(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best musical instruments

Sorry for my late reply. New year pulled me away from home + my PC!

I have to ask you why you don't want to overclock? Are you afraid of this? I can highly recommend to actually overclock the one CPU that I suggested. It's not difficult at all anymore to do and you'll notice some very big improvements in a lot of the software you'll use.
I can even come over to your place if you don't live to far away to do it with you or else use Skype or any other chat tool to assist you with it.
You can even consider to just let your motherboard do the overclocking for you. They recently started adding this in the BIOS/EUFI. But it's not recommended at all since it will set the voltage always too high, as a safety measure. Which won't kill the CPU, but it just means that it will run hotter and draw a bit more power from the wall.

I absolutely recommend to have a look at the video above under guides. It really will hopefully help you feel a bit better with overclocking. As you can see that it is not too difficult. Of course, the motherboard that they used is a extreme, expensive monster. Where overclocking is very simple.
Our MSI motherboard got a different BIOS, so the places for some of these settings, can be on different places. You'll just have to look a little bit. The names are in general all the same, but sometimes they differ slightly.

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Mouse:

There are a few different ones that would very likely work for you.

• Logitech G502 ||| Review
  
• Mionix Castor ||| Review
  
• Zowie FK1/2 ||| Review
  
  I guess the G502 is probably the winner for you as well, but the castor should for sure be something to maybe consider.
  The Zowie mouse is one I just have to include because of the insane quality that Zowie provides. It's not the fastest mouse on the planet, but 3200 DPI is more than enough, I hope? I personally use 500 myself.. But I have a very light mouse (68gr) that I easily lift up even when I am in Windows dragging from my left to the right monitor.
  The Zowie mouse is also great for claw grip, but I am just a fan boy! Zowie mice get used by a lot of CS professional gamers! Which really makes me want to get one.. I just don't have the budget as of right now.
  
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  Mousepad:
  
  Yes, you need one! This makes using a mouse so much more enjoyable. The one that I selected is a very awesome option, considering the price. It's probably big enough, since you stated that you used a high sensitivity. The quality really is awesome. I do not have it yet, but I did test it out at a game convention that I went too a couple of months ago. The softness was really awesome. My mouse really glided very well honestly. I have been recommending these mousepads for a while now and have had no complaints about it just yet. In the end it is all personal preference, but I feel like that this mousepad will work very well for your use. Since the stopping speeds are very important for high sensitivity especially and it felt just right when I tested it.
  Kingston HyperX
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  Keyboard:
  
  There is really only one that I instantly thought of:
  
  
• Logitech G710+ ||| Review
  
  But I also found this one:
  
  
• CM Storm Trigger Z ||| Review note; because of video cameras the LEDs look every so slightly blue; but it is just completely white in real life.
  
  This one got pretty much the same layout as the G710+. But it's a bit cleaner. I personally really prefer the look of the Trigger Z over the G710+.
  The only small gripe I have at it, is the small key in between the shift + Z on the left. I hate that one, since I always press it in games when I want to use the shift. I had a keyboard like that once. Hated this a fair bit and had to work around it. Took me a while.
  There are more options if you want; I can suggest more if you don't really like neither of these.
  
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  Headphones:
  
  Honestly, there are other options out there. But for the main part; Sennheiser really dominates the classical rock & orchestral/thematic video game music. Could you provide me with any songs of orchestral/thematic video game music? I would be very interested!
  I persoally listen to classical, metal & trailer music very often. I have Sennheisers and love them to death.
  
  
• Sennheiser HD518 ||| Review & General user reviews
  
  These headphones are absolutely amazing considering the price. It might sound fairly expensive, but if you want quality sound. You have to start paying a fair amount. But do not worry, once you have them on your head and listen to them.. You will be blown away! The MSI motherboard does not boost the most amazing quality audio, but it will be more than good enough to make you go absolutely "wow". I can absolutely guarantee this! I have the bigger brother, the HD598 myself and have been using this for well over a year now, still absolutely love the quality of the sound that I hear.
  
  You can increase the quality a step further by getting a dedicated AMP+DAC. But those start to really hit on your budget very quickly. A DAC = Digital to Analog Convertor. Which basically makes from 0's and 1's that your PC puts out an analog signal that your speakers can produce to make the sound. An AMP stands for amplifier. This not only makes the sound "louder" but also more clear.
  I personally want to get the Schiit Stack! Yes, the company is really called Schiit! The Stack will cost you a bit over €200. So that's a good chunk of money. I will very likely, eventually get myself the Fulla Schiit instead, which is something that you rather avoid, a mixed AMP/DAC. But to hit this price point and for simplicity. It's a very awesome device. It's €99 instead so a bit more affordable. Where you only need a USB cable and that's it.
  The quality is also for sure going to be more than acceptable for my use anyway.
  
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  Microphone:
  
  Because I went for a headphone, you'll need a dedicated microphone. I personally use the Samson Meteor and everyone that I talked with noticed how clean and great my voice sounds, compared to my webcam that I used previously. If you want, I can have a talk with you on Skype or TS to show you the quality.
  I did buy a pop filter as well, but according to my friends it made no difference at all, so I stopped using it.
  
  
• Samson Meteor ||| Review
  
• Samson Meteorite ||| Review
  
  Note: Now I did notice that the Meteor microphone is not in stock or with fast delivery in the 4 stores that it's been sold at. So I have been looking at other shops. But I did notice that at Bax-Shop.nl they have the microphone in their local stores. I can make a call to them to ask if they can send the microphone or if you have to go buy it locally. I did also find the Microphone on Amazon UK but it's again, not in stock! :(
  If you don't want to wait or drive to that store, you can opt for the less expensive Meteorite. Which is not a terrible microphone at all either. It's slightly less in clarity compared to the Meteor. But should do just fine for normal use.
  
  
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  Speakers:
  
  I really am not an expert here. I personally used some Edifier 2.1 speakers for a couple of months. But the left speaker broke fairly soon. I never bothered to send it back for an RMA, because of my Sennheiser headphones. I might eventually buy some 2.0 Speakers again. You don't really need a subwoofer for our style of music. I didn't do a whole lot of research into my purchase. I just went for "best 2.1 speakers for under $50" and those were highly rated and affordable at the time of purchasing.
  So I again did a quick search for some speakers and did manage to find this set:
  
  
• Genius SP-HF800A ||| Review
  
  I didn't look for the most insane speakers, since you'll very likely just like me, mostly use your headphones. But these seems to be alright according to the review. Nothing special, but good enough. I also personally really like the look on these.
  
  

  Hopefully you like my suggestions, again if you have any question, ask!
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

Okay this is going to be a long post, so here goes.

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If you really want to get into sound design, youre going to need a few essentials. A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), an audio interface, a handheld recorder, and a microphone.




DAWs

As far as a DAW goes, there's a few alternatives you can go with. I personally use Avid Pro Tools for near everything I do, but also mess around with Reaper. I've found that most studios will use one of these two. Most DAWs will have a pretty steep learning curve, so be ready for that.

Pro Tools First is the free version of Pro Tools. It has a lot of limitations, but for starting out it should be fine. If you want less limitations it costs big money, but I'm sure you can find a crack or two as long as you don't use it commercially.

Reaper is starting to grow on me lately. You can customize it to your needs, and the full version is only $60. You can also just deal with a popup everytime you open the program for ten seconds and use it for free. I mainly prefer Pro Tools over this because the video engine in Pro Tools is much better. But for batch editing multiple sound files, Reaper is muuuuuch better.

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Audio Interface

This basically takes over as an intermediary between high quality audio and your computer. You can plug a microphone right into it to record sound straight to your computer. You can do this with a USB microphone as well, but the quality is a million times better with one of these.
I would recommend either the Behringer UMC22 or the more advanced Focusrite Scarlett Solo. Both will do the trick, I just prefer the mic pres on the Focusrite a bit more.


Handheld Recorder
Handheld recorders allow you to record anything you want to without having to deal with any cables. They should be compact but durable.

The Tascam DR-40 is a great intro recorder. It was the first recorder I got 5 years ago, and it still holds up. I've dropped this thing so many times and it still powers through.
Another favorite is the Zoom H4N. This was a favorite among most of my classmates as it was the one my school supplied, but I didn't feel like going through the checkout process all the time so I saved up and got the Tascam. It has a newer version, the Zoom H6, which is pretty slick, but comes at a higher price point. It also comes with some interchangeable microphone capsules so you can get different types of recordings. I'll cover more of this later.
I'll leave off with the recorder I have now, the Sony PCM-M10. This thing is a godsend. It's discontinued due to a newer version coming out, but you can find this guy on eBay for around $300-400. It's smaller than a phone, and the sound quality is amazing. If you have the money to shell out for this guy, definitely go for it. Every sound designer inn the industry I know swears by it.


