BestUSB Microphone for MaciMore2019
When it comes to USB microphones for your Mac the best option when it comes to versatility and convenience is the Blue Yeti. Not only can it record in four different modes, but it's 16bit/48kHz recording sample rate always comes out sounding loud and clear.
Digital dictation facilitates the fast, accurate completion of emails, documents and letters, which increases productivity by freeing up time to devote to critical activities. Choosing a high-quality dictation microphone that is compatible with your dictation device is vital for ensuring superior sound quality and maximum transcription accuracy. The Best USB Headset for Your Computer Updated May 11, 2018 After testing five new models in 2018, we think the Jabra Evolve 40 is the best wired USB headset for people who take a lot of calls. Wired microphones are the best for speech recognition, but wireless microphones are much more flexible.
Best Overall: Blue Yeti
The four different recording modes is where the Blue Yeti really shines because it there's practically nothing you can't record with the Blue Yeti if it's set on the right mode. I'm not the only one on the iMore team that loves the Blue Yeti, Rene Ritchie, star of Vector on YouTube has been using his for years and he loves how easy the Blue Yeti is to use.
'Blue Yeti is still my pick for best USB microphone — not just for the Mac but for anyone starting out doing anything, including podcasts, audiobooks, live streams, videos, and more. It plugs right into your device, no audio interface needed, sounds great out of the box, and has a few simple options if you need to adjust for particular circumstances, like two people sharing one mic. Of course, it can't beat a high-end XLR mic and interface, but at a tenth or less the price, it sounds so good you'll probably think twice, hard, before considering those higher-end purchases. It's the mic I used for years, still, travel with today, and always recommend to anyone who asks.' — Rene Ritchie, 10-year podcast veteran and host of iMore show, MacBreak Weekly, and VECTOR
Its basic cardioid mode is fantastic for capturing a single voice or instrument in front of the mic, making it perfect for game streaming, video calls, or vocals.
The omnidirectional mode allows the Blue Yeti to pick up sounds from all around it, meaning you can put it in the middle of a table and have multiple people speaking, and it won't miss a single word. This mode is great for podcasting with multiple hosts and guests, or for capturing the noise around you.
Bidirectional mode allows the Blue Yeti to be an interview microphone with minimal setup. Just put the microphone between you and the other person speaking and never touch it again.
Lastly, stereo recording mode allows the Blue Yeti to use the left and right channels to record in stereo and give your recordings a more realistic soundstage when there is more than one sound source in front of the microphone.
Pros:
- Headphone jack for live monitoring
- Manually gain adjustment
- Four record modes
- Great price
Best Overall
Blue Yeti
Most features for the best price
With four recording modes, plug-and-play functionality, live monitoring via the headphone jack, and manual gain control, the Blue Yeti offers the most versatile and convenient experience for the best price.
The Rode Podcaster is a fantastic microphone for anyone that wants to record their voice. Whether you're making Skype calls, podcasting, or recording yourself streaming, the Rode Podcaster has a tight cardioid pattern that rejects sound from the rear or too far away, making sure you have a clear recording with no unwanted noise coming from all around you.
The Rode Podcaster is a very simple, but elegant USB microphone that iMore managing editor Lory Gil has been using with great success for years.
'I use the Rode Podcaster bundle. It's easy to set up, sounds great, and the boom stand mounts to my desktop so I can swivel it into range when I need it. The Rode is specially designed for voice, so it has warm tones with even bass and the cardioid pattern isolates my voice so there isn't too much background noise being picked up.'* — Lory Gil, Managing Editor of iMore
Pros:
- Comes with stand
- Some with shock mount
- Excellent sound isolation
Excellent Sound Isolation
Rode Podcaster
Boom arm and shock mount included
The Rode Podcaster is a solid choice for anyone who wants to ensure that background noise is no issue when recording. It's included boom stand and shock mount make the microphone easy to use and reduce any accidental noises caused by the microphone moving.
Blue's newest USB microphone takes a lot of what people love about the Blue Yeti and shrinks it down (both in size and price) into a pretty compelling product. Both its cardioid and omnidirectional pickup patterns support sample rates up to 24-bit at 48Khz and it's included stand keeps it stable while recording so you don't get any noise from the microphone moving around.
Cons:
- No manual gain control
- Only two recording patterns
Smaller Yet
Blue Yeti Nano
A compact microphone that still offers a lot.
