Radio World - April 8, 2009 - (Page 32) Tech Updates Inside Buyer’s Guide Radio World SPECIAL REPORT Microphones & Audio Monitors April 8, 2009 USB Mics: Ready for Prime Time? They’re Convenient, Cheap and Easy to Use, But Are They Ready for Broadcast Exposure? by Brett Moss Unless you’ve been under the radio broadcasting rock, you probably are aware that microphones that use a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector are a hot item from microphone makers these days. Everyone from Audio-Technica and Shure to MXL and Samson are joining the USB bandwagon. And make no mistake, USB microphones are not a fad. If anything there will be more of them and they are migrating from the lower end towards the higher end. 44.1 kHz limitation At the current time, USB microphones are occupying the lower rung of quality, so to say. The typical “USB audio” chip is a 16-bit/44.1 kHz kitten, not a 24bit/96 kHz lion. These chips were developed as a cheap, universal audio input source for use with computers. Laptop “on the road” usage has proven especially popular. Podcasts and similar programming were the content targets, along with users of inexpensive Garage Band-style music production software. While this USB audio quality is nominally “CD quality,” quality was not as important as simply having an audio signal. And the lower bandwidth specs for Internet audio were and still are relatively undemanding. Michael Goodman, managing director of CEntrance, the maker of the MicPort Pro USB interface, is blunt: “USB mics currently on the market use the qualitylimited 16-bit/44.1 kHz chip, designed originally for computer audio headsets. The audio quality therefore is insufficient for pro audio applications and that’s why USB mics have not yet caught on for professional use.” Al Peterson, production director at program syndicator Radio America and RW contributor, said: “USB mics are great when you need to digitize directly to a laptop without a dedicated interface. A decent USB mic and a laptop allows a VO artist, podcaster, reporter or field correspondent to produce quality audio anywhere. — Steve Savanyu But a lot of radio audio producers in the field don’t want to jeopardize an expensive computer much less a condenser mic [with a USB adapter] — both relatively fragile items.” But as with all things involving computer technology, things improve quickly (and often the price goes down). Computer chip designers are building commoditized (re: cheap) native 24bit/96 kHz chips and microphone manufacturers are taking advantage of them. And now that broadcast ENG operators run around armed with laptops, audio quality has become a rightful concern. USB mics are an especially interesting idea for broadcast ENG users and producers/talent on the road. The USB part of the mic carries the preamp so a separate preamp (or mini mixer or DAC) becomes unnecessary, saving valuable space and weight in the kit. Also, the USB cable tends to be lighter MXL Microphones 009 than the traditional XLR cable. The downside is that the USB cable is less durable and the connector tends to slide out of the computer far easier than the sometimes locking XLR connector slips out of its mate. Plug and play USB mics also try to be easy to use. Their “plug-and-play” specification means that they should plug into any computer (of relatively recent vintage) and be immediately recognized. Many USB mics ship in “packages.” Sometimes these packages include simple or “lite” versions of popular DAW or recording software. Some even include a mic stand. Sometimes these mic stands are more than toy stands and actually function USB Microphone/Adapter Manufacturers Audio-Technica Blue Mics CAD CEntrance MXL Røde Samson Shure www.audio-technica.com www.bluemic.com www.cadmics.com www.centrance.com www.mxlmics.com www.rodemic.com www.samsontech.com www.shure.com 330-686-2600 818-879-5200 800-762-9266 847-581-0500 800-800-6608 805-566-7777 631-784-2200 800-257-4873 http://www.audio-technica.com http://www.bluemic.com http://www.cadmics.com http://www.centrance.com http://www.mxlmics.com http://www.yellowtec.com http://www.rodemic.com http://www.samsontech.com http://www.yellowtec.com http://www.shure.com
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