Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Sappho]

For recording my latest Youtube series, I need a better microphone. For years, I was using a cheap headset from Radio Shack and the audio was excellent. But it finally broke, so now I need a new one. I tried buying a similar headset, but the quality is just horrific. Have a look (you can hear it just after the intro music): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_8SSXDPwgY

So I went out and bought a cheap standalone microphone with mostly good reviews. The sound is still terrible. Still lots of static and hiss. And the volume is so low, even with my mouth right up next to the microphone, that I have to crank it up in editing (adding more distortion). How it can be so staticky without hardly hearing my voice is a mystery to me.

I can't afford an expensive microphone, and the next level up requires more equipment and money than I have available. So I'm thinking the best option will be a new headset with a decent microphone, but I don't know how to find one. Reviews go on and on about the quality of sound in the headphones, but so few people use the microphones for recording that there's never any good reviews on that. I really don't want to have to keep buying and returning headset after headset until I find one that's good.

Can anyone recommend a good microphone or headset that is not too expensive? I want something with a 3.5 mm jack. USB generally has terrible quality, and I don't have any bigger jacks. It would be best if I can get something from the Czech electronics distributor Alza (link goes to English list of microphones), since that's local and the cheapest option - I can pick things up immediately and return them fairly easily if there are problems. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. I really need the sound to be decent.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Plantronics - GameCom 788

A gaming headset, but from my experience with it picks up very little in the way of static or background noise, especially if you've got some peace and quiet. Which shouldn't be a huge deal in the Czech Republic, unless you're living near a hostel in Prague and recording during the witching hours. Be warned, it's a USB mic, but i've gotten really good results from it (mostly using Audacity, a few youtube videos, and testing the playback in TS3)

Frankly, i'm not sure how helpful it is, or if you are interested at all in it, but that's my two cents!!! God speed!

[Sappho]

Thanks for the suggestion. They look a bit big - that's always a problem for me though. I have a really small head and big ones tend to fall off, especially if they're heavy. Can these ones be adjusted to be very small (I mean, like, small enough to fit on a child's head and stay there)? If so, they may be a good choice.

Any other suggestions? I was hoping there'd be at least a few people on B12 who know about sound.

EDIT: I'm looking at these three headsets right now. I don't want to spend more than about 1000 kc (about $50). I just need something good enough in terms of microphone quality - and the headphone sound quality is really not important to me (I have good headphones for just listening to music). Any thoughts would be most welcome:

C-TECH NEMESIS red
This one is really cheap, only 300 kc. There aren't many reviews. I found two videos on Youtube (in Czech), one of which said the mic sounds good, the other which said the mic was defective and unusable.

Plantronics Audio 628 DSP
750 kc. This one has good reviews (including on Amazon, in English), though a lot of people say the flat top puts pressure on the top of your head which is very uncomfortable.

Corsair Raptor HS30-Y
This one has the best reviews, but of course it's the most expensive. It's just over 1000 kc. Everyone says the quality of the microphone is excellent and they are very comfortable (this one can be found on Amazon as well, with English reviews).

Clearly the most expensive one will be best, but I'm wondering if the cheaper one would do just fine for my purposes. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

[Thief^]

Personally* I use a Logitec USB desk mic. The ADC is right in the microphone, so no interference from cables, and it's really sensitive. In fact that could be a downside, it easily picks up anything in the room...

*I don't record videos with it, so take this advice lightly.

[Sappho]

The tip is appreciated, though I definitely need something with noise reduction. Too sensitive = bad in this case, it'll end up with too much background noise.

I think I might spring for that 1000 kc Corsair Raptor headset in the end. As long as it really works properly, I figure it'll be worth having a quality set. I just recorded an episode with this awful microphone (which is definitely going back to the store this week) and it's just not worth the hassle.