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Portable Mic question

by Vanquish
7 replies
Im in the market for a mic because i want to do some step by step videos in youtube. But with my default laptop mic i get a hissing noise, Is that solvable or is that because i dont have an external mic?

If it is because i dont have an external mic can anyone suggest a good one.


Thanks!
#mic #portable #question
  • Profile picture of the author xiaophil
    Hi There,

    Your laptop's built in mic will most likely pick up hard disk, fan and background noise which may be where a lot of the hiss is coming from.

    I can highly recommend the Plantronics DSP-500 USB headset. A little dated now so there are probably even better ones available. The recorded sound quality is great.

    Phil
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    • Profile picture of the author Vanquish
      Thanks for the advice xiaophil. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
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      • Profile picture of the author Kris Turner
        If you want to take it another step, you could get a condenser mic. Headset mics will never compete with them for sound quality. But obviously condenser mics are more expensive.

        You can get a pretty good one for $100 if you shop around. I have a Samson one.
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        • Profile picture of the author mschmalenbach
          I have a mic/headset from Logitech - don't know the model number as I've lost the packaging... it cost about £15 or $25 at the time, it has the older style 3.5mm jack plugs for the ear phones/headset and the mic. Quality is excellent! Given the likely quality of streaming etc and keeping file sizes down etc you may decide that a condenser mic is too much - they are very good though!

          Cheers

          Martin
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          • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
            usb mics work well... but many aren't really audiophile
            quality. Good sound can make you seem a lot more
            professional.

            I use a sony mic with a battery in it - a pre-amp - which
            I plug into my mini-DV video camera. This way the mic
            doesn't pick up camera noises.

            I can plug it into my laptop mic jack too. The mic jack on
            the laptop doesn't require a mic with a pre-amp like the
            video camera does.

            "podcasting mics" are sort of pooh-poohed among some
            digital recording people who feel USB mics have too much
            inherent latency (processing delay) unless you spend a
            lot of money. A regular mic with phantom power can
            be run through a simple mixer or pre-amp which is
            then fed through a firewire interface.

            This is probably more than you want to know, but if you
            move into doing serious multimedia stuff you won't have
            top re-buy all your beginner gear if you educate yourself
            from the beginning and get equipment you can grow with.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Riddle
    any USB headset mic from plantronics will handle what you are wanting to do.

    If your environment is noisey (meaning computer Hum, florescent lights wind from heat or ac) headsets are the way to go.

    There is an overlooked aspect of sound quality for headset mics that is the actual placement of your mic.

    I see many recordings with the person "Eating" the mic and even with a windsock (little foam thingie over the mic) the mic gets over driven and causes it to sound scratchy and sometimes muffled.

    Proper mic placement for headset mics is chin level 3 finger widths away from your face, and pointing at your nose.

    Most peoples actually favor one side or the other of their mouth, place the mic on the side of your mouth that you speak from. (not all mic booms will let you choose.)

    Never Speak INTO a mic.

    Always speak past it, that is to say talk to the screen instead of talking to the mike.

    SIT UP and use good posture.

    I spent a lot of years editing audios & listening to presentations and without fail, one of the things that show confidence in your voice is good posture.

    Mark Riddle
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