That’s easy!
If you’re still reading this post, then you do!
The people who need microphones are people who do one or more of the following:
Create online course videos (asynchronous teaching)
Deliver live classes (synchronous teaching)
Need to give an online webinar or conference presentation
Need to give another important online presentation (e.g., job talk and teaching demo)
Microphones aren’t just for podcasters, voice over actors, and musicians. Academics, scientists, and educators should use them too.
I get it — you have a lot of things to worry about right now and you’re wondering why you should add “good audio” to the list.
Let’s first distinguish between good audio vs. bad audio, just to make sure we’re on the same page here.
You have bad audio if your audience can hear:
Your hair or shirt crunching against the mic (which happens 100% of the time people use Apple headphones!)
Loud and/or constant background noises (cars driving by, AC/heat noise, lawn mowing, neighbors shouting)
Desk noises (mouse clicks, keyboard clicks, hitting the desk)
An echo-y, tinny, or empty sound
Your mouth noises
You have good audio if it’s:
Not distracting
Neutral
Basically, you have good audio if your audience doesn’t even notice your sound. If your sound is obvious is some way, then it typically means you have a bad audio setup.
Again, I say this to emphasize that this blog post is not for people who want to do voiceover acting or something.
I just want you to have decent audio that people don’t get annoyed by. This is not a blog post to help you have hollywood-style audio!
Ok. so why should you get yourself setup with good audio?
There are a few reasons why you should prioritize having good audio, rather than pushing this to the backburner.
Question for you: what is your purpose for sharing information?
When you create a course video, or you give a lecture/webinar, what do you want to achieve?
I’m guessing your answer falls along the lines of: educate my audience.
Right?
You’re sharing information so that your audience knows something new, or does something different, or is otherwise changed in a positive way.
Alright. I think we’re on the same page.
New question: How likely are you to achieve that goal if your audience gets irritated every time you speak?
You’re smart. You know it’s going to be unlikely.
I bet you’ve already experienced this when you’re trying to learn something new.
Have you ever wanted to listen to a podcast, but you just couldn’t because the guest (or host) sounded terrible. Or, there was an annoying background noise you couldn’t ignore?
Or have you tried to watch a webinar, but you couldn’t hear the presenter because their audio was too soft?
Or have you been annoyed with that feature where people start off talking quietly and then they gradually get louder? Or just generally getting frustrated with inconsistent sound volumes.
When you experience bad audio like that, what do you do? If you’re like most people, they:
Stop listening
Try to listen, but feel stressed out and overwhelmed and end up remembering a lot less than they would have if the audio was decent
Exactly.
That’s because humans can handle terrible video much more than we can handle bad audio.
The reason for this is because quality audio takes less cognitive effort to process. When you ease the cognitive effort of your listeners, they’ll be more likely to stay engaged with the entire webinar or video.
This idea is talked about in the film industry and the marketing industry a lot, and I’m trying to let the educational sector know, too.
Now, maybe it doesn’t actually bother you that much. Maybe you can ignore the dog barking nonstop in the background of that webinar.
But most people can’t.
And remember: you’re presenting this information for them, not for you.
I’m a big fan of universal design for learning.
Part of that involves trying to present information in ways that work for the most people. It involves having a lot of empathy for your audience.
So I want you to think of your audience.
I mean REALLY think of them, and the different emotions, abilities, and experiences they’re bringing to your presentation or video.
For example, if a student is trying to watch your lecture at home with their younger siblings playing in the background, they’re (probably) going to have earbuds in.
Now I want you to think about their experience of (a) already trying to listen to you while being super stressed out and in a noisy environment, while (b) then having to hear your dog — or your neighbor’s dog — barking directly into their poor little eardrum the entire time you’re talking.
Maybe it’s not a dog barking. Maybe it’s the fact that your microphone keeps clipping — which happens with poor quality microphones and with Blue Yeti’s — which means a loud, sharp and distorted noise keeps shooting directly into their ear canal.
Or maybe it’s the nonstop crunching they have to hear because your hair or shirt is rubbing up against your Apple headphones.
Is that the type of learning environment you want for your students?
Probably not.
And it’s not just students.
