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Mic recommendation for doing my youtube videos?
So, I have been using a line in on a headphone and am getting tired of the quality not being up to scratch. I just ordered an anker power expand direct. So I can plug my decent headphones (which don't have line in) there, and then I could buy a USB A mic to use.
What I need -
To do my live voiceover screen recordings in AUM
Decent sound quality at a reasonable price
Will not have noticeable latency as I need to record and listen to myself at the same time without distraction of any delay
Any recommendations?
I Know absolutely zero about USB mics so there may be other important factors that i am not aware of, if so, let me know. Cheers!
Comments
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NTUSBMini--rode-nt-usb-mini-usb-condenser-microphone
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=Smartlav
The iRig Mic HD2 might work since it also has a built-in headphone jack?
Ask for a ‘review copy’ from IK or something
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'll check all these out for sure, keep 'em coming!
@Samu with the mics with built in headphone jack will AUM etc be able to recognise both the input and output? Seems obvious it should but I have learnt to assume nothing when it comes to these things lol
When choosing an mic it’s also good to take a look at the recording enviroment...
The headset mic does a pretty good job at isolating the voice, a condenser will bring out all the crap in the background and needs treatment
Shure also brought out their usb mic which has some resemblence to the SM7B and that might be worth a look?
There’s a good Youtube channel that does a lot of mic reviews...
Cheers!
They usually work as ‘audio interfaces’ so You’ll hear the sound from the iPad apps as well if they have a headphone jack
That's very handy @Samu I don't fancy wading through YouTube channels focused on mics - too many choices and I don't want to think about it too much, it gets too hard to choose. I'd just like some informed opinions from you guys, as you know exactly what I need. Then I will narrow it down to a couple of choices and read up on those. I do these at home so it won't be too noisy, and I have Brusfri, but yeah, I would like something that is going to need minimal faffing about, for sure.
Youtuber Podcastage recommended Samson Technologies Q2U USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone in his year-end review.
https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Handheld-Microphone-Recording-Podcasting/dp/B001R747SG?tag=podcastage03-20
@Gavinski :
@Telstar5 thanks - that does sound good, though is a bit more than i would like to spend maybe, if i can help it
This was a comment @Telefunky made about the hypemic in another thread:
Apogee Mic and Mic96k share the original design, Mic+ is different and (iirc) features a Sennheiser capsule (possibly from their MK4), but I couldn‘t find the respective source back, so don‘t rely on that.
I know some (guitar/vocal) recordings of @flo26 with the 1st version and they were top notch.
Non-96khz is not a dealbreaker, but rather the opposite: downsampling takes time or adds the risk of artifacts.
The HypeMic is significantly more expensive and adds a lot of predefined processing.
If it hits your taste 100% then ok, otherwise you simply wasted money (if the processing can be switched off at all)
This looks pretty good and I like the price. Realistically, a dynamic mic is probably a better choice as, although my home is quiet, it is certainly not studio quiet. I wonder if the voice recording with these more expensive condenser mics like the hypemic is that much better? I only have experience with using dynamic mics for live singing, not with any kind of studio recording
This fall I did around 25 podcasts for a class I taught online. I started with the Shure SM58 I already had, a dynamic. It’s great at rejecting noise, but I had to work more at projecting my voice, too. After about 5 podcasts, I switched to this cheap USB condenser: https://www.amazon.com/Microphone-Condenser-Recording-Streaming-669B/dp/B06XCKGLTP. It sounded pretty good, though it’s easy to overdrive. That wouldn’t be a problem, though, with your vocal style, which doesn’t have a wide dynamic range. (I was doing Shakespeare, which has different requirements.) If I had it to do over, I would spend US$100 and get an AT2020, which seems to be the SM58 of condenser mics.
That Samson looks convenient, though: great for situations where you don’t have space to leave everything set up, because it doesn’t need a separate interface. At more than twice the price of my Fifine, it’s probably higher quality too.
With the more sensitive condenser mic, I had some natural room reverb, which I didn’t want. Some curtains helped.
Additional: that Fifine plugs directly into my iPad, but requires a CCK that has a charging input. Without the charging cable it draws too much power for my iPad.
I’m happy with the shure MV51. If you are planning on using it with the iPad it is perfect with AUM. Has headphone jack.
I suspect Santa is bringing the MV7 as well, which is nice because it has an XLR option as well. Only thing that may be tough with both of these is that the controls are on the mics themselves. You likely don’t want to bump them while recording - though I assume most of what you are doing is set it and forget it.
I also have a snowball ice that has an astounding sound quality for the price.
Depending if one plans to 'expand' a proper Audio Interface is a good investment.
I've got a bunch of Mics some I've gotten for 'free' (Røde M1 and AKG D5) and when I got my UR-242 I also grabbed the SM57 & 58 and at later point I got myself a Røde NTG-1(shotgun) and a AKG P120 (Which is very similar to the popular AT2020).
Even seemingly 'quiet' rooms contain plenty of 'noise' with condensers easily pick up...
...so unless you plan to treat the room go with a dynamic mic and keep it close
(The room I'm in has an SPL of ~40dBA and when using a condenser such as the P120 the ticking clock on the wall a few meters away easily gets picked up by the microphone).
I'll have to say @Gavinski that so far I have no complaints on the voice quality in your videos...
...it's easy to fall into the trap of getting new stuff but it does not automagically improve the quality.
