So my kid has been kinda interested in trying his own YouTube video game playing/streaming thing. I would like to support/encourage him, so I would appreciate any insights into these offerings that any pros/semi-pros here might have. (TIA)
@haydesigner Get the GO. It has a full sound for cheap. He can get started and buy a BLU or Shure mic later. The GO is best vocally out of the 3 of these. I DJ and played with all 3 along with dozens of other mics. This one has the best volume and most well rounded sound. IMO
@robson@bugger ‘s comment made it look like the Blues would be an upgrade, but in fairness, his comment doesn’t specify what line of Blue mics would be something to get later. It could have referred primarily to their professional (actual) mics and not their consumer USB products. It’s possible both are an upgrade.
If you’re in the market, I’d suggest trying his advice: the Go is $20 and you’ll be hard pressed to find a decent setup for that. If you find it works, great! If not, you have notes on what you want changed and how and you’re out $20. You may be able to find a use for the extra mic anyway.
I haven’t heard any USB mic that beats separate components (except perhaps in really unusual circumstances, like extremely high RF flux and poor cabling), but plenty of people either don’t care or don’t have the budget for a $100 interface plus a $150 mic and $40 in cables (let alone the really expensive ones). Some also don’t have the technical skills to handle the extra four ways to adjust the audio input and output those tend to introduce, and getting the computer to handle everything for them is also a fine choice.
@robson I saw some reviews that said these were better than the Snowball. My instinct is that they will fall between the Snowball and the Yeti Pro.
In the video I linked below the Go and the Pro sound very similar on the cardioid pattern. The Go sounded pretty weak on omnidirectional but the use case for that is limited.
@awk@sjk3@yakkoTDI So far, the only things I’ve seen which were described as ASMR vids were definitely bad IMO, so I have no evidence that there’s any other kind.
I thought about buying a USB microphone but then I wound up getting a good deal on an MXL 990, PreSonus AudioBox USB 96, a good cable, pop filter, and boom arm on Amazon.
I’ve been streaming games on Twitch for weeks now and … haven’t even used it once.
@1DisabledWarVet Oh, heck. Got that wrong. Auburn-the-color is kinda red. But you wanted the Tide, which is only arnge if yer doin’ laundry. But the Tide’s crimson, not Cremson. Cremson is them sumbitches over 't South Carolina.
these are mid-to-low-end condenser mics. Either a Blue Snowball or a Blue Yeti will probably be an upgrade from the cheaper ones, a Yeti or Yeti X will probably still be an upgrade from the more expensive ones (the Talk Pro retails for $149), and the relative prices reflect that.
A condenser mic can be very unforgiving out of the box (more on that last bit in a sec). It will tend to pick up every noise from everywhere in its pickup areas, even ones you didn’t notice like pets making noise outside or your own typing and breathing. For Zoom calls and such where you’re not speaking that much and can mute the rest of the time, or where it’s just you and another person on Skype shooting the breeze 1-on-1, that might not matter.
A dynamic mic like a Shure or a Samson is going to be more forgiving of a not-perfect audio environment out of the box, but also more expensive.
If you need to do better-than-iPhone-quality audio work and a condenser mic is all you can afford, you can make it sound not-terrible by investing an hour or so in making some simple adjustments with whatever audio software you already know (if you don’t know any, invest that time in learning OBS). The key settings are the noise suppression (cutting off quiet noise like fans and distant traffic completely, below a threshold), gain adjustment (making the sound you do pick up louder or softer overall), and compression (rescaling the volume so the extremely soft sounds are louder and the extremely loud sounds are softer so that you don’t make people have to choose between not hearing quiet parts or having their eardrums blown out on loud parts). You might also want to look at things like adding a noise gate and adjusting the attack time on it (this is one way you can filter out sharp, loud transients during quiet sections). Some mics also support these kinds of adjustments with physical controls or in firmware. Fiddle with it till it sounds good – and if you have a tin ear and the quality of recording matters, get a friend who doesn’t to listen.
All of the previous point applies equally to dynamic mics of course. You can make a $50-100 mic plus filters sound pretty close to a $250 mic right out of the box in a specific circumstance, but you can’t make a $50-100 mic plus filters sound like a $250 mic plus filters across a variety of uses.
I’m considering one of these for a specific use case. I’m on the board of directors for the local Little League. While most attend meetings in person, we do have a few call in on Zoom. The current set up is a Chromebook on a hotspot from an iPhone. You can’t hear anyone not sitting fairly close to the chromebook. I’m thinking an omnidirectional set up may work? Will any of these work with a chromebook (it’s 3 years old if that matters)?
