NEAT King Bee Mic Review, Compared to NT1, LCT440, X1S

In this video I talk about a great value microphone. The King Bee mic from NEAT is $100, but I think it compares well against mics costing far more.

[@ryan8779]

The audio quality of your channel is amazing. Even more amazing is the fact that you aren't even a dedicated audio channel. You should do tutorial videos because so many KZbinrs reviewing audio equipment could learn so much from you.

[@GoreMelian]

Great comparison, thank you. I was wondering how it would compare to the Rode NT1, and now I know thanks to your video 😉

[@ShopperPlug]

Nice comparison. I'm planning to get the King Bee. It sounds very similar to the expensive mics.

[@bigtb1717]

Unfortunately, the King Bee has been discontinued. I think the company has said they will be releasing a version 2 of the mic, but when or how much it will cost are anyone's guess at this point.

[@SouthernCannibal]

What programs/ settings and equipment are you using? I've had an nt-1 before and it never sounded anything like yours.. your sound quality is just insanely amazing. I make audio narrations and do voice over work so I'd love to hear what you're doing!

[@bigtb1717]

I appreciate the kind words. I am using a rather high-end USB interface: the Sound Devices USB Pre2. But with these mics, there honestly won't be much difference as compared to a $100-$200 interface. I have another video where I compare three different interfaces with an SM7B microphone and the difference wasn't huge. That microphone is much more demanding of good pre-amps than the NT1. I record directly into a laptop and I use Reaper as my DAW. Nothing out of the ordinary there. My guess is that the main factor is my sound booth. I built myself a little sound booth in my house. It's not sound-proof, but it does cut down external sounds. But it's also fully insulated with rockwool and covered in thick felt. So it creates a very "dead" space with no reflections/reverb. If you have any other questions, let me know.

[@SouthernCannibal]

bigtb1717 wow thank you so much for the detailed response! I'll definitely keep all of that in mind and will be doing some research . Do you have any mics you would specifically recommend for a deeper type voice? I'm also going to look into reaper and also try to possible get a booth made. I've always used audacity and a USB blue yeti from the beginning and I DEFINITELY want to upgrade everything.

[@bigtb1717]

Nothing wrong with Audacity unless it's not doing something you need. I do like Reaper a lot though. As for a recommended mic it's difficult to say, but I do really like the Lewitt LCT 440 Pure.

[@SouthernCannibal]

bigtb1717 hmm thanks for the advice again! My issue with audacity is I feel like you're pretty limited with what you can do as for as eq. Also it's crashed on me numerous times when I've recorded 30 mins - an hour of audio that wasn't able to be recovered :(

[@kamisguide]

Thank you for your time and video. I saw the price drop and was interested in this mic.

[@W0rldViralDaily]

Supposed to sound better than TLM 103

[@xray111xxx]

I just ordered 2 of them for audio systems recording. 2 15 foot XLR Microphone cables. Your sound is excellent and concur with another comment elsewhere. I have been an audiophile for too long. But this caught my eye. I need also another microphone for my other project studio and guest microphone. I am hoping the King Bee makes the workflow more enhanced for me. Amazon selling these at currently $129.00 each. I think still a great buy.

[@W0rldViralDaily]

Man wish I could a bought them in one lol

[@EnglishEloquenceMoscow]

Vincent, would you mind telling me where you purchased your units? I've been looking all over the net and I can't find any. Thanks a ton!

[@ramspencer5492]

I've heard it's particularly similar sounding to a Neumman TLM103 by a studio that did some testing

[@rjb7569]

Good review! Sample from Bee 🐝 sounds a touch "mellower" than the more "crisp" (in a good way) NT1 to me. LCT440 sounds a bit more "distinctive" than the Bee. 🐝 The Bee has a very "pleasant" sound. All three sound pretty good. Had a little chuckle along the way! You vid reminds me of the "Mr Hands" shorts from old Sat Night Live shows where just the hand would appear in and out of the shot.

[@CybertroninfiniteOfficial]

do you think it can handle metal vocals?

[@DannyHauger]

Excellent comparison nice review setup.

[@rars0n]

The King Bee truly is a great performing mic. However, I can't escape the fact that for a desk-mounted mic, I'd much rather have something a bit smaller and lighter. The Lewitt sounds great, and were it not for the crazy low price of the King Bee (currently $129 on Amazon, which is still a good deal), it seems like a pretty good deal itself. I also can't ignore the fact that I really like the design of it from an aesthetic perspective, it's just a very nice-looking mic. I'm pretty torn because the King Bee sounds so good. The Worker Bee, I think, also sounds really good and at $89, with the price of the King Bee going up by $20, worth even more consideration than it was previously. I think I may end up just picking up the Worker Bee first and a Lewitt later on. Maybe...

