- US better Believe
that there are a ton of options out there
when it comes to USB microphones to level up the quality
of your audio.
But today, we're going to see-ity if the Deity VO-7U
has what it takes to be the mic 4U.
And so right now,
you're actually not listening to the Deity.
You're listening to Sennheiser MKH 50,
which is like a $1,200 microphone.
The Deity is $169 microphone.
So this is Sennheiser and this is the Deity.
I can't even remember it, VO-7U.
I've tried to remember that like a million times.
Just for the sake of disclosure,
Deity did send me this microphone free of charge.
I don't have to make a review about it,
and I don't have to say anything specific about it.
I just chose to make a review about it
because I think it's very interesting
since it is Deity's first foray into the world
of USB microphones geared towards streaming and podcasting.
And this does come in a black or white version,
obviously, I have the white version.
It's like even almost overexposed on my shot here.
So while the microphone itself retails for $169,
the version that they sent me,
which includes this boom arm is $199.
And the boom arm itself,
might need to switch back to the Sennheiser for this.
It's not quite on the level
of something like the Rode PSA1, which is more expensive.
But if you're looking at, back on the Deity now,
if you're looking at the cost of the microphone is $169,
the cost of the kit with the boom arm and everything is $199.
Is the boom arm worth an extra $30?
Definitely.
Especially if you don't already have a boom arm,
it's really long.
I don't know if you can see how long this boom arm is.
Here is a Rode PSA1.
And if I put this here, it's significantly bigger
and longer than the Rode PSA1.
Now that's not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing,
it's just a thing.
But if you need a boom arm with a long reach,
this might really work for you.
I'm standing up right now
and it has plenty of height to be positioned at any angle.
If you're in a compact space,
this arm might even be a little bit too big.
It's definitely right in the range
of like the $50 and $60 like Samson boom arms.
It's very similar to those.
And just like any dubstep song from 2013,
it comes with a great bass. (d-d-d-d-d-d-drop the bass 🐟)
The mount that goes on this boom arm
is very similar to the Rode PSA1 mount,
which I love because as I've talked about many times,
it positions the weight of the boom arm
directly over your desk or your table top,
not hanging off the side.
This one does that too and it's built out of metal,
but it also has a really cool feature,
which is a built-in headphone hanger.
Pretty awesome and super helpful.
I haven't really seen that on any other mounts or clamps
and I think that that's really cool.
The only downside to that is depending on the thickness
and the design of the table that you're mounting it to,
there may or may not be room for it.
My table here is only about an inch thick
and there's nothing blocking anything from clamping to it.
So this works great.
But if you're using something like this desk over here
that has sort of a lip on it,
the headphone hanger
might actually get in the way a little bit.
I think it's safe to say
it's going to work on most standard desks and tabletops,
but just something to be aware of.
I just did a super duper scientific test
and it does fit into the Rode clamps.
So Rode also makes those grommets
that you can drill directly into a desk or a tabletop.
You could potentially then use one of those
for this boom arm as well.
So long story long, if you don't have a boom arm,
the extra $30, get the kit that comes with one
is probably really worth it.
Otherwise, I always love something like the PSA1
or the PSA1+.
And the mic also comes with a windscreen
and two different USBC cables.
One is USBC to USBC and the other is USBC to USBA.
So pretty much, no matter what computer you're using,
you're gonna be able to use this microphone with it.
Now, one of the things I actually do not like
about this microphone is the quality
of the headphone monitor.
It's not as good as the actual microphone.
And this threw me off
because when I first got the microphone
and I plugged it in,
I plugged in my headphones here
and I listened to it and I kind of thought,
"Ooh, that does not sound like I would've expected it to..."
But then I listened back to the recording,
without any kind of processing or anything,
and what you're hearing right now has no processing put on it,
which I guess is a good thing,
because it would be much worse
if the recording sounded worse
than what you're hearing here.
But what you're hearing here when you're monitoring
is going to sound worse than what you're outputting
or recording, but it would be great
if it was perfectly accurate
so you could really hear what everything sounds like.
That's really my one big gripe with the microphone.
But otherwise, it works and sounds really great.
I've used it not just to make this video,
but I've used it on other projects
including some paid client projects
and stuff like that.
It does have a built in yoke,
which has a standard 5/8" Mount.
And it does something really cool
that not a lot of microphones beyond the PodMic do,
which is the mounting point has 5/8"
and 3/8" built into it.
