Antlion Audio Brings The ModMic To Businesses & Home Office Workers

ModMics from Anlion Audio have gained in popularity over the years. We’ve taken a look at a couple of different versions, including the two different omni and unidirectional ModMic 4s, and the more recent ModMic 5. These microphones have mostly been targeted at gamers with a taste for high-end headphones, but now, Antlion will be accommodating business users as well, with the ModMic Business edition.

If you have ever done a conference call, you’re probably aware of some of the appalling audio gear that gets handed around, with barely intelligible voices being compressed to hell and passed over some spotty wireless connection – it’s not pleasant. For a lot of companies, that’s just fine because it’s infrequent. For companies that are spread over different buildings or states, teleconferencing is critical to keeping things working smooth. While companies may not like the idea of forking over for expensive audio gear, it’s something that can pay dividends later.

Antlion’s ModMic concept was about putting a good microphone on high-end headphones; turning them into a quality headset. Certain business may have good headphones, or allow their workers to bring in their own equipment, or even work from home. Having a good microphone is just as important as a good pair of headphones, and that’s what Antlion provides.

ModMic Business (MMB) is not too dissimilar to Antlion’s existing products, but there are a number of key differences. At its heart is a standard ModMic 4, fitted with a cardioid/unidirectional pickup mode, to help cancel out background noise, and also fitted with an in-line mute switch. It’s the same mic which uses a magnetic clasp system that sticks on to any pair of headphones. The cable length has been shortened though, to 1.5m instead of 3m, which is actually a good thing, because trying to manage 3m of cable does become problematic, especially for a fixed mic option.

ModMics require bias power in order to work, and quite a few soundcards on the market can not power the ModMic adequately, so included with the MMB is a USB soundcard to power the mic. This is the same USB soundcard that Antlion provides as an optional extra with the standard ModMics. The USB card is universal and will work with PCs and Macs, as well as Softphones with USB support. The only other omission from the MMB package, is there’s no carry case to store the accessories, since it isn’t really needed.

Depending on feedback, Antlion may opt for a different capsule in the next ModMic Business, possibly for a tighter focused cardioid pickup pattern. In our testing, both the omni and unidirectional pickups with the ModMic 4 work quite well to block out background noise, with the uni being a little more sensitive to voices directly in front.

If you are interested in picking up an MMB, you can order directly from Antlion, or by going through the usual retail channels such as Amazon, with an MSRP of $49.99. On the point of price, this works out as the same as a ModMic 4, but you get the USB soundcard with it, which is not a bad deal.