ModMic Refresh Interview

November 27, 2019 at 12:59am
By Jason Stettner

Interview with Joseph Lieberman, Director of Marketing at Antlion Audio

A staple I do in all interviews in order to start things off is to ask that you elaborate a bit about your product (s) that people might not know?

Joseph: Well, as a smaller company people may not even know our product category exists, let alone our company or products. Simply put folks: Don't buy gamer headsets, buy good headphones and add a mic. It doesn't even have to be our mic, but please, buy nice headphones and a good mic and you'll never go back.

This is a fairly significant refresh for the ModMic line-up, what drove this adjustment and could you tell us a bit about the models that are now available?

Joseph: We've been evolving our lineup to be more different for years now and this refresh is the culmination of that. In 2014 we had essentially 4 mics that were the same, two different capsules (Omni and Uni) and both with and without mute switches. Today each of our mics represents a different use-case and category.

The new ModMic Uni is NOT just the ModMic 4 with a new name. It looks almost the same, but that is about it. New wiring, new mic capsules, new mute switch tech, new strain reliefs and improved durability, but just like the old ModMic 4, it terminates in 3.5mm which lets you plug it into nearly everything, and we specifically intend it to be the mic of choice for gaming consoles.

Meanwhile the ModMic USB has moved into our "PC centric" focus. The USB has a few extra bells and whistles like a pre-amp that make it sound a little better than the ModMic Uni, but most important is the USB termination ensures consistent quality on desktop PCs, which tend to generate a lot of issues with 3.5mm mics. So in short, it sounds better and is less prone to issues. As a side note, because it is USB it does not work with Xbox, which is why keeping a 3.5mm ModMic around is essential.

And lastly, the ModMic Wireless is, of course, wireless. In a perfect world this would be the only mic we make. It's simply amazing, delivering full broadcast grade audio with nearly zero latency. However, being amazing comes at a price. It is very expensive to make this unit, but to be clear we don't really make more on it than our other models, and we know not everyone can afford our flagship model. So we keep our wired solutions around. Oh, and it's also USB based, so it doesn't work with Xbox either (sad face emoticon).

I find the concept behind the ModMic to be rather interesting, where did the initial idea come from for this type of attach a mic to anything setup?

Joseph: Literally, the inventor and founder of Antlion Audio's headset broke while playing CoD. He had a pair of Sennheiser headphones handy and thought to himself "Why can't I just attach a mic to these?" – The rest is history. Fun side note, the guy's name is Jimmy Console. Fated to be a gamer? Maybe.

While we’re mostly focused on ModMic, what other sort of products does Antlion have available to consumers?

Joseph: The best product we make that nobody ever hears about is our mousepad! It's silky smooth and a massive 900mm wide (We call it the Uberwide Mousepad). It covers my entire keyboard tray area and I love it. In 2020 (hopefully) we'll be launching our first "Not a ModMic" core product. I can say no more than that though!

Tell us a bit about why someone might find the ModMic line-up to have the best solution for their recording or general audio needs?

Joseph: Well, as I stated in the beginning, the big advantage is not being tied to headsets, which tend to be lower quality, lower comfort, and the same price (or more) than good headphones + a standalone mic.

Why choose ModMic over a typical desktop mic? Several reasons jump out.

First, cost. A good desktop mic needs both the unit, a boom arm, and possibly an interface like a mixer if it is an XLR mic. Our quality is on par with this but requires none of that setup.

Maybe more important than a few dollars savings is size. Small room? Not a lot of desk space? Our mic attaches to your headphones, which keeps your desk area clear. This also has the advantage of it moving with your head, so your voice doesn't fade in or out if your gaming style is like a 6 yr old playing Mario Kart. The biggest benefit we've seen from this is actually for VR (and not Mario Kart). Attach the ModMic to the side of your VR visor and you have a studio quality mic for VR. You can whip your head left and right and our patented clasp system will keep your mic steady and on your head.

Are you able to tease anything that Antlion might be working on for the future, or just generally how you feel about the future of the ModMic line-up?

Joseph: I did mention this secret "Not a ModMic" product in 2020... At the moment all our attention is on that doozy of a product. We've certainly got a few ideas for improving the ModMic Wireless, but nothing is in the works yet.

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