Microphone

So the first thing you need to know is that there's a load of different microphone types. Its a lot to cover, so I'm just going to link you to this article that will cover the basics of what you need to know. Basically I would recommend different microphones for different things, all depending on what you're trying to capture.
A good all-around microphone is the Shure SM57/Shure SM58. They're essentially both the same microphone. But these things will LAST. Like,people have run over them with trucks and they sound fine. Definitely a good starting point

For vocal recordings, I would recommend the Rode NT1A. This mic is a great starting point for capturing voice, and is durable to boot.

For capturing foley/field recording, I would go with the Rode NTG2. Its a shotgun mic with great quality for the price, and never let me down in all the years Ive been using it. I won its successor, the NTG3, in the Riot Creative Contest a few years back, but still use the NTG2 from time to time when I need to.


Some Extra Stuff


Theres a lot of cool, free plugins out there. I've used both Blue Cat's and Melda's plugins, and they all get the job done with a bit of tweaking.

As far as building up a sound library goes, I would recommend recording literally everything you can around you and playing with those sounds with plugins as a good starting point for building up a library. There's a few resources out there that give out free SFX every once in a while, GDC has had a bundle go up for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. You can also check out the BBC Sound Effects Library. Be careful about getting libraries and bundles though, as they add up quick. I have to go through my sound library soon, and I probably have around 500,00+ files but only really need a few thousand.

For all your sounds, you're going to want a file manager. A great and free one is Mutant. You just add the directory where you downloaded your sounds to, let it load them in, and voila. You can search easily for what you need.


Hopefully, all this was somewhat helpful to you, or to anyone else reading this who's interested in sound design!

i5-4690k - If you aren't doing any programming or editing, and mainly gaming, you'll see here that the 4690k trumps every AMD CPU. There is no competition in tier 1 gaming CPU's in the AMD department. AMD uses more, but slower cores, which isn't ideal for gaming. The 4690k definitely has higher base processing speed because of increased IPS performance and faster single cores in general. Also, AMD CPU's are notoriously power hungry and heat up quite a bit more. With some overclocking, you'll be able to hit around 4.5hz on an 8320, which will compensate for a bit, but an OC'd 4690k will still perform considerably better.

CM 212 evo - One of the best CPU coolers in terms of price/performance. You'll be able to hit some nice OC's on your 4690k, even though it probably won't be necessary until later.

Asrock Z97 Extreme 4 - I'm mainly suggesting this mobo because of the great 4690k/z97 bundle going on at microcenter, you can cop them both for around $300. Besides that, you'll be able to hit nice CPU overclocks and SLI. Awarded by tomshardware as one of the best z97 mobos $100-$150

Ripjaws Memory - One of the most popular memory's. Won't be needing more than 8gb, 1600 for gaming, looks pretty nice along with the red msi gtx 970 and $80 is a good price.

840 Evo SSD - one of the best SSD's along with the mx100. Quick quick quick.

1TB WD Blue - It's either this or the seagate 1tb. I personally can vouch for the reliability of WD drives, so I tend to go with them.

MSI GTX 970 - Probably will go down as one of the most iconic cards in pc gaming history along with the 8800gt as a crazy level of price to performance. You'll gobble up any game @ 1080p/60fps, and do more than well in the 1440p resolution. You'd have no problem with 4k resolution with SLI'd 970's. The gtx 970 would eat up 10 GTS 450's for breakfast. Seriously, the performance upgrade you'd be getting with this card will make you get on your knees and praise Gaben.

H236HLbid 23" IPS monitor - If you've never used IPS or 1080p, you'll be amazed by the picture quality and color accuracy of this screen. The best 23" 1080p monitor in the $100-$200 range. The alternative is to get a 1440p QNIX 2710 (MUST BE SINGLE INPUT to overclock to ~96hz) This is a great 1440p PLS monitor for around $350 that can overclock to 96hz, which means you'll be seeing 96 frames/sec instead of the usual 60hz, as long as your system can handle it. Makes a HUGE difference.

Fractal R4 Case - One of the most iconic ATX Mid cases. Can cop for around $80 on sale, lots of HD trays (top rack removable), nice fit, fan speed control, and a slew of over cool features. Other options in the price range - Phanteks Enthroo Pro and the NZXT 440.

EVGA G2 750w PSU - Very high quality Gold standard PSU. I overshot it with this to allow headroom to add another GTX 970 for the build. You can safely SLI the gtx 970's with a high quality 650W PSU, because they take so little power, around 145W TDP. A 650W Gold+ Seasonic or Antec would do just fine.

Find yourself a nice mechanical keyboard with cherry mx switches. I would suggest a cm quickfire or k70. One of the most important upgrades you can make. Once you go cherry mx, you'll have a hard time typing on membrane keyboards. It's an absolute must for me.

Last, but not least try to find a decent headphone and stick on a zalman attachable mic to use as a gaming headset. I personally use an ath-m50, although it's not great for gaming with it's bad soundstage since I listen to music more often anyway. Nice alternatives are the beyerdynamic dt-770 and sennheiser hd 25-1 II.

Speakers - You'll need a pair of speakers for your setup since your monitor won't come with one. I recommend M-Auidio AV40's. They're delicious. If you're looking for a cheaper option, these aren't so bad.

Wow, that was a lot of writing! I know it can be overwhelming picking out parts for a pc, especially if you haven't it in a while. Hopefully you'll find some of this info useful, and good luck!

Hi, I'm the co-editor for podcast production and I think I may be able to help with your questions.

Mics: Depending on your current recording space you have 2 options, Condenser or Dynamic Microphones. Condenser mics are very good at picking up detailed sound but they are most of the time to sensitive to be used without some sort of sound proofing or acoustic treatment to the room as they are really good at picking up even the quietest of sounds. but if you have a treated room or a acoustic shield then that might be an option to look into. Dynamic mics however are really good at capturing loud sounds and because of that, they are mostly used for singing and instruments. however they are also often used for narration because you don't have to go all out with the sound proofing as they are less sensitive. now since my talents are in post production, I don't need an expensive microphone to get a good sounding recording, so I just use a $20 Dynamic microphone from amazon, they're great in fact I bought 4 of them for a podcast I was doing, I can give samples if you would like. As for price, Condenser are on average going to cost more because of everything that goes into it. Dynamic mics are older tech, so they aren't as expensive. my friend who does the vocal recordings has the Rode NT1a, a rather expensive condenser microphone $229, and I record using the Behringer Xm8500 Dynamic mic $20 on amazon. so it's really up to your budget and editing know how.

Rode NT1a

Xm8500

You will also need a audio interface if you're going to be using XLR mics, which I highly recommend you do. Here's the one I use, although you may not need that many channels

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Software: I use Adobe Audition around $20 a month subscription. However I have in the past used Audacity and if you know how to use it, you can get some really good results. If you are looking to get into industry standard software I would recommend Pro Tools also I think $20 a month.

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Yes, people who don't use a studio generally record to their preferred Audio editor and mix/edit then upload to a hosting website for their podcast, the production I work for uses Blogtalk which I think has a free option. However there are many options for hosting websites (E.g. Acast, Podbean, Libsyn, Ect.) I recommend reading this website for hosting options.

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People typically find voice actors through Casting Calls which they themselves set up or by going through a casting call website, and yes voice actors are typically paid although some may offer volunteer if they're just getting out there or for charity. For the sake of professionalism always assume you are paying for their services, that way if they decline payment then that's their choice as an actor.

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If your podcast gains enough listeners then yes, you can definaty make money through podcasting, but you should never go only for making money. because one, it takes a while ti gain listeners and two it's just no fun if your only in it for the money.

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I remember being exactly where you are now asking these questions, so If you need any help don't hesitate to ask. I hope this helps :)

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TL,DR

Mics: I use a $20 Dynamic mic which gives me great recordings, although there are more expensive and higher quality options out there.

Software: I use Adobe Audition to edit everything but there are a myriad of other audio editing options out there including the free software Audacity.

Yes it can be as simple as Record/Edit/Post depending on what your doing and the type of podcast your going for.

You find actors through casting calls, and typically you always pay actors for their services. Always expect to pay.

Yes you can make money through podcasting depending on your listenership and Ads and things like that.

Not OP but I can help you out here. Let's break this down by component:

1. Speakers - There are two types: active and passive. Active = amplifier built into each speaker (i.e. most dedicated "computer" speakers from the likes of Logitech, Creative, etc.). Passive = 90% of speakers out there, must be connected to an amplifier to work. Typically passive speakers will get you a better speaker for a given price for an active but you have to figure in the cost of an amplifier. For a passive speaker set up, the cheapest system recommended over at /r/audiophile is a SMSL SA-60 amp and Micca MB42X Bookshelf Speakers. If your budget is higher, ask in the daily purchase advice sticky there (read the rules/suggestions thoroughly). I don't mess around with active speakers so I can't recommend any.
   
