A USB microphone for your Mac makes video calls, streaming games, or recording any sort of audio easy and simple. Just plug them in and start recording! I still believe the Blue Yeti is the best all-around microphone for most Mac users. It's four recording modes offer an incredible amount of versatility, meaning regardless of what you're trying to record, you should be able to get a high-quality recording.
Many people will never give their computer microphone a second glance, how about you?
It isn’t really something you check the quality of when choosing a MacBook to buy, and most people tend to assume that whatever is built in will be satisfactory for their occasional use.
However, there comes a point where the built-in microphone simply doesn’t cut it. Whether your voice isn’t getting picked up properly while using Skype or if you want to start recording your own podcast, an external USB mic is a great place to start rectifying this problem.
In this guide, we’ll point out some of the best mics in portability, versatility, and recording power. We’ll also guide you through picking a mic that suits your needs — whether you’re an everyday user, amateur recorder, or a professional.
Quick Summary
For something ultraportable but geared primarily towards communication needs (i.e. business conference calls, narration), the Blue Snowflake USB Microphone folds into a small rectangle that is easy to take to/from work on the daily.
Does your recording demand versatility? With multiple recording patterns the Blue Yeti offers a flexible design and endless ways to take your audio quality to the next level. It also includes a zero-latency headphone jack.
The Apogee MIC PLUS is the best choice if you’re completely committed to Apple and looking for a product that feels the same. Well integrated with all of Apple’s products and extremely portable, this mic is ready to rock whenever and wherever you are.
To step up your audio game at home, the Blue Snowball iCE Condenser Mic has you covered. Its classy design and brand reputation imply a degree of quality, you’ll be able to experience first hand whether you’re recording your guitar or narrating a home video.
Do I Need a Mic for My MacBook Pro?
An external microphone is not usually a cheap investment, and those who purchase them usually need them for a regular task.
That could be as mundane as frequent video-conference calls for work where you need others to be able to understand you clearly or as technical as creating your own music in a home recording studio, but the occasional Skype with an old friend will probably be just fine using your Mac’s built-in microphone.
Buying a USB Mic for MacBook Pro: What to Consider?
Size
Depending on your intended use for your microphone, you’ll be comfortable with different levels of portability. For example, if you only plan on recording at home a larger microphone with a bigger footprint may be perfectly fine. However, if you need the mic while at work or have another need to take it wherever your laptop goes, you’ll want to look for something that can become quite a bit more compact.
Recording Pattern
What you plan on recording has a significant impact on which mic you choose. Microphones come in different polar patterns, which is what determines how well they pick up sounds at specific angles (see the “Additional Tips and Tricks” section below to help decide what you’re looking for). This is key to making sure your mic works effectively and records only what you want it to.
Recording Quality
Buying a USB mic means you’re already looking for something a step above what’s built into your Mac, but even so, they come in many different recording qualities. Measured in bits/kHz, the higher this rate is the higher quality your sound will be. Don’t be tricked into paying for something much more technical than you need though – the final file format of your recording could make that rate obsolete, so this isn’t something to worry about if you’re just going to hook up the mic when using Skype.
The Best External Mics for MacBook Pro: Our Picks in 2019
Please note that the mic products recommended below are chosen based on the criteria listed above, plus our personal preferences. They are, however, not intended to be ranked in this order.
1. Blue Snowflake USB Microphone
This microphone is one of the most ideal if you’ll need high-quality recording wherever you go. The compact case expands into a stand that can clip on the top of your MacBook with ease, and the whole device is only about 2.5” thick, making it for easy transport without sacrificing quality since it has a sample rate of 16bit/44kHz.
Pros: It covers all the bases with both an eye-catching design and spot-on functionality. A cardioid condenser, it’s perfect for home narration, podcast recording, or voice calls from your Mac. Also, it doesn’t require any drivers, so works perfectly as soon as you plug it in.
Cons: Not an optimal choice for musicians; quality is more than sufficient for communication but would likely be found lacking when it comes to recording a track.
2. Blue Yeti USB Microphone
If you need something versatile and top-tier quality, the Blue Yeti has you covered. With four different recording patterns available in a single mic, it’s ready for any possible recording situation, from voiceovers to a new record track. You can also connect your headphones directly to it for a complete recording experience.
Pros: The ability to choose between cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional & stereo recording patterns means you’ll never sacrifice recording quality no matter the situation. It includes gain control and a mute button. And it’s backed by a two-year warranty so you never have to worry about defects.
Cons: Not built for portability. At almost a foot tall, this mic is meant to stay in one place, such as your home office or recording studio.
3. Apogee MIC PLUS
If you want a mic truly built for Mac, Apogee is the way to go. Besides recording as normal when connected to your MacBook, it also has the ability to connect to your iPad or iPhone and integrate with Garageband for optimal productivity. This is a cardioid condenser microphone.
Pros: At only a bit more than a pound and less than 5 inches tall, this mic is ready to go anywhere and everywhere with you. In addition to a tabletop stand, It also comes with an adapter so that it can fit securely into an existing microphone stand. It’s a great choice for musicians.
Cons: There are some users say that you cannot use the Garageband functionality with iOS 11, although Apogee has been working on the issue.
4. Blue Snowball iCE Condenser Mic
Alright, so the Blue Snowball doesn’t actually come in blue… but the round snowball shape associated with the brand has a reputation for performance for a variety of recording situations. A bit over a pound and close to a foot tall when mounted on the included stand, this mic is ready to go straight out the box with no drivers to install.
Pros: This driverless mic is ready to put in work as soon as you are, with a cardioid pickup pattern and sturdy design that will leave you more than satisfied with the sound. It’s also Skype-certified, lending credibility for the sound quality of any communications you may use it for. Should work nicely for a single-player recording as well.
