Microphones!!

Tarmack said:
Everyone recommending the Yeti is incorrect. It is not the best for the money in that range. In fact, for it to be the best for the money you need to find it on sale for 30-40% off. I find that most people who recommend Blue mics have never used anything else which makes their recommendation a bit on the thin side.

AudioTechnica AT2020
Samson C01U
MXL 990

And my personal recommendation, get a basic XLR interface, XLR cable and a Shure SM58. It will be $20-$40 more than your budget, but it's worth it.
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Blue Yeti is very good, perfect for podcasting. Cheaper than the Samson C01U, the MXL 990 and the AT2020
 
Just using Musicians Friend for a quick price comparison lists the following. (Prices obviously fluctuate based on sales, but this kind of representation is often the case)
Yeti - $142.48
C01U - $87.68
MXL990 - $65.76 (with shock mount)
AT2020 - $108.51

Or Amazon.com
Yeti - $104.50
C01U - $89.99 (with shock mount)
MXL990 - $73.87
AT2020 - $99

Now, it's worth noting that of the above, the Yeti and C01U are USB, the other two are XLR. So the XLR mics will have an additional "interface" cost but you can usually find a cheap XLR to USB device for under $50. XLR is also superior for a number of reasons. There is the XLR Yeti Pro but that one is ridiculously expensive and by far inferior to others in the price range. The same but reverse is true for the USB AT2020.

In order to get the Yeti off your desk and eliminate the desk vibration noise you will need a very expensive proprietary mount. Of the above by price, the MXL 990 is by far the superior mic at an incredible price and includes a proper shockmount.

It is my suggestion that the Yeti is only the superior value to the other microphones if you can find it on sale for $80 or less and if the MXL isn't on some kind of crazy sale. The fact of the matter is that it's not "very good", it's middle of the road but YouTubers like to talk about it as though it's the best thing since sliced bread which is flat out wrong. However, most of those people who do tout the Yeti as the best choice have in most cases never used another mic other than headsets or the Snowball (which is a piece of garbage btw).
 
Tarmack said:
Just using Musicians Friend for a quick price comparison lists the following. (Prices obviously fluctuate based on sales, but this kind of representation is often the case)
Yeti - $142.48
C01U - $87.68
MXL990 - $65.76 (with shock mount)
AT2020 - $108.51

Or Amazon.com
Yeti - $104.50
C01U - $89.99 (with shock mount)
MXL990 - $73.87
AT2020 - $99

Now, it's worth noting that of the above, the Yeti and C01U are USB, the other two are XLR. So the XLR mics will have an additional "interface" cost but you can usually find a cheap XLR to USB device for under $50. XLR is also superior for a number of reasons. There is the XLR Yeti Pro but that one is ridiculously expensive and by far inferior to others in the price range. The same but reverse is true for the USB AT2020.

In order to get the Yeti off your desk and eliminate the desk vibration noise you will need a very expensive proprietary mount. Of the above by price, the MXL 990 is by far the superior mic at an incredible price and includes a proper shockmount.

It is my suggestion that the Yeti is only the superior value to the other microphones if you can find it on sale for $80 or less and if the MXL isn't on some kind of crazy sale. The fact of the matter is that it's not "very good", it's middle of the road but YouTubers like to talk about it as though it's the best thing since sliced bread which is flat out wrong. However, most of those people who do tout the Yeti as the best choice have in most cases never used another mic other than headsets or the Snowball (which is a piece of garbage btw).
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Yea I should have said that the Yeti is on sale..iirc you can find it for 79 dollars today. I've used other mics much nicer than the yeti, the yeti isn't the best thing since sliiced bread, but it is very good at what it was made for.
 
My Blue Yeti has been very nice, like others mentioned, it does the job if you are just commentating and need to record a spoken audio track.

There is issues with shock though so I wouldn't recommend you clicking a keyboard or mouse too close to it or on the same surface.

It's also quite heavy if you are thinking of mounting it or moving it around a lot, make sure it's on a stable surface or a proper mount.
 
Thanks everyone, it looks like it might be a straight up race between the yeti and the AT2020 as I know this is the mic that ALI A uses so cant be too bad eh!! Cheers people!
 
If you really want to get cheap, a smart phone mic can do the trick. I've heard videos recorded with the built in iPhone mic and it was clear enough for YouTube, it sounded close to my Rode VideoPro Mic... then again I'm not a crazy audiophile haha.
 
Gamevolution657 said:
We need to get a good quality microphone for our channel soon and am looking for recommendations, we are a gaming channel and use high quality video equipment but our mic is awful, Its a rubbish little logitech with no stand!! :( Would prefer a good quality one with a stand please, For less than £100. Recommendations people?
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Well for y channel at the moment, i have a turtle beach headset and that is great quality, although i have heard that blue yeti is great for that price, my turtle beach cost me £29.99 and i love it, i can record my voice when playing, and speak to my friends at the same time, alsoi it records my friends voice as well (Obviously) :)
 
I us turtle beach x12s myself and I find the quality on xbox is terrible but over skype its not too bad, like others mentioned before I've heard very good things about the blue yetti, I think its like $100 on amazon right now.
 
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