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Working From Home Resources/Microphone Recommendations (view source)
Revision as of 11:30, 11 April 2020
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<small>[[Working From Home Resources|back to hub]]</small>
You can get surprisingly far with even a basic mic, as long as you use it properly. A proper one will always help, though. On this page you'll find recommendations for microphones in every price range.
When looking at a mic, make sure you take a careful look at its connectivity - if it has USB you'll be good to just plug it into your laptop, if it has only XLR you'll need an external audio interface as well. Most of the mics on this page will be USB unless otherwise indicated.
To access WebStudio, click the “WebStudio” link on the MyRadio main page. If you haven’t selected a show to work with, you’ll be asked to do that now.
== Where To Buy ==
A good place to start will be Amazon, bearing in mind that they are prioritising essentials and so delivery times may be ''quite long indeed''.
If you’re familiar with our very own Broadcast Audio Playout System, WebStudio is very similar - you have three columns, representing three players, which can all play any music, jingles, beds etc. You can move things around within a column, and between columns, but keep in mind that changes you make in WebStudio won’t be saved, and will be lost if you refresh the page, so we recommend fully planning your show in Show Planner beforehand.
If you're in the UK take a look at Gear4Music, if in continental Europe look on Thomann (they also ship to the UK, however it can get a bit costly).
Do not underestimate eBay, provided you are willing to shop around and investigate the quality of the gear you're purchasing, you can get very good deals with much shorter shipping times compared to normal shopfronts with the current climate.
A good source for reviews on microphones is [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvOU-zTlankT-JjN3ZzvuKA Podcastage], if you fancy shopping around.
== Budget Zero ==
You'd be surprised how good an earphone (e.g. EarPod) mic can sound, if you use it properly. We'll put some guidance on our [[Working From Home Resources/Microphone Technique|mic technique]] page on how to make it sound better, the tl;dr is to put it close, but not too close, to your mouth.
At a pinch you could use your laptop's built-in mic, but we wouldn't recommend it. With a laptop mic you have far less control over positioning, so if at all possible use an external one, even on your earbuds.
If you have a gaming headset, or indeed any headset with a mic, lying around, that can work quite well as well. Similar guidelines apply: position it 3-5cm from your mouth, while angling it to avoid air going directly into the mic, because that'll cause popping, which sounds awful.
== <£40 ==
At this price range you can't go wrong with the '''Samson Go'''. It's a small condenser mic that plugs in via USB and can sit on top of your laptop (it's really that small!), or on your desk. Don't put it too close to your mouth though, because it is quite sensitive.
== <£75 ==
At this price range we'd recommend the Go's bigger brother, the '''Samson Meteor'''. It also plugs in via USB, but has a bigger sensor, so it'll sound much nicer. Just like the Go, put it a bit further away from your mouth.
You'll see a lot of YouTubers and streamers using Blue Snowballs, and while they're ''fine'', if you can stretch the budget for a Meteor it'll sound much nicer for radio, so the Snowball is an option but not recommended.
The Shure PGA58 comes in below this range, but you'll also need an audio interface for it, and a stand as well, since it doesn't come with one and suffers from bad handling noise, so when you add it all up it'll end up costing something around this. You could start building up a pro audio setup - having an interface will mean that you can use more advanced mics later down the line - but if all you'll be doing is radio, you'll be better served spending it all on one mic.
== £100 ==
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).
== Beyond ==
At this range, the options widen quite considerably.
If you want to stick with USB, look into the '''Audio-Technica AT2020 USBi''' (make sure you get the "USBi" version, as the basic AT2020 doesn't have a USB plug!) or the '''Rode NT-USB''' - they're quite pricy, but plug directly into your laptop via USB, so no need for any extra hardware.
You could also get the non-USB '''AT2020''', the '''Rode NT1-A''' or a '''Shure SM58''', but these are ''XLR mics'' and will need an interface to be used, so will drive up the price quite a bit. If you want to get one of these, we'd recommend the AT2020 or NT1-A if all you'll be using it for is vocals, or the SM58 if you want a more flexible piece of kit. If you get the NT1-A "vocal recording pack", it'll come with a shock mount (to further reduce handling noise), which is useful. Remember though, you'll also need a stand and an interface, so don't go buying just a mic as it'll be a bit useless.
== 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, the sounds that you can hear when you're speaking too close to a mic (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 ===
An audio interface is like a really basic mixer that plugs directly into your computer. 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.
One that the Engineering and Computing Teams use a lot at URY 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.
If you do buy one, make sure to check if your combo of mic and interface comes with an XLR cable - some do but many don't, so you might need to buy one separately - don't get caught out!