Advice on getting good headset with attached mic

MWERDR65 · Post by **MWERDR65** » January 30th, 2021, 7:40 pm

I recorded newspapers for disabled listeners for several years. In the studio we always used headsets with attached mics. So I need to get one good enough for work with LibriVox. Also I’m a senior with minor hearing problems now. And I can’t afford anything too expensive. The FAQ with guidance on headsets with mics or desktop mics is years out of date. The link to Logitech headsets lists models that aren’t produced anymore. When I look online I get confused by headsets for gaming and ones for people working from home. I’d appreciate any guidance on where to get an affordable good headset with a mic with audio quality good enough for LibriVox recordings. Thanks!

Post by **mightyfelix** » January 30th, 2021, 10:16 pm

Welcome!

I'm afraid I won't be able to help you very much. I have only ever used one headset mic, and I didn't like it very much, especially compared with the desktop mic I have now. It would start to feel uncomfortable if I wore it too long, and stopped working after a few months. It was a Logitech, but I don't remember the model number. I now use a Samson Meteor mic, which sits on my desktop, making me feel much freer.

Is there a particular reason that you want a headset, other than the fact that you are accustomed to them?

I'm sure others will be along soon to offer you some other suggestions. Good microphones are always a interesting topic of discussion around here.

HandmadePSK · Post by **HandmadePSK** » February 28th, 2021, 12:43 pm

MWERDR65 wrote: ↑January 30th, 2021, 7:40 pm I recorded newspapers for disabled listeners for several years. In the studio we always used headsets with attached mics. So I need to get one good enough for work with LibriVox. Also I’m a senior with minor hearing problems now. And I can’t afford anything too expensive. The FAQ with guidance on headsets with mics or desktop mics is years out of date. The link to Logitech headsets lists models that aren’t produced anymore. When I look online I get confused by headsets for gaming and ones for people working from home. I’d appreciate any guidance on where to get an affordable good headset with a mic with audio quality good enough for LibriVox recordings. Thanks!

Hello!

It's a little surprising to me that with the current choice in the market, you are faced with a similar problem and I do not know how your country treats purchases from China, but there are more than enough of these things on Aliexpress at very affordable prices.
With the current level of technology and technical requirements in computer games, I am sure that even THIS MIC will be enough for you.
I myself am a beginner and have not really gotten to my new desktop USB microphone (from the same site), but I am convinced that the requirements for the sound on a LV are no more than in modern computer games.
Again - I do not pretend to be authoritative in this matter, I simply believe it doesn`t worth such a lot of attention. Of course, if we are talking only about LV, and not about VO work for other resources, at a more professional level.
Cheers

schrm · Post by **schrm** » March 1st, 2021, 1:35 am

i started with a ten euro usb codenser mic from amaz*n.
(price included shipping)
the ratings were good, but: they recommended to buy the audio jack plug version.
and librivox the usb.
so i bought the usb, and all critics were right: the usb mic sounds muddy, the other i don't know.

but i learned to edit my files with it. (edit: it is more work with worse results with a bad mic, btw)
and after buying a better mic, i have to say: it was of really good quality.
i mean, for ten bucks..

it really is like that: with some noise reduction and amplifying, most mics of today will work for librivox.
we don't expect highest quality audio stuff..
and the average quality of cheap mics got really great.

what i don't recommend are cheap lavalier mics.
you will have to be a professional, to work with these.

one input, additionally:
i don't use a headset, because i work with changing the distance to the mic sometimes. eg, when is written: he is screaming into the sky: i get back a little, direct away a little, and talk louder and more hoarse.
or when is written something lke: he whispers, you can try to get a littler closer and whisper for real..
but that is stuff, i am experimenting with for 3 years now.
don't make your decisions based upon other peoples liking - i meant that just for helping you decide on a mic to try out librivoxing.

HandmadePSK · Post by **HandmadePSK** » March 1st, 2021, 1:04 pm

schrm wrote: ↑March 1st, 2021, 1:35 am i started with a ten euro usb codenser mic from amaz*n.
(price included shipping)
the ratings were good, but: they recommended to buy the audio jack plug version.
and librivox the usb.
so i bought the usb, and all critics were right: the usb mic sounds muddy, the other i don't know.

but i learned to edit my files with it.
and after buying a better mic, i have to say: it was of really good quality.
i mean, for ten bucks..

it really is like that: with some noise reduction and amplifying, most mics of today will work for librivox.
we don't expect highest quality audio stuff..
and the average quality of cheap mics got really great.

what i don't recommend are cheap lavalier mics.
you will have to be a professional, to work with these.

one input, additionally:
i don't use a headset, because i work with changing the distance to the mic sometimes. eg, when is written: he is screaming into the sky: i get back a little, direct away a little, and talk louder and more hoarse.
or when is written something lke: he whispers, you can try to get a littler closer and whisper for real..
but that is stuff, i am experimenting with for 3 years now.
don't make your decisions based upon other peoples liking - i meant that just for helping you decide on a mic to try out librivoxing.

Thank you! It`s interesting & useful!