$60 or Less Budget Mic

[DarkBlade2117]

This will be for me maybe but I will probably just get a Audio Technica AT2020 so I don't have to deal with getting a new one again, but for a friend he is looking for a cheap mic $30-$60.

I don't quite know what to tell him but what I have come up with is two options in both spectrum's of the price.

For $30 the Floureon BM-800 seems like a great option

For the $60 range the Audio Technica ATR2500-USB seems like the best option.

Please, do not suggest the overrated Blue Snowball/Yeti or any headsets.

 

[ItsTurbo]

This video should give some options. 
 

 

[Luc401]

Id recommend a mod mic but... it was pretty meh. Id really just recommend getting a real setup or using the one built into your headphones.

[DarkBlade2117]

2 minutes ago, CodenameScorpion said:

This video should give some options. 
 

 

Seen that, only one of them, the BM-800 was close though but want other opinions

[Aytex]

y no snowball ;(

the ATR2500 is nice

[DarkBlade2117]

3 minutes ago, Luc401 said:

Id recommend a mod mic but... it was pretty meh. Id really just recommend getting a real setup or using the one built into your headphones.

I am personally going to just get an AT2020 and a Mic arm with the filter though he isn't quite sure if he wants to continue streaming or not. He uses his webcam mic and really needs to get a new one. Both these mics you can easily get new arm stands or filters ect to make them somewhat better in the future and turn it into a real setup though for now he just wants something that is better than his webcam mic.

[DarkBlade2117]

4 minutes ago, Aytex said:

y no snowball ;(

the ATR2500 is nice

I find it to be an overrated mic that is used way to much.

[ItsTurbo]

2 minutes ago, DarkBlade2117 said:

Seen that, only one of them, the BM-800 was close though but want other opinions

Snowball, too sensitive even in the -10 dB pad, so at least you don't want that.

[Aytex]

5 minutes ago, DarkBlade2117 said:

I find it to be an overrated mic that is used way to much.

well its not bad

[Kaidesa]

I realize this post is somewhat older, but if you would like my recommendation, I recommend grabbing a Neewer NW-800.  You can get one on Amazon for about $20.  I got this as a cheapy throw-away to travel with, and was rather surprised by the quality of it for the price.

 

Keep in mind, it is an XLR condenser mic.  It comes with an XLR to 3.5mm cable, so it can be plugged into the computer directly.  It does, however, need a tiny bit of power to be picked up clearly.  The product information says it only requires 5v of additional power, which is true, but you may want an actual phantom power provider of some sort to run it, as with my onboard soundcard of my computer, it is somewhat soft sounding at around 80 percent volume.

 

I got a very cheap $5 USB sound card that I plugged it into, and it seems to do the job nicely enough.

 

That aside, I've still found the quality to be quite good.  You can hear an example recording of it from this highlight of my live stream from the other night.  

Spoiler

 

 

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[DarkBlade2117]

8 hours ago, Kaidesa said:

I realize this post is somewhat older, but if you would like my recommendation, I recommend grabbing a Neewer NW-800.  You can get one on Amazon for about $20.  I got this as a cheapy throw-away to travel with, and was rather surprised by the quality of it for the price.

 

Keep in mind, it is an XLR condenser mic.  It comes with an XLR to 3.5mm cable, so it can be plugged into the computer directly.  It does, however, need a tiny bit of power to be picked up clearly.  The product information says it only requires 5v of additional power, which is true, but you may want an actual phantom power provider of some sort to run it, as with my onboard soundcard of my computer, it is somewhat soft sounding at around 80 percent volume.

 

I got a very cheap $5 USB sound card that I plugged it into, and it seems to do the job nicely enough.

 

That aside, I've still found the quality to be quite good.  You can hear an example recording of it from this highlight of my live stream from the other night.  

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Thanks for the information, never been an audio person and will admit, had no idea what Phantom power is. I somewhat know what it is now but you can emphasis on how to provide Phantom power?