Think about your colleagues and the various types of disabilities or disorders that make these types of distractions annoying and impede their learning.
Hi, ???? this includes me. I have Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, recurring tinnitus, and extremely sensitive ears. I had ear tubes (as an adult) for a couple years, which made everything louder.
During that time, bad audio was physically excruciating and sometimes even triggered my vertigo. I’m better now, but still very sensitive to sounds compared to most.
But this isn’t just about me. The examples of bad audio above will likely make it difficult for people who have ADHD, Auditory Processing Disorder, Misophonia.
Plus, sound sensitivity is also something that Autistic people can experience. I’m sure there are more, but this is not my area of expertise.
I do know, however, that trying to make sure I have clean, clear, nondistracting audio quality is good for everyone who can hear—disability or not.
So let’s take all this to the next logical conclusion: if your bad audio means you aren’t able to truly educate your audience and/or you unintentionally presented in an inaccessible way…
…then it means the prep work you did to prepare that lecture or presentation was all for nothing.
Recording videos or delivering webinars takes a LOT of time and energy. All of that time and energy is wasted when you have bad audio because people will just tune you out
Or, worse, you might have to re-record videos if you want them to sound good. That means you have to record (and edit) videos twice instead of once, and that’s a waste of your time!
That’s why I started talking about microphones in the first place.
I wanted to make sure that the folks I trained in engaging presentation design weren’t spending all this time creating great slides, only to have people not even want to listen to them during their webinar or course video.
Hopefully you’re here because you’re convinced that you need a microphone.
Yay! Your future audience thanks you!
So now let’s start talking about how to choose the right microphone.
This isn’t to be a snob. I just want to make sure you don’t waste your money on something you think is a good enough microphone, when it isn’t.
What does NOT count as a microphone:
The microphone included in Apple Headphones, Airpods, or other headphones you use to talk on your cell
The microphone included in a webcam
The microphone included in headphones (e.g., Bluetooth gaming headset)
The microphone included in your computer or laptop
Do you see the pattern here?
A microphone doesn’t count if it’s included inside another device.
If you think the audio on any of those devices is “good enough” — then I have to give a little tough love here and say it’s really not.
No, not even that $150+ bluetooth headset for gaming sounds good. You sound like you’re underwater. Or under an airplane.
Or both, somehow.
I do a lot of video calls as part of my presentation training services, and I’ve never heard anyone sound good on a headset. Stop using them for this purpose, please.
I’m sorry. I’m not trying to ruin your day. I’m trying to make sure you meet your goals when giving a presentation.
Don’t believe me? Watch that video linked above to hear the difference between a real mic vs. those other kinds of mics.
A real microphone is just that: A microphone. A one-purpose device.
What DOES count as a microphone:
A quality external USB microphone
An external XLR microphone
I tell you exactly which microphone I recommend you buy in the next section.
For now, there’s something else I want to mention as you’re thinking about microphones to buy.
I’m mentioning this here, because I’ve seen people on Twitter talk about this issue when deciding on which microphone to buy.
For example, they’ll ask questions like “which microphone can I buy that won’t show up on my camera.”
And when wrapping up a beta test of our new course on how to present effectively from your desk (it’s included in our signature course, Blast Off to Stellar Slides!), I was shocked to learn about a common concern that members had.
They were concerned that their audience would respond negatively if they saw the microphone in the webcam. ????????
One member shared that she was anxious to let students see her mic, because she thought students would respond along the lines of, “wow. Who do YOU think you are?”
The concern is that you’ll look a bit elitist if you have a mic. That you’re flaunting money in front of your audience.
Is that a concern you have too?
Well my goodness, I’m so glad you’re here because that could not be further from the truth!
So if you’re wondering how to have good audio while not having the microphone show up on video, stop.
The BEST thing you can do is get that microphone all up on that video.
Show it off!
You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Relacart.
For starters, you paid good money for that mic. Don’t hide it!
Plus, your audio sounds better when the mic is close to your month.
But also: you make an instant connection with your audience and build instant trust when they can see a nice microphone.
When I start a video call with someone, 90% of the time the first thing they say is, “Whoa! Cool mic!” or something like that.