Both the cardioid and omnidirectional pickup patterns support sample rates up to 24-bit at 48Khz (which is slightly better than its larger cousin) and just like it's size, the price has also been cut down into a more affordable price range.
Great for Singer/Songwriter: Audio-Technica AT2020 USB
Functioning much like a traditional XLR microphone, the Audio-Technica AT2020USB is ideal for the singer/songwriter in you who loves to record digitally. Being a cardioid microphone, the AT2020 USB performs best when recording sound from a single source located in front of the microphone. What makes the AT2020 USB so great for musicians is its ability to easily fit into shock mounts and mic booms, allowing you to position the microphone perfectly in your space.
Pros:
- Shock mount compatible
- Live monitoring with headphone jack
- Plug-and-play
Great for Singer/Songwriter
Audio-Technica AT2020USB
Perfect for instruments and vocals
Being a cardioid microphone, the AT2020USB performs best when recording sound from a single source located in front of the microphone. 16bit/48kHz recording sample rate and ability to fit in most shock mounts and mic stands makes it perfect to record all sorts of instruments and vocals.
Although the Meteor is only meant to capture a single sound source, it does record all of its audio at a 16 bit, 48kHz sample rate, which means you're getting great sounding audio every time you sit in front of it. It's lightweight and quite compact, allowing you to transport the Meteor anywhere you need to go, so you never have to worry about sounding bad when you're on the road.
Pros:
- Super compact and portable
- Plug-and-play
- Inexpensive
Cons:
- Poor sound isolation
- Only one recording pattern
Budget Option
Samson Meteor
Perfectly portable to take anywhere
If you're just looking for a microphone that can help you sound clear on video calls, or on occasion record the odd conversation, the Samson Meteor is perfect. It's small and easy to carry around meaning you can always bring it anywhere with your MacBook, and its price can't be beaten.
Bottom line
Much like Rene has said the Blue Yeti is the best all-around microphone for most Mac users. It's four recording modes offer an incredible amount of versatility, meaning regardless of what you're trying to record, you should be able to get a high-quality recording. I have personally used my Blue Yeti to record podcasts with multiple guests, record guitar and vocals on a musical track, and every day for multiple Skype and Google Hangouts over the past couple years and I have never been disappointed.
Best Overall
Blue Yeti
Most features for the best price
With four recording modes, plug-and-play functionality, live monitoring via the headphone jack, and manual gain control, the Blue Yeti just offers the most versatile and conveinent experience for the best price.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Luke Filipowicz is an iMore staff writer who has been using microphones to record podcasts and even his band on his Mac.
Lory Gil is the Managing Editor of iMore and knows her way around a microphone, as she records multiple podcasts every week.
Rene Ritchie is the foremost authority on all things Apple and has insider knowledge about the goings on at the biggest tech company in the world. He uses microphones with his Mac everyday to record video, interviews, podcasts, and much more!
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If you use a speech recognition program such as Nuance's Dragon Dictate () or the new Dragon Express to dictate to your Mac, you may be using the default headset provided with the software, or you may have picked up some other kind of microphone to use for dictation. While the headset that Nuance includes with Dragon Dictate is acceptable, if you want to get better accuracy and use a comfortable microphone for speech recognition, it's worth looking at the many different types of mics available.
Here's an overview of the different types of microphones you can use with speech recognition software, how they work, and what might be the best mic for the way you work.
Three types of microphones
There are three types of microphones that you can use with speech recognition software. The most common type of microphone is a USB headset. Nuance includes one of these with boxed versions of Dragon Dictate. While the headset they provide is acceptable, there are many headsets that are much better.
The second type of microphone is wireless. There are two technologies for wireless: Bluetooth and DECT. Each offer different advantages and disadvantages.
Finally, you can use a desktop microphone, which allows you to work without wires or without wearing the mic. (Technically, you can use your Mac's internal microphone, or the one in your monitor if you use an Apple display, but this won't give you the best results with speech recognition software.)
Good headsets may cost more than the actual speech recognition software you use, but if you plan to spend a lot of time dictating, the amount of time you save using speech recognition software ensures that this investment will pay for itself very quickly.