   
2. Microphone - For simplicity's sake, I will recommend you look into USB connecting condenser microphones as they are affordable and have good sensitivity. Something like the Audio-Technica AT-2020 or Blue Yeti are popular mics for under $100. I have the Yeti and can attest that it is a very good and sensitive multi pattern mic. They can be hooked directly up to your PC or if you want to get really fancy, check out an audio interface like the Focusrite Scarlett Solo or Scarlett 2i2. The nice thing about an interface is it allows you get a nice mic with an XLR connector (generally better than a USB connection) and it will work with your PC.
   
   
3. Headphones - Don't waste your money on "gaming" headphones. A nice 2 channel pair of cans with a standalone mic like I listed above will hands down outperform the likes of Turtle Beach and Razr headsets. /r/headphones has a really good wiki with more info than I can provide here and headphones broken down by price range and characteristics. Plus, then you can use them both for gaming and general music listening and have a good experience, something you don't get with dedicated "gaming" headsets. The amp I listed in the speakers section is fine for headphones but Schiit makes absolutely fantastic headphone amps and DAC (digital to analog converters, check out both /r/audiophile and /r/headphones for more info on them and why they are good for your set up) with very respectable price tags.
   
   Hope this helps. Higher quality audio equipment can be confusing and daunting, what with all the technical details, wide price ranges, parsing through all the marketing bullshit and the sometimes snobby attitudes of some "audiophiles". I wish you luck and feel free to ask me if you have any questions.

Yes, there are recorders that can record multiple tracks. Like the Tascam DR-40 has XLR inputs. I'm not necessarily endorsing the Tascam. I have the DR-05 and find it acceptable quality. Something like the Zoom H4N has XLR connectors built in, so you could record a mic into those and use the built in condenser mics to record your guitar.

You left out some relevant information: Budget, can your guitar be plugged in or will you mic it? Do you have a pretty sound free workspace?

I think budget is the most important part here. I interpret 'nothing flashy' as being a cheap as it can get without being poor quality.

I'm gonna link to listings on Amazon because it's easiest, but B&H or if you live near a Guitar Center might be a better place to buy.

A possible setup:

• ART Dual USB Preamp - $80 - This will allow you to plug in one mic and your guitar and output the track to your computer via USB. Depending on the software, I believe you can have the tracks separate for editing, but they would separate into left and right channels that you'd then combine into a stereo track after editing.
  
  
  
• Shure SM58 - $100 - A dynamic vocal mic that will play well in a not so perfect recording space. Check out Regina Spektor using one during a concert. This mic is so popular I would make sure to only get it from a reputable dealer i.e. not used on ebay, because there are fakes floating around.
  
  If you need/want to mic your guitar then consider the SM-57. It is nearly identical to the SM58. Here is a guy demonstrating using one to record his guitar.
  
  
• If $100 is insanely out of your budget, then consider the Behringer XM8500 - $20 - Not as high quality as the SM58, but still a decent sound. Here is a guy comparing the SM57 to the XM8500 and is using just one mic for voice and guitar, without using a preamp, so keep that in mind when comparing the audio (I hear some noise in the audio, probably noise from the line to the camera, which I presume has some sort of automatic gain happening).
  
  This guy's video makes me wonder if just an SM57 with a decent preamp (i.e. one with clean gain) might be all you'd need... but that isn't ideal. You could go with two XM8500s, one for guitar and one for vocals ($40). Or one SM58 for vocals and one XM8500 for guitar($120). That all comes down to budget and preferences.
  
  
• You'll need a mic stand, or two. The On-Stage MS7701B is a best seller on Amazon. I own one of these and it isn't going to impress anyone. I've never had it tip over or seem unsteady. If you extend the boom arm too far it can sometimes slowly droop over time (I may be guilty of not tightening it enough due to not wanting to strip the threads) It does the job of holding a mic in place. If you go with two mics, you could get two of them. You could also get a desk stand for the mic that is recording your guitar and find a suitable place to set it, but I think the boom arm of the MS7701B will be useful for keeping the stand out of your way.
  
  
• And you will need cables. I recommend the cables from Monoprice, their Pro Audio series. It is not as user friendly to find the exact cables you'll need as a site like B&H, but I have had several of their cables and only had one die on me. All their cables have a lifetime warranty and the prices are shockingly low.
  
  
• And a windscreen or pop filter for the mics is nice. There is a decent windscreen on Amazon for 3 bucks, sometimes 2 bucks.
  
  Potential Changes & other thoughts -
  
  A more expensive preamp - ART Tube Dual Mic Preamp With USB - $190- this has some compression and a limiter. It's debatable whether in this range it would be better to get a decent mixer, a preamp for your vocals, and let the preamp on the mixer handle the guitar, or if something like this would be better. Like a Behringer mixer - Q802USB ($80) + ART single channel Preamp for vocals ($40/$50) would be less money than the Dual USB preamp.
  
  Or maybe just the Q802USB would suffice for your needs. It has preamps already built in. They are not the best preamps in the world. I mean... after all I wrote above, the more I think about it the more I think you should try a Q802USB and see if the sound is what you're wanting.
  
  Headphones - Add in some headphones to monitor your audio. ATH-M40x ($100) would be my recommendation, but this is where a lot of personal preference comes into the mix, no pun intended.
  
  Different mics - Rode has some mics that compare the the Shure SM57/58 that might be better. And the options for mic are virtually limitless, when you consider not just the mics can vary, but the audio interfaces and processing options. I really think a dynamic mic will be most user friendly for a one off home recording.
  
  I hope I haven't confused more than I helped. I think the essentials are this: good mics, clean gain, easy to use. Whether you get the dual channel ART preamp or the Q802USB, either will be easy to use. I would bet the gain on the ART preamp is cleaner, meaning less background hiss at higher levels, than the Q802USB, but perhaps that is just an unreasonable bias. In either case, the mic is going to be important and where your budget plays a big role. The SM58 and SM57 are superb for vocals and recording guitar. A condenser might be better if the acoustics of your recording space allow for it, but I hope you saw from the video I linked of the guy recording his guitar with the SM57 that a great sound can be achieved with a $100 mic. If that is out of your budget, keep in mind the XM8500, but the sound is not as clear as the Shure mics it tries to emulate.

I have a buddy who runs a music studio, but if you needed the space, he'd definitely set it up for a podcast interview.

I do tend to agree that you should be able to get pretty close to studio sound on a budget assuming you have a computer already. I understand that sometimes owning stuff is a huge hassle itself, but if it's something you want to do a few times, the cost savings would start to be there.

Since no one has given you any real advice on how to do this, I can give it a shot.

I'd start by installing Audacity on your computer. It's super basic, but what you're doing is super basic. And it's super free. That's a huge plus.

Next, decide how you want to do microphones. First, you'll want stands. If it's an interview/two person thing, you'll need a couple of these (or more if you want more mics). We're at $25 for two now.

Next, decide what quality you want to be at. The Blue Snowball is a pretty great entry level microphone. I've honestly never run two into a computer before, but I imagine it'd be easy enough to record two different microphones on two different tracks in Audacity. That would bring our total to around $150. To upgrade in this way, you would go to something like the Blue Yeti. At over $100/unit, that adds another $100 to your cost.

The other way to do microphones is using a USB Interface for your computer and buying standard microphones. I'm keen on that option because it's a little more flexible if and when you look to upgrade your setup. You can use $15 microphones to get by or if you're locked and loaded, you can upgrade to really nice condensers.

As far as soundproofing goes, you can decide if that's possible wherever you're at. The last voice over project I worked on, I hung blankets in my bedroom and that was perfectly fine. Obviously that's not the most professional look, but there wasn't a pile of ambient noise to deal with and the directional mics do a good job focusing on your voice. You can build sound dampening walls with plywood, insulation, and fabric if you really want. It takes a staple gun, some screws, and about an hour per panel.

Assuming you have the time, an okay computer, and about $300, you could really build yourself a nice studio. If this is a one off kind of thing, it's definitely not worth it. My buddy's place is called, The Petting Zoo and I'd be more than willing to ask him details if you want.

Either way, good luck!

Hey!
A bit about me before I go on a rant: I'm a professional podcaster. Spoken audio is how I make my living. I've used and tried just about every popular microphone/preamp (XLR & USB) up to about $500 (and quite a few over $500). So to start, what routes CAN you take (you kind of highlighted your options a bit, but I'd like to expand on them).

1. A new headset microphone. Simple. Look HyperX Cloud II or a nice Sennheiser set. They've got really good gaming headset microphones (but very few if any headset microphones are going to sound better than a "real" microphone), and you wont need any extra equipment. The downside is your audio quality will only ever be adequate and the quality of your headphones is tied to the audio quality of your microphone.
   