[@bigtb1717]

I find myself using my LCT 440 more than any other mic because it's such a compact little package that doesn't get in a way and sounds great. It's probably my favorite microphone.

[@rars0n]

@@bigtb1717 Thanks for the reply. I agree, this is why I keep coming back to the Lewitt.

[@kevinhuang888]

Hi, I don't know if you will see this message or not, but it has been a year since this comment. How do you feel about the Worker Bee now? Do you still like it? Thank you :)

[@TheMakownage]

Hey I'm planning to start an educational youtube channel and I'm looking for a mic (primarily for voiceover). I'm torn between kingbee/nt1/LCT440/X1S and NT podmic/procaster. I will record in an untreated room with fairly low background noise (I'm on the 6th floor, there's the occasional car down in the street but that's about it). I'm mostly concerned about the echo. Also my voice tone is medium (I'm a man) so I'd like something that leans on the lower end so that the final output is more dense. What would you recommend? Thanks!

[@bigtb1717]

Dynamic mics can deal with a noisy room a bit better, but getting and keeping that mic close to your mouth is the most important thing for keeping background noise and room echo/reverb down, and it's critical to keep most dynamic mics close anyway in order to get good levels with most pre-amps. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2WkiXZth7uGmbM In that video I compare a dynamic and condenser mic in an untreated room and show how much difference simply keeping the mic close can make. As for which mic to use for its sound, that's tough to say. I think any of the ones you mentioned would do well. There are definite, small differences in the sound each one provides. Personally, I tend to use my LCT 440 Pure more than any other mic. It's small and unobtrusive, so I can keep it close without it getting annoying, it is really quiet in terms of self-noise, and I do like the sound. Personally, I love that mic. But I don't think you can go wrong with any of the microphones mentioned.

[@TheMakownage]

@@bigtb1717 Thank you! Would you have any advice for specifically for someone that has a voice on the higher end and would like to have a mic that will densify it /tone it down a bit? I don't want the mic to accentuate my already medium-high pitched voice

[@bigtb1717]

If you can deal with the size and weight of the King Bee it has a fairly full bottom end and a pretty smooth top end. If you have the option to edit the video before upload you can also just add some EQ after the fact to tweak the sound how you want it.

[@bigtb1717]

The Rode Podmic sounds to me like it has a boost in the mid-range. This is probably to help with articulation and making sure voices are easy to understand, but if you have a mid-heavy voice, it might accentuate it. I'm not an expert, but I'd personally look for a flatter mic in your situation. What will be the education topics on your channel, if you don't mind me asking?

[@TheMakownage]

@@bigtb1717 Economics mostly. Actually I might bump the price up a bit and go for the smb7. I like the sound despite it being dynamic, I think it will work great in my untreated room.

[@RynoDBones]

I’m definitely not hearing much of a difference between this and the others. They all sound good to me. I got a fairly inexpensive mic a while back that I enjoy, but it is really soft unless I am talking right into it. While I practice around on it (with my software) I am back to the mic I mounted on my camera. Haha

[@bigtb1717]

Even listening to the original WAV files with good headphones, the differences are surprisingly small. The King Bee might be just a bit warmer/darker than the others (certainly a bit darker than the LCT440), but they are all similar enough that I think the King Bee is definitely worth consideration, particularly given the great price.

[@CybertroninfiniteOfficial]

you should get a condenser then

[@alexbojko6194]

Hi, i like to buy microphone to my studio for singing and I'm thinking about best way how to record. I don't know if dynamic or condenser. I play on guitar too, and I reckon to record guitar through interface, but I'm not sure. :D Sorry for my confusion.

[@W0rldViralDaily]

Great mic wish I could have bought it. I can't find any.

[@bigtb1717]

Yeah, it seems that most Neat microphones have been discontinued since this review. I have a feeling the only reason this mic was so attractively priced is because they were clearing out inventory. Can't say for sure, but it went discontinued not long after my review.

[@weeschwee]

I bought two of these for drum overheads. I love how they capture a good amount of low-end and the highs aren't too exaggerated, but they are hard to mount due to the weight and shock mount. I'm still trying to find a good solution.

[@EnglishEloquenceMoscow]

Would you mind telling me where you purchased your units? I've been looking all over the net and I can't find any. Thanks a ton!

[@weeschwee]

@@EnglishEloquenceMoscow I bought these a while ago from Amazon.

[@EnglishEloquenceMoscow]

@@weeschwee I really appreciate your getting back to me. Thx man.

