This is way off topic but I know we have some musical people here… I’m recording several videos and I need a good microphone to do voice overs. After reading an article from a podcaster, I decided to try this one first…
I’m not real impressed. To get fairly decent volume I have to be right on top of the mic which isn’t ideal. I’m thinking of trying this one next but I also read that condenser mics pick up too much background noise. Ideally, I want one that doesn’t pick up background noise but I can speak into it from 10"-12" away and still get good volume.
@ ianlee74 - For podcasts and screencasts, I use a Samson G-Track USB condenser mix, which I’m very happy with. I have it mounted in a shock mount on a rode articulating arm, so it’s easy to position the mic close enough for good audio pickup but out of camera view.
What I do is generally recording while sitting at the computer, which the Samson is well-suited for.
Another brand it’s tough to go wrong with are Blue microphones. The Yeti has multiple mic elements, which allows for selectable pickup patterns. The snowflake is small and portable, and the snowball is also good.
@ devhammer - I was waiting for your reply ;). I think I’ll give the Yeti a try since I don’t see a Prime option for the G-track and I need it before the weekend. I’ll shoot you an email. I’d love to have you input/criticism on this project and I think you’re going to want to be a part of it.
What’s the deal with pop filters? Is this something I need?
I’ll look for your email. Pretty busy of late, but I’ll be happy to help if I can find the time.
I don’t currently use a pop filter for my G-Track, though I do own one. My experience is that if you’re talking (or singing) straight on into the mic, you may have issues with plosives (P sounds, for example) causing pops that spike the audio signal, which is why you’d want a pop filter. But the other way to solve the problem is to place the mic such that it’s not directly in front of your mouth, but rather at a slight angle. The downside here is that (depending on the pickup pattern of the mic, of course), the further off-axis you get, the more signal you end up losing. So the latter strategy is a tradeoff.
For spoken word, it’s probably no big deal to use the mic off-axis, which is why that’s what I do generally, mostly because I find it a pain to mount the pop filter on the boom or mic stand and get it aligned properly.
So if you’re planning to get a Yeti (I haven’t tried that one personally, but have heard good things about it), I would just set it for a cardoid pattern, and set it slightly off to the side of where you’re pointing your mouth, and do a test recording.
I’ve heard very good results from the Snowball microphone (from the same people as the Yeti, but significantly cheaper). Sean Plott (day[9], http://day9.tv/ ) uses a Snowball, if you’d like to see how it sounds.
