Microphone for Podcasting

[Brutha]

I think about starting a Podcast.

What kind of Microphone would you recommend for me? What should I have in mind when buying my Microphone?

[Steve Pavlina]

I use the Behringer B-1, which I got for $99 at Musician's Friend - Buy musical instruments, music gear, musical equipment online -- it included a windscreen, shockmount, and case. It's a cardiod condenser mic, so you need a phantom power source (or mixer). I use it with the Behringer Eurorack UB802 mixer ($50). An XLR cable to connect the mic to the mixer is about $10.

This is an inexpensive setup, but it produces decent quality audio -- much better than what you'll get with the cheap dynamic mic that came with your PC.

In general I find Behringer to be a good value brand, offering decent quality for the price you pay. It's certainly good enough for podcasts.

[Fortune]

You can get inexpensive condenser mics these days that plug right into a USB port, no pre-amp necessary.

[Baltar]

Out of curiosity, is a cheap condenser mic better than a Shure SM-57 (or 58)? Or does it make absolutely no difference at that price level?

[stephencp]

Mike Stewart (Internet Audio Guy) has alot of info here
Internet Audio Guy - Record Voice - Digital Audio Recording Hardware - Software & Support !

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics

[scottyp]

Condenser microphones tend to have a smoother, more realistic recording quality compared to a dynamic microphone (such as the shure mics). The downside is that condensers tend to pick up more ambient sounds (such as your fridge or air system). Try and cut down on those, and distance yourself from the computer if it is noisy.

If you are recording in a somewhat noisy environment then a dynamic mic might be better, since they generally reject more noise. In radio stations you will find both types of microphones in use, so one type is not necessarily better than the other, but the shure mics are designed more for live use than realistic capture.

I haven't had a chance to try any of the USB mics yet, the reviews online seem mixed. Steve's setup would be ideal for most serious podcasters. The quality of his recordings certainly are acceptable. A cheap condenser would probably be the purchase with the best overall value (I have a studio projects b1 condenser which was 120 cad and good quality).

[Lil Chris]

For something simple to start out with you could also try a usb headset, i have one for the playstation that i plugged into the pc, works great. I also have a studio mic with pre-amp (it's definately more complex, but not difficult). Just make sure the headset has a faom tip on the mic portion that rejects alot of background noise, yet it still picks up voice well.