Home recording
Capture the sound.
A good home recording is mostly a quiet room, a sensible microphone and an interface that stays out of the way. These guides cover each link in that chain.
If you only take one line
“The Logitech Yeti (formerly Blue Yeti) is the best all-around USB microphone for most people, thanks to four switchable polar patterns that cover solo recording, interviews, and calls with one mic.”
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At a glance — best usb microphones
Logitech Yeti USB MicrophoneOur pick
Anyone who needs one mic for solo, interviews, and calls
$100
Elgato Wave:3 MK.2 USB Condenser Microphone
Streamers who want onboard processing without extra software
$135
HyperX QuadCast 2 USB Microphone
Gamers and streamers who want a mute tap and 4 patterns
$120
| Pick | Best for | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
Logitech Yeti USB Microphone· our pick | Anyone who needs one mic for solo, interviews, and calls | $100 | Buy on Amazon → |
Elgato Wave:3 MK.2 USB Condenser Microphone | Streamers who want onboard processing without extra software | $135 | Buy on Amazon → |
HyperX QuadCast 2 USB Microphone | Gamers and streamers who want a mute tap and 4 patterns | $120 | Buy on Amazon → |
Buying guides
The Best Podcast Microphones
Dynamic microphones beat condensers in almost any untreated room, so every pick here starts from that and spreads out by price and connection type.
4 picks →
The Best Microphones for Vocals
The best microphone for vocals depends more on your room than your budget — here are six XLR picks that account for both.
6 picks →
The Best Studio Headphones for Tracking and Mixing
Closed-back headphones keep sound out of the microphone; open-back headphones let you hear a mix the way you'll eventually hear it in a room.
7 picks →
The Best Audio Interfaces for Home Recording
A home studio needs one solid audio interface more than a second microphone. Here is how to pick one that will not bottleneck either.
6 picks →
The Best Studio Monitors for a Home Studio
The right studio monitor is the one sized to your room, not the one with the biggest number on the box.
6 picks →
The Best In-Ear Monitors for Musicians
A good in-ear monitor is judged first by fit and isolation, and only after that by driver count.
5 picks →
The Best USB Microphones
USB microphones plug in and just work; these six condensers span a sub-$40 budget pick to studio-grade sound for singing and music.
6 picks →
The Best MIDI Keyboards
A MIDI keyboard is a dumb terminal for your software instruments — the right one just needs to get out of the way.
6 picks →
The Best Drum Machines
A drum machine is a sequencer with opinions about rhythm baked in — the right one matches how you actually want to program a beat.
6 picks →
The Best Synthesizers for Beginners
A good first synthesizer puts every important control on a knob you can see and turn, not buried in a menu.
5 picks →
The Best Acoustic Panels
Acoustic panels fix how a room sounds to the people inside it. They will not stop sound from leaving. Here's how to buy the right ones.
6 picks →
More from SlowHum
Play
Guitars, keys, drums, strings and breath — researched buying guides for the instrument you'll actually keep playing.
Listen
Turntables, speakers and the small things that make records sound the way they should.
Quiet
Earplugs, sound machines, sleep headphones and soundproofing — for rest, focus and slow hours.