8 Best USB Microphones for Vocals

Martin Kristiansen

My name is Martin Kristiansen and I’m the founder and chief editor of HomeStudioIdeas.com. I’ve been playing, recording and producing music for the last 10 years.

The USB microphones are steadily earning their place in the market, and rightfully so. You can use them for recording instruments, vocals, podcasts, and other forms of audio recording and communication. Today, we review the best USB microphones for vocals.

Let’s dive right in!

Before we start, getting the right USB microphone for your needs can be overwhelming, given the numerous options in the market.

With decades of experience in sound recording and reproduction, I saw it noble to highlight and discuss the best USB microphone for vocals and a buyer’s guide to influence your buying decision.  

If you’re in a hurry, the top product on my list is the Blue Yeti USB Microphone. I made it my best USB microphone overall because it offers three condenser capsules with four polar patterns to allow you to pick sound from different angles and convert them into microphone signals.

At a Glance: Our Pick of the Best USB Mics For Vocals

My eight best USB microphones for vocals include: 

Keep reading to learn about their features, pros, cons, and a buyers guide.

Blue Yeti USB Microphone – Best Overall

The Blue Yeti ranked best USB mic for vocals on top of my list because it features a sturdy metal construction to allow use in all weather conditions.

Additionally, Yeti offers four polar patterns to let you capture sound from multiple directions. The collected sound hits the mic’s diaphragm, which, in turn, converts it into digital sound using the featured tri-capsule condensers.

On the base, the mic features:

Blue Yeti comes with a weighty metallic table stand for mounting and tilting the microphone into the desired recording position. Also, the metallic stand includes a rubberized base to prevent the mic from sliding and making unnecessary noise from any accidental bumps.

I highly recommend buying a separate boom arm for the Blue Yeti. They’re ideal for most recording situations as they allow you to easier position the mic so you can talk directly into the capsule. The included stand isn’t tall enough for most situations.

The mic is ideal for recording vocals, podcasts, interviews, voiceovers, conference calls, and musical instruments. It is most fit for newbies in the recording world.

Key specs

Blue Yeti Nano – Best Value

Are you looking for a good microphone to help with recording acoustic guitars? Let the Blue Yeti Nano do the job for you.

This gray shadow microphone by Logitech for creators features two condenser capsules for omnipolar and cardioid patterns to give your voice the much-needed presence and detail before it lands on the diaphragm for conversion into digital signals.

Blue Yeti Nano is easy to use. Thanks to the integrated Multifunction knob controls, which allow you to customize the pickup pattern, and headphone volume or even mute the microphone instantly when you are not talking.

It is compatible with Macs and PCs. All you need is to connect it to your device and start recording.

What’s more, you can monitor your audio recordings concurrently. Thumbs up to the integrated zero-latency jack at the base of the microphone.

Want to sound cleaner and more professional? Use the microphone’s Blue Vo!ce Software to reduce the noise and add vocals like crisp, classic radio voice and modern sound, among other additions.

To make the above enhancements,  you should first install the Blue Sherpa or Logitech G HUB on your pc or mac. After installation, plug in your Yeti Nano and then navigate the microphone tab on the app to enable the Blue Vo!ce option. 

The Blue Vo!ce option offers you a two-stage pitch modulator, flanger, chorus, reverb, stereo delay, and ring modular options for editing your recorded voice.

Key Specs

Shure MV7 – Best Versatile Pick

Shure MV7 boasts a sturdy and professional metal construction to serve you for the longest period. 

It derives its construction design from the famous Shure SM7B to give you the SM7 B’s broadcast sound quality and saves you a significant amount of money you would otherwise spend acquiring and pre-amping Shure SM7B.

Another notable feature of MV7 is the integrated voice isolation technology, which enables the mic to avoid external noises and focus on your voice.

Its base includes a headphone output to let you monitor your recording directly.

You can use the integrated touch panel controls to tailor the microphone gain, monitor volume and headphone mix, or mute the mic when you are not talking.

Are you tired of controlling the microphone manually? Install the ShurePlus MOTIV desktop application to record and edit your audio automatically. You need to initiate the presets for voice isolation, sound, microphone distance, headphone volume, monitor mix, compressor, mic gain, etc. Then, let the mic do the rest of the recording job for you.

The mic is highly portable given its lightweight and compact design. Also, the compact design coupled with the integrated, flexible yoke allows for easy positioning of the mic.

You can use it for podcasting, live streaming, recording, etc.

Though MV7 is a USB microphone, it comes with an XLR output to allow you to connect your microphone to an audio interface.

Key Specs

HyperX SoloCast USB – Best Budget Pick

With a cardioid polar pattern, the HyperX SoloCast USB  is the perfect mic for your streaming, gaming, and video editing jobs, as it prioritizes sounds coming from its front section.

Another notable feature of this microphone is the led mute switch on its top. Press this button to mute the mic when not talking and unmute it for broadcasting. When off, the mute switch goes off to indicate that the mic is not broadcasting.

The microphone features a compact and lightweight design to make it portable. The portable nature coupled with the mic’s adjustable stand makes it easy to position it in various spots while saving on space.

It is compatible with multiple devices, including PCs, Mac, PS4, and PS5, making it perfect for persons with several devices.

About the reliability of the mic, it features a utilitarian matte-finish black plastic construction, which is strong enough to serve you in the long term. Additionally, the microphone bears discord and TeamSpeak certifications for quality. 

The accolades from the manufacturer and its avid users indicate that the mic can work effectively with the major streaming programs like OBS studio, Xsplit, and the streamlabs OBS.

