The past few years have seen many changes to the way we interact with our students, the most significant being the need to adapt to teaching online. Anyone who has tried teaching online with only their smartphone or tablet has learned very quickly that it’s absolutely necessary to supplement their teaching studio with the best USB microphone for teaching online that they can afford. Of course, a standard microphone used in conjunction with an audio interface works excellent, not everyone has the time or budget to invest in a full fledged recording studio setup. That’s where the many quality USB microphones currently available can be extremely useful.
Why use a quality USB microphone for teaching online?
Often available within a reasonable budget, some of the best USB microphones for teaching online will drastically improve the audio quality of the lesson, whether used for the teacher’s speaking voice or for their instrument. This is a far superior and preferable option to using the onboard microphone of your computer as a quality USB microphone will offer superior audio quality, significantly less noise, ease of use, and the use of two or more USB microphones will allow the user to have a separate microphone for speaking and another specifically for their piano, which can be used to balance the volume between the two much more effectively. Also, when sending audio over Zoom or Skype, it’s essential to use high quality audio hardware, and a USB microphone is no exception.
While some online vendors such as B&H, Sam Ash, and Guitar Center have many great options, the largest and most diverse selection can still be found on Amazon. In this post, we’ll take a look at several options with various features and within various different price points.
Blue Yeti Nano Premium USB Mic
Blue has been a household name in quality microphones for some time now, and their USB microphones are some of the best and most well respected around. At a standard price of around $99 on Amazon, this microphone can be set to multiple pickup patterns, making it adaptable to many uses and situations, and it’s “plug-and-play” and therefore compatible with both Mac and Windows.
Buy the Blue Yeti Nano Premium USB Mic on Amazon
Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone
The Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ offers more features, but at a slightly higher price. I’ve owned the same Audio Technica XLR microphone for years and have been extremely pleased with its sound and the value it offers. Audio-Technica is known for their wide range of microphones in various price ranges, all of which offer superb quality and value.
The Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ is a unidirectional USB microphone which offers 16 bit 44.1/48 kilohertz audio for exceptional sound. One of the best things about this USB microphone is that it offers a volume control on the unit to allow the user to balance the sound of the microphone with existing audio. Like the Blue Yeti microphone, the AT2020USB+ is compatible with both Mac and Windows.
Buy the Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ on Amazon
Marantz Professional MPM-1000U USB Microphone
Marantz has been a household name in the studio industry for many years, so it comes as no surprise that their MPM-1000U USB microphone would be on this list. At $69, the Marantz MPM-1000U is one of the best USB microphones for teaching online which will be easy on your wallet. This USB microphone is great not only for only teaching, but also podcasting, vlogging, or simply for Skype and Zoom calls.
The Marantz MPM-1000U features a solid build and studio grade audio at 48k/16 -bit resolution. And at nearly half the price of some of the other similar units in this category, you could purchase two of these in order to have one for your voice and the other for your instrument during online lessons.
Buy the Marantz Professional MPM-1000U USB Microphone on Amazon
Summary
While there are many other options available, these three microphones offer solid choices in quality, price, and value, all from respected manufacturers with a long history in the industry. You can’t go wrong with any of these great USB microphones for online teaching, recording, or video conferences.
Music Learning Hub is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
