How to Choose a Microphone for Podcasting
Podcasting is becoming all the craze these days, with so many simple and self-explanatory methods to create one for yourself. If you are someone who feels he or she has something to say, the draw might become too tempting. Before you embark on sharing your voice with the world, you want to have good equipment to ensure the quality of your presentation. First up, microphones.
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Instructions
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A microphone is what gets your voice onto the audio file. You can always use the built-in microphone on your computer, but if you want something with higher quality, you might want to look into an external device. First, decide if you want a condenser microhpone or a dynamic microphone.
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A condenser microphone captures sound using a capacitator, as the capacitator plate moves in response to sound waves. This type of microphone requires a battery or other source of power to work, but it has a very broad frequency response.
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A dynamic microphone takes advantage of electromagnetic effects. They are usually cheaper and have the capability of coming in a more miniature, convenient size. However, the downside is that the sound quality is inferior because the frequency isn't as good.
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Another option to consider is whether you want your microhpone to be omnidirectional or cardoid. Omnidirectional means that the mike picks up sounds from all directions; cardoid means that sound is mostly picked up from right in front of the microphone. Cardoid microphones are usually used for radio, but omnidirectional ones could be great for podcasting, especially if there are several people speaking at once, using one microphone.
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Some people recommend buying one of those microphone headsets. If you get one with a USB connection, it's super convenient, as you just put it on your head and plug it into your computer.
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After you've taken into consideration all your options, go onto the internet and do some price comparisons. That way you can find the best deal for your new microphone. Basically, as with all shopping, you want to find the best quality that you fits within your ideal budget.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're not super concerned with the quality of sound, most macs come equipped with an internal microphone, which should easily get the job done if you are only podcasting for personal use.
A problem podcasters come across is that their 'p' sound, while talking, creates a popping effect that can be distracting. This can be counteracted by buying (or creating) a pop filter. This is important because the popping sound can't be edited out in post-production. Basically, the pop filter makes sure the "wind" forces assosciated with our normal speech does not get recorded.
Do your research and ask around before you buy a microphone. If you're serious about podcasting, a good microphone that fits your particular needs will be a worthwhile investment.
