Devine M-Mic USB BK Condenser Microphone (Black)
I ordered this mic because although my laptop has a decent onboard HD camera, the onboard mic is a bit crap, so I wanted a cheap and cheerful solution. It arrived yesterday, and it’s a surprisingly good bit of kit. Given the price I was expecting the usual lightweight plastic job, but no, the mic body is all-metal construction with metal grille, with a good weight and solid feel to it. The mic mounting cradle is also metal, and holds the mic firmly in place; the only plastic part is the one that screws onto the mic stand, which is also supplied with a metal ring adaptor for different screw mounts – very handy. The cable is a useful 1.7m, thick heavy duty quality but very flexible, so it doesn’t spring into loops on your desk. The desktop tripod stand is also metal, with legs that click firmly into place when opened, and it’s solid and heavy enough to support the mic in its cradle without tipping over.
Plugged it in, no drivers or extra software needed - the mic has a built-in A/D converter - and my laptop (runs Windows 10) got it straight away. Did a couple of quick test vids, singing and playing acoustic guitar, and it’s a definite improvement in sound quality, and most importantly, signal output strength, although I do have to wind the laptop settings input volume right up to 100% (which I’d tried previously with the laptop onboard mic but it still wasn’t up to the job); the audio processing is 16-bit 48kHz, which isn’t quite studio quality, and the mic is mono output, but it’s fine for my purposes, which is recording notebook song demos and filming YouTube clips. It’s certainly better sound quality than the laptop’s onboard mic, and both of the Sony stereo condenser mics I’d also used, and louder (higher output) than any of them.
Summing up, it’s a well-made, sturdy piece of kit that sounds good, and is really easy to set up and use; I’d say it’s a handy addition to your studio even at full price, but at £32.95 inc vat and delivery it’s a no-brainer bargain!
Plugged it in, no drivers or extra software needed - the mic has a built-in A/D converter - and my laptop (runs Windows 10) got it straight away. Did a couple of quick test vids, singing and playing acoustic guitar, and it’s a definite improvement in sound quality, and most importantly, signal output strength, although I do have to wind the laptop settings input volume right up to 100% (which I’d tried previously with the laptop onboard mic but it still wasn’t up to the job); the audio processing is 16-bit 48kHz, which isn’t quite studio quality, and the mic is mono output, but it’s fine for my purposes, which is recording notebook song demos and filming YouTube clips. It’s certainly better sound quality than the laptop’s onboard mic, and both of the Sony stereo condenser mics I’d also used, and louder (higher output) than any of them.
Summing up, it’s a well-made, sturdy piece of kit that sounds good, and is really easy to set up and use; I’d say it’s a handy addition to your studio even at full price, but at £32.95 inc vat and delivery it’s a no-brainer bargain!
April 4, 2021
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Tim R.
