Budget USB mic for recording guitar and vocals.

Hi everyone,

I’m new here but it seems like everyones pretty generous with their advice so here goes.

I’ve read a load of posts/threads here and on other sites but everyone has a completely different
opinion and as a beginner its easy to get confused and overwhelmed by the amount of choice!

I’m after a mic to record acoustic guitar and vocals on my windows 7 laptop. I’m on a budget of under
£100/$150 and I have no experience of recording.

After some reading I was tempted to go with a blue snowball USB mic but It then read on amazon
customer reviews that they break very easily. I understand that with a normal mic you need
something called phantom power and other things.

I’d really like to get something that just plugs and plays but I dont want to compromise on quality
by settling for a USB mic.

So I guest my main points are…

  • Normal mics need other items and are more expensive?
  • USB easier but lose quality?
  • Snowball breaks easily, any alternatives?
  • Whats the best option for a beginner who wants ease of use on a budget of £100/$150

I hope this is enough info. Any help greatly appreciated!

thanks!

See here: https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/microphone-set/24916/1

I’ve not used a Snowball mic, but like you I’ve read mixed reviews.