What's that? USB stands for Universal Serial Bus? Okay, but when you consider what it does in the studio, it's understandable some might think it has the alternate meaning in the title.
Of course, there are so many USB audio and MIDI interfaces--as well as controllers--that we're not even going to go there. Instead, we're going to delve into USB mics, and sprinkle additional tips and techniques on getting the most out of USB. So, let's get on the bus--it's quite a ride.
USB MICS: STUPID IDEA OR INSANELY GREAT?
Plugging a mic into a USB port seems weird: Mics are analog devices, and so it shall ever be. Except it isn't any more, because we have USB mics that plug into your computer's digital innards. Say what?
Some “real" recording engineers don't take USB mics seriously, because of a few inherent limitations--but after working with USB mics for well over a year, I've become a fan. Let's look at the limitations first, then get to the good stuff.
You're locked into a specific A/D converter. A standard analog mic can plug it into any A/D converter for digital recording, so you can take advantage of technological improvements and match your needs to your budget. A USB mic's A/D converter can't be changed--but A/D conversion technology has matured to the point where quality differences among A/D converters are relatively small. While that $70 USB mic might not have the “converters of the gods," it's not going to suck.
USB mics are disposable. The computer world changes so fast there's no guarantee the USB bus will even exist in ten years--but your 1950s vintage mic will still plug into a preamp. Although sE Electronics hedges their bets with a dual-output mic, that adds to the cost and so far, is not the norm. So yes, it's likely your USB mic will have a limited life span. But thanks to aggressive pricing and the convenience factor, your USB mic will have paid for itself many times over by the time you have to retire it to your personal Museum of High-Tech Things that Are Now Doorstops.
USB was never designed for audio. There are two problems with audio over USB: voltage (there's no +48V for phantom power) and, for lack of a better term, “dirt"--peripherals on your USB bus (e.g., hard drives) can spray clicks and noise onto the bus. Proper filtering can reduce the noise, and voltages can be multiplied; how well a manufacturer addresses these two issues is one of the main differences among USB mics.
And now, let's look at the good stuff--because if there wasn't good stuff, I wouldn't be writing this article.
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