I bought my mic so I would have excellent audio. I did not expect it to be a fantastic ice breaker. Video calls are awkward, so having an easy icebreaker is great!
But beyond that, letting your audience see that you aren’t just using Apple Headphones — and that you invested in THEIR audio experience — is a visual signal to them that you care about their learning environment.
How could that possibly be a bad thing?
(It’s not).
Don’t hide your microphone from your webcam — show it off!
Audio-Technica ATR vs Blue Yeti (via USB)
Audio-Technica ATR vs Shure SM7b (via XLR/Interface)
Shure SM7b vs Electrovoice RE20 (via XLR/interface)
[Beginning - 6:50]
Both of these are USB mics which means you can plug them directly into the computer and it will pick up your audio.
I used the Yeti to record the first batch of videos in my online professional development course, Blast Off to Stellar Slides. It was a nightmare to use so I later switched to the ATR and liked it way better. Watch the video to hear the difference between the two of them—the ATR is a clear winner in my opinion. It might not seem like a big difference in the short video, but the thing is — bad audio slowly builds up over time, so the longer people listen to it, the more annoying it gets.
The Yeti audio is way too loud, picks up too much background noise, doesn’t sound that great (empty and tinny), and was really hard to deal with when editing the videos. And, “clipping” (when your voice gets too loud and distorts) happened ALL. THE. TIME. At first, you might have liked the Yeti better than the ATR in the video because it was louder—but don’t let that trick you. Over time, it becomes grating to listen to audio recorded on a Yeti—in part because it picks up EVERY LITTLE NOISE that happens around you.
In contrast, the ATR picks up almost no background noise, so if you are in an office environment, have a loud computer fan, or have noisy neighbors, then don’t even think about getting that Yeti—get the ATR. I also liked the ATR better because my voice came out as softer. It was also easier to deal with while editing.
However, even though the ATR was a million times better than the Yeti, I was never really thrilled with it for my online course and YouTube channel videos. It always sounded empty and flat, and I still had problems with “clipping.” So, time to upgrade!
I know that some folks will think I’m being too hard on the Yeti—A lot of people use a Yeti and think it sounds good or fine. I used to think so too, until I heard audio coming from a high quality mic. If you still think a Yeti is good enough after watching my video, check out this video by Booth Junkie where he explains the limitations of a Yeti (and really any USB mic). Once you hear your voice using one of the mics I test in the later groups, you’ll hear what I mean.
[6:50-11:12]
But, what’s really cool about the ATR is that you can do things to upgrade the sound without buying a more expensive mic (say what!). That’s because it’s a USB mic AND it has an XLR output which means you can use a fancypants mic cord, plug it into this thing called an audio interface (and then the interface gets plugged into you computer), and BOOM! Instant better sound!
Note: Fancypants mics (like the Shure and Electro-voice) do not have a USB option—you’ll need to plug into an interface to use them.
That’s why in the video, I also do a middle ground test where I compare the sound for the ATR via an interface (We use the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2) compared to the Shure Sm7b. Honestly, I was shocked at how much better the ATR sounded after that! While I was recording, I didn’t hear a gigantic difference between the mics, and when I watched the video there were a couple times where I couldn’t hear a difference.
There is a difference, of course. The Shure picks up less background noise and if you pay attention, you will hear a better range and depth in my voice. Plus, my video editor said it was easier to work with in post-production (for an upcoming video, we didn’t do any post-processing on this one) than the ATR. So, obviously if you have the budget for (and want) the Shure, it’s better than the ATR.
BUT STILL. Can you believe how good the ATR sounds with the upgrade? That’s a perfect option for academics, scientists, evaluators, and researchers who just need a good mic for webinars and meetings. Honestly, I’d even recommend the ATR plugged in this way for an online course—that’s how good I thought it sounded.
[11:12 - end of video]
Alright. The final showdown! The two fancy mics compared to each other: the Shure and Electro-voice RE20. Again, these mics are more for folks like me who do online courses and/or have a YouTube channel/Podcast.
When I recorded the video, I had no idea which one I would like more. That was my first test of the mics, so I basically just talked and ended the video, then waited with bated breath for the final video.