Wired headsets: Basic tool for talking to a computer
Headsets are the most common type of microphone that people use to talk to a computer. You may be using a headset now to talk to friends or family via iChat or Skype, so using one for dictation won't seem very different. However, the type of headset you use to chat over the Internet is not at all what you need for speech recognition software.
First, consider the pros and cons of using a headset. On the plus side, headsets offer very good accuracy—speech recognition software will get more words right because the microphone connected to a headset is generally in a good position. On the other hand, headsets can be annoying to wear; they mess up your hair, and if you wear glasses, headsets press them against your head, and the wires that tether you to your computer can prevent you from moving around.
Speech recognition software is very sensitive to the quality of the voice the microphone pipes into your computer. This sound quality depends on the ambient noise in the environment in which you dictate. For this reason, headsets designed for speech recognition include noise canceling features that eliminate noises around you—be they the voices of your coworkers, the sounds of cars coming from an open window, or phones ringing in nearby offices.
For this reason, you cannot use just any headset for speech recognition. While Dragon Dictate may offer good accuracy with a cheap headset, you'll be spending a lot of time correcting mistakes, and it would probably be more efficient to type rather than dictate.
If you plan to do any serious dictation, you should look for headsets that are specifically designed for speech recognition. The $100 Plantronics Blackwire 435 is an interesting wired USB headset, with two separate earpieces that are connected together by wires, but that you can only wear using over–the–ear adapters. You can either use both of them if you want stereo sound, or just the one with the microphone boom if you're doing basic dictation or VoIP calls. This microphone is very light, and, in spite of of the fact that you have to wear it over your ear, is fairly comfortable. It also contains an in-line control device, allowing you to change the volume or mute the microphone whenever you want. However, while the accuracy is very good, there is a slight hiss in the earpiece, and a slight echo as my voice seems to come through the earpiece.
One company that makes headsets especially for speech recognition and use in noisy environments is theBoom C from UmeVoice. This $150 headset provides excellent accuracy, in part because it has a very long boom, the part of the headset that sticks out in front of your mouth with the actual microphone at its tip. While many headsets have a boom that positions the microphone near the corner of your mouth, headsets from theBoom have extra long booms, so the microphone is almost directly in front of your mouth. This headset offers excellent accuracy, but I found it to be one of the most uncomfortable headsets I have ever worn: it is hard plastic, and the shape doesn't fit well on my head. If you plan to use this type of headset, you should try it on first to see if you think you can wear it for a long time.
There are plenty of other headsets designed for speech recognition, and if you wish to use a wired headset, it's worth looking around to see which models are available.
Wireless headsets: Untether yourself
While wired headsets offer excellent accuracy, they keep you tied to your computer. That long, sinuous cable, that gets tangled whenever you reach for something at the far corner of your desk or knocks over your coffee cup, can be an annoyance. In addition, some people like to move around while they dictate; I like to stand up, pace in my office, and have nothing forcing me to remain seated at my desk. After all, one of the reasons to use dictation software is so you don't have to keep your hands on your keyboard.
As I mentioned previously, there are two types of wireless technology: Bluetooth and DECT. The former is commonly used for those tiny earpieces that people use with cell phones. Because of the way Bluetooth works and the way Bluetooth earpieces are designed, they don't offer good accuracy with speech recognition software. The frequency range of Bluetooth is somewhat limited, and Bluetooth earpieces are very short and their booms don't reach anywhere near the corner of your mouth. When I tested the Plantronics Voyager, a Bluetooth earpiece that Nuance used to provide with Dragon Dictate (Nuance now offers the Plantronics Calisto), the sound quality was poor and there was interference coming into my ear.
On the other hand, DECT technology offers clear advantages for use with speech recognition software. Plantronics' $280 Savi 440, a DECT headset, offers wideband audio, an extended frequency range, and a noise canceling microphone to provide much better quality audio than Bluetooth devices. In addition, DECT technology offers superior range than Bluetooth. You probably won't dictate 100 feet from your Mac, but you could with this headset; Bluetooth, however, is limited to around 30 feet, and even then, the reception isn't ideal. This headset also offers three different ways to wear it: a standard, over–the–head headband, with a cushion on the earpiece; a behind–the–neck headband; and an over–the–ear earpiece. I found the latter to be uncomfortable, and the behind–the–neck headband pressed against my glasses, causing irritation. In the end, the standard over–the–head headband turned out to be the most comfortable, and this microphone is so light that I barely notice it.
