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USB microphones

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on USB microphones:

Sound like a superhero with new wireless AI gaming microphone

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Maono DM40 Pro Wireless Gaming Microphone
In white or black, Maono's new USB/Wireless microphone offers AI-powered voice effects and more.
Photo: Maono

The new Maono DM40 Pro Wireless Gaming Microphone brings professional-grade audio quality and cool features like AI voice effects, the company said Tuesday. Also sporting Apple-esque design sensibilities, the new mic looks like a great companion for your Mac gaming and streaming setup. And you can get 10% off right now, too.

Add great audio to your workstation the easy way [Setups]

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Blue Yeti mic
This user's Blue Yeti mic on a nice boom arm plus a Behringer audio interface get the job done.
Photo: [email protected]

Sometimes a computer setup showed off on social media demonstrates just how easy and affordable it can be to add a nice set of audio gear for podcasting, streaming, Zoom meetings and more. Today’s M4 iMac workstation sets a good example. It not only includes AirPods Max, Apple’s premium over-ear headphones. It also features one of the most popular USB microphones mounted on a boom arm, plus a capable audio interface. And it’s all pretty much plug and play, so the user can start broadcasting or recording in minutes.

New Shure smart mic doubles as audio interface

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Shure MV7i Smart Microphone and Interface
The new mic makes two-channel recording so easy you don't even need a separate audio interface.
Photo: Shure

A potentially big development for Apple-focused content creators is on display at 2025 NAMM Show, as Shure shows off the new MV7i Smart Microphone and Interface it first unveiled earlier this month at CES 2025, calling it a first of its kind.

The innovative $350 mic brings professional-grade two-channel recording capabilities to Apple’s ecosystem, eliminating the need for a separate audio interface. You can plug an XLR mic or instrument right into Shure’s new mic. And you can connect it to Apple devices via USB-C to work with tracks using Shure’s MOTIV audio and video apps.

Cool peripherals up M4 Mac mini’s game even more [Setups]

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gaming peripherals setup
You can see the user's HyperX microphone and Corsair gaming mouse in this photo.
Photo: [email protected]

Today’s M4 Mac mini user was once devoted to MacBook Pro. And he still owns two of the laptops, for work and personal use, but he recently added a new M4 Pro Mac mini, and he absolutely loves it. He’s into gaming, so he added cool gaming peripherals like a mechanical keyboard and microphone from HyperX and a light-and-speedy mouse from Corsair. Check them out, along with all the rest of the setup’s gear, below.

Video editor keeps vocals clear with Maono dynamic microphone [Setups]

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Maono PD200X dynamic microphone
You can buy the affordable microphone in a kit that includes a boom arm.
Photo: [email protected]

These days, all sort of people need a microphone in their Mac computer setup — podcasters, streamers, gamers, videoconferencers or anyone recording pretty much anything. The list goes on. Today’s featured M1 Pro MacBook pro user, a video editor, relies on the Maono PD200X dynamic microphone, which packs both XLR and USB modes, to keep his vocal work clear.

Killer MacBook Pro rig enjoys awesome audio recording and playback [Setups]

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Shure MV7 USB microphone setup
A Shure MV7 USB microphone on a nice stand and Audioengine speakers keep the audio clear here.
Photo: [email protected]

If you’re going to sound your best on podcasts, online videos or conference calls, it helps to invest in a USB microphone. Today’s MacBook Pro setup takes advantage of a USB mic from the excellent brand Shure. And the user throws in a nice pair of Audioengine speakers for loud-and-clear playback, too.

Modern-classic USB mic serves up audio to Mac Studio [Setups]

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Blue Yeti USB microphone
Blue Microphones' Blue Yeti and Snowball mics were hits before Logitech bought the company. In this photo, a Blue Yeti peeks out from under the left end of the central monitor.
Photo: [email protected]

Not many USB microphones favored by streamers and podcasters eclipse the big names like Shure, Sennheiser and Rode. But one example that comes close is the Blue Yeti USB mic. Once a rising mainstay in a oddball startup’s lineup, now it’s a mainstay for peripherals giant Logitech. And it remains popular and even award-winning. Today’s Mac Studio rig relies on one.