So you don't need adapters to make this work
on any kind of standard boom arm.
And the windscreen of course is very important
so this is Peter Piper pitched a podcast.
Peter Piper pitched a podcast.
So it definitely helps to have this on
and I would recommend using this most of the time.
But of course, it does change the visual style
and the visual appeal of the microphone,
which speaking of, there's two dials
on the side of the microphone.
One for your headphone volume
and one for the actual microphone's output volume.
If I press and hold the microphone one,
oh boy, there's the RGB lighting.
Here maybe if I turn off my key light, there we go.
Now you can see the RGB colors come to life right here.
This is one of those really polarizing features
that some people love and other people really, really hate.
And it seems like there's very few people in the middle.
Just know that kind of like I showed,
you can turn this off
just by holding down the microphone button
and then you can also cycle through different colors.
So there's the rainbow one.
There's red.
There's different hue shifts
and different effects that you can go through.
So if you have a specific color
that's connected to like your brand
or whatever it might be, your visual style,
you can probably find that on here and use that
and I think that's pretty fun.
My favorite is the rainbow spectrum thing,
because it's got all the colors in it and I like that.
And there is a physical mute button
on the side of the microphone that when I press it,
the ring will then glow red.
Are you red-y?
And then I turn it back on and you can hear what I'm saying.
I think that's pretty cool.
It could potentially be distracting
if you mute yourself on a call
and people just see this flashing red ring right here.
But it is one of those things where in a world
where, let me turn on my key light,
in a world where we live on video calls
a lot more than we used to
and half of the discussion seems to be,
"You're on mute, we can't hear you,"
you're definitely not going to be surprised
that you're on mute because you've got this big,
glowing red ring right there.
There's no app or anything that comes with this.
So you just run it through whatever software you wanna use
and you can adjust it that way if you need to.
But this is how it sounds directly out of the microphone.
Now it does say that it comes
with a built-in hardware limiter,
so that should help if things get REALLY LOUD
from having stuff clipped too much.
Although of course, it's definitely possible
to clip on the microphone. And it is just plug and play.
So it doesn't really matter
what computer platform you're using.
Even if you're using it with a mobile device,
like an iPad or a phone with an adapter,
like a USBC adapter,
you can still use the microphone
and still use every feature of the microphone through that.
Now, one thing you might have noticed
as I was flipping through all those dials
is the handling noise.
This microphone is pretty susceptible to handling noise,
which just means that once you have it in position,
you probably want to leave it there
and be pretty minimal with how much you move it afterwards.
Even though I'm not personally a USB microphone user,
I tend to prefer XLR microphones
because they excel at giving you a lot of variety.
Once you have the infrastructure for an XLR mic setup,
like you have a mixer or an interface
and maybe a mic booster,
the variety of microphones that you can get is just huge.
And I'm somebody who really likes playing around
with microphones and trying out different microphones.
So XLR just kind of is the way to go for me.
But USB has the simplicity
of not needing any of that extra stuff.
Just connecting it to your computer or even a tablet
or a mobile device and being all set,
that makes it really easy to recommend these
to people who are just getting started.
The two biggest downsides, in my opinion,
to USB microphones is the lack of options.
They just aren't as many of them
as there are XLR microphones,
and also the difficulty in using multiple microphones together.
Rode has been working around this
with their Connect app.
So if you use certain Rode USB microphones,
you can use multiple microphones together,
but then you're limited to using those specific microphones.
You can't mix and match all the different USB microphones
from different brands that you might have.
So in general, if you're using a USB microphone,
you should probably plan
on just using one microphone at a time.
If you need to use multiple microphones,
that's where diving into the world of XLR mics
makes a lot more sense.
But speaking of other USB microphones,
I thought it might be helpful to do a comparison
just so you can hear the difference
between the Deity VO-7U and other microphones
that I have there in that price range.
This isn't an exhaustive list
of every USB microphone you can get here.
These are just the ones that I happen to have.
And in fact, to try to make this a little more helpful,
I brought in a special guest,
very hard contractually to work this out.
This is my lovely wife, Heather.
So I'm going to have her also test all the microphones
that I test so you can hear how they sound
on a male voice and a female voice.
So let's start our comparison with the Samson Q9U.
This is the Deity VO-7U and this is the Samson Q9U,
which retails for $199.
So this microphone by itself costs the same
as the entire kit with the boom arm of the Deity.
But there are a few cool things about the Samson.
