So-so reviews at amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Avid-Technology-Vocal-Studio/dp/B0041OSWUQ

Nice review and comparison on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh4oJ8HlGSU

Bought it for the mic, will throw out the software - there is better open source. The mic is top notch and a steal for this price. Great for podcasting or laying a vocal over some video in your NLE suite - not the best by far, but certainly not the worst. Gets the job done and at a good price.

I'm first sucker (again). LOL

gregbowman wrote:Bought it for the mic, will throw out the software - there is better open source. The mic is top notch and a steal for this price.

What open source audio software do you use? I too purchased one and am waiting to see how she sounds.

I got this on woot a couple of years ago. The mic is sturdily built (although the stand can get knocked over by the wind). The sound is excellent for podcasting/voice recording.

Krye5 wrote:What open source audio software do you use? I too purchased one and am waiting to see how she sounds.

Audacity - completely FREE (as in beer) http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

I use Soundforge ( http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/soundforgesoftware ) for a lot of my stuff (not cheap). Audacity does some things better.

I bought this same one a month ago through the WootOff, and I've got to say that this mic is awesome for podcasting and voice audio. I use it mostly for gaming but it works great. I do recommend buying a pop-filter for this one. The only drawbacks I have is the mic stand (it topples easily if you boop it), and the included software is mediocre (just use audacity FREE). I would definitely recommend this mic for any starters wanting to save $50.

BTW - this was a Moofi the other day - I guess "promoting" it to tech.woot gets a lot more page views / sales . . . or maybe the vendor found more quantity.

Make a pop filter - here's one example: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-very-cheap-homemade-pop-filter/ - there are tons more on the Web, you can buy a half decent one for $10-$20 USD on Amazon but frankly, the home-made pop filters will sound a little better IME. Plus if you've got a 8-12 year old it makes for a good rainy day project and a lesson in acoustics, physics, etc. (not to mention the quality time - which is priceless). The music and art teacher at my son's school team up and do a pop filter project every year with the third graders prior to their music program at Christmas.

gregbowman wrote:Audacity - completely FREE (as in beer) http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

I use Soundforge ( http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/soundforgesoftware ) for a lot of my stuff (not cheap). Audacity does some things better.

Double plus recommendation for Audacity. Pretty handy program, and yep... it's free.

I know almost nothing about audio and I can never figure out whether one of these fancy microphones would be any use or not. I make YouTube videos so my voice ends up getting compressed to hell and back before anyone hears it, but since nobody on the Internet ever wants to make any comparison videos or anything I have no idea if a nice microphone would make a difference or whether just using my Sennheiser gaming headset's little mic is as good as the recording is ever going to need to be. Does anyone have any comparisons of quality between this and your average headset mic?

I'm trying to build a home studio. Is this thing going to hiss, pop, and crackle on the recording? I need a solid vocal condenser mic without a solid vocal condenser mic price. Is this my miracle? HELP!

Can this be plugged into an Ipad or Iphone?

okay, found this on Woot and decided to go with this purchase: check it out...very cool
http://www.woot.com/offers/mobile-mixer-ipad-stand-bundle-6

I bought this last time it was up on woot, and I must say that the mic is great -especially for this price. The mic is equal to other $100 mics. The software is apparently crap and so I didn't even install it. Instead, I used the opensource Audacity.

Well...got to thinking, this Avid microphone would actually work great WITH this:
http://www.woot.com/offers/mobile-mixer-ipad-stand-bundle-6

The mixer has the port to add a mic.

What the heck, it will be fun to play with both. Gonna give it a try.

Depends on the quality you want. This is a good microphone, but if you want something professional quality, you'll need something better. My advise in that case would be the Rode NT1-a. This microphone is fairly inexpensive, and tends to work very well with most all voice types. You can find it from reputable sellers on Ebay for about $100. This is one of the best microphones you can get while staying cheap.

brendan948725 wrote:I'm trying to build a home studio. Is this thing going to hiss, pop, and crackle on the recording? I need a solid vocal condenser mic without a solid vocal condenser mic price. Is this my miracle? HELP!