I was really happy with the sound for both mics. Clean, clear, crisp, minimal background noise. All the things you want in a good mic. So it’s a little hard to choose a winner, in my opinion. It’s going to depend on your voice—you can’t go wrong with either one.
But as I was listening to it, I noticed that when it would go from the RE to the Shure…something happened. It took me a while to figure it out, but it was like the color to my voice left. Did you notice that, too? I didn’t notice it when going from the Shure to the RE, but when going back to the Shure it was like my voice fell flat. Like a little bit of the life in my voice was cut off.
The way my video editor explains it, it’s like the Shure is an almost-perfect and digital-like representation of my voice. The RE, on the other hand, gives your voice a little bit of color boost and warmth—almost like how old radio announcers sounded. That makes sense to me, and is ultimately why we decided on the RE for my new fancypants mic.
All for $130 USD (as of December ). ????????
This is such a good deal I could cry!
I didn’t link to the bundle because it sells out really fast and the listing changes a lot. All I did was search “ATRx” on amazon, and it was one of the first results.
All you need is a foam cover, which is usually suggested when you add the mic to your cart. They’re usually like $4.00 USD.
If you don’t see that bundle and you can’t wait for it to pop up again, then you’ll just have to create your own bundle and buy the accessories one by one.
Just be careful when you’re buying a boom separately…it can be tricky to get the right sizes.
If you gasped at how expensive $130 is, then let me contextualize that a little bit for ya.
A truly professional, expert-level microphone can cost $5,000 microphones.
My current setup cost around $1,000 USD (see below).
The ATRx is the perfect budget microphone (scary, I know!).
I’m not just recommending the most expensive thing I can think of.
I promise you, I don’t have too high of standards for what you’re doing.
The ATRxtruly is the best microphone I know of that balances affordability with quality.
And like I go into detail about in this other post, the ATRx will sound better and pick up less background noise than the Blue Yeti.
As of December , $129 gets you just the Blue Yeti mic. No accessories (and you will need the accessories).
And that one doesn’t even have an XLR option! That means it doesn’t even have the same features as the ATRx, and it means you have no future-proofing. If you want the XLR option with a Yeti, you need to pay $170 just for the mic. And that doesn’t even include the accessories, which all have to be specialized (i.e., more expensive) because the Yeti is REALLY heavy and requires special equipment!
So, again. I know $130 can be a lot. But I truly am offering you the better and cheaper option than what other people usually recommend—and you’ll have better sound!
$130-$160 (or so) is the lowest you can go to have decent audio. I’m sorry to be the one who has to break the news to you ????, but that’s just the way the technology is.
Yes, there are cheaper USB mics than the ATRx, but you’re better off saving up for a couple months and getting the ATRx. Those cheaper mics might as well be a webam mic—they don’t sound good.
Now that you have your microphone and accessories, here are 3 of my top tips to help you have decent audio:
Put the mic close to your mouth
Have soft fluffy things in the room (carpet, rugs, etc) to soak up the sound
Practice!
You might be surprised that practice made the list, but it’s actually really important.
For example, I say “PowerPoint Presentation” a lot, and I had to practice saying my P’s in a way that weren’t so hard.
So if you notice that certain words or sounds seem to stand out in a bad way, then just practice saying them softer or turning your head slightly when you say that word/sound.
Now, keep in mind that you’re still going to have some background noise.
And there still might be a little bit of an echo-y or empty sound.
But the sound is pretty fantastic considering how cheap this mic is. If you want a mic that picks up no background noise and sounds warm and full…you’ll need to spend $500+ or so.
So, if you don’t love your sound at first, keep trying different arrangements and placements. And make sure you have the accessories I mentioned above.
If you ever need help figuring out how to set this all up, we have detailed walkthrough videos about this type of thing in our online program (the “present from your desk” course). We also talk about things like using webcams, great lighting, headphones, video editing, and more! It’s pretty comprehensive :)
Whether you’re shooting a short film or starting a new podcast, audio quality is very important to production value. While many creators make a lot of great content with just a smartphone, you may want to take your project to the next level. The problem is that figuring out which microphone is best for you can be daunting.