2. A USB microphone. This is the compromise most streamers make. With a USB-only microphone, the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) is built into the microphone. DACs typically do two things 1. Convert the signal and 2. Add/reduce/maintain quality. For example, a USB > XLR converter box is $5 on Amazon, but the sound degradation is night and day worse than what you would get from a more serious DAC like a Scarlett Solo or something similar. With a USB microphone, the DAC is built into the microphone itself. Generally speaking, a separate DAC is going to have superior sound quality to an integrated one (in the same way an integrated GPU is almost always worse than a dedicated one) - but there are exceptions, and at the lower price ranges the differences are generally minimal. If you go with a USB microphone, I personally would suggest you skip over the Yeti. The Yeti is a FINE sounding microphone, but it has a LOUD noise floor meaning that computer fans, A/C units, and just about anything else that makes noise will be picked up by that microphone without laying on effects. In the Yeti's favor, it's a REALLY cool looking microphone - but it definitely doesn't punch at or above its weight in sound quality. Again, you can make a Yeti sound good if you have the right room or the technical ability to add a noise gate, EQ, compressor, etc, but it's a lot of extra work. I'll talk about recommendations in a second.
   
3. An XLR microphone. This is the "long-term" play. However, MOST XLR microphones are going to have minimal superior sound quality until you get to microphones at about $250+. With an XLR microphone you'll also need a DAC. A decent DAC (that outperforms the built in DAC of a USB microphone) is generally going to run near the $100 range. Meaning that for your microphone, boom stand, pop filter, and shockmount, you're tied to $150 to stay in your price range. The upside is, it's unlikely you'll need to replace your DAC anytime soon unless you grow into really expensive microphones.
   
    
   
   Types of Microphones:
   

• Condenser: Condenser microphones are generally the most popular on the Twitch streaming community but, in my opinion, they shouldn't be used in most cases. Condenser microphones tend to have loud noise floors and require a room to be treated. They also generally have worse angle rejection (ideally, your microphone isn't catch noise to the side and behind the microphone).
  

2. Broadcast microphone. This is my recommendation. You can lose some of the "shiny-ness" of a condenser microphone, but in most cases it's not noticeably relevant. Comparing ~$250 budget microphones aren't going to have incredibly different frequency responses (again, exceptions apply).
   Recommendations:
   
3. An XLR/USB hybrid microphone - Broadcast: The Audio-Technica AT2005USB is a microphone that has both XLR and USB. Meaning you can start out with USB, get the right equipment with a boom arm/shock mount/pop filter and down the road get an audio interface (DAC) to add some quality to the microphone. The only downside? The microphone isn't especially cool to look at.
   
4. A USB-only microphone. The Audio Technica ATR2100-USB is essentially the same as the 2005, but doesn't have XLR. You save $15. This article is a great source on some dynamic microphones to take a look at.
   
5. An XLR-only microphone. This is the long-term play, but not a bad one. If you see yourself wanting to upgrade microphones and change out gear down the road, this may be the most viable option. You picked a good microphone in the AT2035, but a mediocre DAC (for reasons I discussed earlier).
   
6. Headset: Sennheiser or HyperX Cloud II. Do some research and watch some reviews.
   
    
   
   Sorry for the INCREDIBLY long-winded response. Microphones, for me, make or break streams and just because it's "analog" or "looks cool" doesn't mean that it'll perform well. I also want to add an additional shout out to using a Podfarm or OBS's VST plugins to highlight your voice. Using a microphone "dry" is rarely (if ever) the best way to get the best out of that microphone. Adding simple effects can be the difference maker between making a $50 microphone sound like a $500 one and a $500 one sound like a $50 microphone. Cheers and good luck!

Holy shit I'm so sorry, lol. I got distracted.

So there's a couple of things that might be for good. There's two distinct types of mics so I'll recommend some from both types:

Condensers - these are typically very sensitive but they sound pretty nice, too.

• Blue Snowball iCE and Blue Snowball - I think these are the same, but the iCE just has the one pattern - they're both pretty good
  
  
• ATR2500 - Also good, and has a headphone jack for direct monitoring
  
  
• Samson Meteor Mic - also has a headphone jack for monitoring
  
  Dynamic - they typically aren't as sensitive and still sound pretty nice. It's probably better to get a dynamic, although your computer is quiet enough that you might be able to get away with it. IIRC from any given distance a dynamic picks up less room noise, but that can make it harder to pick you up at an acceptable level as well so keep that in mind.
  
  
• ATR2005 - this is a little over budget and for that I apologize, but it's a pretty great mic. Headphone output, comes with a stand to point it at your face (as do all the others), sounds great (there's lots of videos of it, it's pretty good sounding), has an XLR output so if you upgrade to a mixer you can keep using it... nice little piece.
  
  
• ATR2100 - the 2005's little brother
  
  Unfortunately those are the only two USB dynamics I personally know of. Over on /r/podcasting I'm sure /u/BangsNaughtyBits knows of some more good ones that I don't know of.
  
  My personal recommendation would be the ATR2100, but I encourage you to look at them yourself and ask questions to find out which one fits you best. Also keep in mind this is just for your sub $75 price range request.

I'm /u/whitefeather14's friend. If it's solely for headphones and you're not looking to spend a lot, then I would strongly recommend something by Fiio. I have an older one, the FiiO E7. They don't sell this one anymore, but they have a newer one called the FiiO E70k. I haven't personally used it, but I can only assume it's like mine but better.

If it's a little more than you want to spend, then I'd look at the Q1. I've heard good things about these as well.

These are nice, because they double as a USB dac and a portable headphone amplifier. Which means if you're traveling or something you can plug your phone into it and still get the amplifier out of it, no need for a USB source.

If that doesn't interest you, then there's the FiiO K1, which is just a USB DAC, and does not have an analog 3.5mm input, only the micro USB.

Now, understand that any of these aren't going to be the greatest DAC ever. Sub $100 is pretty cheap for a DAC, and I'm pretty sure these are all 24-bit, with 32-bit being more or less the best you can get (There's some debate on whether or not you can hear a difference, but that's entirely a different conversation.)

If you do want something a little more pricey and nice, the Schiit Modi DAC and Magni amp are really quite nice. They also have a Amp/DAC combination for $80 which I haven't heard anything about, but Schiit is pretty good.

The one /u/whitefeather14 said is a PreSonus AudioBox USB. You probably don't want this, as it is primarily an audio interface for recording instruments and microphones, and isn't a dedicated DAC, though the DAC is pretty nice, and as a bonus has a 1/4in headphone out as well as two 1/4in outs for L/R powered speakers, such as studio monitors, if that's of any benefit for you.

As for the SMSL one you posted, I have also heard good things about that one, though it's a desktop unit and does not have an analog 3.5mm input.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to help.

1. He needs to be entertaining to keep viewers. If he's not at the 99.9999th percentile of skill, it's highly unlikely he'll build a following without being highly entertaining. So manage your expectations and help him manage his.
   
   
2. For someone to be entertaining a big part of it is to have a varied life. Conversation about a wide variety of subjects, being happy, healthy, clean, accomplished, etc... As a couple you should be helping each other achieve those things regardless, so maybe take a step back and look at that big picture.
   
   
3. AFK his stream, invite friends to watch it, etc...
   
   
4. Make him his chicken tendies, mountain dew, and open his doritos. Just kidding...
   
   
5. As for equipment and setup... This all depends. The next things I would usually advise would be the best quality camera you can get in your budget, like an actual HD camcorder and figure out how to hook that up. Maybe an IRL streaming backpack setup? Sound treatment for the room can be good, but majority of products you buy for this are snake oil, so do your research. I'll just list off some things that I recommend people as ideas:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWNYGUS/ - Adjustable clamp-jaw mount for cameras like the Logitech C920/922 (the most recommended cameras). Get a better or more unique angle.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ACFAULC/ - Pop filters help a lot with audio quality.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017WNJS3M/ - Green screen it up and you can do all sorts of wacky or cool stuff, or it just cleans up the presentation of the stream in general.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Stream-Deck-Mini-Customizable/dp/B07DYRS1WH - The streamdeck mini just came out, pretty useful for doing goofy on-demand stuff with programmable buttons. Some people swear by these.
   
