I want to buy a mid-range microphone to over voice and for podcasting .

I've searched alot about microphone for a week . but I cant choose .

some people say buy consender . some guys say buy dynamic . all of them are expert .
I know the diffrences between them at least a little . but I've just seen contradiction .

some one says dont buy usb mic at all bcuz interface inside that is not professional so buy xlr mic + audio interface

another says a 250 $ mic has a good interface inside it

some one else says dont spend that much . bcoz it is not essential for you . buy a 20 $ mic + 40 $ interface .

but some one said dont care about Consender OR Dynamic .

when I want to choose one consender model like "NT-USB" or "Audio-Technica AT2020" or "SE ELECTRONICS X1 " and ... some thing makes me doubt that someone says that picks up alot of noise of room .

when I want to buy Shure SM58 someone says dont pay so much . Behringer XM8500 works like that.


now I have 2 options
1. USB mic
2. xlr Mic + inteface
and I dont want noise and also I dont want to spend money more than much that is necessary .

at first I wanted to buy Shure SM58 . but some guy said me buy BeyerDynamic TG V35 . sfter that some guy said Behringer XM8500 works like them .

now plz help me to choose suitable mic . but if the low price mic can do what I want . its better to spend less . I listed what I can buy


1. USB

_Behringer C-1U ___Condenser

_Rode NT-USB ___Condenser

_Audio-Technica AT2020 USB ___Condenser

_Blue Yeti ___Condenser

_Blue Snowball ___Condenser

_M-Audio VOCAL STUDIO ___Condenser


*** my budget is more limited for XLR bcoz I have to buy an interface too .

2. XLR

_Rode Reporter ___Dynamic

_Rode M2 and M1 ___Condenser

_Behringer XM8500 ___Dynamic

_Shure SM58 and 57 ___Dynamic

_Audio-Technica AT2020 ___Condenser

_BeyerDynamic TG V35 ___Dynamic


THANKS

A USB mic is probably the cheapest way to get reasonable quality. Buying a mic and a USB interface separately will increase the cost (and may give you extra features you don't need if you are only doing VO and voice only podcast work).

All the dynamic mics you have sited are stage vocal mics and not really suitable for your needs.

So all the others are capacitor mics. These are what I would suggest (and specifically one of the USB mics you list). I only have secondhand experience of the Blue Snowball but it works pretty week for my son recording French Horn practice in a Church, I'd say any of those you list will get the job done but my inclination would be to steer clear of the Behringer and maybe the M-Audio.

Read this article as it covers exactly the problems you will face and is written by a successful voice over artist. https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-voiceover-on-road

It would appear that all those usb mics only output at 16bit. This means you're going to have to be much more careful about your levels when recording.
I'd be tempted by a cheap interface (behringer uphoria um2 for example) and then a normal condenser mic.

You are right, nearly all USB mics are 16 bit. And I agree that 24 bit would be better but 16 bit should be quite sufficient for spoken word recording with a single voice.

There is this one from MXL though https://www.amazon.co.uk/MXL-24-USB-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B003XDUAOM which does 24 bit.

A question for the OP... The podcasting you plan to do, is it audio only or audio plus video? If the latter will it be acceptable to have the mic in shot?

Sam Spoons wrote:A question for the OP... The podcasting you plan to do, is it audio only or audio plus video? If the latter will it be acceptable to have the mic in shot?

Thanks

MXL Studio 24 USB is good .

yes XLR model has lower risk.

I use camtasia and adobe premier and almost with video .

Sam Spoons wrote:You are right, nearly all USB mics are 16 bit. And I agree that 24 bit would be better but 16 bit should be quite sufficient for spoken word recording with a single voice.

You're right it should, I was just a bit concerned around the OPs comments about noise.

Sam Spoons wrote:There is this one from MXL though https://www.amazon.co.uk/MXL-24-USB-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B003XDUAOM which does 24 bit.

I meant to look at MXL and then got distracted, it does look like an interesting option but the reviews aren't stunning.

The MXL USB mic's are what they are. They are cheap, they work and the quality is OK for the money. As long as your expectations don't rise much above this they are fine.

If you want to raise the quality then I'd go for a separate audio interface and capacitor microphone. At this point some of the MXLs are actually very good for the money. My personal favourite is the V67G, which is incredibly good for the money.

Regarding room noise, a capacitor mic will pick up a little more HF noise simply because it has a more extended HF response. Room noise is a potential problem but the only way you can reduce it is by working closer to the mic.

