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Working From Home Resources/Microphone Recommendations (view source)
Revision as of 12:21, 1 April 2020
, 12:21, 1 April 2020no edit summary
At this range a good option is the '''Blue Yeti Nano''', or if you can stretch the budget, the full-size '''Yeti'''. There's also the Yeti Studio, but the only real benefit of that is that it has an XLR port, which you probably won't need unless you already have XLR hardware (if you have to ask, you don't).
At this range a good option is the '''Blue Yeti Nano''', or if you can stretch the budget, the full-size '''Yeti'''. There's also the Yeti Studio, but the only real benefit of that is that it has an XLR port, which you probably won't need unless you already have XLR hardware (if you have to ask, you don't).
== Accessories ==
Here are some things that you may find useful in your radio production adventures.
=== Stand ===
Most of the mics listed above have a built-in stand, but some may not. We always advise having a stand, or at least putting the mic down on something, rather than holding it in your hand, as many cheaper mics aren't great at rejecting handling noise.
There's no real recommendations here - type "mic stand" on your favourite shopping site, set a price filter, and go from there.
=== Pop Shield / Muff ===
You've seen them - a thin piece of fabric in front of the mic. They're there to stop plosives (for an idea of what a plosive sounds like, say the word "plosive" loudly) from destroying your sound quality.
While with adequate mic positioning you won't need one, it never hurts to have one. Again, look on whatever shopping website you prefer - make sure, however, to check how the pop shield attaches to your stand, to avoid buying something useless.
If you're not in the mood for splashing the cash, get creative! A piece of fabric (tights work well) on a wire loop won't sound much worse than the professional ones, and it'll give you something to do during the quarantine.
=== Audio Interfaces ===
Almost all the mics listed above are USB, so you don't need an interface, but if you're looking into more advanced gear, or eventually recording multiple mics at once, these may be useful.
A common URY bodging tool is the '''Behringer U-Phoria UMC22'' - we use them for a lot of events and OBs where we don't have the space or time to set up a full mixer.
If you want to get fancier and need more inputs, good options are the '''Native Instruments Komplete Audio 2''' or the '''Focusrite Scarlett 2i2''', although these do have a price tag to match the fanciness.
As already stated, '''you probably don't need an audio interface'''. The options are here in case you're interested, but for most simple use cases, a mic and a pair of headphones will do you just fine.