USB and podcast microphones
USB and hybrid USB/XLR podcast microphones, plus bundles with a boom arm and headphones, for a first episode that plugs into a laptop.
How to choose a podcast microphone
USB-only or hybrid. Pure USB (Shure MV6, Rode NT-USB Mini) is the simplest path. Hybrid models with both connections — Shure MV7+, MV7i, Rode PodMic USB — let you start on USB and move the same mic onto an interface or a console later without replacing it.
Onboard processing. The MV7 family applies gain, EQ and levelling in the mic itself, which is what makes an untrained voice sound consistent without a plugin chain. The MV7i goes further and adds an XLR input, so a second guest needs no separate interface.
Headphone monitoring. A headphone jack on the mic gives zero-latency monitoring. Without it you hear yourself late, and you will lean off-axis.
Capsule. These are almost all dynamic, deliberately: a podcast microphone usually lives in a room with no treatment.
Shure covers 20 of the 29 models here and Rode the rest, including the PodMic and the XDM-100. Bundles such as the MV7i and SM7B Podcaster pairing are the fastest way to a complete desk. Rode models on this page are enquire until dealer pricing lands.