Alesis USB Microphone Podcasting Kit with Headphones and Software

by Alesis

Product Features

• USB microphone for 16-bit / 44.1- 48 kHz audio recording direct to your computer^Easy plug-and-play support in Windows and Mac OS X^Desktop microphone stand, high-quality headphones, USB cable, and recording software included^Free web hosting of your podcasts - 30 day subscription to www.alesispodcast.com
• Dynamic Handheld Microphone with USB interface 48kHz Sampling Rate, Compatible with any Computer Based Digital Audio Workstation
• Features high quality USB microphone into your computer
• Provides 16-bit / 44.1 48kHz audio straight to your computer
• Plugs in directly to any computer with a USB input
• High Quality A/D Converter with 16-Bit
• Super Cardioid Pickup Pattern

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3 x 4.5 x 15 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000WZKBGG
• Item model number: USB Mic Podcast Kit
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,315 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Professional-sounding podcasting for your Mac or PC has never been simpler or more affordable than with Alesis' USB-Mic Podcasting Kit. Just plug the high-quality USB microphone into your computer (with no complicated drivers to install) and use the included Audacity software to record your voice, music and any other external sounds you wish to include for your final product. The USB-Mic provides 16-bit / 44.1 - 48kHz audio straight to your computer, and the Kit includes premium headphones for monitoring your session.

Podcasting for your Mac or PC has never been simpler or more affordable. Click to enlarge.

USB-Mic features built-in preamp and USB connector.

Includes Alesis headphones for monitoring your recordings.

Direct Recording
The Alesis USB-Mic features a built-in preamp and USB connection for directly recording to your computer--no audio interface or drivers are necessary, whether you're working in Windows or Mac OS X.

A USB cable is included, as is a nice and heavy desktop microphone stand. Set it up and start recording your first podcast in a snap.

Includes Audacity Software
Audacity's open-source, cross-platform sound editor is the perfect tool for creating your podcasts. Record from the USB-Mic or other sources, create multi-track recordings with music and voice (and anything else you dream up), import and export a variety of audio formats, edit with ease, and use various effects to add a little something extra.

Headphones Included
The high-quality headphones are perfect for monitoring your recordings and dialing in your sounds without worrying about feedback from your computer speakers.

Broadcast and Distribute
The Alesis USB-Mic Podcasting Kit comes with a free 30-day subscription to Alesis' custom podcast website, www.alesispodcast.com, to even make broadcasting and distributing your work a snap.

Host your podcasts, enjoy hassle-free uploading with automatic RSS file embedding, and send automatic notification of your podcast episodes to iTunes, Podcast Alley, other podcast groups, and numerous web search engines.

What's in the Box
USB Microphone, Desktop Microphone Stand, Headphones, USB Cable, User's Manual

Product Description

Professional–sounding podcasting for your Mac or PC has never been simpler or more affordable than with Alesis’ USB–Mic Podcasting Kit. Just plug the high–quality USB microphone into your computer (with no complicated drivers to install) and use the included Audacity software to record your voice, music and any other external sounds you wish to include for your final product. The USB–Mic provides 16-bit / 44.1– 48kHz audio straight to your computer, and the Kit includes premium headphones for monitoring your session. The Alesis USB–Mic Podcasting Kit comes with a free 30–day subscription to Alesis’ custom podcast website, www.alesispodcast.com, to even make broadcasting and distributing your work a snap.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Podcasting made easy, October 3, 2008

By 

Dr. W. D. Davennport Jr. "wdaven" (Henderson, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

Alesis USB Mic Podcasting Kit with Headphones and Software

I needed a good quality microphone to produce some powerpoint presentations using Camtasia. The microphone easily installs and functions beautifully. It also works great with speech to text applications. For the applications I use, a boom microphone with a headset is uncomfortable and I do not always want to monitor the recording as it is being produced. The headphones are ok and I had a bit of a problem getting the computer configured to work with them with the microphone but once I did they work fine. A good product at a reasonable price.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent value, April 27, 2008

By 

R. Busciglio (Chester, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I purchased this kit to start podcasting. Nice mike with usb input. Comes with OK headphones. Simple connection...I use it with Roxio's sound editor with good results. Very good value. Suggest you purchase a separate pop filter. Hear the result at http://www.memory-lane.org. (click on Podcasts button)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the price, January 23, 2010

By 

D. Wyatt (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

For a relatively inexpensive microphone that doesn't require any external equipment to convert it to USB, I think this is a good buy. I don't count the headphones in the equation since I think they are of poor quality, but I didn't care. I bought it for the mic.

I've only used it with Camtasia, and the audio levels seem low and I get lots of "popping" when I talk when I turn up the level on the mic too much. The levels can be adjusted after the fact in the software, but I didn't expect to run into those issues.

The documentation is almost exclusively about using Audacity, but has almost nothing about the mic itself. For instance, there's a black side and a gold side to the actual mic. Why is that? Do they have different sound pickup patterns? Which should I use? Should I angle it or set it upright when I talk for the best results?

I'm sure an audio expert would know the answers to these questions, but then again, an audio expert probably wouldn't be buying this mic, either. So I've just played with it to see what works.

For semi-pro recording of narration or podcasts by a non-audiophile, this mic works fine.