Best OmniDirectional Microphones
Recording with the best omnidirectional microphone is easy and can give you major tonal advantages without excess gain. Many people think omni directional mics aren’t great for recording or live sound and that’s just not true.
Omni mics do produce gain in the critical zone, but outside of that they have plenty of advantages. You get way less wind noise, popping, vibrations, and no chance you’ll be outside of the polar pattern.
Don’t worry if some of this is over your head, we’ve reviewed all the top omni directional mics to show you their pros and cons and help you decide which one to add to your recording gear.
Top 3 Omnidirectional Mics
Contents
| Best Omnidirectional Microphones | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
 |
Blue Yeti USB Mic | Check Price |
 |
Rode smartLav+ | Check Price |
 |
Movo HM-M2 | Check Price |
Top Omni Directional Microphones in 2020
This is a full list of the best omnidirectional microphones to record your guitar, podcast, or anything else in your recording studio.
Blue Yeti USB Mic
In the world of microphones, Blue is a relatively new kid on the block. By the time it was founded in 1995, there were already established brands on ground. Despite this, Blue has gone on to make a name for itself and has continued to do so.
The microphone we are looking at here is the very popular Yeti. This is a USB microphone that is among the most sought after by podcasters.
It is designed with three condenser capsules that allow it support four different polar patterns. You simply switch to the pattern that best meets your need at the time. Your options are cardioid, stereo, bidirectional and omnidirectional.
Being a USB microphone, it derives its power from the USB port. It also has a gain knob for controlling the level that goes into your device and a volume knob for managing the headphone level from its direct headphone out.
This microphone does not require any additional preamp as it has an internal preamp that sends an already optimized signal out. It is very easy to use because it is plug and play which is what has made it a favorite with podcasters.
Pros
- Type – USB condenser.
- Frequency response range – 20Hz to 20kHz.
- Polar pattern – Cardioid, stereo, bidirectional and omnidirectional.
Cons
Because of its design, it may have a limited use application.
Suggestion
This is a lovely microphone that is easy to setup and use. However, it is best for vlogging or podcasting. It may not find a practical use in a professional recording environment.
Rode smartLav+
Rode is an established microphone brand that has been in the market since 1967. It has delivered a lot of top quality microphones that are being used in different sectors of the music industry.
What Rode is offering us here is the SmartLav+. This is a lapel microphone designed for use with smart phones and mobile devices because of its 1/8 TRS connector.
It is a condenser microphone with a 360 polar pattern. Pinned to your lapel or collar, you can speak normally and it will easily capture what you are saying.
This microphone makes it easy to improve the quality of your audio on videos, podcasts and more. It is equipped with a kevlar reinforced cable which ensures durability, as it will not easily get stretched or severed in the course of your normal use. The same goes for the clip which is designed to withstand the rigors of regular use.
You will also get a foam windscreen which will serve as both a pop filter and shield against wind noise. This microphone offers a professional level output and is very easy to use especially with your mobile devices.
Pros
- Type – Lavalier, Condenser.
- Frequency response range – 60Hz to 18kHz.
- Polar pattern – Omnidirectional.
Cons
It has a limited use application.
Suggestion
If you will be doing a lot of audio recordings using your smartphone or other mobile device and want to get as professional an output as you can, then you should consider getting this microphone.
Movo HM-M2 Dynamic Handheld Microphone
Movo is a company that is consumed with a desire to enable content creators do what they do best with ease and professionalism, using simple and affordable tools.
Since one of the areas of greatest challenge, especially for vloggers, podcasters and others who create content is audio recording, the brand offers this microphone to make life easier for them.
The HM-M2 is a dynamic, handheld microphone designed to aid on the field interviews. It features an omnidirectional pickup pattern that ensures uniform all-round sound pickup.
As part of its design, it does not need to be powered by external phantom power. To further make it ideal for its purpose, it has an in-built pop filter that reduces plosives from anyone speaking in close proximity to it and also cuts down on wind noise that may be prevalent on some field projects.
This microphone is specially designed for speech so its frequency response range is optimized just for that.
It is ruggedly designed for easy handling and movement while its discreet finish makes it blend well into shots. It comes with a carrying pouch and promises durability through loads of projects.
Pros
- Type – Dynamic, handheld.
- Frequency response range – 70Hz to 15kHz.
- Polar pattern – Omnidirectional.
Cons
It is specialized for speech and so may not excel for other uses.