Here’s a good way to mount your USB microphone [Setups]

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Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ Microphone setup
This well-equipped setup features an Audio-Technica microphone with shock mount on an Elgato arm.
Photo: [email protected]

If you want to sound good on video calls or podcasts, you need a good mic like the Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ Microphone with shock mount in today’s MacBook Pro setup. And the user can move it around easily enough because he places it on a low-profile Elgato microphone arm.

Get a pro-grade USB mic for less than $48

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Improve your podcasts or livestreams with this $48 JLab US microphone.
Take $100 off this versatile USB mic from Lab with 4 directional modes.
Photo: Take $100 off this versatile USB mic from JLab that offers four directional modes.

Podcasters, game streamers, vloggers and all other types of content creators realize how crucial it is to invest in quality audio gear. But getting a great USB microphone can cost far less than you might think.

At just $47.99 (regularly $149), this USB microphone from JLab proves that you don’t need to break the bank to sound like a true professional.

New gadget makes your XLR microphone work with your computer

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This would be less expensive most really nice USB microphones.
This would be less expensive most really nice USB microphones.
Photo: Shure

If you have a high-quality XLR microphone, how do you use it with your computer? Shure made that easier Monday with its new MXV2U USB digital audio interface that turns XLR mics into USB mics.

Using the simple, compact interface, you can adapt any XLR mic to USB and start recording, podcasting, streaming and more.

Convert any XLR microphone to USB with this adapter

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No need to buy a USB mic. Just use your XLR mic with Shure's adapter.
No need to buy a USB mic. Just use your XLR mic with Shure's adapter.
Photo: Shure

If you’re a content creator and you have an XLR microphone, you don’t necessarily need to buy a USB microphone to interface with your computer for uses like streaming and podcasting. Shure’s got you covered with its new Digital Audio Interface. It converts any XLR mic to USB for easy use directly with a computer.

Hey podcasters, get a monstrous deal on a Blue Yeti Nano USB mic

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The Blue Yeti Nano is an easy, plug-and-play option.
The Blue Yeti Nano is an easy, plug-and-play option.
Photo: Logitech for Creators

If you’re thinking of starting a podcast — better hurry up, every single person on earth has one, it seems — you need a good USB microphone.

And now you can get a good deal on a popular one, as Amazon has knocked 30% off the regular price of a Blue Yeti Nano USB Microphone.

That’s a savings of $30 on what was already a pretty affordable mic for podcasters and streamers.

Blue’s Nessie USB Microphone Is A Monster In The Best Sense Of The Word [Review]

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photo(1)

Nessie by Blue Microphones
Category: USB Microphone
Works With: iMac, MacBook
Price: $99.95

A seriously condensed condenser mic, Blue’s Nessie (named after the famous Loch Ness monster) advertises itself as one of the premier USB microphones out there, a device capable of capturing studio-quality recordings for everything from polished music demos to broadcast-standard voiceovers.

Rode Podcaster USB Microphone: You’re Going To Like The Way You Sound, I Guarantee It [Review]

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podcaster3
The Rode Podcaster next to an iPhone for scale.

If you’ve spent much time podcasting, Skyping, recording any kind of audio on your Mac, you’ve no doubt found its built-in microphone woefully inadequate. Well if you’re ready to toss down some Benjamins for an upgrade, the Rode Podcaster Microphone ($230) is a rich-sounding, easy-to-use option you should consider.

Hands-On with the Yeti Pro, the Most Versatile USB Microphone on the Market (Review)

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post-92253-image-b72556c7c05f5d0b38c4b634a0894b07-jpg

In 2009, Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics (Blue) released the Yeti, a wonderfully talented little microphone that many, especially many podcasters, took notice of then proceeded to fall in love with. The Yeti was beautiful, dead-simple to use, and very Mac friendly. Yeti was also the first USB mic to allow users to record in any one of four different polar patterns (four I say!) making it incredibly versatile. And now, with the Yeti Pro, Blue is making their hit mic even better.