- Manufacturer: Neat
- Model Number: MIC-1020-01
- Original Price: $99.99
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I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for awesome headphones, headsets, and microphones, as I love trying to capture that professional quality sound from any of these devices. The latest to come my way is the Neat Bumblebee II USB Microphone, that features a solid, sturdy feel and an amazing condenser capsule that will make you feel like you’re in a recording studio.
Right out of the box I love how hefty and solid this microphone feels attached to the yoke stand it comes with (you can also detach this and mount it to a boom arm), as it feels as though you just pulled out a $400 to $500 piece of equipment. It features an internally shock mounted, 25mm condenser capsule that offers professional quality 24bit/96 kHz digital audio that’s perfect for anything you can use it for, from Zoom and Skype calls, to podcasts, streaming, and recording music and vocals.
Setting it up is easy as you just plug in the long (seems to be about six feet) USB-C cable to the mic, and the USB-A end to your PC or recording device, and you’re ready to roll. Now it could’ve just stopped there, but Neat who are part of Turtle Beach aren’t ones to shy away from extra features.
Once you got the mic plugged in, a RGB light around the center knob lights up and lets you know what mode you’re in. The default mode is a yellow light that allows you to adjust the headphone volume of any you have plugged directly into the mic.
That’s right, one of my favorite features from the Roccat Torch mic I reviewed is back, the ability to listen to zero-latency monitoring of your voice. This mode lets you use the knob to control how low or loud you want your monitoring to be.
The next mode has a green light and allows you to adjust the mic gain to your recording software which is always a plus to make sure it’s loud enough to pick up your voice and not much else.
Lastly there’s a blue light mode that’s quite possibly the best feature of them all, the ability to adjust the balance of your monitoring between your voice and any input audio you have coming through which is a real nice touch. And of course there’s a handy mute button that thankfully doesn’t make any digital pops or clicks when pressed for anytime you don’t want a hot mic while talking with others.
Whatever audio project you’re working on that requires a professional grade microphone, the Neat Bumblebee II USB Microphone will fit the bill nicely. Along with the Roccat Torch, it’s quite possibly the best USB mic you can get for a hundred dollars, as it sounds great and features some impressive bells and whistles without stinging your wallet too much.
