That's because companies haphazardly slap "gaming" on various items at inflated prices, and ignorant "gamers" buy into the marketing, expecting these products to be somehow superior.
No joke, recorded several demos with my band using that mic running direct into my Compaq Presario edited in Cool Edit in the late 90s. Seriously sounded half decent in this video
I honestly thought you must have had a lav mic on or something at first because it actually sounded so much better than I anticipated, but when it was clear that it was the actual mic, I was impressed. It also brought back a whole rush of nostalgia. That plastic has "soon to be stained yellow from time and all of your dad's cigarette smoke" look that the 90's really nailed.
In fact, the difference is only in the design of the case. This microphone has approximately the same electret capsule as in a lavalier or, as well as in a cheap cassette recorder. With a good sound card (or whatever it's plugged into) it might sound good. Quite enough for voiceovers.
I know it's an April Fools thing, but I'm really glad you did this. Looking back at a mic that even people who didn't grow up while it was ubiquitous can recognize. There are still millions of them (and the even cheaper copies) out there, and I still see them pop up in zoom meetings. Pretty sure I've got one in my office somewhere. And you know what? Used properly, it doesn't sound bad at all. It's not studio grade, but spoken word is fine, and I quite liked the music test!
This sounds WAY better than it did plugged into my pci sound blaster sound card in the 90s. Would definitely buy it over the Neuman (sp?)... Because I don't have 3k to blow on a mic.
Can we talk about how double sided sticky foam tape was an acceptable commercial mounting solution in the 90s for things that mounted to your CRT monitor?
It's an OEM model. It's not discontinued, it's been and it is still being reviewed nowadays in youtube from time to time. Because it is still being sold under a dozen of different brands. You can find it under the name of Trust Primo, NGS MS102, Ewent EW3550, etc.
Holy shit you just unlocked a memory from my childhood. I had this mic when I was a kid. Got it for $1 at the Flea Market and used it as my main mic to talk shit in CS1.6 for years. I completely forgot this existed!
Bandrew, thank you for committing to a thorough test of this, to put to rest once and for all any foolish claims that you don't need more mic than this for serious recording. That said, this thing sounded far better than I expected. That may have to do with the XLR adapter/Focusrite setup you were using it with.
I thnk it absolutely has to do with that. Most people connect these direct to a motherboard mic input which is the way to gget the worst sound of the mic. But it was surprisingly useable.
This mic has perfect audio recreation, it is the best Mic ever reviewed on this channel. The Electric guitar did not make my ears bleed at all. The noise rejection didn't sound like I was living in a tumble dryer. Why did they ever stop making this mic 😪
This saved my Friday. Thank you. What makes this perfect... when I took my present job 4 years ago, I asked IT to set me up with ability to do zoom calls on my desktop.. they brought me this microphone and the matching set of speakers..
That's for the exceptional review. I've been considering picking one of these microphones up for a really long time, and thanks to you I've finally got the confidence to make a decision!
For a while, you had me. I was going to rummage through all the vintage garbage I have in my garage to see if I still have my old Creative Labs microphone which was bundled with some Sound Blaster card, see if it's a rebranded Labtec and add it to my collection of microphones I seldom use. You stimulated a nostalgic Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Nice video.
Loved everything about this, including the mic. I had one of these 20+ years ago. Eventually it broke and I taped it inside of an acoustic guitar and made some really neat recordings. Might need to find one of these again now.
This whole bit is great. Look forward to more like this. Background pics nailed it. They brought back lots of memories for those of us old enough to remember the complexity of the world then. No joke! Seriously - that mic could help a lot people now days sound better on ZOOM.
Not QUITE how I remember it sounding for me back in the 90s. Genuinely thought you were using a different mic at first and pretending to be capturing your audio with this thing! Going to give my 11 year old self a call later and let them know the true potential of this obviously rather legendary microphone.
Just looking at the thumbnail i knew it was an april fools joke, still looked at the video, and was not disappointed. You might have gave me the best laugh in weeks. Even if it was an april fool, the content was great. Thanks for your dedication on testing these mics!
Not going to lie, this mic still lives on my desk. It’s my go to solution for temp VO on projects as I’ve never bothered to get a proper usb mic or different 3.5mm mic since I’ve always had this just living on my desk on its low profile stand.
Amazing April Fool's video; had a good chuckle at the comparison Not gonna lie, this mic has really saved me in a spot a couple times. I had a terrible first mic when I started recording my voice for videos (2008); an absolutely hideous headset, and even worse for voice acting. My grandma had the Labtec at her house for around a decade but hardly ever used it. Always used to see it just laying around in her computer room. Around a year after I got that headset, I finally got curious enough to ask if I could have her old mic and my grandma gave me the go-ahead. Was actually blown away by how it sounded. _Much_ clearer (though I wish I had known how to do noise removal at the time because the hiss got worse over time), perfect for a teenager with no money. Used it on my family's Windows XP computer for around 5-6 years Fast-forward 8 years later, finally have a computer that's truly my own. I had (and still have) a much more decent headset, but still not ideal for voice acting. Recording from the Samsung Galaxy S4 (which itself has a microphone that sounds better than it has any right to) wasn't gonna cut it anymore, and the Labtec AM-242 once again came in clutch. A good amount of that hiss was gone, good since I was still too dumb to figure out noise removal. Perfect for a twenty-something with no money Obviously no comparison to the Samson Q2U that replaced it about half a year later, but I've always appreciated the little thing. Legit wanna put it in a display whenever I can finally get that set up. Perfect for a (almost-)thirty-something with no money
I love this video. It might be just a silly April Fool's thing to most people, but to me this proves that it really doesn't matter what gear you have - You can just grab a microphone, any micropphone, and record something amazing. (5 points if you guess who I stole this quote from) Thanks Bandrew, for all the amazing information you provide. 'This may have been your silliest video, but also at the same time the most informative.
Absolutely hilarious. I also want to go back. As much as I love technology, I often think we would have been better off if the internet was never invented.
The notification for this genuinely stopped me in my tracks and caused me to lol. Also hits too close to home considering I had various models of this type of mic about 20 years ago
This was probably the first mic that I had or some variation on this. I always cite a radio shack dynamic as my first mic, but this type of mic was really the first.
I used to use one of these for recording birds. It was excellent. I tried several other mics against it that I thought would've been better, but this one was always the best.
I've owned a few of those style mini-boom mics. They were decent sounding for a cheap electret mic. I paid about $5-$25 for em. Useful as a utility mic. Great for getting in just the right spot, or taping to stuff for hard to mic areas on guitars. The biggest issue I had was the cord failing. Nearly impossible to replace. Otherwise quite tough. The freq response is suprisingly flat, with a (iirc) 4k bump likely from the design of the mic body. Talk shit all you want, but these were decent for a 90's 1/8th inch offering. Far better than a period noname dynamic in the same price-range.
AARGH talk about a nostalgia trip- i remember these things being sold as the 'Creative Multimedia Microphone' bundled with Sound Blasters - by god they were awful - not even up to picking up audio for sound reactive VJing lol. Youre not kidding that the time before 9/11 was simpler, and we also cared about each other a lot more. We've been taught to live in metaphorical bunkers for the last 20 years.
There is a reason U87s are designated as simple stage mics. They don't hold up well in a studio. The labtec is a great mic! Will be looking to get one soon.
THIS WAS MY FIRST MIC! holy shit, dude! I completely forgot this existed and now I'm getting insane flashbacks of the windows recorder and replaying stuff backwards, etc.
God, I want it back so bad. The simpler times. Everything felt so much different and I will say it, better. This mic hits a soft spot for me, takes me right back
