One live caller recently told me he had just ordered the same USB mic that I use because he loved the crystal-clear sound that I have. Unfortunately, he didn’t use the coupons that I have available. He wondered if I used any special settings with my mic, because the sound really is fantastic. All I’ve done, though, is plug it in… honest. My mic provides me with the ultimate audio experience.

The Audio Technica AT2020 USB Condenser Mic has a clear natural sound that works well for podcasting, home studio recording, field recording and even voiceover use. I use it on my live stream, of course, and you hear the results. It plugs right into your computer’s USB port, and functions seamlessly with your favorite recording software.

I also happen to have a beast of a USB microphone… the Yeti. This thing is pretty powerful, and works well for recording vocals, instrumentals or interviews. The sound is amazing on this thing, plain and simple. There’s a mute button right on the front, which I really appreciate. There’s also a gain button on the back, which allows you to change the gain within the hardware instead of just the software.

One of the things I wish the Yeti had is a version in black, instead of just silver… and possibly a bit slimmer. The AT2020 has a low profile on my desk, which is important to me. The Yeti, however, is a giant. I will likely use it for conducting interviews though, or anything that might need even higher quality than the AT2020 gives me.

If you like the Audio Technica USB microphone that I’m using now, you may be interested in the Yeti. Both are excellent USB mics, and neither of them will let you down in any recording situation you can think of.

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On occasion, I’ve asked for your Top 5 tips and tricks. Thanks to bowler4ever for this excellent video email.

Top 5 Tips for Buying A Headset:

• Don’t buy dirt cheap! They break too easily or too soon, they tend to not have any controllers for the microphone and/or headphones (if you have a headset), they tend to not last very long, and the sound quality can be pretty bad and you can get static to no end!
• Buy within your budget! These $300 headsets may look great, but some can go for $45 and can work just as great or even better. So do your homework on these!
• Find a set that looks comfortable for your ears and also look for an adjustable mic (so when you’re not using the mic, you can put it off to the side of the headset). Comfort is EVERYTHING in a headset. Make sure you find a headset that will fit your ears comfortably (preferably ones with the padding around the edge) and make sure they’re not too small, otherwise it’ll just keep falling off (having one with a clip that goes around the ear is a GREAT option, as this problem is vitually eliminated!)
• Make sure the store you buy it at allows you to return it within 1-2 weeks, even if you’ve already opened the product, tried it, and you don’t like it. It makes no sense whatsoever if you buy a headset and try it, but you don’t like it and the store won’t let you return it, ESPECIALLY if they don’t have ones on display that you can try on! Staples is a great place to buy one and it has a 2 week return policy (as far as I know).
• If you have never tried one that plugs in via USB, I strongly recommend you try one, especially if you have a bad sound card or you have none at all, because the drivers are either on a CD or, when plugged in, immediately recognized by the computer and the software gets installed via Plug-and-Play. (There are ones that come with both analog [which is plugged into the sound card] AND USB [via an adapter that comes with the headset]).

So, those are the top 5 tips for buying a headset! If you have any questions/recommendations for a headset, e-mail me via YouTube or Ustream or just shoot an e-mail to one of the best geeks in the computer industry. His name is Chris Pirillo and he can help you out with a lot of stuff. His e-mail address is chris@pirillo.com and if you want to see him in action, please drop by and say hello at live.pirillo.com. Thanks for watching!

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