Best USB Microphones for Mac in 2018

If you have been looking into USB microphones, chances are you have come across the Blue Yeti multiple times. It's an extremely popular choice amongst podcasters, gamers, and musicians alike, and the reason it's so beloved is due to its impressive versatility and podcast veteran, Rene Ritchie, says it's his go-to option for a USB microphone. "Blue Yeti is still my pick for best USB microphone — not just for the Mac but for anyone starting out doing anything, including podcasts, audiobooks, live streams, videos, and more. It plugs right into your device, no audio interface needed, sounds great out of the box, and has a few simple options if you need to adjust for particular circumstances, like two people sharing one mic. Of course, it can't beat a high-end XLR mic and interface, but at a tenth or less the price, it sounds so good you'll probably think twice, hard, before considering those higher-end purchases. It's the mic I used for years, still, travel with today, and always recommend to anyone who asks." — Rene Ritchie, 10-year podcast veteran and host of iMore show, MacBreak Weekly, and VECTOR

Blue's newest USB microphone takes a lot of what people love about the Blue Yeti and shrinks it down (both in size and price) into a pretty compelling product. Both its cardioid and omnidirectional pickup patterns support sample rates up to 24-bit at 48Khz and it's included stand keeps it stable while recording so you don't get any noise from the microphone moving around.

Functioning much like a traditional XLR microphone, the Audio-Technica AT2020USB is ideal for the singer/songwriter in you who loves to record digitally. Being a cardioid microphone, the AT2020USB performs best when recording sound from a single source located in front of the microphone. What makes the AT2020USB so great for musicians is its ability to easily fit into shock mounts and mic booms, allowing you to position the microphone perfectly in your space.

Although the Meteor is only meant to capture a single sound source, it does record all of its audio at a 16 bit, 48kHz sample rate, which means you're getting great sounding audio every time you sit in front of it. It's lightweight and quite compact, allowing you to transport the Meteor anywhere you need to go, so you never have to worry about sounding bad when you're on the road.

The Rode Podcaster is a very simple, but elegant USB microphone that Lory Gil has been using with great success for years. "I use the Rode Podcaster bundle. It's easy to set up, sounds great, and the boom stand mounts to my desktop so I can swivel it into range when I need it. The Rode is specially designed for voice, so it has warm tones with even bass and the cardioid pattern isolates my voice so there isn't too much background noise being picked up." — Lory Gil, Managing Editor of iMore

It's formatted for Mac and Windows right out of the box, meaning if you want to switch back and forth it's just plug-and-play for both operating systems.

The Snowball has become a beloved microphone for the budget podcaster, myself included, because of its low price point and versatility. It has three different modes: cardioid, which is great for single person recording; omnidirectional, a fantastic option for multiple-person recording; and cardioid -10 db, allowing for great noise reduction, which is perfect for video calling.