A studio/recording mic will be designed for distances of 12" or more (sometimes much more) and will sound much more natural at a distance than a dynamic designed for stage vocals (see below). The trade off is that each time you double the distance from the mic the signal from your voice drops to 1/4, but the ambient noise it is picking up remains the same.

With a dynamic mic like a Shure SM58 'close to the mic' can mean within a couple of inches (they are designed for rock singers in loud bands and they will sing with their lips almost touching the mic) if you use it at a distance it will sound weak and thin with little LF.

The other room problem is sound reflections off the flat surfaces (walls ceiling and floor), as with ambience the further you are form the mic the greater the proportion of room noise you will record (compared to your voice). The article I linked to shows some creative solutions to that problem for voice only recordings. Video is a different matter and any room treatment that is in shot will have to look decent. There's lots of advice elsewhere in the forums and the magazine though so I won't go on any longer at this stage.

Have you considered the Apogee MiC+ ? It's 24-bit/96kHz USB.

http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/mic

Or the iRig Mic from IK Multimedia (also 24-bit but 48kHz maximum, which is more than good enough).

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/ik-multimedia-irig-mic-studio

So now you can see there’s a range of views here too!

If your room is not acoustically treated, or if you have a ambient noise, say coming from outside, then it’s a good idea to select a microphone that is designed to be used very close, like a stage vocal microphone. By using that, you will have more voice relative to ambient noise.

Dynamic microphones are the commonest stage vocal microphones. Of the microphones you mention, I’m familiar with the Beyer TG35 and SM58 and both would work fine.

My preference for a spoken voice dynamic microphone in this scenario would be a Beyer M201 or a Shure SM7 but they are more expensive.

You could connect one of these microphones with something like the Shure X2u interface.

Bob

Thanks Guys . Great Advices .

If you want to raise the quality then I'd go for a separate audio interface and capacitor microphone. At this point some of the MXLs are actually very good for the money. My personal favourite is the V67G, which is incredibly good for the money.

With a dynamic mic like a Shure SM58 'close to the mic' can mean within a couple of inches (they are designed for rock singers in loud bands and they will sing with their lips almost touching the mic) if you use it at a distance it will sound weak and thin with little LF.

Have you considered the Apogee MiC+ ? It's 24-bit/96kHz USB .

now I think to buy a dynamic XLR mic bcoz of room noise .

My preference for a spoken voice dynamic microphone in this scenario would be a Beyer M201 or a Shure SM7 but they are more expensive.

yes that is expensive. out of budget :D

Sennheiser 835 and Shure sm58 are in the same range . which one do you choose ?

and I think about interface stinger ur 12 OORR scarlet solo G2 ... some guys say stinger is better but amazon reviews are not good about compatibility with Windows 10 .

now . I'm interested to buy Sennheiser 835s + focusrite scarlet solo G2 .

SO THANKS .

I'd go for the Sennheiser, it's a 'nicer' sounding mic than the Shure. Bear in mind you'll need to speak into a mic of this type from no more than a few inches away (which is the point of Bob's suggestion). If you want to have the mic out of shot you have a whole raft of other problems to deal with besides mic choice and if that is the case then the Sennheiser is not the best mic to buy.

I don't know the Stinger interface so can't comment but I have a Focusrite Saffire Pro which is excellent and the Scarlett range is well regarded.

What is ringing everybody's alarm bells is the "not treated room" part of your thread title.

Sam Spoons wrote:I'd go for the Sennheiser, it's a 'nicer' sounding mic than the Shure. Bear in mind you'll need to speak into a mic of this type from no more than a few inches away (which is the point of Bob's suggestion). If you want to have the mic out of shot you have a whole raft of other problems to deal with besides mic choice and if that is the case then the Sennheiser is not the best mic to buy.

I don't know the Stinger interface so can't comment but I have a Focusrite Saffire Pro which is excellent and the Scarlett range is well regarded.

What is ringing everybody's alarm bells is the "not treated room" part of your thread title.

Thanks Sam .

it is stinberg ur 12 . I wrote stinger :D

noises are not very much . but anyway there are alot of noisy things around . and do you prefer to take lower risk with buying a dynamic mic rather than a condenser ?

if your room has low noise you prefer to buy condenser or dynamic ? I mean there are alot of defferences between them in the same condition .?

Thanks

I’d pick the e835 over an SM58.

Are you videoing as well or is it just audio. In other words are you happy to work the mic close?

For podcast or voiceover work, I’d personally be happy with a good dynamic microphone worked appropriately.

Bob