I think is a great sounding microphone.
It does have some options in the back
to adjust mids and high pass.
So this is with the mid turned on.
And then this is with the low pass filter turned on.
Sorry, not high pass.
And then this is with both of those turned off.
So that way, this is how it sounds directly out of the box.
It does also have a mute switch,
but there's no light or anything.
So you can't necessarily tell
when the button is on or off,
other than the fact there's no sound
coming out of the the microphone.
The biggest benefit to the Q9U, I think,
is that it's a USB and XLR microphone.
So it's very versatile.
And that means it's something that you could grow with
if you get it to use as USB microphone,
but then you start using it as an XLR microphone later on.
[Heather] This is how I sound on the Deity VO-7U.
This is how I sound on the Samson Q9U,
a $200 XLR USB microphone.
[Tom] And now, again, this is the Deity
and the next microphone we're going to compare
is the Rode NT-USB Mini.
Small microphone, big sound.
This is the Rode NT-USB Mini.
This is about $100 microphone.
This is one of the microphones
that will work with Rode's Connect app.
So if you want to use multiple USB microphones together,
you can connect them all through the Connect app
and use multiple, up to four of these together.
This is a very well built
and I think a very good sounding microphone.
The only downside is that even though it comes
in this little adorable stand,
if you set the stand on a table and talk like normal,
it's so mini the microphone is almost too far away.
So I think this is a great choice
if you have something like a boom arm or a stand
that's going to let you position the microphone
closer to your mouth
because the stand is just magnetically attached
and then you can connect this
to any traditional microphone mount.
And there is a physical headphone volume dial on the front
and that is the Rode NT-USB Mini.
[Heather] This is the Deity and next will be the NT-USB Mini.
Most of us know all about the original Photo Encabulator.
But for many years,
engineers have been working to bring perfection
to the crudely conceived idea of a device
that would not only supply inverse reactive current for use
in unilateral phase detractors,
but would also be capable of automatically synchronizing,
not just cardinal gram meters,
but also cardinal gramp meters.
Your grammies and your grampies.
[Tom[ And yet again, this is the Deity
and speaking of small microphones with big sound,
you might remember the Rode VideoMic GO II.
This is a great one
because it does also function as a USB microphone.
So this is the Deity
and this is the Rode VideoMic GO II.
This is another $100 microphone and versatility of course,
is that it's really made to be mounted
on top of a camera and has a 3.5 millimeter jack
that allows you to connect it to your camera.
So you can use it that way.
When it's connected via USB,
the 3.5 millimeter jack becomes the headphone jack.
You can kind of hear some handling noise there.
So this could be a really fun, really versatile,
really affordable choice for a good USB microphone.
If you also want to use your microphone on your camera
when you're making videos.
[Heather] This is the Deity and this is the Rode VideoMic GO II.
Now we've got the upgraded Deluxe Photo Encabulator.
Basically, the only new principle involved
is that instead of AV imagery being generated
by the relative motion of conductors and fluxes,
it's produced by the module interaction
of neomagneato reluctance and capacitative directance.
[Tom] And I don't think it would be fair
to do a USB microphone comparison
without comparing the Blue Yeti.
I know that there's a reputation and there's a stigma
and there's a taboo with the Blue Yeti.
That's a topic for a whole separate video,
but this is the Deity, this is the Blue Yeti.
The Blue Yeti has models that range in price,
but it's usually about $100, maybe a little more.
And it was kind of the ubiquitous USB microphone,
especially in the earlier days of YouTube and streaming.
But right now, you can just listen to what it sounds like,
hopefully as objectively as possible.
Couple downsides in terms of build and design
are that it does take a mini USB cable,
which is just less up to date now than it ever was.
And if you want to mount this on a different stand
besides the stand that it comes with,
you have to take it out of this stand.
It's a little bit of a clunky process,
but then you can mount this on any other microphone stand.
This is the Blue Yeti.
[Heather] This is the Deity and this is the Blue Yeti.
The lineup consisted simply of six hydroscopic marzlevanes,
so fitted to the ambifacient lunar waneshaft
that side fumbling was effectively prevented.
[Tom] And the last two comparisons might not be super fair
because they're in a sort of different price category.
This is the Rode VideoMic NTG.
This is Rode VideoMic NTG
and just like the VideoMic GO II,
even though it's designed to be used on a camera,
it can also be used as a USB microphone.