Much of the technical jargon surrounding audio isn’t important, but it can be hard to separate the fluff from the good stuff. No matter what your project, starting a YouTube channel, upgrading your podcast rig, or tracking a singer, there are a few things you should know about microphones before you go shopping.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 25, , to update the formatting and change some terms into more updated terminology.
Arguably, the most important step in picking a mic is figuring out exactly what you’re going to record. You can get the most expensive microphone and still not get crisp, clear audio if you’re in the wrong environment. It’s likely that if you’re reading this, you mainly only care about recording vocals or instruments. Knowing which is most important to you will help you decide which type of microphone to get.
Once you know what you’re trying to record, it’s time to determine what kind of tool you need for the job. Not all microphones are built equally; some perform better than others in certain contexts. There are two main kinds of microphones: dynamic and condenser. (There are others which we’ll get to.)
If you picture the mic that a singer or even your favorite comedian uses on stage, it’s most likely a dynamic microphone. These microphones work great in noisy environments. You can use these to record a performer on stage, if you’re interviewing someone on the street, or even a guitar or drum kick. The way dynamic mics function is relatively simple: Inside a magnetic field is a small coil of wire, which is attached to a diaphragm that’s sensitive to sound vibrations. As soundwaves move the diaphragm, the coil converts the movement into an electrical signal that can be recorded.
Dynamic mics are great for most recording environments because the magnets and coil inside are fairly durable and can take a beating without getting destroyed. Most people recommend the Shure SM58 ($99 at Amazon) as it’s a pretty tough and versatile microphone that works well whether you’re on location or recording at your desk.
If you like the idea of a dynamic mic and want something a little higher up on the spectrum, the Telefunken M80 Dynamic microphone ($249 at Amazon) is another great pick and it’s the microphone of choice for our Editor at large, Chris Thomas.
The other type of popular microphone type is a condenser mic, which works differently by using capacitor plates instead of a coil and magnets. It’s easy to go further down the technical rabbit hole, but the practical thing you need to know is that condenser mics can be much more sensitive to smaller vibrations than dynamic mics. While dynamic mics are fine with bass drums, condensers are not. You’ll want to use these if you’re trying to pick up the subtleties in a voice (e.g., when recording a podcast or a singer in a booth).
If you’re looking for a solid all-around mic to use at home for vocals or string instruments, my personal mic of choice is the Rode NT1-A ($199 at Amazon) condenser mic which does a fairly good job with almost everything.
Phantom power is required for condenser microphones.Condenser mics require an external voltage source to function, known as phantom power, and a preamp. So you’ll need something that can provide this to your mic, like an audio interface, or mic pre-amp. All it means is that whatever you plug the microphone into has the ability to send a DC voltage of +48V through the balanced cable to the mic. Usually, this is found in audio interfaces or some portable recorders like the Zoom H5.
Ribbon mics are much less common and work on a slightly different principle. Essentially, a conductive ribbon rests between two electromagnetic poles, which respond to your sound source. These mics are technically a sub-type of the dynamic mic category. Think of early crooners in the studio who probably have a ribbon mic in front.
AEA R84 Series Newer ribbon mics can handle high SPL sounds, and bidirectional ones can record from either face of the microphone.Newer ribbon mics have sturdier builds than old ones, often using stronger nanomaterials. Generally, you should still avoid placing a ribbon mic in front of a guitar amp, unless approved by the manufacturer, like the Pinnacle FAT Top ($233.75 at B&H), whose mics are designed with amps in mind. This is because of the mechanically delicate ribbon structure. Usually, these mics have a bidirectional polar pattern, which works well for recording two sources simultaneously on either face of the mic, like two people speaking.
Ribbon mics make great vocal microphones too, and were used extensively in the early days of broadcasting. If you want a different tone, try a ribbon microphone. These mics used to be prohibitively expensive, but companies like Golden Age Electronics and Studio Electronics make more accessibly priced options like Studio Electronics X1R ($229 at Amazon).
USB microphones are not only convenient and easy to use but are also typically cheaper than XLR microphones. USB mics are great for making podcasts or voiceovers.
