The argument to get a more expensive mic with and xlr interface is out there, but not within the budget of most UTAU users/hobbyists.
A Blue Icicle is a cheap XLR interface...It's cheap for a reason..
Its 'cheap' but it is not bad. Most 'good' interfaces cost more than many people's microphones and frankly they include many features that most UTAU users will ever need (Instrument In, Multi-Channel, MIDI, etc.). Reading the
RecordingHacks.com Review of the Blue Icicle and other similar form factor devices the Icicle was noiser, but sports the best price performance ratio in the industry.
If you want a low cost Interface with a bit better of a Mic Preamp the
Behringer UM2 Audio Interface ($50, interface) is an option. The Behringer's XENYX amps aren't as nice as lets say the
Focusrite Solo ($100, interface) but it is an improvement over the Icicle and half the price of its counterpart. The best part about using analog is there is no reason you can't start with a Blue Icicle, sell it, and upgrade down the road as your needs grow. You can keep your mic and replace the interface separately or vise versa. No need to start with top of the line gear from the get-go.
Also I think when J says 'cheaper' I think its important to put things into perspective. It is very easy to spend upwards of
$3,000 for a microphone. Compared to professional-grade gear anything 'enthusiast'-grade ($150-300) will sound
cheaper. For most UTAU related applications, even though we call the Yeti bad (
it is) once your budget reaches around $100 you should be fine (get the 008 if you can) and the interface/mic combos we are talking about here are luxuries for the very serious, or people who use their mics for non-UTAU things as well.
Past that point you have severe diminishing returns from something that is going to be limited by UTAU's sample sizes/rates and later mangled by a resampler anyways. Your #1 goal when recording for UTAU should be to make as clean of a sample as possible. Three things contribute to 'clean' samples:
- Your Microphone
- Your Interface
- Your Environment
In the case of USB microphones they have their interfaces built in. As long as your microphone & interface are noise free it should be 'good enough' for UTAU. I would argue moreso than any interface or mic the most important part of recording an UTAU is your environment. Dampen the walls, use a popfilter, record at night or at a friends house. The #1 thing you can do to improve your UTAU without spending too much money is improving your environment. This could be anything from recording in your closet, singing into a tub full of socks, but the lowest cost, highest return way to improve your UTAU is to improve your environment.