In today’s world, with the ever-accelerating pace of life, a variety of media formats that can be consumed literally on the go are becoming more and more popular. Often a person spends a lot of time on the road to work, to school, to a meeting, and so on, and watching videos or reading books in such situations is not always convenient. It is in such cases when the eyes and/or hands are busy that the most in-demand are conversational formats. In the past decades, this format was radio, but today podcasts are rapidly gaining popularity. Podcasts themselves are recorded, mostly conversational, and often lengthy audio content on a wide variety of topics that can be listened to at any convenient time. It’s about YouTube, but not for video. In this post, we’ll look at microphones for recording podcasts and try to choose a good one.
The importance of a quality microphone
Human speech is all around us in everyday life, and we know exactly how the voice sounds in person or on a recording. Because of this, it is very important to choose the right microphone if you plan to take podcasts seriously. This is due to the fact that you can interact with an audience using only one of the five senses, which is hearing. If the listener cannot understand the words or feels discomfort while listening, then in the vast majority of cases, you will lose them. That is why it is necessary to choose responsibly.
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Types of microphones
The first thing to decide when choosing a microphone for broadcasting is how it works. A lot will depend on this choice, and it may not be too obvious for many people.
At the moment, the most popular are condenser and dynamic microphones. Other types are much less common and are often used for specific tasks, so for convenience, we will omit them. Condenser microphones are the standard for recording studios. They provide the widest possible frequency range, are capable of capturing the smallest details in the sound, and have an excellent frequency range. They require a constant phantom power supply to function.
Dynamic microphones have a simpler internal design, require no external power supply, and are generally extremely reliable. However, they are much inferior in terms of sound quality. For example, the upper limit of the frequency range in dynamic models rarely reaches 16 kHz, and the dynamic range is not always outstanding.
At this point, it might seem to many that the choice is obvious and dynamic microphones can be forgotten about. However, it’s not that simple. For example, for acoustically unprepared rooms, dynamic microphones are much better because they pick up less room echo and cut off high-frequency resonances, so the sound will be closer to what we know from radio broadcasts.
Microphone Directionality
It is also worth remembering the directionality of the microphone. This parameter represents the area around the capsule where it picks up the sound best. The most popular and versatile option is cardioid. This directivity pattern picks up the sound best from the front and the worst from the back of the capsule. Deviation from the central axis is also acceptable.
Hypercardioid and supercardioid are suitable for rooms with strong echo, as they have a reduced sound pickup area compared to the standard cardioid. You may also be interested in an omnidirectional microphone that picks up the signal equally well from all sides or a bi-directional pattern that picks up sound from two opposite sides.
Connection methods
Microphones also differ in the way they are connected. The most popular standard used in all professional studios and radio stations is XLR. It is important to note that most XLR microphones cannot simply be plugged into a computer and hope for good sound. Condenser models simply will not work, and for normal work with dynamic ones, the built-in PC preamplifier most often does not have enough gain. You need an audio interface/recorder/mixer console or other external equipment designed to handle audio. A good alternative is USB microphones, which have all the converters already inside and just connect a USB cable to your device to work. However, such microphones can not be used with professional external equipment. They are limited to built-in functions and do not always win in sound quality.
Selection Recommendations
To make it a little easier for you to choose from hundreds of models, here’s a short list of microphones to look at first:
- Shure SM7B – the legendary dynamic microphone, which has been the standard for speaking formats for decades;
- Rode PodMic – a direct competitor to the SM7B from an Australian manufacturer that is rapidly gaining popularity in the media field;
- Rode Podcaster – a high-end USB microphone for podcasts;
- Alctron BC600 – a good dynamic microphone for entry-level broadcasting;
- Alctron CU28 – excellent choice as the first condenser USB microphone.
Required Accessories
To achieve the highest quality results, you should immediately think about accessories for the microphone, which in one way or another, will be useful in the work with podcasts. Let’s run through the basics:
- Stand. A must-have attribute of any studio. For podcasts, especially popular are racks of the pantograph type.
- Pop Filter. This accessory will greatly improve the final sound by reducing the impact of whistling and explosive consonants on the microphone diaphragm.
- Holder. Not all microphones come with a holder, so be sure to check it out.
- Cable. Standard microphone cable with XLR connectors or USB cable.
Now let’s briefly summarize all of the above:
- It’s important to be concerned about getting a quality microphone if you have plans to record podcasts at a decent level.
- Dynamic microphones are better suited for unprepared rooms and do not require power sources, while condenser microphones have superior sonic qualities, but because of this, they pick up acoustic imperfections of the room (echoes, resonances, etc.).
- Microphones with XLR connectors require additional equipment (audio interface/recorder, etc.) to function, which is both a plus and a minus. USB microphones function without external devices, but they are not suitable for connection to professional devices.
- It is worth taking care of the accessories right away. A stand, pop filter, and cable will definitely not be superfluous.
