Reddit reviews Samson MK-10 Microphone Boom Stand

I bought this stand which was pretty cheap, and although no clip is pictured, I'm fairly certain mine came with one in the box.

We have this boom mic stand, and it works well both with the boom horizontal, and as a vertical stand. (Needs a cup holder, though.)

> Drum sticks with the rubber tips

I don't know about rubber, but nylon tipped drum sticks are common, either online or at a local music store. We have a pair. 7A is the size of the Rock Band drum sticks.

Mic stand

Pros

• Can be used anywhere, even when you are not at a desk
  
• Is not attached to desk so any vibrations from you hitting the desk are not transferred.
  
  Cons
  
  
• Vibrations from the floor will be transferred.
  
• May be harder to position around your desk to get the mic where you want it to be. Harder to adjust.
  
• Can be knocked over, which can damage your mic.
  
  Mic arm
  
  Pros
  
  
• Easier to adjust to get the mic exactly where you want it to be. Can easily be moved out of the way when not in use.
  
• Vibrations from your floor will not be transferred (unless they also vibrate your desk).
  
• More stable than a cheap floor stand.
  
• Mic can't be knocked over onto the floor, potentially breaking it.
  
  Cons
  
  
• Vibrations from desk will be transferred.
  
• Must be mounted to a desk (unless it was other mounting options).
  
• Some desks do not have the lip necessary to mount with a clamp.
  
• Can be difficult to position sometimes.
  
  Personally I prefer the boom arms that attach to your desk. I had a cheap Neewer one for a while and then bought a Heil HB-1, which I definitely recommend. The Rode PSA-1 is a good choice as well, and botha re a little over $100 or so. There is also the On Stage Stand which is nice because it's heavy and the arm doesn't get in the way of your monitor, but it might get in the way of your keyboard and mouse and be harder to position. If you are getting a floor mic stand the ones with the heavy round base are nice because they don't fall over as easy and absorb some of the vibrations, but they are also more expensive and are hard to find with a boom arm.

So the Yeti comes with its own desk stand. If you are looking for something that will stand on the floor, you'll want to get a floor stand with a boom. Like this perhaps: Amazon

The biggest problem with that stand though is that the Yeti is a fairly heavy mic, so the stand would be prone to tipping. If you can get a desk stand I used this one in the past, had a nice heavy base. and then got a little longer boom arm for it. Or just invest in a bag of rocks to hold the floor stand down.

As far as sensitive to bumps, there's not much you can do. Many shockmounts on the market will not fit the Yeti. You can get the Blue Ringer (nee Radius), a shock mount designed for the Yeti, and it's a bit overpriced (since they know very few fit the mic). But it works.

Welcome home! I have been using the Snowball for two years now and I think I have gotten the best quality that I could possibly get out of it. It is surprising how much the pop filter actually helps. Here are a few tips that can get you some good audio quality.

• If you can afford it/have the space for it, grab a Boom Stand for that mic so that you can get it just where you want it. I record from a couch and this is essential for my audio quality. It is cheaper than getting a shock mount and if you plan on putting the mic directly on the desk it could pick up some vibrations from your PC.
  
  
• On your PC settings turn your microphone levels on your Snowball down to 20-25 and position the mic about a foot away from your face. This will greatly cut down on background noise and even though you can use a noise remover they lower the quality of the overall recording sometimes.
  
  
• Make sure to record your audio separately from the game audio with a program like audacity (I use Soundbooth but Audacity is the best free option) so that you can play with the audio levels while editing.

Yeti is sensitive and you can do a lot better at the price point.

Dynamic Microphones

For most gamers I'd recommend dynamic microphones since they pick up a lot less noise. Look into: XM8500, SM58, Beta 58.

Condenser Microphones

If you are set on a condenser microphone, be aware everyone is going to hear your keyboard, mouse, roommates etc. Avoid the Yeti. Look into: AT2020, MXL 770, Samson C02, LyxPro SDPC-2.

Mixers for Single Microphones

With any of the single microphones you'll be able to use the Xenyx 502, 1 RCA to 3.5 cable and 1 XLR cable.