I'm looking for a mic that I can use to pick up both piano and vocal at the same time. Anyone know how well this would work?

straub wrote:I'm looking for a mic that I can use to pick up both piano and vocal at the same time. Anyone know how well this would work?

Your best bet is going to be either get two mics, one recording your voice and once recording your piano, and feeding them both into your computer at the same time. This mic will work fine for your voice, but I can't say the same for the piano.

also

-ahem-

OH MY GOD I'VE NEEDED A NEW MIC FOR OVER A YEAR NOW FINALLY MY SEARCH FOR A CHEAP QUALITY MIC IS OVER

....Yeah. I've been using a Rock Band USB mic for ages, and while it's somewhat passable, it's nowhere near the quality I've been needing.

brendan948725 wrote:I'm trying to build a home studio. Is this thing going to hiss, pop, and crackle on the recording? I need a solid vocal condenser mic without a solid vocal condenser mic price. Is this my miracle? HELP!

To be honest MXL mics are the way to go. There is a bundle which has 2 condenser mics for $70. Great reviews but its not usb. But since you said its for your home studio, It's safe to assume you have an input for mics. The 990 is great for vocals, the 991 pencil condenser is great for instruments and vocals. Heres the link:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/mxl-990-991-recording-microphone-package

I wonder if this can be used with DJ audio controller for making announcements while DJing. Does anyone know?

straub wrote:I'm looking for a mic that I can use to pick up both piano and vocal at the same time. Anyone know how well this would work?

Have to recommend the MXL mics again here. The bundle linked below comes with 2 mics, and the pencil condenser mic is great for instruments.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/mxl-990-991-recording-microphone-package

I recommend these for ppl who need quality recordings, like in a home studio. The AVID mic will work, but recording over USB is not the best reccomendation for anything except voice work, like podcasting.

brendan948725 wrote:I'm trying to build a home studio. Is this thing going to hiss, pop, and crackle on the recording? I need a solid vocal condenser mic without a solid vocal condenser mic price. Is this my miracle? HELP!

No this will be suitable for basic voiceover assuming you're not a professional looking for a professional mic at this price. It will work well, but the second you hear a $500 or $1000 mic you'll covet it.

The SE version of the software is free all over the place. I think I have it somewhere. It limits the amount of tracks if I remember correctly, but again if you're just using it to do voiceover that won't matter.

bonzi77 wrote:Your best bet is going to be either get two mics, one recording your voice and once recording your piano, and feeding them both into your computer at the same time. This mic will work fine for your voice, but I can't say the same for the piano.

also

-ahem-

OH MY GOD I'VE NEEDED A NEW MIC FOR OVER A YEAR NOW FINALLY MY SEARCH FOR A CHEAP QUALITY MIC IS OVER

....Yeah. I've been using a Rock Band USB mic for ages, and while it's somewhat passable, it's nowhere near the quality I've been needing.

There are a lot of cheap condensers on the market now, mxl is a great cheap choice. I'll agree with the previous respondant that you'll probably want two or three mics depending on the style of piano and the style of recording. If you only have one mic you'll probably want to record the piano first and then the vocals. I can't speak for the specific response on this mic vs. others but the price is right and if you can overdub then you'll have what you need.

kkrathi wrote:I wonder if this can be used with DJ audio controller for making announcements while DJing. Does anyone know?

it can... but a condenser mic will pick up a lot of the room noise. You'll probably want a dynamic if you don't like piercing feedback. Constantly.

gina3graces wrote:Can this be plugged into an Ipad or Iphone?

If you have a USB port.

Krye5 wrote:What open source audio software do you use? I too purchased one and am waiting to see how she sounds.

I'd assume audacity, but reaper has an unlimited demo period with no feature restrictions. Not to mention that the paid version is super cheap. I've used them for several years now (after moving out of pirated software).

I know very little about mics.
I know very little aout Skype.

I do know that the built in mic in our webcam SUX big time.

Would this be an upgrade from the internal mic in an external webcam? The cam covers the entire living room, and our hope is to get a mic that will pick up voices throughout the room as we Skype with family and friends.

gillamonstar wrote:I know very little about mics.
I know very little aout Skype.

