Behringer BIGFOOT USB Studio Condenser Microphone

BIGFOOT in Your Studio

The Behringer BIGFOOT is a USB condenser microphone that’s ideal for home studio recording, gaming, streaming, and podcasting. The BIGFOOT has four pickup patterns — cardioid, omni, figure-8, plus a stereo pickup mode that captures your source in a spacious, realistic soundfield. To accomplish all this, it’s equipped with three high-quality capsules and a digital USB interface that gives you plug-and-play convenience. Simply plug BIGFOOT into your computer and you’re ready to record in your DAW or streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube — no additional software downloads required! Sweetwater’s take: USB mics were once relegated to podcast duties, but no more. With BIGFOOT, Behringer has given us not only the ultimate podcast mic, but a capable studio tool.

4 pickup modes accommodate any recording task

Multi-pattern condenser microphones are usually fairly high-ticket items — and stereo mics even more so. That being the case, it’s quite impressive that Behringer has managed to pack BIGFOOT with not only the three standard polar patterns — cardioid, omnidirectional, and figure-8 (bi-directional) — but also a spacious-sounding stereo pickup mode to boot. This gives BIGFOOT amazing versatility — especially considering its gentle price tag.rnrnPicking up the sound that’s in front of it, BIGFOOT’s cardioid mode is perfect for recording your voice and most instruments with rich, full-bodied sound. But certain instruments you’ll probably want to record in expansive stereo, which would normally require two microphones or an expensive stereo rig. BIGFOOT to the rescue! In stereo mode, it captures a wide, realistic soundfield that’s ideal for piano, drum overheads, choirs, chamber groups, and the like.rnrnOmnidirectional pickup mode captures sound equally from all directions, and is great for for round-table podcasts and to document the “you-are-there” ambience of an acoustical event such a live band recording in a rehearsal studio. Bidirectional mode (often referred to as figure-8) picks up from both the front and the back of the mic and is perfect for capturing face-to-face recordings such as two background singers on one microphone. It also offers excellent side rejection of ambient sound which you can use to advantage in many live sound situations.

Onboard monitoring and control

No matter the setup, BIGFOOT makes recording easy with its built-in monitoring and control facilities. Plug your headphones into the 3.5mm audio out jack at bottom of the mic. You can monitor your voice in the ’phones and control the volume. BIGFOOT also has an onboard hard mute switch that can be a life-saver in certain live stream situations! BIGFOOT works with any USB-equipped computer, tablet, and mobile phones that support USB power. On Windows machines, an ultra-low-latency ASIO driver for PC audio optimization is available for free download at behringer.com.