@memini See the notes about using them in Omni up above; the Omni function can be kind of weak. Even a dedicated omnidirectional mic can only do so much if there’s a lot of variation in the distance from the mic to the person speaking.
As for compatibility with a Chromebook, it should work OK as long as you set the audio source properly after plugging it in.
@memini they make conference mics specifically for this purpose that will give you better results. They’re designed to sit on the table and pick up people all around. Some models in this same price range have good reviews.
If the speakers also need improvement, check out something like the Anker Powerconf, a Bluetooth conference speakerphone. Costs a bit more though you may luck up on a deal if you’re open to eBay, etc.
@crow I think that the “Blue Yeti” brand of desktop microphones offers a nice balance between quality and price, and they’re available on the big A (pricing).
I come here every day to read the smart-ass comments, and like today, learn something from the generous folks that share their knowledge about a product on offer I may be interested in (not today), but often know nothing about. Thanks to all!
I’m considering the Go for Zoom/Teams calls for work, but I usually use a BT earpiece rather than an open mic and speakers (and I don’t want to use headphones). I guess if I was confident that I’d like it, I’d pull the trigger, but for $6.00 more on Amazon, I’d be able to easily return it if not. Hmmmm. Decisions.
Oh, Wait. “Shipping: Free (because you’re a member).” I thought I paid extra for shipping before. Well, now I really need to think about this.
@ashemo I do a ton of Teams calls. I was a Bluetooth guy but when I heard myself on a recording of a meeting I started testing all the equipment I had. Laptop mic, Bluetooth earbuds, wired headset, USB headset, all had various sound quality issues with the microphone (use voice recorder to record yourself and see what you sound like). Eventually I invested in a similar USB mic (Neat Bumblebee II) and it made a huge difference. Since I sometimes have to present to customers I figured it didn’t hurt to invest in sounding good.
I can use speakers and do most times, but I can also plug wired earbuds into the microphone and hear call audio through them if I need to keep it quiet.
I’m tempted by the Go just to see but I already have a good USB mic and who am I kidding, I’m not likely to carry and set up a USB mic if I was traveling. I would just make do with Bluetooth or whatever for that short time.
These come with a “USB to USB-C cable,” but if I need to plug it in to a USB-C port on my computer, does anyone know if I can just use a regular USB-C to USB-C cable instead of what is provided?
Here’s some more input from the outside world: Wirecutter calls the JLab Talk a “great value” and a notable competitor to the Yeti, and that’s at its $100 price tag. They were less satisfied with the Go and the Talk Pro.
Got mine Pro today. It came with the usual Texas air, the mic, the Y thing that goes around the mic that lets you attach it to the tripod, the tripod, and the USB-A to 90 degree USB-C cable.
When I plug the mic in, I get a constant clicking noise. It comes through the headphone port, but it also appears on the waveform in Hindenburg, so it’s not just plugging headphones into the mic that produces it.
I’ve tried:
Changing headphones
Changing from my boom arm mic stand to the included tripod
With and without the Y fork that screws on
Changing USB ports
Changing USB hubs
Changing USB cables
Plugging directly into the computer (M1 MacBook Air, 8/512)
Rearranging the cables to be farther from the computer (electronic noise)
Just holding it in my hand
Jacking with the gain
My older JLab Talk doesn’t do this, with the same setup. I’m wondering if this isn’t why it was sent back for refurb.
Anyone else having issues with the mic after arrival? I’ve been a Yeti user for years and bought this as a second mic to use for my personal computer while I use the Yeti for work, and it has not been working well. The USB-A side of the cable seems like it has a slight bend in the metal, and the USB-C side is extremely tight when trying to fit it into the bottom of the mic, like pull out the circular disc cover on the bottom when you remove the cable sort of tight.
I don’t have another USB-A to USB-C cable to rule it out, but as it is it’s pretty much a paperweight. With everything plugged in it seems to cut in and out of actually registering my voice while talking, and what does come through is extremely tinny and quiet like there is some interference somewhere.
@zbrt I am not sure if you have recording choices? I have 4. Three of them are not good, one is almost unusable. I use the one that looks like a butt. Its Cardioid or something. It works pretty good.
Got mine a few days ago. I have been a long time Yeti user and I needed backup in case it eventually takes a poo; it is easily 6-7 years old and still going strong. But for the price, I was hoping for a backup.