Key Specs

RØDE NT-USB – Best for Streaming

When looking for a side-address microphone, do not go beyond the RØDE NT-USB microphone. RØDE NT features a cardioid pattern to help you create quality podcasts, singing records, and live streams. 

It includes a zero-latency headphone jack to let you monitor your recordings in real-time. 

Tailor the monitoring level and the mix between the microphone input and computer audio.

Located at the base of the microphone is a noise protection filter to capture the unwanted plosives like the hard ‘P,’ ‘B,’ or ‘T’ sounds that would otherwise produce jarring sounds.

The NT-USB mic comes with a high-quality stand mount and a ⅜ inch thread to attach the microphone. Also, the stand features a rubberized base to remain put on the table, giving you a comfortable recording height and distortion-free recording.

It is compatible with iPad, Mac, and Windows computers. However, you will need the USB camera adaptor to connect the mic to the Apple iPad. You will also need GarageBand, RØDE Rec, or recording app to control the microphone automatically. 

Key Specs

Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ – Best for Singing

The Audio-Technica AT2020USB offers a cardioid pickup pattern to allow you to capture all your soundwaves and offer unparalleled off-axis rejection. The inbuilt audio converter allows for efficient reproduction of digital voice at 44.1/48 kHz. It is perhaps the best USB mic for vocals.

The integrated mix knob allows you to blend the pre-recorded audio and the microphone signal to achieve the best of your multiple recordings.

Want to monitor your recording progress? Plug your headphones into the featured no-latency headphone output to listen to your recording concurrently without any delay.  

The microphone makes a great recording tool for singers, home studio recorders, voice-over artists, podcasters, online streamers, etc.

It is compatible with Mac OS X and Windows devices, including windows vista XP, 7. 2000 series.

Key Specs

Apogee Hype Mic – USB Microphone- Best Premium Pick

The Apogee Hype Microphone might be your perfect option if you are looking for an excellent microphone for your streaming and recording operations. It features a cardioid condenser to allow you to capture all the details of your voice without interruptions from unwanted noises.

Another advantage of this microphone is that it offers three compression settings to allow you to tailor the recording range to your preference.

Its package includes several premium accessories, including a pop filter, carrying case, tripod stand, etc., which enhance your use efficiency.

Use the featured headphone jack to monitor your recording progress in real-time.

Key Specs

RØDE PodMic – Best for Podcasting

The PodMic microphone by RØDE is explicitly made for avid podcasters. It features a dynamic capsule that utilizes a cardioid polar pattern to capture all your deep and warm voice while avoiding unwanted sounds from the sides. 

The rugged brass construction and the matte black finish give the microphone the same great look in the long term.

Another notable feature in their microphone is the integrated double mesh housing and the internal pop-filter, which work to rid the plosives sounds without installing the unsightly pop filter.

The Podmic features an internal shock mount, which prevents it from shocks and vibrations from the table bumps and microphone adjustments.

The microphone is mounted on a flexible mount to let you orient it into your perfect recording position and then lock it.

Want to add more presence, depth, and professional tone to your recording? Pair your microphone with the RODECaster Pro app, and then use the featured recording options to make the most of your recording.

Key Specs

Buyers Guide: Choosing the USB Microphones for Vocals

Choosing a singing microphone for a computer or Mac is not a simple task, given the numerous options in the market. This section outlines the primary considerations you need to focus on to land the best buy in the market.

How to Set Up a USB Microphone

The key benefits of using a USB microphone is that you don’t need an audio interface. Simply connect the USB cable from the microphone to the computer USB port. You can find the USB ports on the front and the rear sections on a desktop. If you own a laptop, locate the USB ports on the right or the left side of the laptop.

Condenser vs. Dynamic Microphones

Microphones come in condenser and dynamic microphone categories. 

I recommend you to use dynamic microphones if you want to record strong and loud sounds, especially those coming from a live performance.

On the other hand, a condenser microphone is ideal for capturing higher frequencies and delicate sounds. It will ultimately depend on the type of project that you are setting out to create.

As a rule of thumb, use dynamic microphones when recording:

…while condenser microphones are ideal for:

Polar Patterns

Polar patterns describe the sensitivity of a microphone to sounds coming from different directions. There are three primary polar patterns, including:

Cardioid: Has a high sensitivity to sounds coming directly from the front of the microphone. Also, the cardioid pattern is less sensitive to sounds coming from the sides and has zero sensitivity to sounds coming from the rear end. You can use them for recording in untreated rooms and live performances.

Omnidirectional: Picks up sound equally from all angles. It is ideal for recording a great sound source

Figure 8: Ignores sound from the sides to concentrate on the sound from the front and rear sections of the mic. You can use them to perform mid/side stereo and blumlein pair techniques. 

The other polar patterns besides the three above include the following:

Supercardioid: Takes after cardioid but is slightly narrower and has a small area of rear sensitivity.

Hypercardioid: Resembles super-cardioid but with a larger area of rears sensitivity at the back.

Conclusion

Now that you know the best USB microphone for vocals, the next step is to pick your favorite microphone for your recording needs. My overall best product is the Blue Yeti USB microphone. I chose it because it offers three condenser capsules and four polar patterns to allow you to capture sounds from multiple directions.

Additionally, Blue Yeti features sturdy metal construction to serve you in the long term.

However, picking any of the above products is a matter of individual preferences and tastes. So, do not hesitate to pick any option on the list if you don’t like my choice.

And there you have it: The best USB microphones for vocals and singing. I hope you found this blog post helpful. Until next time!