แม้ว่าจะใช้งานได้หลากหลายเพียงพอสำหรับการเล่นเกมและการสตรีม แต่เรือธง Blue Yeti ยังสร้างไมโครโฟนที่ดีมากสำหรับพอดแคสต์ คุณภาพการบันทึกนั้นยอดเยี่ยม โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งเมื่อพิจารณาถึงราคาที่ค่อนข้างไม่แพง และด้วยโหมดการบันทึกแบบสองทิศทางและรอบทิศทาง คุณสามารถใช้ไมโครโฟนตัวเดียวสำหรับลำโพงหลายตัว ซึ่งสะดวกหากคุณกำลังพอดแคสต์ในราคาประหยัด
เท่าที่ ไมโครโฟนพอดคาสต์ที่เปิดใช้งาน USB นั้นใช้งานได้จริง JLab Talk ก็ควรค่าแก่การดูเช่นกัน — ให้เสียงและทำงานเหมือน Blue Yeti เพียงใช้เงินสดน้อยลง ในขณะเดียวกัน Blue Yeti X ให้รางวัลแก่ผู้ที่จ่ายเงินมากขึ้นด้วยการควบคุมที่ดีขึ้นและความคิดเห็นของผู้ใช้
–Sensitive to shocks and bumps–Better-sounding alternatives
The UM700 is another solid all-rounder. It’s a more affordable take on the Blue Yeti formula, though build quality hasn’t suffered for it, and you can flick between different recording patterns should you need to record a group conversation without multiple microphones.
Sound quality is fine — you may need to touch up recordings when editing, but that should be normal practice if you want your podcast sounding professional. You get a full set of onboard controls too, including a mute button and a gain dial. Give the UM700 a shot if you want Yeti-style design at an even lower price.
+High sound quality+Customizable lighting+Built-in shock mount and pop filter
Reasons to avoid
–Quite pricey–RGB not to everyone’s taste
Like the Wave: 3, the QuadCast S’s podcasting credentials could be considered a happy accident: whereas the Elgato mic was built for streaming, HyperX’s is primarily concerned with gaming. As if the light-up RGB grille wasn’t enough of a giveaway.
Even so, there’s plenty here for regular podcasters. The QuadCast S sounds great with minimal setup, can be easily mounted to a boom arm or other custom stand and includes some handy bonus features that could save you money on accessories. These include a shock mount, which quietens down any accidental bumps the mic might take while recording, and a built-in pop filter for cleaner-sounding speech.
If you find the QuadCast S a little too ostentatious, you’ll probably appreciate the sharp lines and stylish stand of the EPOS B20. This USB microphone covers all the essentials (like onboard gain control) and adds birdirectional, omnidirection and stereo recording patterns. These all work well, especially the bidirectional mode, though it’s the cardioid mode that’s best for solo recording.
To wrangle the maximum potential out of the B20, be sure to download and install the EPOS Gaming Suite. And don’t be fooled by the name: its collection of tools, which includes a noise gate control, can help the most serious podcasts sound as good as the hardware will permit.
How to choose the best podcasting microphone for you
Audio quality
Recording quality is a vital quality for any type of microphone, but it’s easily the most important attribute of any podcasting mic. You could probably get away with a bit of fuzziness or gain imbalance for the odd gaming session, but in a voice-only medium like podcasting, you should only demand the best.
Even then you should be prepared for some audio editing once recording is complete, but by choosing one of the models above you can at least minimize the effort required in the post-production stage.
Recording patterns
Consider also the format of your podcast, and how your recording hardware will need to fit. If you’re only recording yourself speaking to remote-connecting guests, all you need is a mic with a cardioid recording pattern; this is also fine, if not ideal, for in-person group recordings where everyone has the luxury of their own microphone.
If you can only budget for a single mic, you’ll need one that can record in wider patterns. Bidirectional modes let you record one person directly in front and one person directly behind the mic, so it’s suited for one-on-one chats. An omnidirectional pattern should be used when there are multiple speakers encircled around a single mic, while a stereo pattern is ideal for when several speakers are lined up in front of the mic. This won’t record everyone at equal volume, hence requiring some editing later, but you’ll get a sense of where individual speakers are positioned.
How we test the best podcasting microphones
We test microphones using similar methods to how you’d record and produce a podcast: speaking into the mic, using different recording patterns if there are any, and listening back to hear how it sounds and whether any post-production editing would be required.
To get to the recording stage we also need to set up and configure each microphone, which again reflects what their owners will eventually need to do. We’ll let you know in each mic’s full review, all of which are linked above, if this process is particularly easy or difficult.