Apogee Hype Mic - USB Microphone with Analogue Compression for Capturing Vocals and Instruments, Streaming, Podcasting, and Gaming, Made in USA, Rose Gold

Product Information

With all that out of the way, let's break down the discussion into the three most typical uses for a USB mic and the various options, characteristics, and needs for each application. HypeMiC’s unique analog compression enhances vocals like no other microphone. The three compression settings availablein HypeMiC give you a truly balanced and “mixed” recording, reducing the need for extensive processing and mixing. Capturingyour perfect take has never been easier. The tone isn’t overly warm, but it’s by no means thin, either. I personally prefer a more neutral tone such as this. It’s easier to shape the vocal tone after the fact instead of removing frequencies boosted by a mic that doesn’t compliment the voice it captured.

A user will need to find that sweet spot for input gain for any of the compression settings based on the natural intensity of their voice. I prefer the tone of the initial recording, with no compression activated. I was running into wonky recording levels with the compressor settings. HypeMic Plosive Test

Shape it (Light Compression) - The minimal amount of compression, great for shaping the vocals and instruments in your music recordings. HypeMiC and MiC Plus both feature a studio-quality condenser capsule for capturing hi-fidelity audio. The frequency response is smooth and evenly balanced, making it great for a wide variety of sound sources. This is partnered with a super low-noise preamp, built straight into the microphone to amplify its output. It can provide a maximum of 46dB, allowing you to capture the most delicate of sounds with minimal noise. The combination of the two equates to professional results with your recordings from either MiC.

HypeMiC brings a new level of smoothness and warmth to acoustic instrument recording. Varying compression levels allow you to capture the fullest tone of your instrument without compromise. Built for high SPL levels, HypeMiC provides greater clarity and detail when recording loud acoustic instruments from drums to horns to choirs. Voice/Audio for Video: Podcasts, Voiceovers, Interviews, YouTube etc. So, on to the Hype setting, which is what Apogee is calling its ASP mode. We have three options. Shape offers the best sounding and subtlest form of compression. It's a smooth, low-ratio compression ideal for retaining a somewhat transparent sound while guarding against peaks. One thing to note: The output gets notably louder with the same gain level set when you go from no compression to Shape, so adjusting the gain down a bit is a good idea to avoid distorted vocals. There is a slight change when leaning to the left, but a bit more prominent when leaning to the right. My chair has arms, so I can only lean maybe a couple inches off center of the mic. HypeMic Cell Phone Test The compressor inHypeMiCis a great feature, but for users who prefer to process their audio in post or with realtime plugins, perhapsMiC Plus would suit your needs. After all, most microphones don’t feature built-in dynamics processing at all, and there’s plenty of hardware / software compressors out there!Before we dive into the world of USB mics, you should know how most professional microphones work. In a typical recording studio scenario, a microphone is an analog piece of gear that sends a signal to a console or computer through an XLR cable (often through a mixer that can handle multiple microphones at once). The signal from the mic should be more or less pure; EQ, dynamic compression, and reverb are all later steps in production. The warmth added is a little more than the previous mode – still sounds ok but not great. The overall levels increased to -17.7dB RMS. HypeMic Smash Compression Setting Basically, most USB mics take care of the mic pre and analog-to-digital conversion steps in the chain, which makes the signal chain simpler. As mentioned, standalone gear typically handles those processes in pro studio settings.

Ideal for live streaming, podcasts and broadcasts, HypeMiC balances audio dynamics for greater clarity resulting in better ‘broadcast ready’ recordings. HypeMiC is compatible with any Mac/PC and iOS app that allows you to select an audio device so you’re never without a pro studio when you are on the go. Outside of the USB mic world, there are several styles of microphone (such as condenser, dynamic, or ribbon) that, combined with the various microphone polar patterns (such as cardioid, hypercardioid, omnidirectional, or figure-eight), produce a wide range of options for the recording engineer. Among USB mics, it's mostly (but not always) condenser mics with cardioid patterns. Outwardly, the HypeMiC looks very similar to the Apogee MiC+, and uses the same medium‑diameter cardioid‑pattern capacitor capsule. It can run at up to 24-bit/96kHz and comes with an accessory kit that includes a substantial metal desktop tripod with 'tilt and pan' mic mount, a metal mesh‑screen pop filter and a semi-rigid woven carrying case that also contains three types of cable: micro-USB to USB-C, micro-USB to USB-A, and micro-USB to Apple Lightning connector. The mic offers plug-and-play operation with iOS (version 9 or later), Mac OS and Windows, and is fully compatible with Core Audio on the Mac OS platform, meaning that no additional drivers are necessary. Ideal for live streaming, podcasts and broadcasts, HypeMiC balances audio dynamics for greater clarity resulting in better ‘broadcast ready’ recordings. HypeMiC is compatible with any Mac/PC and iOS app that allows you to select an audio device so you’re never without a pro studio when you are on the go. Speciality Recording There's also the omnidirectional route if you're trying to capture the sound of a room. This can be particularly useful for location recordings—say, if your podcast calls for you to get the sound of a softball game in a park or the sound of glasses clinking and diners chatting at a restaurant. But this brings up another point—if your podcast is going to involve on-location recording, you should consider a mic that can record directly to mobile devices.There are, of course, digital compression plug-ins, but analog compression has its own sound. Unlike the DSP offered by competing models, the compression isn't combined with EQ, so you can confidently EQ the recording later in software and not have to worry about whether it's something that has already had EQ applied. Conclusions Some gaming mics up the ante by providing multiple polar patterns. Although cardioid (single-direction) is the standard, maybe you want to capture more than one voice with an omnidirectional or figure-eight pattern. Some gaming mics also have built-in switches to work with specific consoles. MiC Plus comes with a small desktop tripod so you can place it on a desk or surface nearby. This is pretty useful if you need MiC Plus in close proximity to your recording device. It also comes with a microphone stand adapter, allowing you to place it on a full size stand for recording.