Re: [Harp-L] Samson Meteor USB Mic

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

philharpn@xxxxxxx wrote:
<Saw an ad for a desktop retro-looking 6-inch USB Samson Meteor mic in a 
<  guitar magazine that I get. The photo looks great and a couple of 
<youtubeos said it would be available at Best Buy in April.
<
<Anybody have any experience with this? Some of the comments said it was 
<superior to other USB mics because mic element is larger than most.
<
<Or this there a better mic out there that works better for this job of 
<casual recording?

I haven't tried this mic.  In its price range, there's a fair amount of competition, including the Audio Technica AT2020 USB, AT's USB version of a well-regarded large diaphragm condenser mic, plus models from Blue and other manufacturers.  

Where condenser mics are concerned, for $100 you get good, not amazing, but the good is really pretty good, and most harp players will find that acoustic harp recordings in particular are much better with a mic like this than with an SM57 or SM58. (Though I find that a Fireball produces a very nice acoustic harp sound, and you can cup the Fireball in your hands, unlike a large diaphragm condenser.) 

I think the best way to buy a mic for recording is to go to the nearest musical instrument store, set up 4-5 mics in your price range side by side, and record the same passage through all of them into a multi-track recording device.  Then you can compare the tracks to see which you like best.  That's really the only way you're going to figure out which of the $100 condensers out there is best for you.

If you've already got a Fireball, you might be just as well off at a lower price point by buying a USB mic interface such as the Blue Icicle:
http://backstage.musiciansfriend.com/Pro-Audio/Computers-Peripherals/Computer-Audio-Interfaces-Convertors/Icicle-XLR-to-USB-Mic-Converter-Mic-Preamp.site1sku330275000000000.sku

That device will let you run the Fireball straight into the computer, and it gives you a headphone jack so you can monitor what's going on.  And it's about half the price of a mic.

Even less expensive: a cable from Nady with an XLR connector for a mic at one end and a USB connector for your computer at the other:
http://backstage.musiciansfriend.com/Pro-Audio/Computers-Peripherals/Computer-Audio-Interfaces-Convertors/UIC-10-USB-Interface-Cable--10.site1sku582724000000000.sku

Regards, Richard Hunter



  

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