Mixers for Microphone Pairs

With either of the stereo microphone pairs you'll need to use a mixer with more inputs OR go halves with a friend. You'd be able to use the Xenyx 802, 1 RCA to 3.5 cable and 2 XLR Cables, you are also going to want a stereo microphone bar

Accessories

Scissor Arm - $20 : You'll want a stand with any of the microphones listed, however if you'd prefer a stage style boom arm it would be the same price.


Pop Filter - $7 : You'll want one with any of the condenser microphones. However it would be a nice addition to any of the microphones.


Windscreen - $3 : You'll want one with any of the dynamic microphones.


--EDIT-- Let me know any questions you have. If you want to talk we could meet up on the discord server or something.

Sorry for taking my time /u/AliceWolff as you.. can see I did spend a lot of time on this.
Okay, after all the information I managed to gather from you. I managed to get a pretty extreme PC without going "over the top".

I will provide you with a rationale for each part.
As well as my standard list of videos to help you understand why I suggest these products.
Then I also include some great guides to help you build the PC.
Lastly, I will drop a lot of software to help you with overclocking.

---

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor | $1040.00 @ B&H
CPU Cooler | Enermax Liqmax II 240 96.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $89.99 @ Newegg
Radiator Fan | NoiseBlocker NB-ELoop B12-2 51.1 CFM 120mm Fan | $22.95 @ Amazon
Radiator Fan | NoiseBlocker NB-ELoop B12-2 51.1 CFM 120mm Fan | $22.95 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-X99P-SLI ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard | $249.99 @ Amazon
Memory | G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $58.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $58.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $181.00 @ Newegg
Storage | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $149.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Toshiba X300 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $124.99 @ Micro Center
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB CLASSIFIED GAMING ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $629.99 @ Newegg
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB CLASSIFIED GAMING ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $629.99 @ Newegg
Case | Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case | $69.99 @ Newegg
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM 140mm Fan | $21.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | EVGA 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $139.99 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) | $124.86 @ B&H
Monitor | Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 165Hz 27.0" Monitor | $799.00 @ Amazon
Keyboard | Corsair STRAFE RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard | $119.99 @ Best Buy
Mouse | Mionix Castor Wired Optical Mouse | $69.99 @ Amazon
Mouse Pad| Glorious XXL Extended | $24.00 @ Amazon
Headphones | Sennheiser HD 518 Headphones | $63.48 @ Amazon
Headphones | Sennheiser HD 518 Headphones | $63.48 @ Amazon
Headphones | Sennheiser HD 598 SE Headphones | $152.88 @ Amazon
Amplifier| Schiit Vali 2| $169.00 @ Schiit.com
DAC| Schiit Modi 2 Uber| $149.00 @ Schiit.com
Cable| Schiit RCA 6 inch| $27.00 @ Amazon
Audio| 4 way audio splitter| $31.00 @ Amazon
Microphone| Blue Yeti Pro| $199.00 @ Amazon
Microphone| Blue Radius II | $46.00 @ Amazon
Microphone| Blue Yeti Stand| $20.00 @ Amazon
Microphone| Double Layer Pop Filter| $7.00 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $5557.47
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-17 14:18 EDT-0400 | ♥

I took a course in college that surveyed types of music careers. You might be interested in the textbook we used https://www.amazon.com/Self-Promoting-Musician-Strategies-Independent-Success/dp/0876391390
If you're looking to start a career in music it's important to understand how to market your content to people and how to find your audience. A lot of musicians think the best thing to do is to just keep practicing and improving their musical knowledge. You obviously need to know how to use a DAW if you want to compete in the industry and learning theory would definitely help. But investing time in building your image on social media will help immensely. Also, if you're looking for a free DAW I know Pro Tools First is free. It allows you to create up to 16 tracks which should be enough for your early career. If you're looking for recording equipment here's a list of stuff I've been using:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5QDQOF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZZCR6P4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CZ0R3S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WVFRW4H/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CLIPHO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If you're looking for tutorials on Pro Tools and Sibelius my professor has some on his channel https://www.youtube.com/user/dtoddsorensen/videos
I hope this helps

I've also got the XLR version. No real recommendation for what to buy (also interested in what people have to suggest) I opted for the Samson MK-10 Microphone Boom Stand. Works somewhat well. Doesn't exactly hold it's own though very well. Sometimes falls, other times supports itself. If you do get a boom stand I would find one with a few more pounds is all and I think they would be just fine. This one was 4 pounds.

