of 1, a cell phone, to 10, a high-quality ISDN link often used to transmit audio from one radio station to the other, which CNET uses as well.

Between $10 and $40, WTOP looked at the Griffin iMic+ and the Logitech USB H530, and concluded:

We highly recommend the Logitech USB H530 at this price point. It's a no-brainer. Logitech delivers a great pack for the punch at about $35. We believe if you're going to already spend $25, spend $35, because the the difference is that noticeable. The only shortcoming is that it is a consumer headset. A great one, but the broadcast gear is even better. On a scale from 1-10: Cell phone (1), Hard line phone (2), Logitech (6), ISDN (10).

In the $50 to $80 range, they evaluated the Beyerdynamic MMX2, Blue Microphones' Snowball, and the Samson C01U USB microphone. They concluded: … Read more

Flip cameras to get external pro-quality micorophone

Blue Microphones announced today a mic designed especially for Flip's digital cameras, called the Mikey for Flip. The company says that this external microphone will add professional-quality sound to videos captured by these cameras.

The new mic is compatible with all Flip camcorders that feature the FlipPort accessory connector. The mic sports Blue Microphone's premium capsules for enhanced recording that's supposedly capable of capturing everything from a whisper to a rock concert. Users can choose between "Loud" and "Automatic" sensitivity settings.

Mikey for Flip also features a mic input jack to support additional … Read more

Mikey gets a makeover

Blue Microphones is gearing up to release an updated version of its Mikey iPod/iPhone recording accessory, due out in Spring of 2010 with an MSRP of $99. Frankly, we're still pretty head-over-heels about the original Mikey, but with the second-generation's capability to capture audio over a 3.5mm line-input, an upgrade is probably in order.

Blue is also blessing the Mikey with a USB pass-through port, which could potentially eliminate the limitation of your iPod's or iPhone's battery life when it comes to marathon recording sessions.

Like the original, the second-generation Mikey offers three gain … Read more

Yeti caught in wild

When Blue Microphones announced the Yeti USB microphone ($149) in November, I was a little apprehensive about the name. Sure, Blue Microphones has been playing it cutesy over the years with microphones named Snowball, Snowflake, Mikey, and Bottle Rocket--but Yeti?

Well, after getting my hands on this thing I can now say that I fully understand the thinking behind the name. For starters, this microphone is huge--like, disturbingly huge. It measures a foot tall, weighs 3.5 pounds, and--to be perfectly frank--it's starting to give me a complex.

But beyond its intimidating size, the Yeti moniker is just as fitting as a way to describe its sound. Compared with similar microphones, such as the Samson G-Track or even Blue's own $99 Snowball, the Yeti's sound quality offers noticeably better depth and detail. It's a big sound from a big microphone, which is probably what I should have said in the first place instead of wasting your time with the last two paragraphs.

OK, so what else are you getting with the Yeti? From a features perspective the Yeti offers an integrated control for gain adjustment, zero-latency headphone monitoring, headphone volume control, a handy little mute button, and a switch for selecting between four microphone recording patterns (omni, cardioid, stereo, bidirectional). The solid metal man-shaped stand is also a nice feature, and does a better job than the G-Track or Snowball at placing the microphone at mouth level. If the cutesy-ness of the stand is overwhelming, a standard, threaded mic stand mount is also included on the bottom of the Yeti.

When it comes to performance, the Yeti has plenty to brag about. For starters, this is the first microphone or audio input device to receive the coveted THX certification. I asked Blue Microphones to tell me what was required to get the THX stamp of approval. Apparently, it involves a multitude of factors, such as tests for frequency response and signal to noise ratio, and--perhaps more importantly--proof of performance consistency across multiple product batches. In other words, it had to sound good and have a reasonable chance of sounding good every time.… Read more

Watch out for silver Snowballs

If you're a musician or podcaster with a home recording studio, you've no doubt come across the adorably named, retro-styled, USB-powered Snowball from Blue Microphones.

After making its debut in 2005, the Snowball has become an unmistakable fixture in many home studios, thanks to its combination of sound quality, style, and price. And while it's still as useful today as it was four years ago, its chrome-accented white color scheme looks a little dated.

To remedy this, the folks at Blue are now churning out two new color variations of the Snowball, including black and silver versions. … Read more

MP3 Insider 140: An auctioneer's episode

Donald and Jasmine try to make the most out of their limited in-studio time slot by talking as quickly and clearly as possible about the new Samsung P3 and SanDisk's unusual SlotRadio player.

Also, Nixon enters the headphone market with a new line a fashion-friendly 'phones that any surfer is sure to love. Plus, find out about our Top 5 iPod-recording accessories and top 10 portable speakers. Finally, see if you can wager a guess as to who came out on top in the latest Prizefight, "The Evisceration."

Listen now: Download today's podcast… Read more