The recording settings? Yikes. The Omni, bidirectional and stereo are not good. Very tinny to say the least, like my voice bounces around inside the mic. The Cardioid works pretty good. Much less tin, full voice and has a decent range. So only one works.
The gain and volume’s are way off IMO. I have my gain and volume almost at zero, and it is way too loud still. I adjusted my computer volume to compensate, but doesn’t make sense that only 10-15% of the volume / gain nob can be used. I have gain and volume all the way down and in theory it should be next to nothing but it is still pretty loud.
The mute button works, but you still hear yourself. So you hit mute, you cough and you can hear it plain as day so you are always wondering if the stream or other people heard it. Weird.
Just a few minutes ago, my earphones port took a crap on it. It practically blew out my eardrums. I unplugged the mic, replugged it and now it works again, so I am guessing the drivers it uses are not exactly the most stable. I looked for JLAB drivers and found none.
For the price, it seems “ok” but overall not a great mic. Recording settings are bad, the volume / gain are not set correctly and the headphone plug is sketchy. Just has that cheap and wonky feel to it.
I feel better having it as a backup, but much like a NFL quarterback, its nice to have them, but you never really want to use them.
Oh well back to the Yeti; its all good, its a great mic.
Specs
Product: JLab GO, Talk or Talk Pro Plug & Play USB Microphones
Model: ZMTALKGORBLK4-B, ZMTALKRBLK4-B, ZMTALKPRORBLK4-B
Condition: Refurbished
Talk GO
Technical Specs
Manual
Talk
Technical Specs
Manual
Talk Pro
Technical Specs
User Manual
What’s Included?
OR
OR
Price Comparison
$30.99-$89.99 (for new) on Amazon
Go | Talk | Talk Pro
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Wednesday, Dec 21 - Friday, Dec 23
Is my mic on?
@yakkoTDI What? Can’t hear you
@robson @yakkoTDI Talk dirty to me baby.
His lips are moving, but nothing’s coming out
@Mescolito I can think of so many places where that would be an improvement…
@yakkoTDI
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying
“Are they available in Georgia Red: No, and not Ohio State red either; sorry Peach Bowlers”
/giphy Buckeyes WIN!!
@IndifferentDude buck the fuckeyes
But regardless, they are not red, they are scarlet and gray.
So my kid has been kinda interested in trying his own YouTube video game playing/streaming thing. I would like to support/encourage him, so I would appreciate any insights into these offerings that any pros/semi-pros here might have. (TIA)
@haydesigner Get the GO. It has a full sound for cheap. He can get started and buy a BLU or Shure mic later. The GO is best vocally out of the 3 of these. I DJ and played with all 3 along with dozens of other mics. This one has the best volume and most well rounded sound. IMO
@bugger @haydesigner, I took your advice & got the Go!! I just wonder can it take Lysol Spray Disinfectant directly into the frkn mic¿?
Anyone know how these compare with Blue mics, like the Yetis or Snowball?
@robson @bugger ‘s comment made it look like the Blues would be an upgrade, but in fairness, his comment doesn’t specify what line of Blue mics would be something to get later. It could have referred primarily to their professional (actual) mics and not their consumer USB products. It’s possible both are an upgrade.
If you’re in the market, I’d suggest trying his advice: the Go is $20 and you’ll be hard pressed to find a decent setup for that. If you find it works, great! If not, you have notes on what you want changed and how and you’re out $20. You may be able to find a use for the extra mic anyway.
I haven’t heard any USB mic that beats separate components (except perhaps in really unusual circumstances, like extremely high RF flux and poor cabling), but plenty of people either don’t care or don’t have the budget for a $100 interface plus a $150 mic and $40 in cables (let alone the really expensive ones). Some also don’t have the technical skills to handle the extra four ways to adjust the audio input and output those tend to introduce, and getting the computer to handle everything for them is also a fine choice.
@robson I saw some reviews that said these were better than the Snowball. My instinct is that they will fall between the Snowball and the Yeti Pro.
In the video I linked below the Go and the Pro sound very similar on the cardioid pattern. The Go sounded pretty weak on omnidirectional but the use case for that is limited.
@bugger @jsfs @robson, jsfs, Thanks, for the article
; it was very informative! Again, Thankya, Thankyaverymuch!! 
Mmm, a light sprinkle of the previous owner’s saliva… it’s like a pre-seasoned cast iron pan!