Cheers!
This^^^^^^^^^. I have watched so many YouTuber’s and for what your setup is its great!!!! Maybe its your sexy voice that puts us over the top. 😀.
Thanks guys, but no, definitely the voice could be better. Could be worse too, of course, lol. But there is so much Noise on the mic. Brusfri gets rid of it but only after a fair bot of tweaking each time and if I drop the noise floor low enough there is usually a bit of muffling of the voice as a result. Samu i do have an audio interface but i prefer to do my stuff on the sofa with the ipad on my lap etc. I’m definitely tempted by that Q2U.
I think there has been an implication in some posts that condensers are more likely to pick up environment than dynamics which is not the case. The issue is more related to the capsule type/pattern than dynamic vs condenser. Cardioid and hyper-cardioid and other targeted patterns are what you want if you don't want room noise ( quiet rooms have a "tone", too). I am not suggesting an expensive condenser but my AKG414 when set to the cardioid pattern is no more prone to picking up room noise than my SM57 or 58.
I'd recommend contacting people whose voiceover you like to see what they use. I have been surprised a few times by pros that use their phone mics in situations where I'd think they'd use something outboard.
The closer you are to the mic the less room noise you’ll get. That and a cardioid/unidirectional mic should sort you. Don’t over-think this. 😎👍🏼
Also check SoundCloud links in this video description box for uncompressed audio quality using AT2020 USB and XLR types -
Absolutely... tbh the voice part of the Pipa clip is really sub-par from a technical pov.
Some narrating skills also missing, but that‘s a matter of practice in the 1st place.
It‘s a good sign that you notice it yourself
You may compensate the latter (or make it easier) by proper compression/leveling.
For non-live stuff my (regular) suggestion is either Pro-L2 or Maxima with moderate settings, not limiting for maximum loudness.
They achieve a healthy track level much easier than by tweaking compression times and ratio.
(since I use that method, I only apply traditional compressors for their particular sound character or effect, but never for controlling track level... it‘s so much easier)
For convenience (sofa paradigm) I‘d simply stick with an Apogee Mic+.
It doesn‘t get substantially better with anything below $1k.
(I have a deep distrust in all podcast-livestyle-gear by Rode, IK, etc)
Thanks for this detailed reply. Its not that I've just noticed it, I've never been happy with that mic sound. I kept trying to tweak it but it is just not possible to make gold out of coal and that mic is just not up to scratch. This mic+seems to be just lightning btw, I need USB C.
Don‘t worry, the Mic+ comes with USB-C (it‘s USB anyway, not a custom connector)
If it was me I would definitely choose the Shure MV7, it's probably the most cost-effective way of getting that "radio voice".
I’ve moved away from USB mics, as they lack flexibility. For example, you can’t plug one into an ATEM.
I’m selling my Apogee Mic+ in perfect condition including attachable pop screen and case . Gavinski gets first dibs .. Other than that make me an offer . Message me if interested
MicSwap Pro?
My heil pr40 sounds great on anything that I have used it for. And don’t sleep on the neat microphones worker bee- it’s a fantastic mic (Ned diaphragm condenser) with a very smooth upper mid, and includes a great shockmount and pop filter. The pop filter design is something that is so obvious that it makes you wonder why no one else ever thought of it.
A good mic preamp is going to help you as well- once I got better mic preamps I started to realize that mics I didn’t think sounded so good before sound quite good. The audient and ssl interfaces both have excellent preamps for the price. The audient evo4 is $129US I believe. I think it works with the Cck if that’s a concern. And I am almost 100% sure the ssl 2 and 2+ work with iOS.
Also, amazing solution is the ISK ICDM dynamic mic- but iskproaudio.com only sells in North America. I believe ISK has a European distributor but you’d have to look them up. If anyone reading this is in North America, if you type in ISK ICDM promo you should be able to find the page where the are 2 for 49.99. Great mics period- not just great for the price. I have 8 that I use for so many things. ISK’s “Little Gems” are excellent sdc’s as well.
Finally, I’m a huge fan of the blue encore mics. The encore 300 is flat out amazing on vocals. I have a few of those that I now use for almost every live vocalist, and the 100i is their version of an sm57 and works really well on a lot of things. I have one encore 100 as well but haven’t had much chance to use it- but I don’t doubt it sounds excellent.
None of the mics I listed will break the bank. The most expensive new is the PR40, at about $350, but I bought mine used in perfect shape for $200 last year.
Invest in some sound blankets or get one of the reflection filter type devices too, they will help if you have an untreated or less than ideal room. Not perfect, but definitely better than without it.
I do mine on a Blue Snowball, with Brusfri by Klevgrand to isolate out noise and a compressor and eq.
You know what - I think I am just going to skip the sofa and do things at my desk using my audio interface that I have barely used and the perfectly good Shure Beta 58A that I bought years ago when I was doing a lot of live performance. The Anker hub arrived today, so I was able to connect again - I had a bad experience with the Hyperdrive, hopefully this one will be better. https://www.anker.com/products/variant/powerexpand-direct-6in1-usbc-pd-media-hub/A83620A1
I just tried this setup now and wow, I really regret I didn’t do this earlier. Anyway, you can look forward to vastly better mic audio in my next video! I still might look into these usb options but I think I will try this for now. Thanks for all the very informed responses.