Most consumer mics look like refugees from the desk of Christian Slater in Pump Up The Volume. But the Neat Microphone line-up from Gibson is different. Unlike the usual faux-college radio station look of most desktop consumer mics, Gibson's designs are colorful and retrofuturistic looking, something like Memphis style meets The Jetsons.
Dubbed the Widgets, Gibson's Neat mics come in three sculptural designs that aren't afraid to play with the boring old microphone form factor. Called Widget A, B, and C (the green, red, and blue model, respectively), all of the Neat mics are USB-compatible, and have adjustable height shock mounts and a pop filter to help keep audio recording smooth.
I really like them. Generally speaking, consumer microphones either look like standard condenser mics, crappy VoIP plastic sticks, or are totally invisible because they're embedded in your smartphone, tablet, or computer. That there's even one company out there experimenting with bold, vivid industrial design in the microphone space makes me happy.
The three Widget mics are due to hit stores such as Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon on November 15th, after being initially teased earlier this year. Although they look different, all three models allegedly sound the same, and they all cost a hundred bucks, so which one you pick ultimately comes down to which one you think looks coolest.
[via Gizmodo]