[Kaidesa]

7 hours ago, DarkBlade2117 said:

Thanks for the information, never been an audio person and will admit, had no idea what Phantom power is. I somewhat know what it is now but you can emphasis on how to provide Phantom power?

 

 

 

 

HUGE WALL OF TEXT INCOMING.

 

That's actually a very good question.  Phantom power is basically just power added by an external power supply to the microphone in question.  Phantom power is typically only required for XLR condenser-style microphones, such as the BM-700, BM-800, NW-700, NW-800, AT2020 and just about any other condenser microphone that doesn't have one built-in.  What it does is provide 48v power to the microphone itself, allowing it to run at proper volumes, and in some cases, allowing it to be used at all.

 

Phantom power is not ALWAYS a requirement but is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you're using an XLR condenser microphone.  Most of them on the high end REQUIRE one, so if you're getting an XLR microphone, ever, just go ahead and buy a small power supply to go along with it.

 

Picture it as an amplifier for headphones.  Some headphones just need more power to be used to their full potential, or to even be heard at all.  Phantom power is that, but for an XLR microphone.

 

FOR MY RECOMMENDATION OF THE NW-800.

 

If you're going based strictly off of my recommendation with the Neewer NW-800 or going with either the NW-700, BM-700 or BM-800, I found that adding five volts through a USB sound card was good enough to drive the microphone.  Not all USB sound cards can do this, but THIS SPECIFIC ONE seems to do it wonderfully.  I've tested the volts added on five of these little suckers, and they all seem to hit that mark.

 

Keep in mind, THIS IS ALL YOU REALLY NEED FOR THIS SPECIFIC MICROPHONE unless there's some major reason you want to increase the output quality even further.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Sound-Box-USB-SBCV/dp/B002R33VWW

 

A nice little additive to the card is that it allows you to mute the microphone itself since the NW-800 lacks that functionality itself. However, the volume still needs to be quite high for the volume to be decent enough.  In that video, using a USB soundcard which provides 5v of power, the microphone needs to sit at about 70% of input volume.

 

WHY YOU SHOULD BE USING PHANTOM POWER.

 

With true phantom power, you can lower your volume in the operating system of choice in order to get the same AUDIBLE volume from the microphone, and pick up much less noise in the process.  Buying a proper phantom power supply, such as in the link below, will allow you to upgrade your microphone in the future without having to buy anything extra at that point, and will remove the need for the small USB sound card altogether.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Weymic%C2%AE-Condenser-Microphone-Recording-Equipment/dp/B015A6G8EA

 

If using the NW-800, you will also need to buy a proper XLR to XLR cable, as they only come with an XLR to 3.5mm audio cable.  You can then use the cable that came with the microphone to connect it to the computer from the output end of the phantom power supply.

 

WANT SOMETHING BETTER?

 

You can always buy a proper audio interface as well, which also provide phantom power, and some added stuff such as gain control and, in some cases, mixing capabilities.  But that's typically only useful if you plan on doing some super advanced things with the microphone, like doing professional quality podcasts, recording music, or if you become YouTube/Twitch famous and can afford to throw money at things.  I'm nowhere near that point, but I still use one, personally. The one below is one that seems to be a common recommendation and one that I use personally just for the sake of future-proofing my audio setup a bit.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA

 

SO, TO RECAP, FOR ANY XLR MICROPHONE IN GENERAL:

 

If you use a very small condenser microphone, you MAY be able to get away with using a USB sound card to power the microphone. NOT ALL USB SOUND CARDS CAN BE USED.  NOT ALL MICROPHONES WILL BE ABLE TO BE POWERED BY ANYTHING OTHER THAN PROPER PHANTOM POWER.  If trying this, and the microphone has static or high-pitched hissing in the background, records at super low levels, or can't be heard at all, you need phantom power.

 

Phantom power is a requirement for most XLR microphones.  Save yourself the trouble and purchase a phantom power supply if you plan on using one, as it'll likely give you the best experience for ANY XLR microphone, regardless of what could potentially power it.