@awk Stop licking the microphones!! They are not lollipops.
@awk @yakkoTDI Have you seen bad ASMR videos? That’s all they do.
@awk @sjk3 @yakkoTDI So far, the only things I’ve seen which were described as ASMR vids were definitely bad IMO, so I have no evidence that there’s any other kind.
@awk @sjk3 @werehatrack
There’s good ones? Everything I have seen labelled as ASMR is just a bunch of annoying sounds professionals normally try to filter out.
Mic, Mic, Mic, what day is it?
(I thought yesterday was humpday.)
@phendrick, do ya mean
day¿ 
@phendrick, BTW, JSYK & FYI, I get the deals at 11PM CST, so it Was
day when meh sent me this deal!! 
No one wants to hear my voice LOUDER. Pass
@hchavers, I got one anyway 'cause I don’t care what no one wants,… no one ever wants anythin!
@hchavers
FTFY.
Refurbished is code for will definitely break on the 31st day when it’s no longer eligible for returns
@ThyProphet Except when it’s code for “the fourth one that you get will actually work as advertised.”
I thought about buying a USB microphone but then I wound up getting a good deal on an MXL 990, PreSonus AudioBox USB 96, a good cable, pop filter, and boom arm on Amazon.
I’ve been streaming games on Twitch for weeks now and … haven’t even used it once.
Some video comparison of the go and pro models:
@djslack, Thanks, for the view! Thankya,
Thankyaverymuch! 
What about, does they come in Alabama Red aka, Cremson!
@1DisabledWarVet ITYM Auburn. Cremson is arnge, and on 'tother side of Georgia.
@1DisabledWarVet Oh, heck. Got that wrong. Auburn-the-color is kinda red. But you wanted the Tide, which is only arnge if yer doin’ laundry. But the Tide’s crimson, not Cremson. Cremson is them sumbitches over 't South Carolina.
OK, so:
@kensey I have ZERO intention of buying any microphone ever but thank you for sharing this information.
My first thought when I saw these was that somebody had painted the robots from Portal 2 black.
I live on the internet in text. I don’t talk.
I’m considering one of these for a specific use case. I’m on the board of directors for the local Little League. While most attend meetings in person, we do have a few call in on Zoom. The current set up is a Chromebook on a hotspot from an iPhone. You can’t hear anyone not sitting fairly close to the chromebook. I’m thinking an omnidirectional set up may work? Will any of these work with a chromebook (it’s 3 years old if that matters)?
@memini See the notes about using them in Omni up above; the Omni function can be kind of weak. Even a dedicated omnidirectional mic can only do so much if there’s a lot of variation in the distance from the mic to the person speaking.
As for compatibility with a Chromebook, it should work OK as long as you set the audio source properly after plugging it in.
@memini they make conference mics specifically for this purpose that will give you better results. They’re designed to sit on the table and pick up people all around. Some models in this same price range have good reviews.
Example Mics:
https://a.co/d/5BiKrXS
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/aluratek-omnidirectional-usb-microphone-with-mute-button/6454836.p?skuId=6454836
If the speakers also need improvement, check out something like the Anker Powerconf, a Bluetooth conference speakerphone. Costs a bit more though you may luck up on a deal if you’re open to eBay, etc.
I would have bought if this was offered 30 days ago. Kid wanted a desktop mic for Christmas. Oh well…
@crow I think that the “Blue Yeti” brand of desktop microphones offers a nice balance between quality and price, and they’re available on the big A (pricing).
Testes, testes, 1, 2,…3?
@annecat Sound techs can only count to two.
@annecat
I come here every day to read the smart-ass comments, and like today, learn something from the generous folks that share their knowledge about a product on offer I may be interested in (not today), but often know nothing about. Thanks to all!
@krmugn52 You should spend a little extra time and read the dumb ass comments as well.
@krmugn52 @yakkoTDI I resemble that remark.
I’ll be listening to krisannehall.com podcast. So glad when she got a new mic!
I’m considering the Go for Zoom/Teams calls for work, but I usually use a BT earpiece rather than an open mic and speakers (and I don’t want to use headphones). I guess if I was confident that I’d like it, I’d pull the trigger, but for $6.00 more on Amazon, I’d be able to easily return it if not. Hmmmm. Decisions.
Oh, Wait. “Shipping: Free (because you’re a member).” I thought I paid extra for shipping before. Well, now I really need to think about this.