This right here is the one that I use. It seems to work well but you have to be careful because it can tip over due to the weight of the Yeti.

Yeah. I'm using this cheap one.

A shock mount would eliminate noise like typing or anything from the same surface as the mic stand (I'm guessing your desk). Biggest thing is mounting the mic so it is close to your mouth and away from other noise. The further away from your mouth, the more background noise it will pick up as well.

I'd get a boom stand or a swingarm stand to mount the mic. Will help get it closer to your mouth and eliminate noise that comes through your desk stand.

If prices near me are correct:

The C1-U is 38$
Snowball is 49.99$
Meteor is 69.99


If you dont have a boom stand/Desk stand such as this, or this Buy the C1U + Stand (nearly same price as meteor alone, and it allows you to lift mic off table and higher up. Less keyboard+mice clicking noise and if its closer to your face it will have better pickup.)

If you already have a stand, then I would say grab the Snowball.

If you really like the look of the meteor then go for it. But understand that you are paying for the material around the mic, not necessarily better sound quality.

Funny you ask, I was just about to make a post asking if I royally screwed myself (excuse my vulgar analogy) for compatibility because I got a Samson Meteor Mic. Its good but it seems its compatibility is abysmal. Im gonna go out on a hunch and say that it's compatible with the Samson MK10 mainly because you can bundle it with the microphone, could be wrong though. Also from everything I've seen you can't put a shock mount on it. But this is all coming from very short answers in Amazons question section so maybe you can provide me with some insight. My initial thought was combining that stand with this shockmount/popfilter.

I just ordered this one from Amazon, which is discounted by $50 (from $72 -> $19.99). Of corse I can't attest to quality as it's shipping, but the reviews are good (4.3 with about 700+)

https://www.amazon.com/Samson-MK-10-Microphone-Boom-Stand/dp/B003CLIPHO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1481431820&sr=8-4&keywords=mic+stand

Copy/paste of a budget setup I've been putting together lately:

• 1 x Pile Pro PDMIC78 for snare
  
• 1 x CAD KBM412 for kick
  
• 2 LDCM's for overheads, AT 2020 is a classic, but you can certainly go cheaper with some no-name condensers.
  
• Behringer UMC404HD for an interface. It has 4 mic preamps, which will work much better for drums than the 2-in AudioBox or the Scarlet 2i4 that always comes up on these threads.
  
• 4 x mic cables
  
• 1 x low profile boom stand for the kick mic
  
• 1 x mic clip for the snare mic
  
• 2 x Boom stands for overheads
  
• Download Reaper, use the free trial
  
  I think all told that runs you about $400, but you can use that to set up a solid Glyn Johns set up. If you want to multitrack the rest of a band, the Pyle will work well on guitar cabs, you can DI the bass and use the kick mic on the cab, and condenser mics will do pretty much anything else. I have a better setup for doing final takes, but this is more or less my current setup for demos.
  
  Also, if you're really strapped for cash, you can start with just the interface and one condenser mic, although it won't be great. From there, get the kick and snare mics, then a second OH when you have the money.

If you want to go for the cheap route, you could do what I do. I have a cheap $20 mic stand with a pop filter that attaches to the mic/boom stand arm and then attach an adjustable shock mount so it can fit both types of mics.

I'll link the ones I personally use.

Mic/Boom stand: https://www.amazon.com/Samson-MK-10-Microphone-Boom-Stand/dp/B003CLIPHO/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1522273119&sr=1-5&keywords=mic+stand

Pop filter: https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Microphone-Stabilizing-Awesome-Recordings/dp/B01N21H9WY/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1522273155&sr=1-3&keywords=pop+filter

Shock mount: (I use a different mic, but you can check out a few of these) https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dmi&field-keywords=adjustable+shock+mount&rh=n%3A11091801%2Ck%3Aadjustable+shock+mount

Hope this helps!

There should be a way of mounting a camera to a mic stand so that you can place it over a table looking down. This would work best if your camera is small and light (like an action cam).

