When HN users recommended it
1 HN user recommended this in 2017, in one comment.
20072026
Each tall tick is one HN user's first recommendation. A short tick is the same user again. Click a tick to jump to the comment.
Knox Gear Cardioid USB Microphone
Amazon's catalog no longer lists this product (checked 2026-11-02). The name comes from the link HN users posted.
So this is neat. I disagree with a good bit of it, though:
- I wouldn't go with a Yeti (which, despite all the idiotic memes around it, is fine for a starting microphone). A condenser mic is generally going to be more touchy and more susceptible to room noise issues, which you'd probably rather avoid. Instead I'd go with something like the AT2005USB[1]; its DAC is fine and it provides an XLR output as well (and you can use both, which I do for some tasks such as voice comms in games plus routing audio to my mixer). Knox also makes a good knockoff[2] with similar characteristics.
- Audition is a good call, especially at $20/month, but IMO (and this is all totally subjective, don't take my word for it) Logic Pro X is my jam. However, these days, live-shows-to-podcast seem to really taking off, particularly on Twitch; to that end, you're probably going to be mixing in either OBS/Xsplit/vMix (eww) or mixing in your audio app and routing to the video compositor, so be ready for that.
- Zencaster, Skype Call Recording, etc. are all fine, but they all have one really big drawback: they're most useful for offline shows. The work required for Skype/VOIP guests in online shows, unless you're happy letting Skype mix the voices for you (and you shouldn't), is nontrivial. I'd try very, very hard to stick with in-person podcasts with local people until you can really hack it, because VOIP'd casts are noticeable and often have a big hit to both flow and to audio quality.
[1] - https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2005USB-Cardioid-Dyn... [2] - https://www.amazon.com/Knox-Gear-Cardioid-USB-Microphone/dp/...