The difference between this
and the Deity is that this retails for $250.
So it's more expensive
than the most expensive version of the Deity,
but it is pretty versatile
if you want tp use it on a camera.
It is battery powered
so that means it's quite a bit more sensitive
and does have some more nifty built-in features
than the VideoMic GO II does.
But again, if you're looking for a microphone
that can function as a USB microphone
and then also be used as your on-camera microphone,
the VideoMic NTG could be the perfect choice.
[Heather] This is the Deity and is the Rode VideoMic NTG.
The original version had a baseplate
of prefabulated amulite.
And amulite is fantastic, am I right?
Which was surmounted by malleable logarithmic casing
in such a way that the two spurving bearings
were in a direct line with the panametric fan.
[Tom] And the last microphone
that we'll compare the Deity to is the Shure MV7.
The Shure MV7 has actually been one
of my go-to mic recommendations for a while
because it is a USB and XLR microphone.
But of course, it is more expensive than the Deity.
The microphone by itself retails for $250.
And the Deity is almost $100 less than that.
But again, you do gain that XLR functionality.
I really, really like the sound of this microphone.
I think it's very, very close to the SM7B,
which a lot of people really love.
It's very well built.
You do have some cool built-in touch controls here
and it does come with the Shure MOTIV app,
which helps open up a lot of possibilities
in terms of crafting the sound of the microphone
in your computer, in your software,
before you send it out to whatever recording
or streaming you're going to be doing with it.
The two biggest downsides of the MV7, in my opinion,
are that it has a micro-USB connector,
which is just annoying.
I really wish it where USBC.
And the other thing is just the windscreen
that comes with the MV7 isn't that great.
This is a colored windscreen from reporterstore.com.
That is for the Shure SM7B,
but the SM7B windscreens fit right on the MV7.
It's a dog hair on there.
But I did notice that since the MV7's original release,
they have updated the windscreen that comes with it.
And it's a little bit thicker and a little better
at rejecting pulses than the original one was.
But this is the Shure MV7.
[Heather] This is the Deity and this is the Shure MV7.
So I'm sure you can clearly see
why the Deluxe Photo Encabulator
really does change everything.
In fact, forget everything you thought you knew
about encabulators.
- Now we're back on the Deity VO-7U and Heather,
I had no idea that you knew so much
about the Deluxe Photo Encabulator.
- Yes.
And did you know that the use of anhydro nangling pins
enabled a cryptonastic boiling shim to be tinkered.
And believe me
[Both] You don't wanna tinker with the tanker.
(Heather laughs at Tom's hilariousness)
- Yikes.
Despite the content of what was said,
hopefully hearing two different voices
on all the different microphones
kind of gave you an idea of what different voices
might sound like on the different microphones.
- Yay.
- When it comes to the way that I review microphones,
I try to focus a little less on the technical specifications
and a little more on how they perform
in a real world or a kind of an everyday application.
So I try not to color that
with my own personal opinion too much.
But if you were to ask me who the Deity VO-7U is for,
I think that it's for somebody
who is looking to level up their audio,
but doesn't want to just spend
the absolute least amount of money,
get the cheapest option.
I reviewed something like the Fifine K669B,
which is a really affordable USB microphone.
And it turned out to be more than Fifine
because it sounded pretty great.
But if you want something
that's a step above that,
has some pretty cool features,
and some great sound quality and you know,
if you need like a whole kit that's made to come together,
I think Deity is really good at understanding
and addressing the needs
of like independent content creators.
But again, as with any microphone,
it all comes down to your personal taste
and your preference and your needs.
This is pretty decent at rejecting background noise.
So you know, if I'm making noise and I go over here,
it's supposed to be a pretty directional microphone.
So the further away you are from it,
or the further away other sound is,
it's obviously not going to sound as good,
but that means that it could be a good choice
if you're in a less than ideally treated environment.
You don't have a lot of sound treatment in your space
and you can be really close to the microphone.
This could be a great option for you.
But you've heard how it sounds on my voice,
you've heard how it sounds on Heather's voice.
So maybe you can use that to kind of help you decide
how it might sound on your voice
and how it might work for you in your own application.
And speaking of things that sound great,
thank you to everybody who helps support my channel
through YouTube Channel Memberships and a Patreon.
And if you want to see-ity how the Deity stacks up
against other microphones,
check out this playlist of mic reviews
and comparisons right here.
(outromusicfinal_final_FINAL_V2.mp3)