this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023
20 points (100.0% liked)
PC Master Race
15061 readers
1 users here now
A community for PC Master Race.
Rules:
- No bigotry: Including racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia. Code of Conduct.
- Be respectful. Everyone should feel welcome here.
- No NSFW content.
- No Ads / Spamming.
- Be thoughtful and helpful: even with ‘stupid’ questions. The world won’t be made better or worse by snarky comments schooling naive newcomers on Lemmy.
Notes:
- PCMR Community Name - Our Response and the Survey
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Get a headset. It has no shocks from the table, no need for an arm and it's always positioned close to the source. That's my primary recommendation.
Otherwise, if you really really really want a stand alone microphone then I suggest getting an audio interface and any regular dynamic microphone with a XLR cable from a music shop. Even the cheapest microphone from Thomann is better than those "gamer" USB microphones like Blue yeti or whatever the brand is this month.
Here's a proper bundle to show the setup: https://www.thomann.de/gb/focusrite_scarlett_solo_3rd_podcast_set.htm
Or if you want a condenser and larger stand: https://www.thomann.de/gb/focusrite_scarlett_2i2_3rd_mic_bundle.htm
You can also buy these things separately, maybe also cheaper and/or better, but this looks fine to me overall. It's about the same price as the interface alone. Everything is standard, so you can upgrade each of the things as you go, so no need to spend a lot of money at first.
There's a whole bunch of reasons why this kind of setup is better than even the most expensive stand alone USB microphones.
follow up question: (you seem the most nerdy in this comment section (compliment)) how big of a crime will it be if I plug this directly into my pc? or will it even work? I feel like an entire audio interface on my desk just for a single mic would be unnessesary, are there possibly audio cards that could fix this issue?
Audio guy here… I honestly don’t know of any PCI cards. The main problem is the connecter for these types of mics is too big to fit on a card like that. The Focusrite is awesome bang for your buck. I would try to hide it behind your desk. There’s no reason really for you to keep it on top.
If you’re that concerned about having an extra piece of hardware on your desk, you could try something like a high quality USB mic. I like the Shure MV7. But there are a ton like them if you search for mics made for podcasting.
yeah.. I'll probly just hide it somewhere. Is there anything I should know before buying one? what features do this tenchnology have? I never seen/used one before.
No, it wouldn't work without the interface and onboard audio cards don't have a XLR connection. The interface is the audio card. It's just external.
While it's possible to get an XLR to USB adapter, these generally work even worse than a USB microphone. I tried that without success before acknowledging that I should get an interface.
The same microphone is also available for USB, but I have not tried this one. It might be as good or bad as any other USB microphone. https://www.thomann.de/gb/the_t.bone_sc_420_usb_desktop_set.htm
I have the XLR version of this and it's very good at capturing subtle details even at distance and it has a nice clean signal. This could actually be an issue for recording streaming as it definitely will pick up the keyboard tapping and any noise in the room, but the reviews look good. People do use it for streaming. It's still a USB microphone with all the disadvantages of those, but at least it's better than what you'd find in the gaming section in a general electronic store at similar pricing.
You can ignore the other comment, thank you for showing me this site. I have already ordered let's hope everything goes fine.
Thanks for the notification. I was planning on getting back to you, but I got a little busy and understand that you can't wait forever for some random internet person. I'm sure it goes fine. I've never had any issues with them.
they aren't that loved on trustpilot, but most of the complaints are for instruments, and you have to think about ppl who just came and bought and left won't take time to leave a review on a 3rd party.
I actually could have waited as I ordered for the 8th, but I didn't take your kindness for granted. And didn't want to take more of your time as you help a bunch already by showing this site (and the mic). It has the best prices that I could find, and have support where I live. Only problem is that they deliver only to a house, I'd love a package pickup point but whatever.
you seem very proficient in this website, and it can deliver to me in two business days. Can you recommend me well, a set, let's say under 100punds, I really feel uncomfortable spending more and not doing any work with it
A USB audio interface is going to be super useful for adjusting the audio going to the PC. It'll allow you to adjust low, mid, highs and general gain on the mic. If you go for the fancier mics which require phantom power, it will provide this.
There won't be any PCI cards that will allow a XLR connection. Personally, I have a tripod microphone stand with a boom that comes out over my desk and can point a shotgun mic directly at me. Audio quality is great and because of the narrow audio profile of the mic it doesn't pick up as much from sources it's not pointed at, like keyboards and PC fans.
The reason why I want to switch from headset mics is because they sound very bad. I'm not audiophile by any means, but how do they make them THAT bad.... (ik that there is a clouple good ones, but c'mon)
your second link has everything, As I described why a desk stand would be bad for me. I'll look into the mics and how much it'll cost here. Thanks for the recommendations