expiredpersian_mafia | Staff posted Nov 29, 2024 03:50 PM
Item 1 of 2
Item 1 of 2
expiredpersian_mafia | Staff posted Nov 29, 2024 03:50 PM
512 AUDIO Limelight Dynamic Vocal XLR Microphone
+ Free Shipping$30
$150
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank mszkoda
Here's a solid video review: https://youtu.be/ZzHdXjgNv-8?si=2Bg_0OLf4p
https://www.amazon.com/Marantz-Pr...B01GHOM67W
Or the Samson Go Mic?
https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Mic...B001R76D4
So I'm guessing this comes down to the cord type?
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I'm just using it for casual stuff, so I doubt I'd be needing an XLR mic then
I do not expect this microphone to compete with EV RE20 in sound quality, but for my needs (corporate meetings) it is working very well - I wanted microphone that is dynamic and picks up less background noise than my previous condenser microphones, and I wanted 'axial' microphone because it fits better above my keyboard without obstructing monitor. This microphone checked all the boxes for me.
Beware - this microphone generates quite weak signal and my old cheap and cheerful Scarlett 2i4 gen1 interface was NOT able to amplify its signal to an immediately usable level (if you just record audio for later processing, you can always boost it in post-processing, but for real-time usage you really need proper amplification to happen before converting to digital). I had to add inline amplifier (Triton Audio FetHead) to make this microphone work well. Some other, better USB interfaces might have just enough oomph to do the job by themselves.
TLDR - unless your USB interface has a lot of headroom, you might have to get inline amplifier, and those are not exactly cheap. YMMV.
Do note: this advice is coming from a very reasonable budget audiophile, not someone seeking that last somewhat subjective 5% for $1500.. so by no means am I providing this information for an excessive hobbyist, but instead what components are considered "a necessity" where minor tradeoffs are acceptable and we're seeking the 95%, not that last 5%.
The Indigo caribou mentioned that these converters cost about $80 minimum. I'd put super-eco converters a bit lower at $30-$50, though you may be chasing some of that last 5%+ and better converters can be better. Given that I haven't used all of these products, I don't want to provide them as recommendations - but instead provide a list of leads to find similarly priced products and also rely on more expert recommendations. These converter leads include the M-Audio M-Track Solo, Focusrite Scarlett, and with a warning, I will even throw out there the super-budget $35 Behringer U-Phoria UM2. The UM2 is a bit more rough around the edges (with some driver issues & users reporting their need to reboot it sometimes) and is super-entry level, so it'd be wise to watch reviews for the trade-offs before hand just in case you're seeking what I'd call "the last 5%". That said, I've seen some very reputable reviewers recommend the UM2 and it's typically the cheapest that I see recommended, but it's only fair to include its minor inconveniences.
I will also provide ample warning to completely AVOID the current market of cord-based XLR-to-USB solutions (these typically run about $15).. In the review community, these are often trashed as they add substantial interference/whine/noise and mostly defeat the purpose of getting a quality microphone in the first place. Of course, you can use one and yes and there are plenty of sub-$15 options.. but if "quality 95%" is your desired end-game.. no, you should absolutely buy a true converter and not an XLR-to-USB cord. At minimum, just throw an extra $15 at a UM2.
Is this XLR to converter option the best audio-input solution for desktop/laptop audio? Yes, but also kind of. There does exist quality dual USB/XLR microphones in the $40-50 price range that might be a more convenient single-device solution. These are leagues better than "XLR-to-USB cord converters," which you should not be using. USB/XLR microphones are defined as microphones that have both on a microphone. Especially at that price-range, a converted XLR signal still remains just marginally better (512 AUDIO Limelight is XLR only).. And as a rule of thumb, the USB output on a recommended $40-50 XLR/USB mic almost always sounds "better than gamergear audio/headset." Meanwhile, switching from USB on a USB/XLR mic and "upgrading to marginally better XLR with the converter box" can be a down-the-line improvement. Again, I won't recommend specific XLR/USB mics, but examples of dual XLR/USB include the Samson Q2U and Audiotechnica ATR2100x-USB. As for comparative results of just using the USB option on a ~$50 USB/XLR mic compared to this deal of JUST XLR 512 Audio XLR Limelight ($30 deal + cost of converter)? I'd personally say that this specific 512 microphone @ $30 + cost of converter will marginally better to some than just the USB output, albeit $10-30 more expensive. If both were running XLR with a converter, it'd be far more parallel with a bit of 5% depending on taste.
Regardless of which option, any of these paths [aside from an XLR-to-USB cord] should result in a heck of a lot better results than the gamergear/clip-on microphone path and pretty close to the best that you'll need. A lot of very successful podcasters and youtubers use identical or comparable equipment, with not much more to chase.. but of course, that is properly configured with software and noise gates (which is the next necessary step after getting it all hooked up). So by all means, this microphone is capable of being a fairly end-game setup outside of that last 5%. You just need to properly configure, equalize, and noisegate it.
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