While accuracy is very good with this microphone, it is slightly inferior to a standard wired headset that has a boom closer to the front of the mouth. The Savi 440 is well-designed, however, with a longer boom than what you are used to seeing on a wireless earpiece; the boom almost reaches the corner of my mouth. Since the quality of the microphone itself is so good, this is an excellent microphone for speech recognition in a quiet environment.
Desktop microphones: Comfort and freedom
If you don't want to wear a mic, then a desktop microphone might be for you. The major disadvantages to a desktop mic is that it needs to be more or less in front of your mouth, and if you turn your head or stand up, recognition will suffer. But you are free from wires and annoying devices that mess up your hair, press against your glasses, or irritate your ears.
I tried several desktop microphones, and two models stood out. Blue Microphones' $150 Yeti is a very large, old-fashioned type of microphone, which is designed for making recordings on a computer. While not specifically designed for speech recognition, the Yeti offers excellent sound quality and works quite well with Dragon Dictate. If you choose the cardioid setting, the mic picks up sound in front rather than all around it, ensuring that background noise from behind the microphone is not picked up. In my tests, the Yeti offered very good accuracy, but given the size of the microphone, it can get in the way. If you plan to do other types of recordings in addition to dictation (such as podcasts), this is an excellent microphone that will allow you to do both.
Usb Microphone For Mac
For a desktop microphone that is both accurate and doesn't get in the way, SpeechWare's $279 USB 3-in-1 TableMike is certainly one of the best available. With wideband audio and noise cancellation, this microphone is designed specifically for speech recognition, and you can set it on your desk with the tip of the microphone more than a foot from your mouth and get excellent accuracy. The standard version of this microphone comes with a 15-inch flexible boom; I found this to be just a bit too short, requiring the microphone's base to be too close to my keyboard. The company also offers an optional telescopic boom that extends to 19 inches; I found this length to be ideal, allowing me to move the base just far enough away for it to be practical on my desk.
The disadvantage to desktop microphones is that there is a sweet spot for getting good recognition. You can turn your head a bit, and it will still work very well, but if you want to slide over to the side of your desk, or turn to the side to look at something, say, on a table next to your desk, then you either have to move the microphone or turn back to dictate.
The best microphone for you
In this overview, I have discussed the three different types of microphones that work well with speech recognition software. Each user will have different needs and imperatives, and you should consider these carefully before investing in an expensive microphone. Ideally, you should make sure that you can return your purchase if it doesn't suit you.
For me, wearing a headset is an annoyance. Being tied to my computer by a wire is exactly what I don't want if I'm using speech recognition software to dictate to my Mac. However, I work in a home office with little background noise. If you work in a busy office with lots of people chattering and phones ringing around you, you may need a headset because the position of the microphone boom in front of your mouth will ensure that the noise canceling blocks out all that ambient sound.
Best Microphone For Mac Mini
Wireless microphones are wonderful, especially the Plantronics Savi 440 that I tested, but since they work on batteries, you have to make sure that they stay charged. (The Savi 440 has a charging base, and you can buy additional batteries to switch when you need.) Some of them can be very uncomfortable, especially if they just hook over your ear. Wearing them for long periods of time can be annoying.
The epiphany that I had when testing all these microphones was discovering that a good desktop microphone such as the TableMike offers numerous advantages. The accuracy of this microphone, even at a distance of around 12 inches from my mouth, is as good as any headset; in a quiet environment, even 18 inches is fine. Also, with this microphone on my desk, I don't need to reach for a headset and put it on my head if I only want to dictate a paragraph or two, such as to reply to an email. I can keep the mic handy, with its flexible boom in a vertical position, then, if I want to dictate something, bend the boom, activate the microphone in Dragon Dictate, and start talking. This microphone is even good enough that I can lean back in my chair and dictate in a comfortable position; I'm not locked into a rigid position as with other desktop microphones.
There are literally hundreds of microphones that you can use speech recognition. They fit into the three families have described here, and prices range from $50 to several hundred dollars. Given the difference in quality among these microphones, you definitely get what you pay for. If you plan to use dictation software frequently, you should seriously think of investing in a good microphone.
[Senior contributor Kirk McElhearn writes about more than just Macs on his blog Kirkville. Twitter: @mcelhearn Kirk is the author of Take Control of Scrivener 2.]
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