Whether you’re recording vocals or instruments for a song, recording a podcast, doing a voiceover on a video or perhaps even talking on Skype, your listeners want to hear clear and crisp sounds, especially in the case of being a professional whose main station is a laptop or PC. Here are 5 of the best USB microphones that’ll give you the clarity you need to send a good message.
Mobile and tablet users just swipe across... Blue Snowball iCE |  Blue Yeti |  Rode NT-USB |  Blue Snowball Omni |  Samson Meteor |
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| Our Rating |  |  |  |  |  |
| Colours | Black / White | Black / Platinum / Silver / White | Black | Black / Aluminium White / Blue Green / Orange | Black / Titanium |
| Pick Up Pattern | Cardioid | • Cardioid • Bidirectional • Omnidirectional • Stereo | Cardioid | • Cardioid • Omnidirectional (with -10dB PAD) | Cardioid |
| Controls | N/A | • Mute • Headphone Volume • Mic Gain • Pattern Selection | • Headphone Volume • Direct Audio Monitoring | Pattern Selection | Headphone Volume |
| Outputs | N/A | 3.5 mm Headphone Jack | 3.5 mm Headphone Jack | N/A | 3.5 mm Headphone Jack |
| Accessories | • Standard Tripod • 6 ft. USB Cable | • Metal Adjustable Tripod • 6 ft. USB Cable | • Tripod Stand • Pop Shield • Ring Mount • 6m USB Cable • Carry Pouch | • Metal Fully Adjustable Tripod • 6 ft. USB Cable | • USB Cable • Carry Pouch |
| Weight | 798 g | • Microphone - 0.5 kg • With Stand - 1 kg | 520 g (mic) | 1 kg | 658 g |
| Dimensions | 27 x 23 x 14cm | 12 x 12.5 x 29.5cm | 18.4 x 6.2 x 5cm | 12.4 x 20 x 25.4cm | 15.8 x 12.7 x 7.62cm |
| Price | **CHECK PRICE** | **CHECK PRICE** | **CHECK PRICE** | **CHECK PRICE** | **CHECK PRICE** |
Top Features | Best USB Microphones
- Our Rating – This is based on our own research in product testing and user feedback. Clicking on each product takes you to the product page where you can read customer reviews on the product you’re interested in.
- Best Value / Top Rated / Top Specs / Best Choice – Products that we consider to excel in a certain area such as value for money, reputation or technology have been given one of our aforementioned labels of recognition.
- Pick Up Pattern – There are several different types of methods of how sound is picked up from a microphone:
- Cardioid – A popular choice for recording music artists, this type of mic picks up sound mainly from the front, so it can be pointed in the direction of where the sound you want picked up, eliminating other surrounding sounds.
- Bidirectional – Picks up sound from the front and back, which makes it good in the setting of a performer and audience scenario.
- Omnidirectional – Picks up sound from all directions – front and back, top and bottom – it’s a good choice for capturing sounds from entire surroundings; because of this, it’s not ideal for recording artists as the mic will pick up unwanted sounds also.
- Controls – Some useful controls that certain USB microphones have are:
- Mute – which basically prevents the microphone from recording sound whenever the button is pressed. It’s useful for podcasts and radio shows when you don’t want something aired.
- Microphone Gain – Allows you to increase the volume level for instances where the recording is too quiet.
- Pattern Selection – Some USB microphones allow you to switch between different pick up patterns.
- Outputs – It’s a bonus if the USB mic has a headphone jack as you can listen to your live recording.
- Accessories – Most of the best USB microphones already include a tripod or a stand.
- Weight and Dimensions – If you’re going to be suspending the microphone then you may want to consider getting one that’s not too big and heavy. Some models are more suited to be suspended while others are better off standing on a tripod.
- Price – If you want to know the price of any of the models, just click on the Buy Now button or Check Price and you’ll be redirected to the product page. The reason we don’t put prices is because they constantly change and there are so many sellers offering different prices.