These are the things you'd need (just an example - it doesn't have to be these exactly). Make sure the mic stand can extend to the height your desire.


https://www.amazon.com/Samson-MK-10-Microphone-Boom-Stand/dp/B003CLIPHO/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1503979876&sr=1-3&keywords=mic+stand

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Support-21600N-Threaded-Adapter/dp/B0006PXXR6

i've used something similar to this when I used the yeti before. I just put a weight on the back leg.

http://www.amazon.com/Samson-MK-10-Microphone-Boom-Stand/dp/B003CLIPHO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1420539742&sr=8-4&keywords=mic+boom

You can also go all out, and get a shock mount, and such, but that and putting the mic as close to your face as your comfortable with will work fine.

I use a mic stand pretty much like this, but since you say you don't have the money for one now, you might have to make a homemade one by stacking some books on a night stand and putting it near your chair, so it's off to the side. I record with my mic off to the side and it works pretty well I find.

Looking at the responses you've gotten so far and your need for good recording equipment over and above the need for the PC itself, I've put together another build for you.

This uses a fanless Intel Bay Trail quad-core chip. It's not a barnstormer in terms of performance, but you can't get any quieter than fanless. It includes a fanless power supply and a 5400RPM laptop hard drive (I'm still not convinced that recording to an SSD is a good idea -- mine introduces an unacceptable amount of jitter into the recording, even with low bitrates) to keep it as quiet as possible.

Size is also reduced. This is about the smallest you can make a build-it-yourself PC. 8.5" on a side, 2.5" tall.

I've included a USB ADC (analog-to-digital converter) with XLR inputs, phantom power and hardware gain control alongside your previous selection of the Shure SM94 instrument mic. I have an SM94 and it should work well for your application (it tends to be a bit bright for guitar or winds, but strings should work nicely with it).

I also included a mic stand with boom arm, as proper mic position is essential to capturing the correct character of the instrument.

The only thing I didn't include was an optical drive, but you mentioned looking for an external USB drive. That'll be your best bet here as well.

Let me know if you have any questions.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
Memory | *Team 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | $56.98 @ OutletPC
Storage | Samsung Spinpoint M9T 2TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive | $108.65 @ Amazon
Other| ASRock Q1900B-ITX Celeron J1900 quad-core CPU + Motherboard (Bay Trail) | $72.00
Other| Mini-Box M-350 Universal Mini-ITX Case w/ 80W PicoPSU | $70.00
Other| Shure SM94 Instrument Mic | $180.00
Other| ART USB Dual Pre XLR ADC | $80.00
Other| Samson Mic Stand w/ Boom | $20.00
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $587.63
| *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-16 10:21 EST-0500 |

Personally, I would start as basic as possible and then adjust later.

The [Samson MK10] (https://www.amazon.com/Samson-MK-10-Microphone-Boom-Stand/dp/B003CLIPHO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496125652&sr=8-1&keywords=samson+mk-10) seems to be the cheapest, most trusted budget microphone stand option for beginners (unless you're a tall person, because it's kind of short). Never used it though so can't say for sure.

For microphones, will you be using it to sing? If so, any mic with the words 'dynamic' and 'cardiod' should do the trick, I think.

Re: amplifiers. Do you want something battery powered, or will you have access to electricity? Will you be playing outside or inside? (that affects how loud it'll need to be) How important is portability (heaviness etc ...) to you?

Couldn't you just pay a boom operator $20 and call it square?

I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I'm looking for a low-end solution for recording vocals, connected to a PC.

I have absolutely no experience whatsoever with audio hardware. My wife loves to sing - and though I am of course biased, I think she's pretty good at it - and so I want to get her a gift of some recording equipment.

I'm not looking for anything high-end; I'd like for it to be "decent", but it doesn't have to be professional level hardware. I'd like to be able to get everything for somewhere between $300-400 if possible. So, specifically, I'm looking for...

1. A microphone for vocals (with a stand, or stand separate)
   
   
2. A way to hook everything up to the PC (for use with something like FL Studio or Audacity)
   
   I assume there might need to be an amp in there somewhere? I don't know, I don't know anything about this stuff.
   
   Would anyone please be willing to give me some recommendations on parts, and what specifically I will need? Thank you.
   
   Edit: Okay, what about this?
   
   AT-2020 Mic
   
   Scarlett Solo USB Interface
   
   Mic Stand
   
   Pop Filter
   
   XLR Cable
   
   Seinnheser HD280 Headphones

I bought this for my 2nd guitarist for his vocals.