[@weeschwee]

@@EnglishEloquenceMoscow of course! For what it's worth, I also tried the worker bee and they were pretty good too. Not as much low end, but depending on the use that could be ok. They're in between a small diaphragm and a large diaphragm and I was really looking for a large since I already had small condensers.

[@EnglishEloquenceMoscow]

@@weeschwee I've been using a zoom h2n for my needs. It's a usb mic, but it does the job well. I also have the Aston Origin lying around (along with a BabyFace pro interface) which I don't use since my environment is not treated properly. Not yet at least. Oh, well, I think I've found a retailer here in Moscow that sells the King Bee mike, so I might get one or two. I see it as a good investment. I'll be honest with you - I am not into singing, VO or anything of that nature, I just like microphones. I speak into them a good 4 hours daily at my job which is a damn good excuse to get a new toy. The King Bee is spectacular! The size of the capsule, the design, the prince, there is nothing I don't like about it. I don't think I would want to settle for the worker bee, but I appreciate you recommending it to me mate! How do you like your microphone? No regrets whatsoever?

[@theopacalypse]

are you using them through your focusrite audio interface? is it the 3rd generation?

[@bigtb1717]

It is a third generation, but for this video I used my USBPre 2.

[@TotalSmashTV]

@@bigtb1717 Jayzus. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734341-REG/Sound_Devices_USBPRE_2_USBPre_2_Microphone.html

[@anthonyojo1985]

What about the Mic's frequency response? I was about about to buy this Mic but Im not an audio expert but my second round of research turned up issues with the top end. How would this effect recording since i cant hear much of a difference between the mic? Do you know anything about frequency response?

[@bigtb1717]

The official spec for frequency response is 16hz to 20Khz, so that's pretty standard. It's not a very bright mic, meaning it doesn't have a very strong high frequency range, but it doesn't hurt anything as long as you like the sound.

[@MultiSanity]

Curious, how would you go about mounting this or having it held up since you noted how much heavier it is than typical mics?

[@bigtb1717]

My Rode PSA1 boom arm holds it fine. Most standard mic stands should be fine. It's just that if you have a boom arm with weak springs, it might sag on you with this mic. It's not the heaviest mic in the world, it's just heavier than many common mics.

[@EmoEmu]

Looks like a silly toy but sounds really nice.

[@mohawho8251]

i dont find any difference between the x1s and the king bee

[@JayMatth]

I really had to concentrate on the commentary to find the difference. But its there. For me the X1s is more mid focused and therefore sound a bit "muddier", wich is more to my liking.

[@J0elPeters]

My X1S is dead :( I ordered a AT2035 but thought about this one.

[@bigtb1717]

That's a shame about your X1S.

[@AshesBe]

Hi, I don't speak English, but I want to know which one is better between neat king bee vs at2020?

[@bigtb1717]

Unfortunately, the King Bee is discontinued. I do not have any experience with the AT2020.

[@_zeyofficial]

I love your videos man, I'm a teen and I'm looking for a good value mic. Thanks.

[@bigtb1717]

Thanks. Are you looking for an XLR microphone? Large diaphragm condenser like this King Bee?

[@_zeyofficial]

@@bigtb1717 I'm looking for a good large diaphragm condenser mic for recording vocals. Preferably under $300 to start out. I might buy the King Bee.

[@bigtb1717]

Are you located in the US?

[@_zeyofficial]

@@bigtb1717 Yes, I am.

[@bigtb1717]

Would you be interested in the SE Electronics X1S microphone? If so, send me an email at [e-mail]

[@martinkulik9466]

looks like king bee has even lower bass than already tiny sounding rode nt1. I prefer bassy mics. anyhow, next time, try to shout or jut change the volume u speak or intonation. u were almost whispering. you wanna test sound of a mic right? so try to speak, change intonation, shout, sing, etc....would be better to hear how they handle pressure, different heights, etc...

[@bigtb1717]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll keep it in mind.

[@roman14032]

i say this thing is going to be THE ALLTIME MOST COLLECTIBLE MIC

[@thatjokerperson7062]

When a $130 mic is just as good as a $260 mic weve got a pretty good deal

[@W0rldViralDaily]

It's better than the TLM 103

[@rickyzain5897]

I wanna buy it from u

[@rickyzain5897]

Can't find it anywhere

[@bigtb1717]

Unfortunately it looks like it has been discontinued.

[@W0rldViralDaily]

@@bigtb1717 nooooooooooooooo

[@maninironmask7925]

King bee sounds a bit too nasally compared to the extra clarity of the Rode. But they are very similar indeed except from that

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

Sir, you have not done any vocal test. Hence this video conveys no benefit.

[@bigtb1717]

Do you mean singing? If so, I assure you nobody wants to hear me sing.