Suggestion
If you conduct interviews on the streets or anywhere outside a controlled environment, then this is a good microphone to consider. It is specifically designed for conducting interviews.
Blue Snowball USB Microphone
Once again we are looking at another product from Blue, the new kid on the block that appears to be pulling its weight nicely.
What we are looking at this time is the Snowball USB Microphone. Just as with the Yeti, this is a microphone designed with podcasters in mind. It possesses the key specification that folks in this niche look out for – ease of use.
By simply plugging it into your computer, you immediately put at your disposal professional level audio recording.
Though podcasters really love it for the versatility it offers them, this microphone also works very well for other kinds of recordings. With its switchable pickup patterns and attenuation pads that allow signals with much louder volumes to be recorded without the signal clipping, you can actually record a band or instruments with this microphone.
When you get this, what you get is a condenser microphone with two polar patterns – cardioid and omnidirectional, attenuating pads for regulating volume, a sample rate of 16bit/44.1kHz and a frequency response of 40Hz to 18Khz.
For accessories you will get a desktop stand and a USB cable.
Pros
- Type – Condenser, USB.
- Frequency response range – 40Hz to 18kHz.
- Polar pattern – Switchable cardioid and omnidirectional.
Cons
It offers limited control options.
Suggestion
This is a lovely microphone for podcasting. It will especially shine when you are recording a panel discussion because it will pick from all sides. You can also use it for other recording applications.
Sony ECMCS3 Stereo Microphone
Sony is an electronic manufacturing company that dominated its niche for decades. It has continued to retain its position as one of the top electronic brands till this day, producing top quality products for different markets.
One of its products is the ECMCS3 Stereo Microphone package. This is a clip style microphone with an omnidirectional polar pattern.
Because of its design, this microphone is best suited for use with smartphones, mobile devices, laptops and other devices with a 1/8 jack mic input. It will therefore be great for skype calls, podcasting and the like.
This microphone is easy to use. Aside from the fact that it is omnidirectional and offers hands-free use, the microphone itself can also be rotated to achieve the best placement.
As an electret condenser microphone that also picks sound in a 360 degree direction, it will easily pick up a lot of sound from the background. This can however be mitigated by placing it as close to your mouth as possible.
With proper placement, you can be sure of achieving a good quality audio recording with this even on your mobile device.
Pros
- Type – Clip-on, electret condenser.
- Frequency response range – 50Hz to15kHz.
- Polar pattern – Omnidirectional.
Cons
It will easily pick up a lot of background noise
Suggestion
This microphone offers mobile users and people recording or broadcasting from simple devices like laptops, a tool with which to improve the quality of their audio. The placement however has to be gotten right to ensure that the background noise to actual signal ratio is as low as possible.
Rode Reporter Interview Microphone
We are concluding this review with another product from Rode. Like we stated earlier, this is one of the leading microphone brands today.
Previously, we looked at the smartLav+ but now we are looking at a microphone the brand simply calls Reporter. This is a handheld dynamic microphone that was specifically designed for use as a handheld interview or presentation microphone.
First, its body design features an ergonomic, die-cast aluminum construction that enhances both ease of use and durability. It also features a built-in mesh that offers protection from wind noise.
For its actual task, the frequency response range was designed to optimize speech while its pickup pattern, which is omnidirectional, ensures that little or no audio signal is lost during the interview.
As part of the package, it comes with a carrying pouch as well as a microphone flag which can be used for branding purposes.
If you are always on the road conducting one interview or the other, this baby will surely make your job a lot more professional. There is a reason why Rode offers a 10 year warranty on this.
Pros
- Type – Handheld, dynamic.
- Frequency response range – 70Hz to 15kHz.
- Polar pattern – Omnidirectional.
Cons
Because of its application design, it will not serve effectively for much other than for speech.
Suggestion
This is a very precisely designed microphone. If you need something for conducting interviews on the road or for presentations, then this microphone was tailor made just for that.
What You Should Get!
We are finally done with our review of top omni directional microphones and it really was an interesting journey. We saw a number of products from different brands offering various features. It is now time for us to choose one from the lot to be named our pick for the day.
Having carefully reviewed all the products, we considered two factors above all others. These are versatility and ease of use. Based on these two factors, we picked the Blue Yeti USB Mic as our Top Omni Directional Mic because we believe it offers the best value on those two factors and also offers good overall quality.