Samson MK-10 Microphone Boom Stand https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003CLIPHO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pkRqzbZJEKXWG

Great quality for the price. I would use it if I wasn't already using the stand my primary guitarist gave me. I believe it's a gator. It has the round weighted bottom which I prefer since I set the stand to the left of my kit next to the hi hat. Makes it easier to get behind and out from behind the kit without tripping over the legs.

I also got this stand for my rode M5 overheads, along with the K and M dual mic holder for ~$14.

Microphone Stand Heavy-Duty Collapsible Tripod Boom Microphone Mic Stand, Height Adjustable, Boom Extendable (PMKS56) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SVRLPYY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PmRqzbT4DK74N

Perfect for overheads and again great quality for the price.

Do you think these would work?

https://www.amazon.com/Samson-MK-10-Microphone-Boom-Stand/dp/B003CLIPHO

https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Mini-Ball-Camera-Mount/dp/B000L47AHG

Yeah, a stand would definitely be a good idea, though I'm not sure how to attach one. You could get one with a basic clamp, but it might have to reach fairly far. Or you could get a tall one, and just put in on the floor, and aim towards your face.

Top of the line desk mounted stand


Cheap but good enough desk mounted stand


Floor stand

mine is a tri-pod base, like this I don't think it would wobble at all.

For sound I'd recommend an inexpensive mic stand above you and outside of your shot. Then clip your phone to the stand and record the audio.

Not sure on your shooting style but sounds like you are doing talking head videos. Due to you not wanting to have a crew hold a mic for you.

As a sound engineer I use boom stands all the time. Theres not much that changes between models. The most irritating thing is when the arm doesn't hold and begins to fall so you probably don't want a really cheap one. You also may want to look at the length of the boom - will it bring the mic close enough to your face in a comfortable position.
Something like this would do the job just fine if it suits your needs: http://www.amazon.com/Samson-MK-10-Microphone-Boom-Stand/dp/B003CLIPHO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395164738&sr=8-3&keywords=boom+stand

Hope this helps!

Currently looking to get into home vocal recording for classical and/or crossover voice. I'm aiming for about $100 AUD (approximately $75 US) to spend on recording software (mic, stand, computer input).

1. USB mics would reduce cost by having direct input into the computer for mixing - however, from some searching the talk seems to be that (especially in my price range) the sound is far inferior to compression mics. Is this true? If not, what's a good mic that would give adequate sound (bearing in mind that classical might be a bit more demanding than rock/pop vocal recording)?
   
2. If USB mics are out, my current plan (being totally ignorant about microphones) would look something like the Shure PGA58-XLR Cardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone, this mic stand from Samson and this XLR-USB cable from Deli. I selected these based on reviews and ratings; are they good choices? The reviews for the cable look a tiny bit suspicious; are Deli reputable? And I'm assuming I would want to get the microphone with the XLR-XLR cable, is that correct?
   
3. Finally - is it worth going over my current budget? I have $200 AUD (~150 US) in total to spend on music, the current plan is to use the other half for material, but the vast majority of classical is public domain and available for free, and what isn't (20th/21st century) can often be got for very cheap. So I can really go up to $200 for mic and equipment if it's going to make a real difference, and one that would be heard by real people and not just those knowledgeable about recording.

The only thing to keep in mind is you could potentially pick up audio from the television on your microphone. You would have to keep the TV turned down low if you don't want to commit to a headset.

A lapel mic would work but may not be very good quality for commentary. I've never had a lapel mic that recorded all that great. You could just set up a USB microphone with a longer cord and mic stand next to you on the couch.

Here is what I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Samson-C01U-Studio-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00HXE4BYW/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CLIPHO/

If I'm recording at my PC, I just slide it over next to me. If I'm on the couch playing off a console, I just slide it over to where the mic is at appropriate recording distance from my mouth. I love being able to easily go back and forth between areas since I switch between PC gaming and old consoles.

When I'm jamming on the PC, I use a headset so the game audio doesn't get picked up by the microphone.

When I'm console recording over on the couch, I keep the TV turned down low and it's far enough away to where it doesn't get picked up by the mic although I've thought about getting a headset for the TV with a long cord so I can hear the game audio... I like to hear the music lol.

You don't have to go supper expansive. I am using this and had no problems at all.