   For higher end stuff for audio, put this stuff in a wish list if he does start to take off:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002E4Z8M - Probably my most recommended mic for people wanting to get into the more serious stuff.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dbx-286s-Microphone-Preamp-Processor/dp/B004LWH79A - Probably the best entry level audiophile grade mic preamp. This is endgame for streamers personally, it's way beyond what most people have and it will give him an edge.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Microphones-CL-1-Cloudlifter-1-channel/dp/B004MQSV04 - Cloudlifter CL-1. This is a must if you ahve a Shure SM7B, excellent high end filter that will absolutely remove all noise.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Furman-M-8X2-Outlet-Conditioner-Protector/dp/B003BQ91Y6/ - Further eliminates noise from dirty power. Everyone who wants a decent XLR high-end setup wants something like this.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Heath-ZEDi-10FX-Compact-Interface/dp/B01ATAK5MS - This is an excellent mixer+audio interface combo, if you are going XLR you'll want a mixer. It's 4x4 USB, which for the price is a great value, and it's preamps and lines are notoriously silent. I bought the last version of this which was a 4x2 interface on a great sale, and couldn't be more pleased.
   
   There's a lot more you can get of course. A simple small table rack to rack mount these things... But it all depends, the sky is the limit with this stuff. Just giving you ideas of how you can go nuts with it.
   
   But at the core of it, if he's not organically growing by being consistent and working hard at it and trying to improve... Maybe he's just not entertaining enough? It is what it is. Don't think that buying this stuff really makes any difference, it only does if you are already able to gain viewers in the first place.

Hi OP! I spec and build custom machines semi-professionally, and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have. I know /u/simonc95 has already given a ton of good information, but if you have any concerns on specifics I can definitely fill you in.

I will however, reiterate what was said on power supplies - DONT CHEAP OUT. The thing is responsible for keeping your machine running, and if something goes wrong could fry the entire thing. Not a risk worth taking. Stick to tier 1 and 2a from the list provided if at all possible. Personally, I'm a big fan of the EVGA Supernova G2 PSU's, as they give the option of semi-passive and fully passive cooling if silence is your gig.

Since you want to do both gaming and editing, I'd recommend sticking to Nvidia's GTX line for your GPU (AMD is fine too, but I've always held issue with the amount of heat those things put out. That's your call though.) - the Quattro's are fine for purely workstation systems, but are not intended for gaming. (A 960 or 970, or the equivalent low -mid range of the next batch of cards when they release this year - should do you just fine.)

One thing that hasnt been covered yet is peripherals - since you're planning to do photo/video editing, you're going to want something that color accurate -this points you towards an IPS panel (as opposed to a TN panel. The principle by which the screen updates pixels is the difference. TN panels are generally better for gaming as they are capable of much higher refresh rates, up to 144hz commonly, but a decent IPS will handle the games you listed just fine).

You'll have to shop around a little bit to find one with a solid color score as well as the features you want. If you want to be in 4K, as is in vogue right now, you'll need a beefier graphics card, (esp for gaming/video rendering) and a 4k monitor, which unfortunately have yet to come down in price by much.

Now, for typing, this comes down to personal preference, but if you want your hands to love you, buy a mechanical keyboard. Anything with Cherry MX switches is a pretty good option, but if you find another switch type that tickles your fancy then that's your prerogative. Mech keyboards are more expensive than your typical rubberdome, but taken care of properly (like not spilling drinks on them) they'll last virtually forever. They're also hugely customizable - you can get LED backlit keys, or custom keycaps, and even keycaps you can see through!


For audio recording, most people use Audacity, which is a free audio recording and processing software. If you want to do anythig more serious that just talk over VOIP, you'll want to get some variety of condenser microphone (as opposed to dynamic, which is commonly used in most (gaming headsets). If you'd like to have a boom style microphone on your headphones of choice, the Antlion Modmic is an excellent option. Otherwise, you can always use a freestanding microphone - the most popular has been the Blue Yeti for quite a few years now. If you just want something to start you off, the Samson Meteor mic is actually quite the bang for the buck.


Alright, sorry for the wall of text. Feel free to comment reply or PM me if you have any questions.

i have this little amp with some small book shelf speakers and i love it http://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-LP-2020A-Lepai-Amplifier-Shipping/dp/B00FOK6974/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1405229745&sr=1-5&keywords=hifi+mini+amp best 20 bucks spent

and these are the small speakers i use to check mixes out in the living room and sometimes just to enjoy some tunes while cooking (condo, living room or kitchen? the lines blur),.they sound fair for the price
http://www.amazon.com/PLMR24-3-5-Inch-Weather-Speaker-System/dp/B001CXXDBM/ref=pd_sim_MI_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=12SZHXF0FR2DA98B7T3Y with a separate amp you can always upgrade the speakers.

these are 3 way but a little less cheap http://www.amazon.com/Dual-LU43PW-Indoor-Outdoor-Speakers/dp/B000A5S926/ref=pd_cp_e_0.

when it comes to near fields, to do actual pro work, for a good price, i went with the blue sky exo2.1 , they are full range with the sub, shielded because they are made for the desk, no bass reflex port on the satellites (the sound from the port holes comes out delayed, bad for mixing, unless very well engineered) and the woofer has separate control so you can turn it down because small rooms amp up the low end, all for for 500 bills (the price to value ratio is great, no doubt). if you find them used, the price is even lower. blue sky products are legit and you will have no need to buy monitors for a long, long time. i would save up, like 20 bucks every other day or so and in no time, you will have a legit, full range monitoring system that will gets even better with a little room treatment. all i know is "buy cheap, buy twice" http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/eXo2/

next is the equator d5 with dsp. i have not heard these live yet, but sometimes they are on sale direct from equator and they seem great on paper for the price http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Coaxial-Studio-Monitors-p/d5.htm but since i have not heard them like i have with my blue skies, i cant be anecdotal. here is a sound on sound review for a pro break down of their performance http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec12/articles/equator-d5.htm

and if you want to save money and have a truly great output to feed any monitor for 50 bucks, try the hifime diy sabre dac http://www.amazon.com/HiFiMeDIY-Digital-Analog-Converter-Optical/dp/B00AOH5JTQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405237210&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=hifi+diy+dac, i using it now in between digital to analog converter upgrades and if you plug right out of the usb port on the computer (no hubs) it sounds great, like really even compared to dac's in several price ranges above. read the first review, http://www.amazon.com/review/RIXL3WSR02G6/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00AOH5JTQ you will get a little smarter about digital analog converters. its one of the best reviews on amazon i have ever had the pleasure to read, and check out the users other reviews, he does a few headphone units comparing their price to performance ratio and will blow you away with his technical know how and fluid writing style. like the one on the Beyerdynamic DT-990-Pro: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2BUTFCE473Q9V/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

i dont know much about recording gear, as im mostly a listener, i use an adc/dac from behringer and it sounds decent for 30 bucks and no drivers http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-U-Control-Ultra-Low-Downloadable/dp/B0023BYDHK/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1405238098&sr=1-2&keywords=behringer+dac
sounds better than a tascam i had, that was overbuilt and 3-4 times the price. i choose this not be cheap, my focus is just on listening, it was what i wanted.

sorry about the long post but i dont half ass my posts. its like playing those brain training apps for me but not boring and actually productive/practical. take care. my hands are injured, so im not bothering with punctuation and formatting!

Not a problem at all! Glad to help in any ways I can!

When you are done editing sections of a video together you then have to render the video to stitch all the pieces together and make it a final video. Some of the cheaper video editors don't offer GPU accelerated rendering, so it relies completely on your CPU for the rendering. GPU accelerated rendering allows the software to use your CPU and GPU to render videos, opening up the software to a lot more power. I recently switched from Hitfilm 2 Express (no GPU acc rendering) to Sony Movie Studios 13 Platinum (GPU accelerated rendering) and reduced my renderign time by 75%. A video that would normally have taken me 8 hours (yes that is right) to render now takes 2 hours. The upload to Youtube will depend on the file size after rendering and your internet connection.

I would outline exactly what you want to start with and look at your options. If you are only doing newer games (that allow HDMI) then I would go with the HD60. If you (seriously) plan on doing retro consoles that don't allow HDMI then either go for the HD or an emulator. You could also put more money into a really fancy setup that will do both if you want. That is up to you and your budget.

Let's talk a little bit about how microphones work. They have a bit inside them called a transducer which will convert acoustic energy into an analog electrical signal. There are several types of transducer (condenser, dynamic, ribbon, etc) but they all have the same function. The voltage signal you get from the transducer is analog and very low voltage. In order to use that signal for editing and recording it needs to be amplified. A USB microphone is made up of 3 main parts, the transducer, an amplifier, and an analog to digital converter. The analog to digital convert turns the voltages into binary so that it can be transferred through USB to your computer.

An XLR mic does not have an amplifier or an analog to digital converter. It is simple the transducer and usually a few circuits then it outputs an analog signal through an XLR cable. In order to use this signal you need a preamp. There are several options, you could get Mic converter/Preamp which is basically what a USB mic has inside it. You can get a Tube amplifier which will have a MUCH better amplifier in it and a MUCH better analog to digital converter. It also allows you to control the sound a bit as well. You could get a Mixing board which will have a MUCH better amplifier and converter as well, but will also allow you to adjust some of your settings before the sound goes to your computer. They may look scary, but tehy are actually very easy to use.

