Microphones

bluidguy said:
I'm thinking about buying a mic to use in recording commentary for my videos, but I don't really have the money for a Snowball or Yeti, I was looking at some $20-$30 usb mics on stands and was curious what you guys thought about cheaper mics, I am very much into the idea of it being USB and not XLR as I am probably going to be using my 10.1" tablet for recording voice or maybe even my phone and I have used adapters with those to use full size usb devices.
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Samsong Go Mic is a good cheap USB mic option
 
I have 3 mics I use in rotation depending on circumstance.

My main baby at the minute is my Zoom H-1, not exactly the most expensive or prettiest mic. but the audio qualities brilliant for the price and its so handy having a mic that isnt teathered to my machine, lets me instantly listen to my own voice and hear playback that gives out good quality and has multiple options for codecs and file size outputs. In short its a versatile all rounder thats good for indoor and outdoor recording, one of my favourite purchases...though I really should to get a lapel mic for it at some point but thats a whole different expensive ball game xD

then I have a Rode Rifle mic for outdoor recording and the occasional bit of additional dubbing...but I treat it more as a Kit mic than a day to day one. it rarely sees the light of day to be honest xD

Finally I have a frostrite condenser mic which was mainly used for my professional voice acting and dubbing when I freelance. its amazing quality, but my room isnt 100% soundproof and as I currently share a house with people it can be a bit embarrassing having to do a dub when everyone can hear you. So I tend to only use this mic when everyones out or if Im only going to need it for a sentence or two. im in the process of getting my own place soon so im hoping I'll be able to use this mic a bit more (And also get some soundproofing to improve the quality) xD
 
I use a Tonor USB professional condenser mike, it was only £19 and is very good except for a static sound in the background.
 
I use Rode NT-USB, which is, as the name suggests, the plug'n'play mic. It is quite expensive, though, I had to save up money for it for a long time :confused: but it was definitely worth it. The audio quality is superb, build quality is solid and overall user experience is totally amazing. I was pretty surprised when I unpacked it - its cable is good 6 metres long! I mean, I could use it as a rope if I needed :D and it has pop-filter already pre-installed, so you don't have to buy it separately. Mic itself is very sensitive, it picks up my neighbours' conversations sometimes, so it's not suitable for noisy environments. But it gets the job done perfectly, so I can't complain about it :rolleyes:
 
I bought a cheap USB mic but it isn't compatible with my MacBook - most of you probably already know about that issue, but still worth remembering.
 
In general, the closer you can get the mic to the sound the better. Handhelds and lavaliers are must haves. You will also need some condensers if you want to record "studio" sound. When you are recording events it is always nice to get a feed from the sound board (mixer) if you can, especially when recording someone speaking. Music records nice in auditoriums just grabbing the sound out of the air, unless you are next to a crying baby...
 
I have been using the Blue Yeti which is a great mic for it's price. It's does not sound as sexy as a good XLR mic, but with a good audio editing program it works perfectly for a small time hobbyist like myself.
 
bluidguy said:
I'm thinking about buying a mic to use in recording commentary for my videos, but I don't really have the money for a Snowball or Yeti, I was looking at some $20-$30 usb mics on stands and was curious what you guys thought about cheaper mics, I am very much into the idea of it being USB and not XLR as I am probably going to be using my 10.1" tablet for recording voice or maybe even my phone and I have used adapters with those to use full size usb devices.
Click to expand...
FWIW, Snowballs are over hyped. They aren't bad per say but there are better options out there.
 
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