The Direct Connection

Apr 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Gino Robair

Six USB microphones that make recording easier.

USB MICS ON THE HORIZON

Apex Electronics (www.apexelectronics.com) will be shipping the Apex181 ($99) by the time you read this. The side-address mic includes a 0.79-inch internally shockmounted diaphragm with a cardioid pattern.

Avant Electronics (www.avantelectronics.com) will offer the Avantone CU-2 ($199), a true condenser with a cardioid pattern and a 1.37-inch diaphragm, a switchable -10 dB pad, and an 80 Hz rolloff switch. The mic comes with a shockmount and a wooden case.

The Blue Microphones Snowflake is a single-capsule design that uses the same cardioid electret element and converter chip as the Snowball. Although the Snowflake doesn't include a pad switch, it is smaller than the Snowball and has a built-in stand that lets the mic rest on a desktop or attach conveniently over your laptop monitor.

Marshall Electronics is expanding its USB mic offerings with the MXL USB.007 stereo microphone ($219.95) and the USB.008 large-diaphragm condenser ($199.95). The USB.007 uses a stacked pair of the same 0.79-inch capsules used in the 990 and USB.006, but permanently positioned in an x-y pattern. The USB.008 has a 1-inch capsule found in many of the MXL mics. Both mics include a selectable attenuation switch. The company has also announced the USB Mic Mate ($99), an XLR-to-USB converter that lets you plug any microphone directly into your USB port.

The Samson G-Track ($199) has the same capsule as the CO1U but adds a 2-channel interface into the mic body (see Fig. A). Features include a stereo instrument/line input on minijacks with a gain control, a stereo headphone output with a level control, and an onboard gain control for the mic. You can send two channels of external audio through it, or send one external channel with the mic signal. The package includes audio and USB cables, a small tripod mic stand, a mic clip, and a copy of Cakewalk Sonar LE.

sE Electronics recently unveiled the USB1000 ($249), a small-diaphragm condenser. Like the USB2200a, the USB1000 includes voltage conditioning circuitry that is linked to the Mac/PC output switch.

MANUFACTURER CONTACTS

Blue Microphones www.bluemic.com

Marshall Electronics www.mxl-usb.com

Røde Microphones www.rodemic.com

Samson Technologies www.samsontech.com

sE Electronics www.seelectronics.com

SE ELECTRONICS USB2200A

Sharing features of the 2200a, the USB2200a ($499) has a 1-inch diaphragm, a cardioid polar pattern, and discrete FET electronics (see Fig. B). However, the USB2200a is unique in the context of this roundup because it includes an XLR output, which can be used simultaneously with the USB output. The mic can be powered from the USB bus or with +48V phantom power. Consequently, the USB2200a is a mic you can use in professional situations as well as for Podcasts and other informal uses.

It's worth noting that you can simultaneously record from both outputs at once. The mic includes a mini stereo headphone jack and a balance control to set the level between the mic signal and audio from your recording software.

The USB2200a also includes a 100 Hz rolloff switch, a -10 dB pad switch, and a Mac/PC switch. According to the manufacturer, the switch changes the mic's impedance to accommodate the differences in “sensitivity” of the USB bus between the two computer platforms, noting that the Mac's USB bus needs to see 15 dB more gain. However, I was unable to verify this because a production version of the mic was unavailable during my research, nor was I able to get a comment from Apple about this difference.

The USB2200a includes a separate circuit board that provides power conditioning, buffering, and noise filtering to deal with the problems inherent in power coming from the USB bus. Unlike the other mics in this roundup, the USB2200a accepts a mini-B connector on its side.

The published frequency response of the USB2200a is mostly flat, although down 1 dB from 40 to 300 Hz. From 500 Hz, it's flat at 0 to 2.5 kHz, where it begins its 3 dB rise to about 11 kHz. At 20 kHz, the response is roughly -1 dB. sE Electronics also says that although the converter chip has a 16-bit resolution, it can lock to sampling rates of 88.2 and 96 kHz.

USB MICROPHONE FEATURES COMPARED

Company	Model	Polar Pattern	Mic Type	Diaphragm	Frequency Response	Bit Depth	Sampling Rate	Onboard Filter	Onboard Pad	Weight	Price
Blue Microphones	Snowball	cardioid, omni	electret condenser	0.55"	40 Hz-18 kHz	16-bit	44.1 kHz	none	-10 dB	1 lb.	$139.99
Marshall Electronics	MXL USB.006	cardioid	condenser	0.79"	20 Hz-20 kHz	16-bit	44.1 and 48 kHz	none	-5 and -10 dB	0.7 lb.	$169.95
Røde	Podcaster	cardioid	dynamic	1.1"	40 Hz-14 kHz	18-bit	8-48 kHz	none	none	1.3 lbs.	$349
Samson	CO1U	supercardioid	electret condenser	0.75"	50 Hz-18 kHz	16-bit	8-48 kHz	none	none	1.06 lbs.	$134.99
Samson	CO3U	omni, supercardioid, figure-8	electret condenser	0.75"	50 Hz-18 kHz	16-bit	8-48 kHz	highpass	-10 dB	1.1 lbs.	$209.99
Samson	Q1U	supercardioid	dynamic	1"	50 Hz-16 kHz	16-bit	8-48 kHz	none	none	0.75 lb.	$89.99