@ashemo I do a ton of Teams calls. I was a Bluetooth guy but when I heard myself on a recording of a meeting I started testing all the equipment I had. Laptop mic, Bluetooth earbuds, wired headset, USB headset, all had various sound quality issues with the microphone (use voice recorder to record yourself and see what you sound like). Eventually I invested in a similar USB mic (Neat Bumblebee II) and it made a huge difference. Since I sometimes have to present to customers I figured it didn’t hurt to invest in sounding good.
I can use speakers and do most times, but I can also plug wired earbuds into the microphone and hear call audio through them if I need to keep it quiet.
I’m tempted by the Go just to see but I already have a good USB mic and who am I kidding, I’m not likely to carry and set up a USB mic if I was traveling. I would just make do with Bluetooth or whatever for that short time.
PSA: When your JLab microphone arrives, please talk into the correct part of the device:
@mwarren this is especially concerning with the Go since the way it attaches to the stand looks like it is built to point at the user.
These come with a “USB to USB-C cable,” but if I need to plug it in to a USB-C port on my computer, does anyone know if I can just use a regular USB-C to USB-C cable instead of what is provided?
@kevincrocombe Yes, you can.
@kevincrocombe yUP
I’ve been told I have a face for podcasting…
/giphy toasted-jingling-snowfall
Here’s some more input from the outside world: Wirecutter calls the JLab Talk a “great value” and a notable competitor to the Yeti, and that’s at its $100 price tag. They were less satisfied with the Go and the Talk Pro.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-usb-microphone/
Thought these were sex toys when the page first came up. I guess I’m still scarred from last time.
Got mine Pro today. It came with the usual Texas air, the mic, the Y thing that goes around the mic that lets you attach it to the tripod, the tripod, and the USB-A to 90 degree USB-C cable.
When I plug the mic in, I get a constant clicking noise. It comes through the headphone port, but it also appears on the waveform in Hindenburg, so it’s not just plugging headphones into the mic that produces it.
I’ve tried:
My older JLab Talk doesn’t do this, with the same setup. I’m wondering if this isn’t why it was sent back for refurb.
Thoughts?
@rnbwpnt Sounds to me like you have need of meh.com/support at this point.
Anyone else having issues with the mic after arrival? I’ve been a Yeti user for years and bought this as a second mic to use for my personal computer while I use the Yeti for work, and it has not been working well. The USB-A side of the cable seems like it has a slight bend in the metal, and the USB-C side is extremely tight when trying to fit it into the bottom of the mic, like pull out the circular disc cover on the bottom when you remove the cable sort of tight.
I don’t have another USB-A to USB-C cable to rule it out, but as it is it’s pretty much a paperweight. With everything plugged in it seems to cut in and out of actually registering my voice while talking, and what does come through is extremely tinny and quiet like there is some interference somewhere.
@zbrt I am not sure if you have recording choices? I have 4. Three of them are not good, one is almost unusable. I use the one that looks like a butt. Its Cardioid or something. It works pretty good.
Got mine a few days ago. I have been a long time Yeti user and I needed backup in case it eventually takes a poo; it is easily 6-7 years old and still going strong. But for the price, I was hoping for a backup.
The recording settings? Yikes. The Omni, bidirectional and stereo are not good. Very tinny to say the least, like my voice bounces around inside the mic. The Cardioid works pretty good. Much less tin, full voice and has a decent range. So only one works.
The gain and volume’s are way off IMO. I have my gain and volume almost at zero, and it is way too loud still. I adjusted my computer volume to compensate, but doesn’t make sense that only 10-15% of the volume / gain nob can be used. I have gain and volume all the way down and in theory it should be next to nothing but it is still pretty loud.
The mute button works, but you still hear yourself. So you hit mute, you cough and you can hear it plain as day so you are always wondering if the stream or other people heard it. Weird.
Just a few minutes ago, my earphones port took a crap on it. It practically blew out my eardrums. I unplugged the mic, replugged it and now it works again, so I am guessing the drivers it uses are not exactly the most stable. I looked for JLAB drivers and found none.
For the price, it seems “ok” but overall not a great mic. Recording settings are bad, the volume / gain are not set correctly and the headphone plug is sketchy. Just has that cheap and wonky feel to it.
I feel better having it as a backup, but much like a NFL quarterback, its nice to have them, but you never really want to use them.
Oh well back to the Yeti; its all good, its a great mic.
No bueno, got mine in and it sounds like lasers are going off when I talk into this thing