Good Microphone For Recording Videos With Camtasia?

I love my Plantronics DSP 500, but it looks is if it might be discontinued - Here's a newer model
The quality is great for the price, plus for me USB is a benefit.

I use the MXL 006 for recording all my audios. It's not inexpensive but does a great job. You'll definitely want to invest in a pop filter to go with it for the best results.

If the audio is low it may just be your settings so double check that before you buy another microphone.

Gary

You've probably already done this....

Check your settings in the Control Panel (Sound) to make sure volume is all the way up.

Hey Craig, I use my $9.99 MITSAI headset and it's great.

I also use the Audio settings in Camtasia to clear voice, add volume, and remove noises.



Here's what it sounds like: http://www.youtube.com/user/VelosoFernando

I think a simple USB mic of any kind will do you well. I use a Snowball. Less than $100. For Camtasia I might get something that clips to my shirt ... can't remember what those are called, but easier to keep the mic in range when moving around at all.

I got this USB mic off a recommendation fro Ryan Deiss.
It works great! I have 2 of them and have never had a problem...

USB-Mic Podcasting Kit

I 2nd the snowball but I use the blue snowflake which works awesome. Much better quality than any headset will give you. I think its only 59 bucks on amazon.

The good thing about a headset is your volume output won't change
if you move around in your chair or turn your head. With a mic that
isn't attached to your body you have to keep a pretty consistent
distance between your mouth and the mic if you speak relatively
softly.

With a non headset mic you can also put it several feet away and
speak louder than normal.

Believe me, you don't want to go into your audio files and find
your voice level is all over the place. The editing involved to
make it all sound good and even is work you could avoid by
recording your original signal at a consistent volume in the first
place.

Snowball/Yeti

Both are cool bits of kit and will give you great audio...

Peace

Jay

If you are running a mic into a small (non usb) jack on a
computer, you may need to use a mic with a battery (preamp)
in it. The advantage of such mics is they can also be plugged
into video cameras, which require a preamped mic to catch
an adequate signal.

USB mics don't usually require a preamp since they are powered
by the USB port, however latency can be an issue (though
if your computer is reasonably new or older and fast it
shouldn't be a problem). Latency causes a delay when monitoring
through headphones, which is no big deal for speaking, but
it can also sometimes result in pops, crackles, and drop-outs
(which suck) and ruin your recording.

The truth is if no mic will do everything you'll eventually want
to do well. I'd recommend a headset mic, either USB or
mini-plug style if you just want to sound consistent and
aren't worried about making your voice sound like Barry
White. Sometimes cheap mics (or poor settings) will make
the speaker sound reedy or like he or she has a speech
impediment (lisp). I used to think some internet marketers
were computer nerds with speech problems until I learned
how easy it to sound bad if you don't set things up right.

Your voice tonality does matter - if you're a man
marketing in the West I think you should watch your
tonality and try to speak at the lower end of your
range. With a better signal you have better raw material
to work with for any post-recording processing, which
sounds intimidating, but even Audacity (opensource)
has some cool effects which can make your voice
sound better.

A mic with a pop filter (foam hat) can be a good idea.
Even still, I try to remember to pronounce my p's almost
like b's to avoid popping.

I was having problems with my audio too. Then I purchased another (expensive) microphone and nothing changed!

Fortunately, I found out a solution for my problem. Just record the video, don't care about the audio. Then, you are done, edit your video, increase the volume (it's always necessary for me) and click on (top menu) 'edit'/'audio enhancements'. There is an option called "Bacjground Noise Removal". Set it yo manually, slect your whole video in the timeline and click "Remove Noise". Your audio will be perfect

It solved my problem, hope it helps you too


William

One other thing that can cause low volume: If it's a USB mic, it's the "wave" slider on your audio panel that's affected, not the "microphone" slider. That can confuse people since you'd assume lifting the mic volume would do it.