This microphone from Blue is a very creative looking mic and audio interface in one that is made for podcasting and hobbyist recording. I actually bought this as a gift for my brother, but played around with it for a bit to check out the sound quality before giving it to him. First of all it comes with a neat looking stand and mounting device. It is meant to sit on a desk perched on top of this little stand for podcasting purposes. The stand also happens to be a pretty good height for miking a guitar amp if you wanted to use this for that purpose. It is mainly a cardioid condenser type mic, but you do have some options here. There is a 3 position switch on the back that can change that. The first position is normal cardioid condenser. The second one is the same capsule except this time with a 10db pad engaged to take down the level a little bit, in case you are screaming into the thing or are recording a loud amp. The third one turns the capsule into omni mode, which will record a much larger sound field. That is a nice position if you just want some rough recordings of a rehearsal or something. The mic itself connects to a computer with USB and is self powered, so you don't need any of the usual extra components to get this condenser mic working. The mic is not compatible with every kind of DAW though, so make sure before you buy this that you're not in for any rude compatibility surprises.

OVERALL OPINION

This mic is very cheap and can do a lot for the price. For someone who is not too discriminating about the sound quality, this is a very nice buy because it is the microphone, stand, and interface all in one convenient and cool looking sphere. The overall sound quality is a little bit lacking in detail, but definitely more than you'd expect for the price. I wouldn't get it for myself, but makes a nice gift for someone into podcasting!