Which brings us to the now infamous Podcast.. Podcasting amongst other things has really begun to explode over the last few years, with the number of Podcasts produced increasing by more than 30% between years 2010 and 2011. It's as easy to start a podcast as it is to hit play in Garageband and start talking. Getting people to listen? Well that's another task altogether. In the same period of 2010 to 2011, podcast listener-ship has stayed relatively the same without any noticeable increase. So the question which now rises is 'how does someone get a percentage of those listeners in a market that is becoming more & more saturated with content?' Some people come up with complex answers to this question- I need more Twitter followers, or I need a better ad campaign. While I'm sure these things could only help in getting people to listen initially, who wants someone to listen once and never come back? In helping numerous comedians out with their podcasts, I have noticed the answer to the question of getting more listeners is usually the most simple- Quality & content.
Start with content- if you aren't an interesting person or have nothing engaging to talk about, you probably shouldn't bother Podcasting. Spending hours in front of a mic and watching your listener tally fluctuate between zero and 1 is hardly a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon. If you are, however, a funny or interesting personality or even perhaps an expert on a given subject, by all means give podcasting a shot. Lets say now magically you have 350 people who agree to listen to your podcast today. What would they hear? Would it be a muffled audio recording from an iPad microphone or a well-polished, crisp, studio-quality recording? It would seem most of us lowly start-up podcasters would have to lean towards the former as we can't exactly afford recording studio time or pony up hundreds of duckets to buy expensive condenser microphones and gear. In my time researching podcasts, I have noticed that people recording them highly value portability. Seldom do you see a podcast host traveling around with a preamp or some other large piece of audio gear. These days, a serious podcaster can invest in quasi-professsional sounding recording tools such as the Zoom portable recorder or the H4N, both of which will give you decent quality recordings in a device that fits (roughly) in the palm of your hands. But what about those of us with a laptop and a dream that want to record onto our Mac or PC but do not want to spend $350 for a portable recorder? I mean, I already have a computer, why do I have to buy an expensive audio recorder too? Do not fret my fellow forgotten podcasters, 2012 has been quite kind to us-serving up some great audio products that even the most frugal broadcaster can afford.
Over time doing research on the subject of microphones for a good comedian friend of mine, I found that two options for affordable yet high-quality recordings seemed to rise to the top: Samson Meteor & the Blue Yeti (hense the post name). For the sake of this post and this peculiar match-up, I'll start by explaining a little about each device. Let me start by saying, both of these mics are USB. In being frugal, that means we are not buying a pricey audio interface and we're definitely not buying a low-quality one as the whole point is to raise the sound quality without the price doing the same. Both of our unlikely audio warriors connect directly to your computer or laptop and require no audio interface (built in A/D converters). This brings us to the first competitor for a small portion of your limited budget, the Samson Meteor [pictured below]
This small but mighty retro-styled USB microphone offers good sound quality in an ultra portable package and with a price tag that gets as low as $58, this may be the best option for a lot of ground-level podcasters at this moment. It virtually seamlessly interfaces with whatever audio software you use to record your broadcast without hindrance. Now people might be wondering why I would even review another mic if this one offers good sound & great design at such a low price point. Its mainly because the sound is only just that: Good. Nothing special here audio wise, other than a slight improvement over your iPad or laptop's built-in mic quality. Which for some, may be exactly what you're looking for. This mic is not without its short-comings (quite literally) as it comes with a tripod design not easily lent to great mic positioning for vocal recordings. Many people using this mic may have to sit closer to their desk than they're used to as this mic is quite compact and hard to mount on any type of stand. If these setbacks are surmountable for you, perhaps the Meteor should hit your living room instead of ground invasion by the imaginary beast I'm going to talk about next.
As sweet segue would have it, invasion is the perfect word to describe the next competitor- the Blue Yeti. On the opposite end of the size spectrum, the Yeti is almost uncomfortably large at approximate 1 foot tall and has a built-in stand. The price is reasonably higher than its opponent in this audio deathmatch with a smart shopper being able to scoop one up for about $70 (MSRP $99).
This USB microphone offers the same seamless setup as the Meteor, but also boasts something the flying space debris lacks: Great sound quality. While just about no USB mic will sound like a recording studio quality preamp and condenser mic combo, the Blue Yeti delivers the best sound quality among USB mics outside of perhaps the MXL USB .009 which isn't exactly a 'budget' piece at about $599 a pop. With great features like the ability to switch between 3 different audio input patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional, and bidirectional) & plug-ins for earphones, the only drawback I have found thus far with the Yeti outside a couple minor design hiccups is the mammoth size of the unit. It lives up to its name very well.. But with a sturdy stand which allows for better mic positioning, especially for podcasting, I'd have to say - the Yeti might just pull out of this one ahead.
Being a bit of audiophile, I always tend to learn towards quality. If that means I need to spend a few extra bucks to produce a great sounding podcast over a good sounding one, I will do just that. Which is why in my personal opinion, and as the referee of this fictional microphone showdown, I have to raise the Yeti's hand in victory for this one. The quality is higher than the Meteor, which should be the goal of any aspiring podcaster. And while being an Audio Engineer myself, I would not use any of these mics for tracking instruments or rangy R&B vocals, most podcasters will find that these affordable ways to step up your sound game are definitely worth one less drunken night out or expensive dinner this month. Besides, you'll probably be spending that night thinking of interesting things to talk about on your podcast anyways..
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