The main benefit of an XLR setup is better sound, gain control, and the ability to better adjust and control your sound. With a USB mic you usually get a few small adjustments on the mic (if you are lucky) and then that is the sound you get. Everything else must be done in post processing through a computer program. With XLR you can adjust it how you want and leave it like that (or adjust it on the fly) which cuts down on time since you don't have to do audio editing anymore.

Now to the other real benefit: XLR mics have better components. The AT2020 USB is $130 and the AT2020 XLR is $100. However, the USB version has the cost of the amplifier and converter into the price. So what USB mics do is give you a cheaper transducer in order to make up for the extra cost of manufacturing the USB mic. The XLR mics sound better because they have better transducers inside of them. Also, once you have a preamp and an XLR mic and you want to upgrade it will be easier because all you have to do is buy a new XLR mic. If you get a USB mic now and then upgrade to an XLR (like I did) then you have to buy both components later. If you have the money for it, get the XLR setup now.

Hope that explained some of it. I can go further into details if you have more questions.

Hey! I'm a newbie myself [same deal, but got my SX about 3 months ago and haven't gotten much time to practice :/]

- You'll certainly need RCA cables, to connect input sources like turntables or other equipment into the ext source for sampling, and / or outputting your SP404SX audio to speakers other than the headphones output.

​

- if you want to sample from your phone / computer, you can:

1. get a RCA to 3.5 mm adapter cable https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=30902 - this site has great, trustworthy cables
   
   
2. get a RCA input interface (and eventually RCA cables of course) https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-BEHRINGER-U-CONTROL/dp/B0023BYDHK
   
   ​
   
   - The sound does come out of the box...via RCA output, or headphone output :P There is no onboard speaker, if that's what you mean :)
   
   ​
   
   - You need separate RCA cables if you want to connect an input source and output source at the same time; up to you. If you're fine with only using the headphones to listen to / make beats, then you don't need one for output. :)
   
   Same with input: if you're ok with sampling from your phone / whatever else by playing the audio into the mic input [which might be great depending on what you're into] instead of external source, or if you're only importing samples from an SD card, you don't need one for input.
   
   Either way, they're cheap and good to have around if you ever want to connect speakers for output, sample from RCA output equipment, etc. :)
   
   ​
   
   - Not sure where you're located, but Micro Center has SD cards for super cheap
   
   https://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?Ntk=all&sortby=match&N=4294966791+4294821590
   
   ​
   
   Bonus: Aside from the manual, there's a ton of resources listed on the right of the sub; along with some that helped me:
   
   spvidz; great guy who continually puts out tutorials, tips and tricks for the SX [and other equipment]
   
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP2CqbhL7InlgfIRQv9m7_Q
   
   and Chops Magazine SP404SX tutorial playlist
   
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Q8srdrka4&list=PLsOHfXKpEjzT5jl2U1kaPxCkCuovw3g3h
   
   ​
   
   Hope this helps!

Ableton is a great DAW and is my preferred software choice for recording/editing.

You can use the TASCAM to capture your performances and transferring those .wav files into Ableton for editing but you'll have a much better experience recording directly into your computer.

You can go a few different routes here. You can pick up an audio interface that accepts an XLR connection for a proper microphone like a Presonus Audiobox and an SM57 which will allow you to capture as good a single channel signal as you can really get outside of a big recording studio.

OR you can go with something cheaper like a Blue Snowball USB microphone. These things actually sound surprisingly good and have multiple settings for directional and omni modes for different situations.

Once you have a way of capturing audio directly into Ableton you can start building up your songs layer by layer. Experiment with things like EQ and compression/delay/etc to make your guitar tracks sound nicer. There are built in patched in Ableton for EQ like "Acoustic Guitar" or "Electric Guitar" and just dragging one of those onto your channel will be a great place to start.

That's a skill in and of itself but you have to start somewhere so start experimenting.

When starting out applying EQ to tracks I'd start this way :

• Solo the track so you're only listening to the single layer
  
  
• Create a single EQ filter with a high Q value so it creates a really sharp and thin "peak" and drag it upwards so it's amplifying a very narrow band of frequencies quite a bit.
  
  
• Drag that "peak" left and right while the audio is playing and listen for something that jumps out at you as unpleasant. Now drag the peak DOWN to bring those frequencies down in the mix to remove whatever harshness you discovered. Bring down the Q value to make that trough a bit wider and smoother.
  
  Do that 3 or 4 times on a channel and you'll have something that sounds a bit nicer. If you do too much it'll sound hollow and empty so make subtle adjustments as much as possible. Don't dump that "bad frequency" all the way to the bottom, just bring it down a little bit so it doesn't jump out at you.
  
  You won't be creating drastically new tones this way, just polishing them so they sound nicer.
  
  Having a good pair of headphones or even some inexpensive studio monitors will also be extremely helpful so you can accurately hear what you're producing.
  
  Use the built-in metronome and record with headphones (so the click doesn't get picked up by the microphone) to keep things tight.
  
  Once you've finished your audio and it's how you like it THEN film your video and just play along with the click. Don't use any audio from the video recording and just pair the two back up in editing.

Budget - We need to know how much you want to spend. If you can, please also indicate whether your budget is a hard limit, or whether it is flexible. Max budget is 220 with an amp/dac if needed. I'd like to use 3.5mm right from my computer.

Source - What are you plugging these into? 3.5mm Headphone jacks on my computer. Elna audio caps for my motherboard.

Requirements for Isolation - Do you need a lot, some, or none? If you're not sure what isolation is, more isolation will block outside noises, none will not. It's also helpful if you say where you mainly will use your headphones, for instance: At home, outdoors, on public transportation. I'd like these to be closed back. I'd be in my room but still want closed back. I will not use them outside, maybe at LAN parties.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? No, maybe lan parties.

Preferred Type of Headphone - Do you want IEMs, full-sized, or on-ear? Full sized headphones.

Preferred tonal balance - Are you a basshead, particularly fond of a smooth midrange, strong highs, or do you want an overall balanced pair of headphones? I'd prefer overall balanced and good for games like CSGO, Arma 3, GTA V and overall good for games and music.

Past headphones - What have you used in the past, what did you like about them and what didn't you like about
Preferred Music - What do you listen to? If your music tastes are very esoteric, providing some examples (Youtube links work well) may be of some assistance to your helpers. Used Turtle Beach PX22, like nothing of them at all. I am using Logitech G430s I like the big ear cuffs, how comfy it is. It is very light, a nice cord, plugs into 3.5mm which is a must. Also durable but gets dirty.

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - What are you looking for going into your next headphone? More bass? More detail? More treble? Overall better detail and quality. My friend had the M50x and I liked sound but it was not full sized like I want. But I need to add a modmic to it or a Blue Yeti microphone so I'd love for it to be plugged in to it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008POFOHM/ref=s9_simh_gw_g267_i2_r?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-3&pf_rd_r=1H72PDTS3K06XT5QVAZJ&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2084660942&pf_rd_i=desktop how are these? I like them, big, 3.5mm, good sound from what I've read. Also what are recommended cases to hold headphones in?

If you enjoy acoustic style playing, I feel it can be beneficial to developing a better playing style as you branch out to electric. Acoustic guitars require a little more attention to finger placement and fretting technique. Mistakes are more noticeable and you can fix those problems early before they become bad habits. Electric guitars tend to "cover" those mistakes more easily with all the effects and distortion (once playing at a high level they become more noticeable again). Things like hitting extra strings, fretting a note that is dead, etc.

I definitely regret not learning more on an acoustic first. I jumped straight into electric and never really looked back.

As for gear and making the transition to electric, it depends on what you want to do with your guitar playing.

If you are going to just play and practice by yourself at home, I recommend at least researching amp simulator software for use on a PC and getting an affordable audio interface.

I recently bought a brand new Jackson 7-string guitar for $180 (it's actually not bad either was on sale), an audio interface for ~$75 (included free DAW software, was on sale as well), and purchased a large amp/cab/effects bundle on Revalver 4 for $100. I already had headphones and a PC. I also bought studio monitors but that's neither here nor there.

I know that's over your budget but you can try most amp sim software packages for free and you can buy the amps, cabs, and effects a la carte for pretty cheap prices (a few $ each). It unlocks a huge range of sounds and possibilities and you can learn the types of amps and sounds you like. If you ever want to buy a real amp/cab, then you have a direction you would like to go.

