Nowadays you don’t need to have a mega studio with expensive high precision equipment to record audio professionally. Yes, in these places you will always get better results, but what you can do with your Mac or iPad is not negligible. Whether recording podcasts, stories, songs or any other type of audio recording, it is possible to do so with compatible USB microphones. In this article we collect some of the most prominent for this task, classified by price.
Before showing you our selection, we want to clarify something regarding the compatible iPads . With any of the ‘Pro’ range launched in 2018 or later there should be no problem, since they have a USB-C connection and with a suitable adapter it could work. Perhaps with an iPad with Lightning as well, but it is already more difficult not to find faults due to this standard. With recent MacBooks that also have USB-C as the only connectors there should be no problem using an adapter either.
The cheapest USB microphones
Trust Gaming GXT 232 Mantis
If you are starting to record audio now for the first time or maybe you don’t need something of a supreme quality, maybe this microphone is ideal for you. Its price is quite affordable And although it is obviously not one of the best, it must be said that it has a fairly acceptable quality. It is especially ideal if you are going to use it in video games, since in the end in this type of use a high fidelity of sound is not necessary if your goal is to communicate with other players.
Xiaokoa Microphone
The famous 3 ‘B’ standards (good, nice and cheap) are perfectly met in this case. The construction materials are not the most premium out there, but they are more than enough to give a proper aesthetic. In terms of sound quality, we find a surprising pickup in which noises do not distort, thanks also to a cap that is included together with the tripod and the microphone itself.
Fifine Microphone
This microphone is already a little more expensive than the previous ones, but it already includes more acceptable materials among which is the always resistant metal. Precisely these materials make the audio quality during recording better and it can be captured more clearly. Aesthetically it is beautiful, being available in several colors and also including a reclining tripod.
Marantz Professional MPM-1000
We can already begin to consider this device as one of higher quality. Beyond its good sound pickup, which can be improved but acceptable, it has a directional cardioid capsule capable of reducing ambient noise, with a wide-range frequency response (between 20 and 20,000 Hz). It is also very useful for recording instruments, although it gets much more out of it in voice recording.
TONOR microphone
Actually this microphone could be placed between the “cheap” and the “expensive”, since its quality and price is in the average. It is not the best, but we already found a quality more than enough to record voices without any distortion and with details that cheaper microphones do not capture. It also stands out for coming with an included arm, which can be more useful than a tripod on some occasions.
Higher quality USB microphones
Audio-Technica ATR2100
This microphone already incorporates a fairly good sound quality from a more recognized brand such as Audio-Technica. The sound it picks up is of very good quality and incorporates other connections that make it even more professional. As a curious fact, it is the microphone that all the members of La Manzana Mordida use for our podcasts and videos, so this recommendation is more special than any other for us.
Blue yeti
You will probably see many youtubers and podcasters with this microphone, as it is one of the most popular for its excellent features. It is highly recommended as it is made up of a set of three capsules capable of creating four pickup patterns that pick up the audio in a very clear way and without leaving room for noise. It has sound controls built into the body, as well as those for pattern selection.
Elgato Wave 3
As far as USB microphones are concerned, this is one of the most outstanding for its cardiode capsule capable of recording the voice in a tremendously clear way and with all the detail. It has an app called Wave Link capable of controlling all audio functions and even creating independent mixes for the tracks. Possibly it is one of the most configurations that accepts of this compilation, so we see it highly recommended.
Rode NT-USB Microphone
This microphone has little to envy the best, as it is one of the most recommended for recording on Mac and iPad without spending a ton of money. It is from the reputed Rode brand and is capable of capturing optimal sound quality. Recordings of all kinds can be made without problem giving results very close to those obtained in a studio. It also incorporates a series of adjustment buttons that make it possible to adjust some parameters from the device itself.
Rode NT USB Mini
This could be considered in a way the little brother of the previous one. Its quality is not so excellent, but its size is much more practical at times and the quality it has is not negligible. Its box includes a magnetic and removable desk support that mitigates shocks, in addition to having a rotation angle of 460 degrees. Its headphone amp has a switchable level of precision and monitoring that is a real hit and gets it close to studio microphones.
