What mic should I get?

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by 607, Apr 9, 2015.

  1. Hi, it's me again!
    I'd like to get a new microphone, to use for both YouTube and talking with others via Skype or Mumble. I don't really know what kind I should get though. But I'm sure many people from EMC know a lot about mics and stuff. The budget is around 20-40$ (or Euros).
    I'm not even sure if I want a standing microphone or a mic built-in a headset, so please share your suggestions with me! :)
  2. I say get a Snowball Ice by Blue. It's not too pricey but it does the job. It's also made to be used for skype but you can use it for pretty much anything!
  3. Okay, thank you, I'll keep that in mind! :)
    I'm wondering though, with a standing microphone, where do you put it? Can't you hear the sound of the keyboard?
  4. I don't know a lot about about mics, but I've heard blue snowballs are good for beginners
  5. Well, on a desk is one place to put it.

    Well, it all depends on what is called "gain"

    If you like to lean back in your chair far away from your microphone you will have to have a higher gain which would make you hear the keyboard.

    If you are like 3 inches away from your mic, you will have to have a lower gain which would not allowed you to hear your keyboard.

    Gain is lets say, how much noise it can hear around it.

    By the way, sorry for my bad wording.
    607 likes this.
  6. When recording, I have the glamorous setup of putting my mic (also a blue snowball ice) on the table, and balancing the keyboard on my knee. It's not exactly ideal, but hey, it works. I'm 99% sure I could noise remove the keyboard if I could be bothered to, but yeah, too lazy. :p
    sambish20 and AwesomeBuilder33 like this.
  7. I agree that stand mics can pick up a lot of keyboard noise. I am finding that hanging the mic so that it is up and closer to my head is getting better results. I can't suggest a name brand because I made my own mic from pieces of an old telephone. (this is currently my choice for recording quality, yes it's a hack)

    I was using a cheap headset/microphone combination, but the quality of the microphone was poor. I also had a turtle beach set, but the wires were so thin and broke after a couple of months of use. I still use the cheap one for mumble because quality is not as critical and it gives me better control of feedback.

    I dug up an old stage mic to try, but it just wasn't very compatible. The large plug on the cord required an adapter and then I guess it would have required amplification because it was very quiet/unusable.

    Maybe this information is helpful, I know it's not a specific suggestion.
    Parkerjv9, ScarTheNinja, 607 and 2 others like this.
  8. :confused:
    FDNY21 likes this.
  9. Innovation at its finest :p
  10. Yeah, we already had had the idea of hanging it on the wall. My desktop is also connected to the wall, but it might still help. Thank you for your input!
  11. If you already have a pair of decent headphones, then you could try something like the Antlion Modmic ( www.modmic.com ) which servers as a sort of add-on, effectively making it a headset. The quality is pretty nice, and it is only slightly above your ideal price range.
    I don't know if it would work, but for some mics, like my Blue Yeti, you can attach them to a sort of extendable arm which reaches from the side of a desk (or table or whatever) then to nearer to you. This saves space and also means you can lower gain, reducing any background noise :D
    Hope this^ helps.
  12. I use a headset for my YouTube videos, and I find them really convenient. All I have to do when I want to record is pop on the headset and unfold the mic.
  13. You've sadly got a very limited budget for a standalone microphone. If worst comes to worst, I can recommend these. While they are Turtle Beach, when I had a limited budget they worked extremely well for their price. Decent microphone and a better build quality than most Turtle Beaches.

    I'm guessing they've gotten popular, because when I bought them in blue they were $20.00, but it appears they've gone to $60.00. The red colored ones are new, and you can get them for $24.99-$29.99.

    Plus, if you buy through Amazon they have AMAZING return policies. I've returned things 5-6 months after I bought them, and they've gone out of their way to help me despite it being out of Amazon's warranty.

    I do recommend saving more money, if possible, as with most microphones and headsets, another $20-$40 can make all the difference.
    ScarTheNinja likes this.
  14. I use my Turtle Beach Xo4 Xbox One headset for mumble and other things that require my mic.

    I recommend turtle beaches, they arent the greatest (gaming wise for stuff like call of duty).. but if you want to play games with a headset/mic maybe this is the route to go.
  15. Mod your mic so it hangs up (hashtag)Tripods