Just for comparison, by the time you buy a guitar, some floor pedals (can range from $50-100 each), and a practice amp (which may or may not sound good at this price level), you are probably over your $300 anyway. With the software/interface option, you can have like 15 amps, probably like 25 cabs, lots of microphone sims, and tons of effect pedals inside the software for like $350.

I'm into metal as well and I've found the high gain amps and sounds in Revalver to be pretty good. Different amp sims do certain things better than others.

Good luck on your journey

> I have 2000 dollars maximum for my computer build. I don't have any play over that. That being said if I need an amplifier for my interface I am cool with buying that in the future when I can get the money for it. If you can fit it in that's great!

Hm. Well, not entirely sure you'll need it - sadly, interfaces provide almost no specs for their headphone outs, so it could be 5Vrms into 100 ohm or it could be .5Vrms. Guess the thing to do would be to listen, then determine if it's working properly for you and getting loud enough without distortion - if so, you're good. If not, amp time.

>The room is dedicated to this computer. And I'm getting the micke from ikea for a desk. I wouldn't exactly feel comfortable moding it to mount the mic. Perhaps a stand would better better for my needs?

Looks to me like the Micke would support a mic arm just fine without modding. Of course, you could also put it on your desk, but I've found that tends toward very loud keyboard noise.

So, with all the information you've given me, I think I've got a pitch for you:

For an interface: a [Focusrite Scarlett Solo] (http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Compact-Interface/dp/B00MTXU2DG) which will run you around $100 new (a bit harsh - I got a 2i2, which is the same or better in all regards for around the same), or $80 or less used (though I sadly don't see many used ones from respectable retailers at the moment, so you'd need to go eBay spelunking). It will accept an instrument line in for recording, allow live monitoring via the headphone out of all inputs, and has a mic input with phantom as a bonus.

For a headphone: [AKG K7XX] (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-x-massdrop-k7xx-limited-edition-ruby-red), which is one of my favourite recommendations in moderately-priced headphones. The K7XX is a comfortable, detailed headphone with excellent positional audio, and an easy-to-like sound signature which slightly boosts the bass but without the ludicrous bass boosts of some "lifestyle" headphones. At $200, it's already compelling value, and you can find it used on Head-Fi, eBay, or /r/AVExchange for $170 or less typically. The wrinkle here is that the K7XX takes a fair bit of juice to drive, and I'm legitimately not sure the Solo has enough. It might, some interfaces surely do, but Focusrite publishes no specs here, so all you'd be able to do is listen and see for yourself.

For a mic: [Audio-Technica's AT2020] (http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B0006H92QK) is a very clear, detailed mic for its price (which is around $80 new, less used) if you have the 48v phantom it craves (which, as a Solo owner, you would). It will pick up keyboard and room noise pretty easily, though, so you'll want to use push-to-talk with it for VOIP IMO, though a shock mount and positioning it well could also work, I suppose.

There's probably enough slack in the budget to fit additional gear if needed - particularly if you buy used - so if you need an arm to mount the mic (since you're a musician, you might see if you can get one from a friend for cheap/free first, though) or an amp for the K7XX, it can be provisioned for.

The best way to get some great recordings without breaking the bank is to grab a recording interface like this. There are a ton of options on the market, but this is known to be a good quality interface.

Next you'll need a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). This is basically a digital recording studio and they range from simple (like Garage Band) to professional quality like Logic Pro X or ProTools. At the core they all basically do the same thing. You record tracks to create a mix and you make adjustments to these tracks so they sound good together. For example, you don't want everything going 'up the middle', some sounds you want panned toward the left, some toward the right, some in the center, etc. You'll also adjust the volume of each track individually so everything sounds cohesive.

Higher-end DAWs allow you much more power and flexibility. They will allow you to do things like compress audio signals, apply complex EQing techniques, perform automation (real-time knob turning, basically), route signals between tracks, apply various effects, many are bundled with a bunch of software instruments, and MUCH more, but don't let it all daunt you right now. Some of my favorite mixes I've done are very simple where I did nothing more than adjust the tracks' volume/panning and did some simple EQing.

Most recording interfaces come with a basic DAW. The interface linked above comes with Ableton Live, but you can use any DAW you want. Reaper is a popular choice for Windows users on a budget. It has a free trial that never cripples the software (you just get the occasional nag screen), but if you like it you should support the devs and pay the $60, it's a very powerful DAW for the price.

*One awesome resource is the recording revolution YouTube channel. I'm not affiliated in any way, I just find this channel to be tremendously helpful. There are a ton of videos for all skill levels.

Hey man awesome first video! I would like to give you a few suggestions. I've made a ton of noob mistakes that you can avoid. After a year and a half my channel has had moderate success, and I hope these tips help you out. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

1. Sound People are far more likely to view your videos if it's easy for them to do it. If there are dark scenes or sketchy audio you will lose the viewers' attention quickly. This microphone is cheap, easy to use, and will make your audio sound great.
   
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HJ9PTO/ref=oh_details_o08_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   
2. Lighting Find a light you like and use it in all of your videos. For cooking shows a whiter light gives an added pop to the screen. Yellow light makes things look dull and boring.
   
   
3. Music Your music choice was awesome, but a little loud. Loud music can be distracting. Music is used to cover up an silence that may make your videos awkward. It should be there to comfort the viewer, but not distract them. If you're planning on making money on your videos you'll need to use royalty free music. Here are a few sites that have a good selection for free:
   
   http://www.royaltyfreemusicroom.com/
   
   https://musopen.org/
   
   http://machinimasound.com/index.html
   
   
4. Confidence I get the feeling that you want your channel to have a fun easy going vibe. Your confidence is key to the success of this idea. It's uncomfortable as hell the first few times you get in front of the camera, but it's vital to stay confident.
   
   
5. Animations You seem to have a nice grasp of adding small animations to your videos. I would suggest adding an ingredients list on the side of the video.
   
   
6. Perseverance Your channel will likely not grow big for a while. Even great channels take a long time to take off. Don't let this discourage you. You obviously know what you're doing, and I hope you're having fun. Don't let peoples' opinions change you too much. Take criticism but stay true to yourself.

I have an AT2020USB sitting on the floor (next to a Rode Podcaster). Good mic. Sounds good. Still a condenser and still sensitive. Still better choices to be found that'll work for most and sound better.

I generally avoid everything Alesis and Behringer because they're cheap. Not just in price, but in components, quality, reliability, and sound... generally speaking. That said, I have no experience with that particular audio interface. The Focusrite Scarlett Solo comes well reviewed at around the same price (I think?). Steinberg also has an interface around the same price. If you're looking more for a mixer (that's what the Alesis is), then I'd suggest looking at a Mackie or Yamaha mixer. Chances are, you're going to be looking a lot more money than the Alesis, but you're getting superior preamps and overall better hardware and reliability. Just be careful to get one that's USB unless you want to go analog everything (if you're not an audio engineer with a high end sound card, don't).

Whether you need a mixer or an audio interface comes down to what you're going to be doing. The mixer can be helpful for effects, additional EQ, monitoring, multiple inputs, etc., but it's not necessary in most instances. For most, an audio interface with one or two inputs is sufficient--you can always upgrade later and sell the interface on Ebay (or some such) because they're always in demand.

Regarding stands, I use a Rode PSA1 and have no qualms recommending it, but it's somewhat pricey. If you need cheaper, the Neewer arm has good reviews, but I have no feedback regarding it. Pretty sure several people here use and like the Neewer arm.

For a pop filter, anything, really, is fine. Don't worry about metal ones or filters made of exotic materials--any cheap nylon screen works as well as anything else. You likely won't need a windsock, but you can find plenty of those on the cheap as well. (I suppose you could go with just windsock or just filter, but either should be fine--I just prefer a pop filter to a sock.) For the XLR cable, meh... not Monster? I use these--they're nothing special, just cables. Work/sound fine.

It's easy to spend a lot of money on this stuff, but if you have patience and time, you can save a lot by buying used. Most of my mics are used and they work perfectly well--generally speaking, people take care of those (and it's obvious when they don't).

So as another 29yo musician figuring out reaper over the past few weeks. Definitely watch tutorials, how to's, and basic use videos from youtube and stuff posted here. You'll learn way more from doing that faster than you will from poking around. Most of the time i just google something like "Reddit Render Midi track in reaper" and i'll get a link to this sub with a video.

Definitely get an audio interface, i'll help tremendously with overall sound and latency. I think something with two channels will work well for you. You'll most likely only be recording one instrument at a time if you're doing this solo but the option of the second channel will let you record an acoustic performance if you ever want to. I have no brand loyalty so here's a few options, you can do research on them as you see fit or search some out yourself:

UMC202HD , Scarlett 2i2 , AudioBox USB 2x2

Or if you need to be more budget friendly, this guy is a great bang for you buck, however it is only one channel:

Behringer UM2

If you dont have any 1/4" headphones, pick up a 1/4" male to 3.5mm female adapter as well so you can monitor your sound and for playback through the interface. You can find these at bestbuy or somewhere local pretty easily.

