Affordable mic solution (mechanical keyboard problem)

[Qwikstreet]

Right now I have a Blue Snowball. Sure it was a deal on sale but I am not thrilled with it. I have a Razer mech keyboard and it picks up every click of the keys when recording. It was fine for live streaming but for recorded pieces it is less than desired. I have o-rings on my keyboards and tried angling the mic in an upward direction but it doesn't help. I have the noise gate tweaked and it is fine when I am not talking.

I'm wondering if there is a better and affordable mic solution, better condenser, or shielding that I should be looking into.

Side note: I also record in my basement which is already a concrete room. I need to hang up some dampening items to help other audio issues.

 

[Qwikstreet]

I started looking at the Rode Mini USB Mic. Anyone have any experience with them?

 

[Crown]

Right now I have a Blue Snowball. Sure it was a deal on sale but I am not thrilled with it. I have a Razer mech keyboard and it picks up every click of the keys when recording. It was fine for live streaming but for recorded pieces it is less than desired. I have o-rings on my keyboards and tried angling the mic in an upward direction but it doesn't help. I have the noise gate tweaked and it is fine when I am not talking.

I'm wondering if there is a better and affordable mic solution, better condenser, or shielding that I should be looking into.

Side note: I also record in my basement which is already a concrete room. I need to hang up some dampening items to help other audio issues.

Hi

The problem isn't really the microphone.

Are you using the "cadioid" setting on the snowball? It's setting number 1 I think (see manual ) That setting should filter out distant noises.

Could you perhaps try to get rid of the click noises in post production. Do a test with Audacity and apply the "noise reduction" filter. Info: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/noise_reduction.html

 

[Qwikstreet]

Unfortuantely its the "black" Blue Snowball that does not have the switch on the back.

 

[Crown]

Unfortuantely its the "black" Blue Snowball that does not have the switch on the back.

Ah. You definitely need a mic with a "cardioid" setting because that will filter out noise that is not close to the mic. I use the "Samson go mic" which is a small USB condenser mic with a cardioid option. It works pretty well. Check out reviews on YouTube to see if it meets your requirements. Cost is about $40 -$50.

 

[ZlousyYT]

Neewer NW-800. I have it and it's good but there is a little buzzing since my sound card isn't great. You will need to buy a 48V phantom power supply but for me both cost me £30.98 all together. I am going to be buying an external sound card soon so the quality will sound ace. (Estimated cost: £40/$49)

 

[Qwikstreet]

I was looking into the NW-800. So I've narrowed it down into 3 choices. I like the versatility of #1 but not sure if I want to keep removing from my mic stand to take on the road. So maybe #1 and #2...

#1 : Zoom H2n (because I can use it as a portable recorder and portable mic solution for videos)
#2: XLR: The NW-800 or XM8500 with a Behringer UM2
#3: USB: Rode Mini or Blue Yeti

 

[MellishGaming]

lil late to the convo but if you just get a dynamic microphone instead, problem solved. If you cant buy a new mic, I suggest getting a scissor stand for the snowball, that way its off your desk. As well as getting that noise gate and noise suppressor correct. Thats what I suggest