Cons: Since it picks up sound in front and behind the mic, you may experience some buzzing or humming if you aren’t in a properly arranged space.
Additional Tips & Resources
Picking up on all the lingo of a new technical product or field can be difficult and confusing. When it comes to microphones, one of the key things to learn about is the polarity pattern of your potential purchase. This pattern determines how well sound will be picked up at different angles, which becomes more or less important depending on how you plan to use it. This guide will give you a great explanation of what each pattern means and when each is most useful.
Once you have the right mic, you’ll also need to make sure to set up your recording properly as well. While it may seem like the best settings are simply pushing all sliders to the max, this actually isn’t the case, and this discussion will help guide you through picking a sampling rate and bit depth that works for what you need.
Final Words
Buying a mic is heavily dependent on what you plan to use it for, and you should always make sure to thoroughly research any model you consider.
All of the models we’ve listed connect to your mac through the USB port, but other types of mics may use the mic/headphone port or some other method, which is also something to consider. Additionally, many come with different kinds of stands or adapters that you may find useful- always check for these!
Do you currently use a USB mic? We’d love to hear what you think of your model and what you look for in picking a new one.
So you need a computer microphone? Many laptops come with built-in mics, but they usually aren’t anything to celebrate. If you have a desktop PC, a lot of times they won’t come with a microphone.
So which one should you get?
Our top pick for a computer microphone is the Blue Yeti.
It really depends on your intended use and budget though, so we’ll highlight our favorite picks for general use, like when using Skype or Zoom. All of these are excellent desktop mics for a variety of uses.
Microphone quality usually increases with price, so know that for the most part, your budget will determine how well you will sound. You will also want to consider the type of input you are using. USB and 3.5mm are common connections that work with both Mac and PC.
Lastly, is portability import? Some of these mics are great for travel.
Check out our dedicated posts for gaming mics and USB podcasting mics if either of those fits your use case.
Contents
Best All-Purpose Computer Microphones
Best All-Purpose Computer Microphones
All of the computer microphones listed here come with either built-in or detachable stands so you don’t have to worry about how to keep them standing on your desk.
Blue Yeti
Our top choice for the best PC microphone is the Blue Yeti. Not only is the sound quality excellent for the price, but it has features that I’ve found I cannot live without (I use it on a Mac for podcasting). Whether you plan on using it for gaming, podcasting, voiceovers, YouTube videos, Skype calls, Hangouts, or all of the above, this mic excels.
You can switch it between 4 modes so you can use it for solo speaking, conference calls, in-person interviews, music recording and more.
You can plug in a pair of headphones and adjust the volume, change how sensitive the mic is (gain control), and it comes with a nice sturdy base that allows the mic to be adjusted to the correct position on your desktop (every desk is different).
Shure MV5
Not only is the Shure MV5 a good computer microphone, but it is Apple MFi Certified. That means you can connect it directly to an iOS device without any adapters. It includes both a USB cable and a Lightning cable, so you don’t have to worry about needing to buy a separate cable.
It includes a headphone jack for monitoring, 3 preset DSP modes, and is small enough to carry with you. You can remove it from its stand and use it laying on a desk or table, making it even more portable.
This is easily one of the best computer mics under $100 – and the ability to use it on your iPad or iPhone is really a bonus!
Audio-Technica AT2020USB+
The AT2020 is a classic vocal mic that performs well above its price point.
The AT2020USB+ is, you guessed it, the plug-n-play USB version.
It has a headphone jack so you can listen to yourself speaking (don’t use your speakers or there’s a good chance you’ll get a nasty echo) and a mix control dial that lets you blend audio from your computer with whatever you microphone is hearing (like your voice).
It comes with a USB cable, tripod stand, carrying pouch, and a threaded mount for attaching to other desktop stands or arms.
Samson Go Mic
The Samson Go Mic is one of the best computer mics for travel and portability. It is plug and play for both Mac and PC (no drivers required) and will sit on a desk or clip to your laptop screen.
But don’t discount it because of that. It has a headphone jack for live monitoring, a frequency response from 20Hz to 18kHz, and comes with a carrying case. This is a great all-around mic that will perform well recording YouTube videos or chatting over Skype.
Samson Meteor Mic
The Samson Meteor Mic offers a great value for the price – and is a great complement to any PC or Mac. You get a flat frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz, 16-bit 44.1/48kHz resolution, and a headphone monitoring jack. It comes with a USB cable and a carrying case.
You’ll get great sound for any spoken audio for under $70.
Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB
The Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB is one of my favorite entry-level PC mics. You can use it with either USB (for direct connection to your computer) or XLR (for use with a mixer or audio interface) connections, giving you a lot of flexibility and room for expansion.
It’s also a dynamic microphone, meaning that it won’t pick up background noise as easily as most of the other mics on this page.
Because you can use it handheld or with the included stand for desktop use, it works great as a vlogging mic or podcasting mic, among many other uses.
We featured it in our podcast starter kit and we have a separate review if you want to learn more or see some recommended accessories.
Blue Snowball
The Blue Snowball is a quality budget microphone for your PC. You can choose between cardioid and omnidirectional (front and all directions, respectively) pickup patterns and the metal stand is adjustable to different heights.
Blue offers 6 different colors of the Snowball so you can get the exact look that matches your setup and will great on your desktop.
If you’re looking for a plug and play mic that is made by a reputable company, sounds great, and is easy to use for under $50, grab this one.
Fifine Cardioid Mic
There is a cheaper version, but it doesn’t have the onboard volume control and it picks up sound from all directions, which is bad in most cases. The cardioid version uses a cardioid pickup pattern, meaning that it is meant to just pick up sound from the front – like your voice. It’s an upgraded version of Amazon’s best-selling computer mic and is a good choice for a cheap PC microphone.