NEAT Microphones Neat Worker Bee II - Cardioid Medium Diaphragm Condenser Microphone with Internal Capsule Shock Mount, for Recording, Podcasting, Streaming, and Gaming, XLR Output - Black

The Worker Bee II is an excellent choice for a project studio on a budget. This little powerhouse sounds great and has it’s own character compared to the King Bee II (which I also own). This is due to the smaller diaphragm. While often I’d have to use a high pass filter on the King Bee, the Worker is closer to a traditional size of many mics on the market, and isn’t needed nearly as much. Clear and a low noise floor, it’s a fine choice as an all arounder. That said, it still comes down to proper vocal technique. For example, I tend to sing a bit off axis to reduce the plosives and sibilance. And the pop filter is basically useless as it can change the character and tone of the incoming signal. Use a good pop filter instead. Not to mention that removing the included pop filter is always an “adventure” to say the least.These go on sale periodically and when they do, I highly recommend taking advantage and picking one up (or with the King Bee too as a set) all for the price of of what ONE low cost mic would cost from another manufacturer.

This is an outstanding condenser microphone. I want to say "for the money" but that suggests it's far from perfect, but for a cheap price it does pretty well. This is not the case with the lowly worker bee. This mic produces great sound no matter what the cost. I recently bought a Rode Signature NT1 mic, and this worker bee is so close to the Rode in audio quality, any differences are not worth talking about. Both mics provide great sound, fairly flat but with a pleasing low end. But the Rode Signature costs $159, and this mic is currently selling for $59. How Neat can make a mic this good and sell it this cheap is beyond me. I do spoken word Bible devos, so I can't speak about how it would be for instruments, but for podcasts, this should be great. BTW, many feel a condenser mic is worthless unless you are in a perfectly treated room. Not true, this mic performs beautifully in a less than ideal room, as long as you keep it about 4-5 inches away from your mouth. And not having a windscreen is no issue at all as long as you keep the mic at a 45 degree angle to your face. I use quite a few mics. Most of them require an EQ to create a sound that pleases me. Some require a severe EQ, and there are some mics I have tried that could never please me no matter how much I EQ'd them. But with this mic (and the Rode NT1 and Signature) I do not need to EQ at all - just some compression and noise removal.

The Worker Bee II is an awesome entry level mic for pretty much anyone who's looking for a clean voice or acoustic instrument recording. I considered this mic at the suggestion of a popular microphone review youtuber, and it turned out to be a great value. I prefer it very much to the Blue Snowball that I used to use, because it sounds better for higher male voices, like mine. I would recommend to anyone.

I got this shortly after falling head over heels for the King Bee II, and I'm honestly a little upset; in ways, I like it better than its bigger sibling! Perhaps it's something about the (I believe) slightly smaller diaphragm, or the fact that there's no pop filter, so I speak more tactfully, but the recorded voice seems more polished and manageable.It's a condenser mic, so you'll need 48v phantom power, and you'll want a very quiet recording space, sound-treated, if possible. It seems a touch better than the King Bee II at rejecting room noise, but it's still going to be an issue for audiophiles and professionals.I highly recommend getting one of these if you're the slightest bit tempted. The price is stellar, especially with the performance in tow!

If you are a streamer or youtuber, i do not recommend this type of microphone.However, is extremely well done for its price range. Instruments sound crisp, and it gives everything a hefty tone, needs some post eq work to cut rumbles on some recordings.

I picked this mic up based on reviews I’d heard/read as a “beater” condenser for spoken word use off-site where I didn’t want to risk mics costing twenty times as much. I’m very impressed with the low noise floor and like the color, now finding myself reaching for it sometimes when much pricier and acoustically flatter options are available because it happens to be just-right for the application and gives me less to do in post. I’m still amazed that a medium diaphragm condenser this nice can be had for so little. Based on this experience, I plan give the heftier, larger-diaphragm King Bee II a go and see about adding it to the kit. As with any good condenser, solid mic technique is de riguer and a quality pop filter should always be on-hand.

I've tried several low-cost condenser mikes lately and this one is way ahead in performance and value. It also looks like a prop from 'Forbidden Planet'; very cool indeed. Having great clarity and high sensitivity, I can be a couple of feet away and it still picks up very well and my voice is clear. Best way I found to use it when podcasting, vlogging etc. is to speak across the pickup at 45 degrees about 4 inches away; in this way you eliminate the 'popping Ps' so don't need a screen. Dynamics are excellent, whispers and shouts are dealt with equally well. I'm a spoken word guy only so I can't comment on singing and playing but it really brings out the full richness of human speech. It can boom a little if you have a deep voice but this is easily dealt with at the mixer. The cardioid pattern cuts off quickly at 90 degrees, directly behind you get just a suppressed bottom end so in my temporary room with regular drywall and junk everywhere, there's no perceptible reverb. The one issue I had was intermittent ground loop hum which turned out to be bad contact between the mike body and the locking tab on the cable connector. I scratched off some of the paint which fixed it (see photo). Background is really quiet now.Overall then, this is a top drawer piece of sound equipment at a bargain price which I can thoroughly recommend.