Need a Mic and any extras for streaming

tom_taylor97

Distinguished
Mar 28, 2013
389
0
18,810
I have been looking to get a mic and possibly a boom because i want to try streaming, i have been looking at the blue yeti but do not know much about microphones so i dont know if there are any better options available, i have approximately £120 for a mic and any accessories and i was wondering whether there were better mics for the money and if i should get a boom or if it would be ok for the mic to stand on my desk.
Thanks
 
Solution
some common and good mics:

blue snowball
blue yeti
at2020usbplus
at2020usb (version without headphone jack)
atr2500

what i said about them in another thread. you can ignore the behringer one (i just copied the text from the other thread and he had listed that as a possible)

a few notes about each:

behringer c1u
-usb
-decent quality however in general there is lots of talk about the volume levels just being way too low.
-lacks a headphone jack so you cant listen to your voice in headphones without lag
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

audiotechnica atr2500
-usb
-great quality (comparable to the more expensive 2020)
-has a headphone jack for lag free listening to your voice on headphones as you talk
-only has cardioid pickup...
some common and good mics:

blue snowball
blue yeti
at2020usbplus
at2020usb (version without headphone jack)
atr2500

what i said about them in another thread. you can ignore the behringer one (i just copied the text from the other thread and he had listed that as a possible)

a few notes about each:

behringer c1u
-usb
-decent quality however in general there is lots of talk about the volume levels just being way too low.
-lacks a headphone jack so you cant listen to your voice in headphones without lag
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

audiotechnica atr2500
-usb
-great quality (comparable to the more expensive 2020)
-has a headphone jack for lag free listening to your voice on headphones as you talk
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

samson c01u
-usb
-good quality which is comparable to the blue yeti (though i have to say i prefer the sound of the yeti over this one)
-lacks a headphone jack so you cant listen to your own voice without lag
-only has cardioid pickup pattern

blue snowball
-usb
-good quality. not as nice as the at2020, blue yeti and others but not bad
-lacks a headphone jack so you cant listen to your own voice in headphones without lag
-has 3 pickup patterns for multiple recording scenarios.

---

not included on your list:

audiotechnica at2020+ usb
-usb
-great quality similar to atr2500 and blue yeti
-has a headphone jack for lag free listening to your voice on headphones as you talk
-only has cardioid pickup pattern.

blue yeti
-usb
-great quality similar to atr2500 and at2020
-has a headphone jack for lag free listening to your voice on headphones as you talk
-has 3 pickup patterns for multiple recording scenarios

notes:
-cardioid pickup pattern is typically best for picking up voices for commentary as it is limited and helps block out background noise.
-in order to listen to a your voice as you talk in the headset with a usb mic you need it to have a 3.5mm headphone connector
-generally the most respected microphones for youtubers are the at2020 and blue yeti. the blue snowball is often used for upstarts however since it lacks a headphone jack may be outgrown quickly.

if you can manage to stretch your budget a bit the blue yeti is a great microphone and will last you a long time (you shouldnt outgrow it).

if that is out of reach then i would say the atr2500 is a good choice (though it has less options than the yeti). if you dont care about being able to listen to your voice in your headphones then you could likely make do with a blue snowball.

keep in mind you will want to get a pop filter (or make one by stretching pantyhose over a wire frame and putting it in front of the mic).

if you will only use it for voice.... then you only need cardioid mode.
if you want to listen to your voice on your headphones while you talk then you need the 3.5mm headphone plug on the mic
i would highly suggest a shock mount (its mounted in a frame with bungees)
a stand with a moveable arm is the best type to get since its isolated from the desk and can be placed/moved just about anywhere. not as cheap as desk stands though.

my personal favorite is the 2020 but the yeti is very nice too.
on a tight budget the snowball has lots of options but the 2500 is a strong competitor.
 
Solution
Thanks you so much, you answered it perfectly because i knew there were better microphones for about the same price from different makes but i dont know what to look for and who the best makes are so thank you for explaining each of the different possibilities
 
for the microphone types listed above i would suggest getting the mounts specifically made for them. likewise you can probably buy a different brand which fits a whole range of different mics. you could make your own or jerry-rig something to work but my suggestion would be to use the suggested shock mount.

as for a boom arm... anything which connects up to the thread on the shock mount will work.

as for pop filters i'm not sure what you mean by fitted. the ones with the bendy arm are common but you could use the ones with a straight arm with ball joints on each end too. you can also diy your own pop filter if you didnt want to spend the money but its not as pretty looking.

this is what my suggested setup would be

mic stands and accessories arent cheap, sorry to say.

image1.jpg
 




This is what i meant but it may be something completely different
http://images.junostatic.com/full/IS485707-01-02-BIG.jpg
something that fits onto the mic... do you think the boom arm i linked would do the job ok? i looked on the manufacturers website and cant find a shock mount, what do you recommend?
thanks
 
the foam ball on the end of microphones is a "windscreen" for use if you are outside. it also protects against spit. honestly though its not much of an improvement. its not meant to replace a pop filter either. a pop filter is away from the mic and serves to break up the wind from you speaking.

that depends... what mic did you want?
 


I was going to get the AUDIO TECHNICA AT2020USB+ that you suggested but im still unsure about the mic boom. There is a pop filter that people have bought with the mic on amazon and the boom arm that i found which i think i will probably get aswell. Can i get any pop filter?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BrainyDeal-Broadcasting-Microphone-Suspension-Scissor/dp/B007PR4ZFM/ref=pd_sim_MI_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0K37QVF0SAR8BTGDT3DX
 
that microphone stand has an xlr connector already on it which you would have to remove. it also looks like the style to hold handheld wand-type microphones not the ones like the at2020.

edit: just read some more reviews on the one you listed and someone said it fit... but barely. you would have to physically pry it open a bit so that it would fit the mic. they also mentioned that the boom arm was a bit shorter than what would have been nice for recording. so... it probably would work if you pried it open but i still say the choices below are good as well. your call!

this one is cheap and one review stated they got it to work with the 2020 however its going to be tight and slight modification may need to be made to the mount to get it to work.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/QTX-Sound-188-144UK-Microphone-Holder/dp/B000KED30K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399821277&sr=8-2&keywords=at2020+shock+mount

this one is not as cheap but also had a review saying the 2020 fit well. a few other places say its one of the best ones for it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samson-SP01-Shock-Mount-Microphones/dp/B000LQLDM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399821277&sr=8-1&keywords=at2020+shock+mount

this one is black so it matches and also had a review (on the usa site) which said it worked well with the 2020. if you wanted matching this might be the one to go for.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BestDealUK-Black-SSM-3-Shock-Mount/dp/B00CJ8FIBC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399821699&sr=8-1&keywords=nady+ssm-3+shock

i would buy the boom arm and pop shield seperate. most pop shields are pretty universal just buy something which has a clamp. as long as the boom arm has the right thread it will fit (check thread prep on the shock mount and boom arm).

 


ok thank you so much, i am a noob when it comes to mics and audio so i really appreciate the help, i will probably get the third option you mentioned.
Thank you so much