Quality Sound Recording Hardware Recommendations

[Joshua Uebergang]

Currently I have a simple headset with a USB mic, but the pops and sound quality is annoying so I'm after a good microphone that could be used for podcasting, conferences, teleseminars, etc.

At the moment I'm looking at getting these two things:
1. Behringer | C-1 Condenser Microphone | C-1 | B&H Photo Video
2. Pearstone | PFN - Nylon Round Pop Filter with Gooseneck | PFN-6

What do you suggest?

[Josh Anderson]

Your going to need some sort of xlr to usb preamp to plug that thing into. The MXL Mic Mate or MicPort Pro are two small, affordable, and simple solutions for turning any xlr mic into a usb mic with a preamp in the $50-$150 range.

For an xlr to usb preamp you may also want to consider something from m-audio or edirol if you want to take a step up in the $150-$250 range.

As for Microphones... while I cannot comment on that model it may work fine for you. Personally I use an Audio Technica AT3035 which came with a shock mount and which I use attached to an adjustable stand with boom arm.

I use it a lot for screen capture and I position it just above my forehead and never have to use pop filters because of that though I have a cheap clip on one if I need it.

[peter gibson]

Steer away from Behringer. Cheap stuff. Get a condenser mic from shure, or or Sennheiser. These are great for what you need. They have some reasonably priced models as well - even cheaper if you look on Ebay.

Your sound card (xlr to USB) should also be something from "M-Audio" at the least, or Edirol as well - as Josh suggests. Both brands do the job well. Anything too cheap in that area and you may end up with latency issues that can really frustrate ya. Also the cheap sound cards tend to crash and burn with any heavy usage.

[bhavesh]

Hello,
You can look for your needs with this 2 site i.e musicianfriend & zzound.

Regards,
Bhavesh.

[Lance K]

I use Audio Technica AT2020. I bought it with a pop filter.

It's a USB microphone.

Internet Audio Guy - Record Voice - Digital Audio Recording Hardware - Software & Support !

[Scott Woodside]

I use m audio mini box by digidesign and pro tools. You can also purchase a very cost effective condenser mic for $99.00 to get you started. the quality is 100 times better than what you are already using. I use an Imac with 2 gigs of ram because audio takes up a bunch of memory. /Then purchase a music package from a company like "sound ideas". And that's it! And don't forget to purchase a pop filter to place in front of your microphone. You can get all of what I mentioned for less than 500.00. Don't include a computer in that low price. Hope this helps!

[Joshua Uebergang]

Josh, Xlr to usb whaaaat? Just tell me what to get . The Audio-Technica AT2035 is a little expensive at $149 though it seems to be popular in the IM world.

Scott, what's a good $99 condenser mic and pop filter?

[Chris Thompson]

I used a Blue "snowball" USB Mic (about $100) on a macbook to record my entire audio course. The trick was to make sure there was NO noise in the room, and to make sure that I put the mic inside of a box lined with sound damping material (I used carpet, you can also use foam). I also put a pair of my wife's nylons over a coat hanger bent into a cirlce shape to block the pops. The result was outstanding.

No hardware aside form the Mic and computer.

[Scott Woodside]

Senheiser or AKG right around 99.00

[Brandon Tanner]

Hey Joshua,

The simplest option for you would be to just get a good USB mic and plug it straight into your computer (USB mics have preamps built in). That way you don't have to worry about XLR cables, mic preamps, etc. (even though that's all pretty basic stuff to us audio geeks )

If you go that route, Rode makes a really nice USB mic. And I've heard the Samson ones are OK.

If you decide to get a separate mic and preamp, check out M-Audio's stuff. At the budget level, I think you'll be hard pressed to find better sounding equipment.

And definitely get a pop filter!

[Adam Kenzington]

Hey Josh,

Definately the "Blue Snowball" is the way to go. It is USB based, and has the best sound quality of any of the mics I've heard (and I've done alot of research on this).

It retails for $100, but you can usually get a deal on Ebay. I just went on Ebay for you and looked. There is a new one being sold for $77 and free shipping from a seller with a 99.97% Positive Feedback.

BLUE MICROPHONES SNOWBALL USB Microphone - eBay (item 290284881934 end time Jan-22-09 19:05:43 PST)

There is also a "Lightly Used" snowball for $49.99 with $12 S&H, from a seller with 100% Pos. Feedback, that is ending in 12 hours (from now), found here.

Blue Microphones Snowball? Professional Microphone - eBay (item 220338445175 end time Jan-07-09 08:30:00 PST)

Of course, I am in no way affiliated with these sales. I'm just helpful

But yes, Blue Snowball all the way!

Adam