The MV7 accepts the simultaneous use of the XLR and microUSB outputs.However, if you intend to record vocal or instrumental music, or want a higher quality sound for your podcast, go with an XLR mic. XLR mics can be pricey and require the purchase of an audio interface, but they typically produce audio of higher quality than USB microphones.
This is because, as well as the microphone capsule itself, USB microphones have a built-in analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which won’t necessarily be set up optimally for the sound level you’re putting into it, plus the whole package is generally built to meet a more accessible price point. XLR microphones, on the other hand, don’t include the ADC and will have an analog output stage that is typically balanced on pins 2 and 3 of the XLR connector to reject noise induced in the cable connecting it to the recording equipment.
Once you’ve figured out what you want to use the microphone for and in the environment you’ll use it in, the next step is to determine what you want your microphone to record. Do you want your microphone to record only what is perfectly in front of it, or if you want to pick up sound all around you?
A cardioid pickup pattern can record sound from the front and sides of the unit.These directivity charts are called polar patterns, aka recording patterns, and they’re easier to read than they look. The names for the different kinds of patterns can be intimidating, but they don’t get any more complicated. They’re all just different names for “Where do you want the microphone to record?”
One very common polar pattern is the cardioid. This one is super easy to understand as the root word the pattern gets its name from means “heart-shaped” in Latin, so these microphones pick up sound within a heart-shaped periphery. Another fairly common polar pattern is omnidirectional, which, as you may have guessed by the name, picks up sound in all directions. There are a few others, such as super-cardioid and bidirectional, but I’m willing to bet you can guess what those look like.
Frequency response refers to how well the microphone can reproduce the signals it picks up. In a perfect world, it’d be a one-to-one reproduction. The microphone will “hear” a sound and perfectly convert it into an electronic signal that’s perfectly transferred into the recorder. In reality, some vibrations get lost along the way, and some of the information never makes it to the final recording.
In the user manual, Samson provides the frequency response of both polar patterns.How well a microphone can reproduce the acoustic signal can be visualized as a frequency response graph. In simple terms, if a certain tone comes out of the mic slightly weaker than it went in, this is visualized as a slight dip in the graph. If it comes out stronger than it went in, it is visualized as a slight hump.
There are all kinds of information in frequency response charts, especially once you know which products you like or dislike and can see their charts to compare with other products. With a deeper understanding of how this affects your sound and your music, you’ll develop skills for choosing which mics best suit a sound source and how to edit it later.
You will also see the term sensitivity when looking at tech specs. This tells you what the electrical output of a microphone will be (usually in millivolts or dBV) for a given acoustic input, in Pa for Pascals, or dB(SPL), usually measured at 1kHz. The higher the number, the more sensitive the microphone is. For example, the Rode NT1-A condenser microphone has a rating of 25mV/Pa, whereas the dynamic, Telefunken M80 has a rating of 1.4mV/Pa, so the NT1-A is clearly more sensitive. This means you don’t need as much gain (amplification) from the preamp (or as much loudness from the source creating the sound) to get the more sensitive microphone to an adequate recording level.
Sensitivity provides information on how much amplification is needed so a mic can capture quiet sounds. Max SPL refers to the maximum sound pressure level (at a given frequency, usually 1kHz) the microphone can handle before it begins to distort the audio. Rarely will that SPL figure lead to a microphone breaking, though it’s possible.
To complicate it further, because max SPL figures listed are usually measured at the 1 kHz frequency, a mic can distort at higher or lower SPL depending on the design of the mic at a different frequency than 1 kHz. For instance, ribbon mics tend to distort at lower SPL readings than the max SPL specification with sources (bass drums, bass guitar) that produce lower frequencies than 1 kHz.
Knowing the ins and outs of a microphone is important if you’re serious about your craft, but knowing what everything means isn’t going to turn you into an audio engineer overnight. You need to mess up a few times before knowing exactly how each factor will affect your final product.
Proper acoustic treatment is the most important and underrated tip no one talks about. It’s arguably more important than what mic you pick up. Recording in a properly treated room will take your audio from good to great. However, the cost of good acoustic treatment adds up quickly. Singers on a budget can try placing a sound isolating shield around the mic stand. This isn’t as good as a fully treated vocal booth, but it’s better than nothing.
