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What kind of mic should I use to record lectures in a large classroom? (self.asklemmy)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by Sterile_Technique to c/asklemmy

11 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Nursing student here. I record lectures so review them at high playback speeds, and to share with classmates who aren't able to make it to class.

I've been using the small clip-on battery powered mics made for doing interviews, but last semester revealed a few weaknesses: The profs don't like to actually wear them, so I just clip them onto the lecture podium - works fine while they're standing at it, but they don't have good range, and most of the profs move around a lot as they lecture, so the volume of the recording is all over the place or completely silent if they stray too far away. Also 99% of the time a student asks a question, the mic doesn't capture it at all, so I just get a few seconds of silence followed by some random info with no context. The battery is also only enough to get through about 2/3 of a class period - fine if I remember to swap them out during a break, but not ideal.

Going forward, I'm hoping to find an option I can just plug into my laptop, sit near the front, and record. A normal desktop conferencing style mic stands out as a decent option, but thinking of the range issue I'm having with the portable mics, I suspect a conferencing type product will have the same issue since it's made to record sound coming from like two feet away from the mic.

I've seen like giant fuzzy mics used on movie sets - should I look for something like that?

And are there specific product recommendations you'd make that are on the less expensive end of the spectrum?

Thanks all!

Edit-

Thanks for all the feedback folks! Time to dig through reviews.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Don't get a directional microphone, they're directional and won't be very useful in a lecture hall or clasroom setting unless you're willing to constantly adjust its focus by swiveling the mic around, and still won't help much with the range.

they're meant to exclude anything not directly in its line of audio rather than to extend range.

You're on the right track with a conference style mic If you want to record everybody, although you will lose clarity of your professor's voice compared to the lavalier, get a Yeti omnidirectional snowball style, or the digital voice recorder someone else suggested will work also.

depending on the size of the room, even the omnidirectional mic won't work for students and the professor.

no matter what the microphone is, there's no way to get clear audio of both your professor and a student in the back of the room with one microphone.

The lavalier you're using is best for recording your professor. with any microphone not right next to them, recording quality is going to lose clarity.