My office uses an old microphone and the sound is terrible. I've been authorized to purchase new recording equipment, and I would appreciate some suggestions. I just need a new microphone and headset.I want something very easy to use and something that can help cancel out background noise.
I recommend the Snowball by Blue for recording microphones. It's not a headset/microphone combo, but it is an excellent microphone. I asked a studio recording professional which would be the best microphone for consumer recording and he recommend the Snowball to me. The best part? It's affordable at only about $100.
What is your budget? I just did the same thing. I spent http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NT1AAnniv. It comes with a Pop filter and a shock mount. The preamp I purchased (allows me to use a Proaudio connection) is call CEntrance USB Mic http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MicPortPro/. It converts analog to digital and connects to a computer via USB. It has a headphone port but I use monitors.
Katie, I highly recommend the Samson Q1U that you can see here at Amazon. It's a simple USB microphone for under $50, but don't let the price sway you. I purchased my first one about 7 years ago and it still works awesomely. As I've grown my business and added developers, I've purchased 5 more and they have all been great. I believe the sound quality is just as good or better than what I get when I use a freelance narrator who uses a custom studio. I'm just glad they're continuing to be made. I purchased more expensive ones and even mini studios, but always go back to my Q1U.
Agree w/ Lu re Samson being great. A very talented voice mentor recommended this one to me...it's great that it comes with comes with a mic stand, shockmount, a nice long USB cable, and a carrying case.
I also highly recommend the Yeti and the Snowball from Blue Microphones, however I suggest you also invest in a Pop Filter for any microphone you purchase (softens those "P" sounds but also enforces the distance rule). If you can afford it I also strongly recommend a suspension system for your microphone similar to one pictured at Amazon (links below)
You may also want to build a small box made out of compressed board and lined with foam (you can purchase all of this a craft store or your favorite big box home improvement store to reduce the ambient noise problems you always experience in an office (home or building).
10 Replies
Hi Katie and welcome to E-Learning Heroes!
I just thought I'd pop in and point you to some other threads where this has been discussed:
Headsets and Microphones - What should we purchase?
The best microphone for recording
Which specs to look for when buying a microphone to record audio
I recommend the Snowball by Blue for recording microphones. It's not a headset/microphone combo, but it is an excellent microphone. I asked a studio recording professional which would be the best microphone for consumer recording and he recommend the Snowball to me. The best part? It's affordable at only about $100.
Awesome, thanks for popping in with your suggestion Travis!
Thanks for the info!!!
What is your budget? I just did the same thing. I spent http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NT1AAnniv. It comes with a Pop filter and a shock mount. The preamp I purchased (allows me to use a Proaudio connection) is call CEntrance USB Mic http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MicPortPro/. It converts analog to digital and connects to a computer via USB. It has a headphone port but I use monitors.
Katie, I highly recommend the Samson Q1U that you can see here at Amazon. It's a simple USB microphone for under $50, but don't let the price sway you. I purchased my first one about 7 years ago and it still works awesomely. As I've grown my business and added developers, I've purchased 5 more and they have all been great. I believe the sound quality is just as good or better than what I get when I use a freelance narrator who uses a custom studio. I'm just glad they're continuing to be made. I purchased more expensive ones and even mini studios, but always go back to my Q1U.
I'm a big fan of the blue mic as well. We have the YETI pro and really like it, and it looks really cool sitting on the desk when not being used.
I've attached a picture of one of our in house voice talents using the mic
Cute! Thanks everyone for sharing Katie has gotten lots of helpful information here!
Hey, Ari, your in-house guy is adorable
Agree w/ Lu re Samson being great. A very talented voice mentor recommended this one to me...it's great that it comes with comes with a mic stand, shockmount, a nice long USB cable, and a carrying case.
I also highly recommend the Yeti and the Snowball from Blue Microphones, however I suggest you also invest in a Pop Filter for any microphone you purchase (softens those "P" sounds but also enforces the distance rule). If you can afford it I also strongly recommend a suspension system for your microphone similar to one pictured at Amazon (links below)
Pop Filters - http://amzn.to/1qWVugc
Suspension systems (reduces vibration related noise) - http://amzn.to/1eqCDd7
You may also want to build a small box made out of compressed board and lined with foam (you can purchase all of this a craft store or your favorite big box home improvement store to reduce the ambient noise problems you always experience in an office (home or building).
A guide on building one of these boxes : http://bit.ly/1m2LXEa and here: http://danhughes.net/podcasting/micbox.htm
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