 

If you're wanting to record music, do high-quality audio podcasts, or get the absolute best sound quality from any XLR studio condenser microphone in the future, you will need to buy a proper audio interface in order to hit your requirements.  This isn't recommended for everybody, for obvious reasons.  If you have the money, then sure, get a proper audio interface.  If not, a simple phantom power supply will do you a world of wonders.

[DarkBlade2117]

@Kaidesa ( Sorry for the weird layout the post did this by itself for some reason )

Wow, thanks for the factual information. So would spending that extra like $8 on the phantom power supply be worth it to just save the extra $9 I would have spent on the USB sound card, plus it should provide an overall better quality correct? Also are there any cheap mic arms that would just get the job done that I could see? I do plan on doing Twitch and even if it is technically cheaping out, I at least want it to be semi professional so people can tell that I want to do it instead of yah know, using the HyperX Cloud microphone lol. Overall for a a start setup, Mic, + Phantom power + Mic arm around $50-$55 sounds about right ?

Could you also emphasis on the difference between say the BM-800 and NW-800?

[Kaidesa]

Around $60, probably, but that's about right.

 

What I purchased for my NW-800 setup is the following:

 

Neewer Mic Boom Suspension Arm

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DY1F2CS/

(Note:  This seems a bit flimsy, and is known not to be able to hold heavier microphones.  It works great for the NW-800 and the AT2020, though.  If you're looking to upgrade, I'd recommend going straight to a RODE arm.  They're $99, but built to last, and can even hold up a Blue Yeti and Razer Seiren.)

 

Neewer NW-800 Kit (includes mic, ball-style foam pop filter, XLR to 3.5mm audio cable and shock mount)

http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-NW-800-Professional-Broadcasting-Microphone/dp/B00XBQ8UGG

(Can go with the light blue mic to save a few bucks if you don't care about that. It's identical in every other way.)

 

If you go with phantom power, you'll also need one of these.

http://www.amazon.com/Audio2000S-ADC2037-P-Female-Microphone-Cable/dp/B008H46RD0

 

Of course, I went with the USB sound card with this one, and it works fine.  I use this setup on the go.  If you want phantom power, but the one I mentioned.  It's the cheapest I could find on Amazon, and has good reviews as well.  I still recommend the phantom power.  If you CAN throw money at a proper audio interface, then definitely do that.  I power my home setup with the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.  It'll set you back $130, though, but would be great for future-proofing your setup.

[Kaidesa]

@DarkBlade2117

 

Also, this is a great little setup for starting out on Twitch and YouTube.  It's inexpensive, and compared to what a lot of people suggest, you save a lot of money and still get clear audio.  I use the AT2020 for when I'm home, which gives a bit of an improvement, but it's quite unnecessary for starting out.

 

To be honest, I doubt the typical viewer of a stream or YouTube video would be able to tell what microphone you're using anyway, so "cheaping out" is kind of a moot point.  What matters is, it's cheap, it sounds quite clear, and it gets the job done surprisingly well for being a budget setup.

[Kaidesa]

2 hours ago, DarkBlade2117 said:

Could you also emphasis on the difference between say the BM-800 and NW-800?

@DarkBlade2117

 

Sorry, completely missed this.  Also, updated the list because I failed to include the XLR male to XLR female cable that will be required if you go with a phantom power supply.

 

As for the difference between the BM-800 and NW-800, from the limited experience I have in thoroughly testing both, they seem pretty much on par.  The BM-800 has a looser grill over the mic and has a glossy finish while the NW-800 has a tighter grill over the mic and has a matte finish.  The NW-800 has 4kHz less of a higher frequency response, but it really doesn't make that huge of a difference in how the two sound.  To my ears, they're INCREDIBLY similar, but the NW-800 seems cleaner than the BM-800.

 

The only major difference is that the BM-800 seems to pick up a bit more bass even on the high end, which may or may not be preferable to you or your audience.

 

I'm not the only one who shares this opinion, either.  Video below.

Spoiler

 

 

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