I do know that the built in mic in our webcam SUX big time.

Would this be an upgrade from the internal mic in an external webcam? The cam covers the entire living room, and our hope is to get a mic that will pick up voices throughout the room as we Skype with family and friends.

Don't want to overload you with detail, but the answer is 'maybe' edging towards 'probably'. The fundamental issue is that most mics meant for voice work are made specifically not to "pick up the whole room". Ironically, the types that do - omnidirectional mics - are among the least expensive out there. But without going into a lot of detail, IF you place this mic very near the screen pointing towards the people looking at the screen AND the people talk to the screen said it were a person who is as far away from them as the screen is AND no one is more than 10 ft away you'll probably do better with this. It won't sound like everyone has their own individual mic on, but it'll sound better than the webcam trying to decide which of those voices is noise and eliminating it.

Search MCA SP1 or

http://www.amazon.com/MCA-SP1-Small-Diaphragm-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B003VP9VI8

I own two and used them professionally, as in I make a living with them.

kkrathi wrote:I wonder if this can be used with DJ audio controller for making announcements while DJing. Does anyone know?

More than likely not. Most consoles I've seen does not include an USB audio input. If yours does, however, you'd be gold. This is a good mic for the price.

I also use audacity and it is an excellent program.

I've see and heard of Moofi before. What is the web address for moofi? Is there always an item on it? How do you know when there is a new item on it? If I enter http://moofi.woot.com into my browser bar, it takes me back to the standard woot! page.

I know, I ask a lot of questions. Thanks for any help in finding this page on a regular basis.

Also, does anyone know if this mic would work with the old Wii system, to play any of the band/music games?

gregbowman wrote:Make a pop filter - here's one example: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-very-cheap-homemade-pop-filter/ - there are tons more on the Web, you can buy a half decent one for $10-$20 USD on Amazon but frankly, the home-made pop filters will sound a little better IME. Plus if you've got a 8-12 year old it makes for a good rainy day project and a lesson in acoustics, physics, etc. (not to mention the quality time - which is priceless). The music and art teacher at my son's school team up and do a pop filter project every year with the third graders prior to their music program at Christmas.

@GregBowman, 'appears you have your head screwed on right! (offspring prioities) We can learn from you.

Who'd a thunk there'd be such woot comment richness for a mic? ;-) Cool.

Q: can you use with iPad?

tunkamerica wrote:If you have a USB port.

Generally, no you can't plug this into an iPad, even with a USB adapter. There are also power use considerations.

[If there is new/better info on this, let me know!]

Your best bet is to get an XLR mic (see my earlier post on the MCA SP1)and a powered XLR to iPad adapter. Logitech and others make them, and they include a volume adjustment for recording.

I think you're going to be disappointed. The mixer has a "microphone port" but the microphone doesn't have a "microphone plug" -- it has a USB connection that will NOT plug into the mixer. Sorry.

gina3graces wrote:Well...got to thinking, this Avid microphone would actually work great WITH this:
http://www.woot.com/offers/mobile-mixer-ipad-stand-bundle-6

The mixer has the port to add a mic.

What the heck, it will be fun to play with both. Gonna give it a try.

brendan948725 wrote:I'm trying to build a home studio. Is this thing going to hiss, pop, and crackle on the recording? I need a solid vocal condenser mic without a solid vocal condenser mic price. Is this my miracle? HELP!

One of the Amazon reviews said that it was not ideal for singing. It didn't accurately capture the resonance of the voice and harmonic partials.

I've tried it with Pro Tools and with Audacity. Pro Tools can be frustrating when it won't load, but I get a lot of background noise (white noise?) when I used Audacity that isn't present with Pro Tools.

And yes, I use a pop filter. Made it out of nylons, an embroidery hoop, a battery cable end (I only needed one for my car, but you have to buy two at a time and it fit perfects on the included mic stand), and a mechanics snake mirror that I had laying around. I cut the handle off of the mirror, removed the mirror, cinched the hoop to the snake (wrapped the chrome snake in black electric tape) where the mirror was, and crushed the end of the snake where the battery cable should have gone.

Anyone know what the version number of the software is?