EM-Series, USB Condenser Microphone (EM-USB)

Update: I have now owned both versions of this mic (USB and XLR). I bought it a 2nd time. See video. I got the EM91C (XLR Version) from Amazon. I recently sold it after 5 months, because I wanted to try another mic and it lost compared to the used AT 2035 I bought, and the Behringer XM8500, which is really what I consider the budget king of mics, if you want something with character for podcasting and gaming. Liking the XM8500, I sold the Mackie and purchased a Behringer SB78A. That mic is also decent for the money, but only if you talk straight into it and de-ess / cut highs. Back to the Mackie.... I bought the Mackie after seeing the video review on Podcastage, and it is exactly as expected and reviewed there. Before you buy this mic, look at the spec sheet and know this mic has the highs rolled off compared to other condensers. Because of this, you will find this mic works well for simple long form spoken word, but you'll want to add a low cut (also called high pass) around 100hz, or it will sound muffled or muddy. It is not a good choice for instruments or singers who want a big/wide sound, IMHO. If you want something for music, my suggestion is to spend a bit more for the wider but neutral AT2035 (Which is a step up from the 2020, and doesn't have the 2020's slight excessive high boost) OR spend a little more on the AT4040 (used they are a great buy for the money) which is a studio standard. Bander from Podcastage talked about what instruments he liked and did not like this mic on. If you want a big sound as cheap as possible, skip the cheap condensers and get a Behringer XM8500. Nothing below $100 comes close to it. The Mackie excels at long form spoken word, specifically for those who have overly-sibilant voices (harsh "S's" in speech). I EQ'd the bass to roll off from around 100hz, and it's not required, but I also pulled it down a bit between strategic places at 250 and 500hz . I also brightened the highs maybe 2db from 5,000hz up, but I also feel you don't have to do that unless you want to brighten it more. I like how it handles sibilance. Without EQ, its character borders on dull and a bit overbearing in the lows -- you may not like it 'up close' until you roll off below 100hz. Once you do, the mic's character becomes pleasing. This is a mic which provides a very pleasant long form sound for someone like me -- a teacher looking to create clean vocals for 30 minute teaching videos, so long as I trim those lows below 100hz to balance it out. With the muddy lows removed, this does a better job of keeping room noise out of the mic compared to my "better" mics, and has a forward-sounding mid to low-midrange. More on that, below. Next, as a teacher, I don't have to be right up on this mic face-first, like with what dynamic mics tend to need before they drop volume. I can move around a little. This mic is also a nice kit with a shock mount and mic. There are other mics cheaper than this that sound "OK" but have harsh Chinese-like highs that become annoying, or are just kind of meh (Neewer). There are better mics for $30 more than this (Blue Ember) but they don't provide a shock mount, and you're soon sinking more money into them and find yourself far out of the Mackie's price range. The Neat Worker and King Bee mics, a bit more but in the budget range, also sound very nice, but have a very "different" look to them, and I've seen reviewers complain that noise was getting into those mics from outside sources. I haven't experienced this issue with the Mackie. So for what it is, this mic is an OK value, and very usable if you EQ a fair amount. Would I buy it again? Doubtful. I'd spend less and get the XM8500, or along a more condenser-like style, an AT2020 or 2035. Note that I have a moderately well-treated recording room, with several thick moving blankets covering the walls and laying around. If you cannot pull off a room like this, avoid the larger diaphram condensers and get a dynamic mic like the Behringer xm8500, Samson Q2U or Shure SM58. Or look into that Behringer SB78A, which is a small diaphram condenser in a handheld format (it does well at rejecting noise). Those are excellent, but you will need to get in closer and add a sponge or pop filter.

Sound quality is excellent. Profile is low enough that it’s not visible on camera, and in-ear monitors plugged directly into the base keep everything almost invisible. The brilliant part here is the mixer, and the 1/4” input jack, which is perfect for streamers who want to play guitar or keyboard and talk/sing and monitor the mix — all through one device. Really impressive engineering here and works a treat on Win 10 and Win 11.

Received and unpacked today, just did my first trial recording, and I am very happy with this microphone. I connected it to the USB port on my Bronze-Age (2012) Mac Mini, and ran Stone-Age GarageBand 6.0.5, and they recognized this mic with no compatibility problems at all. I did some test recording of acoustic guitar, and the recordings sound fantastic. The package included the USB cable (6'), and a nice little tripod desk stand. The mic itself feels very solid and well-built. Very happy with this microphone, especially considering that I got a very good price with some special Amazon deal.

Hi, beatboxer here. This microphone slaps, I use it as a bass mic for my throat bass/vibration bass, it sounds good and does exactly what I need it to do, the quality isn't the highest, but for what its worth, it does fantastic. It's easy to setup, since if you're buying this, I expect you to already have a XLR microphone amp already wired and ready to use, but if not I recommend just getting something around 40 - 100 if you're on a budge with high, mid or low frequence volume equalizers. You can hear my voice pretty clear from afar as well, unlike the Shure SM58 (my main microphone which you have to almost have directly to your mouth just to hear me). At super high volumes, it can cause some unwanted noise here and there, but honestly... we're spitting instruments from our mouths left and right so yeah haha. Overall great budget microphone I have been using for a while now, 100% recommend for BBXers on a budget or just starting

Sounds amazing, picks up my voice very well, size is very good, not too big or heavy. Works with obs, discord and everything I needed on Windows 11. You do need an XLR sound device to run this, super clear quality! I've owned a lot of mics over the years and this one does great for vocal work, chatting with friends on discord and recording voiceovers.

I'm very happy with the Mackie microphone. It has very good gain and is built very well. It came with a mic holder that fit's properly and a mic cord, so for the price it is a great value. I'm only using it for speech, but the talker comes though very clear. I have no doubt that it would work very well for a singer as well.

Awsome mic!

For the price point, this microphone can’t be beat. Bought one for myself as I needed a better microphone for home voiceover work. So impressed that I bought one for the school I teach at as well as for my school office setup. Signal to noise ratio is fairly low. Highly recommend you try this one out!