Microphone suggestions please

AliceH · Post by **AliceH** » September 5th, 2018, 11:00 pm

Hi everyone

Thanks in advance for your help.

I have just joined and need to get a microphone. The two suggested in the 'recording for newbies' doc aren't available to buy in the UK.

Can anyone suggest an affordable (under £50 max, £30 would be better) desktop usb microphone, available in the UK, which would be suitable for Librivox recordings?

Thanks, Alice

tovarisch · Post by **tovarisch** » September 6th, 2018, 5:37 am

I am sure you can get the mic delivered to your door, from an online retailer. In that case I recommend Samson Go Mic. It's a relatively low noise, very compact, USB mic. CAD is another good make of an inexpensive and reasonably good microphones (their U37 should probably be sufficient for LV). Both you can also buy used, they last a long time.

Really, even a headset with a built-in mic would do (although it's usually puzzles me why would one want to wear headphones while recording). Check out our "Microphone Showdown" projects in the catalog (search by "microphone"). Some stuff is expensive (although sounds really nice), and usually the quality is proportional to what you pay.

k5hsj · Post by **k5hsj** » September 6th, 2018, 9:09 am

tovarisch wrote: ↑September 6th, 2018, 5:37 am (although it's usually puzzles me why would one want to wear headphones while recording).

Usually folks wear headphones so that they can hear what the microphone is picking up. It helps catch technical errors earlier rather than later.

I’m not a great fan of headset mics, though—the good ones are very expensive.

Winston

tovarisch · Post by **tovarisch** » September 6th, 2018, 9:56 am

Yes, Winston, I think I know what kind of headphone wearing you refer to. I was talking of essentially useless/incidental wearing of headphones just because the microphone is attached to them...

ETA: I believe folks use headphones with a built-in mic simply because that's what they already have (for video game playing or online chat, or whatnot).

Algy Pug · Post by **Algy Pug** » September 6th, 2018, 5:40 pm

Hi

Samson GoMic in the UK costs about $45. However I think a better option would be the Marantz Professional MPM1000U USB:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marantz-Professional-Condenser-Microphone-Instruments/dp/B01GHOM67W/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1536280532&sr=1-5&keywords=marantz+usb+microphone

A standalone microphone would be a better option than a headset microphone.

Cheers

JayKitty76 · Post by **JayKitty76** » October 2nd, 2018, 4:23 pm

Logitech headphones seem to work well also, the wiki recommends them (here's the text from the wiki):

Hardware
Main article: User-Recommended Equipment
In order to record, you will need a computer and a recording device, which can either be a microphone that plugs into your computer or a digital recorder.
N.B. If you have a noise-cancelling microphone, or the sound on your computer has a noise-cancelling or noise suppression option, please disable this function. It is very good for purposes such as Skype calls or gaming, but as it removes all the frequencies of the background noise (including those which your voice uses) you will never get the best quality for audiobook recording with noise-cancelling enabled. Use Audacity's excellent noise removal features instead.
Microphones: Microphones can be analog or digital. An analog mic will plug into the soundcard (plug goes into the pink round jack), the performance of the mic will be affected by the quality of your sound card. A digital mic plugs into the USB port and bypasses the sound card, which will give you much better sound quality.
Desktop microphone: A desktop mic sits on your desk. Perhaps the cheapest mic widely used at LV is the Logitech USB desktop microphone (PN 980186-0403) for about $30US - very satisfactory for the price!
Opinion: the sound is more digital and not so rich as the Samson mics ($40-90), but it's not so edgy or harsh as the headset models. A recommended first, economy mic.
The Samson mic is a popular "upgrade" among volunteers who love recording. (Q1U ~$50US, C01U about $90US)
Headset microphone: The Logitech headsets are very widely used (especially the 250 for ~$40US; and the 350 for ~$50US; the models are proliferating). Some models are surprisingly uncomfortable to wear (the 250), but some folks like the headset convenience for keeping the mic location consistent and the hands free.
Opinion: the sound is inferior to the cheaper, desktop mic by Logitech. For the extra money, consider investing in a higher quality Samson mic.
Digital recorder: When opting for a digital recorder, you should always pay attention to what format it supports. If you need to transfer the files into a audio editor for editing, you should make sure that the formats are supported by your editing software. Also, the recorder should be able to provide a reasonable audio quality.

I use a small clip-on mic that works reasonably well, and eliminates most background noises. I'm pretty sure it's fairly cheap to buy. But are any of these listed in the wiki available in the UK?

Hope this helps!
Thanks,
~JayKitty76

ChristianeJehanne · Post by **ChristianeJehanne** » October 3rd, 2018, 8:05 am

Bonjour,

J’utilise le ZOOM H2 next. Handy recorder.
Avec carte SD.

ZOOM 4 pour hommes.

Simples, pratiques.

Prix 200€ sur Amazon.

Sauvegarde de l’enregisrement d’origine, en Wav, ou en MP3 /128, sur la carte SD.

Transfert du fichier Wav, ou MP3 /128, sur l’ordi, puis importation sur Audacity, pour contrôler.

Amicalement,
Christiane Jehanne.