Any acoustic treatment is better than nothing.To keep some money in your pockets, one tried and true method, believe it or not, is a simple blanket fort, although it won’t help to clean up bass frequencies. If you’re recording your voice, you’ll be surprised how much throwing a blanket over yourself and your mic can clean up your sound quality. My favorite is to flip up my mattress to help absorb even more of the reverberation caused by ricocheting sound. In the worst case, you can try to fix what you have in post with software.
Pop filters are a great tool for improving your audio. These diffuse the pressure of the air coming from certain vocal sounds, for example, plosives (p sounds), fricatives (th sounds), and sibilants (s sounds). This helps capture a cleaner recording without annoying “popping” sounds or ear-piercing exaggerations. Typically, condenser microphones do not have built-in pop filters, so you’ll need to get one. Many (not all) dynamic mics like the Shure SM58 do have a built-in pop filter, but, you may still want to use a separate one or a foam cover that slips over the grille, depending on the application.
The Beyerdynamic M70 Pro X includes a pop filter and a shock mount.Most condenser microphones include a shock mount, which can help reduce vibrations transferred by handling or through the floor. Handheld dynamic mics generally don’t need a separate shock mount, as there’s one built in. Studio style mics, regardless of type, whether dynamic, condenser, or ribbon, should be used with a shock mount for the best possible recording.
Ever wonder why lavalier mics are always positioned right under the chin in the chest area? There’s another reason, besides being close to the mouth of the person speaking: Lavalier mics have to be small and innocuous, which doesn’t allow for much protection, so careful placement is one way of avoiding ear-popping thumps.
A shotgun microphone is a great choice when you plan to record people on camera. You’ll usually see the person holding a shotgun mic over the heads of the actors, pointing down in a behind-the-scenes video shoot. Shotgun mics are a type of condenser microphone, so they’re usually fairly sensitive to loud noises.
If you point the microphone upwards into the person’s mouth instead of their chest, you’ll pick up everything behind the person too. Outside noise can really hamper recording quality, so you’ll want to learn more about positioning your mic and recording techniques. It’s a bit easier to edit out extra room tone when you record something inside, but you’re still adding another step.
For low sensitivity dynamic mics like the Telefunken M80 or the popular Shure SM7B, you also might want to look into a trusty little device called the CL-1 Cloudlifter. This can be helpful if your recording device doesn’t have enough gain to get a good recording level, since it boosts the audio signal before it reaches your interface to be recorded.
Now that you know the important aspects of what to look for in a microphone, it’s going to be much easier to figure out which is the right one for you. Of course, USB microphones require nothing but a computer, so that’s still a good option.
Due to the increase in remote working, there’s an increased market for audio recording devices: remote workers who want to sound better over conference calls like Zoom. You may have noticed that the microphone built into your laptop sounds pretty rough. Video and voice chat apps will compress your audio data as it moves across the series of tubes that is the internet, so XLR recording mics like the ones we’ve been discussing are likely overkill. If you’re looking for something that will strike the right balance of ease of use and noticeable improvement, the USB microphones we mentioned are probably the best option. If even that is a little daunting to you, even a decent gaming headset will make a big difference.
For short cable lengths, the effect the quality of a cable has on your audio is very negligible (more likely, imperceptible). And with USB microphones, because the signal is just a stream of digital data, rather than analog information, so it really doesn’t matter so long as the cable is compatible.
Unless you opt for a USB microphone, chances are you’re going to need an audio interface, as most microphones come with an analog (XLR) connection. To record anything digitally into a computer, you’re going to need an interface that you can connect to your computer. Most provide the phantom power needed for condenser microphones.
The XLR cable for microphones features 3 pins for a balanced connection.The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 ($248 at Amazon) is a basic audio interface that won’t break the bank, and should work with most microphones, although some may find that input gain is lacking for low sensitivity microphones. Alternatively. if you’re going to be recording on location, you might want to look into a portable recorder that accepts XLR inputs.
Want more information on Conference Desk Microphone? Feel free to contact us.
You might likeFollow