You'll want to look at some 3rd party VSTs for effects instead of your phone. I'm currently in the process of trying different free things out, so i don't have too many suggestions unfortunately, but maybe some other people can chime in with their favorites. I'd watch youtube tutorials to learn how to setup and use these. two I could recommend so far are:

MT Power Drumkit 2 - Simple drum VST that allows you to pick from a select of beats in different styles, then once you import them into reaper you can change the beat with the MIDI editor as you see fit. Watch some youtube tutorials on it to get going using it.

AmpliTube Custom Shop - Comes with a few amp, cab, and effect options that should get you going with some guitar sounds. You can also get the demo version of AmpliTube Full and it will run for 30 min, then you have to close and reopen it for it to work again (seems to be a common setup for demo versions of VSTs), but you can get a good bit in 30min if you know what you want going in.

+1 for being in the same boat as you! 31/F/originally from NY. Professional singer of 10+ years; have always been told I have a very unique and soothing voice. I've honestly been stewing on this for over a year and hadn't pulled the trigger until last week. I sat down and figured out what it would ACTUALLY take me (financially and space-wise) to give it a real try.

I have a closet in my current "studio" with all of my guitars and what not; I figured I could commit to turning this space into a booth. I did the math and realized I could treat the space acoustically for $179. eBay had 2" foam panels for way cheaper than anywhere else. Is it the BEST product out there? Probably not - but it will definitely get the job done.

Equipment wise, I figured out that I'd need an updated USB interface and a dedicated VO microphone. I ordered both of those things for $130. Here's what I ordered:

Mic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007NQH98/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB interface: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QHURUBE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Again, not top-of-the-line products, but I did my research and these both seem to be solid choices for beginners. I've cleared out the closet and I'm currently waiting for the panels to arrive. They get here tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to install them on Thursday or Friday morning. They need to "sit" for a bit to uncompress. Haha.

Anyway, I hope my story has helped you! As soon as I get my booth set up, I plan to take webinars and learn, learn, learn. I'll also spent a significant amount of time just recording practice scripts. I learn by doing, so there will be a LOT of doing going on. Haha. I feel as though I could be a tiny bit ahead of the game since I have experience recording and I'm comfortable with recording software and gear. I've also been using my voice as a tool for over 10 years..but in a different way.

Good luck and feel free to hit me up if you need some motivation! I know I've doubted myself multiple times since committing, but I've gotta go for it.

I'm going to assume you're talking about electric guitar, and you want to record on to your computer.

We'll go with the simplest/cheapest way (Note, you won't want to run an electric guitar directly into a computer, it'll generally sound like crap)

First off, you'll need a microphone. The Shure SM57 is an industry standard for recording many things, from guitar cabs to snare drums, and more. It's only $100, too! There's a knockoff of that mic, for half the price, that's supposed to be just as good (some people even prefer the sound), the GLS-57. Both of these mics are "dynamic" mics, and either of these mics will work.

You'll need to get a mic stand to place the mic in the proper position on the amp, which is a separate lesson in and of itself.

Next, you need a way to get the mic signal into your computer. The quickest, cheapest, but least featured way to do so would be something like the Blue Icicle. You would plug it into your computer, plug an XLR cable into it, and plug the mic into that cable.

For software, the most basic, and free software is Audacity. It really is pretty basic, but you can plug your stuff in, hit record, and it'll record. If you want something more powerful, check out Reaper. It's really good, and pretty cheap (and has a more or less unlimited trial period if you're that kind of person). It is somewhat complex though, and it'll take a decent amount of time to get comfortable with. If you have a Mac, Garage Band is just peachy.

inally, the last important part is hearing what you're recording. At the low-end, you're probably better off with headphones. I recommend either the Sennheiser HD280s or the less expensive Sony MDR-V6s (mostly identical to their professional MDR-7506s). If you want to get some actual monitors, check out the Behringer MS16s.

Unsurprisingly, you can spend a hell of a lot more money on any of these things. Feel free to ask any questions!

Bonus advice! If you want to record an acoustic guitar, instead of the SM57, you'd want to get a small diaphragm condenser (SDC) mic, like the MXL 603S.

Alright, here's what I've put together for you:

1. Turntable: Rega P1 ~$450
   
   
2. Speakers: JBL LSR308 - $500
   
   
3. Phono Preamp: Pyle-Pro PP444 - $10.49
   
   
4. Passive Preamp (volume control): Schiit Sys - $49
   
   
5. RCA-to-XLR cable (to connect speakers) 10' - $9.50
   
   Total: $1,018.99
   
   
   Logic:
   
   
   Turntable:
   
   Rega turntables are some of the best in the world, and their quality extends all the way down the line. I have the step-up mode, the P3, and love it. $400 is roughly the entry point for a "good" turntable, which I think is a solid investment given your budget.
   
   Speakers
   
   The JBL LSR series is very well regarded on r/audiophile. They are generally considered to be the best powered monitors on the market. Being powered means you don't have to buy a separate amplifier, saving money. If you want to save some money, you can drop down to the LSR305, which has a smaller woofer. It will not have as much bass power as the 308, but it costs $200 less for the pair (NOTE: The Amazon link is for a single speaker, not a pair)
   
   Phono Preamp
   
   You'll need one of these, because the signal coming out of the tone arm on the turntable is very low voltage. The phono preamp brings it up to a level that is powerful enough to be amplified further by the speakers. You can spend more, but you don't need more than the Pyle (I have one at home that I'd honestly mail to you, but Amazon Prime is probably cheaper than the cost of shipping for me :P)
   
   Passive Preamp
   
   This is a volume knob and a input switch. That's all. Volume knob because the speakers have the volume knob on the back, and have separate knobs per speaker. Didn't think you'd want to mess with that. Two inputs so you can hook up your turntable and your computer, or your phone, etc.
   
   RCA-to-XLR cable
   
   Because the JBL monitors are targeted at pro recording studios, they use "balanced" XLR cables instead of traditional RCA. The reasons for doing so are irrelevant, but you will need an adapter cable.
   
   If that's too much money
   
   As I said earlier, you could drop down to the JBL LSR305 (again, link is a single speaker, not a pair). That would bring the total down to $818.99. If you wanted to save money, this is where I would do it.
   
   Another option is to switch turntables to the U-Turn Orbit. It starts at $179, but I'd definitely add the cue lever for $40. I wouldn't spend more on other options though, not worth the money. If you go this route, treat this turntable as your starter, then replace it later.
   
   If you tell me your local craigslist, I can look around and see if there are any good deals, but the above is going to be pretty hard to beat.
   
   By all means, feel free to ask me any and all questions. I love doing this kind of research for people, so it's no skin off my back. I want to make sure you enjoy Ride the Lightning in all it's rifftastic glory :D

Less than $500 for even a decent camera will be difficult. I'd suggest looking into a used Canon T3i or a new/used T2i. They may be slightly more expensive but they're the best thing you'll find around that price range (in my experience). Also because they both have interchangeable lenses you can upgrade/adapt them as you get more cash to invest.

I know less about mics although I think it may be difficult to find what your describing, especially at that price. Something like this may be what your after but I really can't say that the quality will be great and the cable will probably get in the way if you're moving around.

What I'd really suggest is to abandon the idea of on-body unless it's absolutely necessary for some reason. If you're up for doing that I'd suggest a shotgun mic (something like this would probably do just fine). The absolute best option in terms of quality and lasting value would be to buy an H4n. The disadvantage is that you'll end up having to sync your audio to the video but the advantages are that the audio quality is great, you can add better (XLR) mics in the future and you can move it around depending on where your audio source is.

I know that this isn't exactly what you're looking for but I hope it's some help anyway. If you have questions please feel free to ask :)

I'm far from the most senior audiophile here, but I hope I can help a little. There was a similar question a week ago or so that summarized some good options in this price range. Here it is, these are all powered speakers or speakers with an amp.

Among the ones mentioned, I have the M-Audio AV40s and I love them. For what you listen to, I can genuinely say you probably will too. On top of sounding wonderful, they are really easy to drive, which makes them very versatile. Honestly, they out perform some $350 speakers I have in terms of accuracy and sound staging. The only downside is the serious lack below 80 Hz, but I think for the music you listen to, it shouldn't be noticeable.

The other options on that list I can't talk as much, but I've heard nothing but good things about Swans (besides the fact that they're gorgeous too). The Klipsch I have heard, and to be honest I didn't like them as much as I thought I would. Maybe it was the way they were setup, but they seemed to be lacking in the lower mids. And the Dayton's are often thrown out there (and always by ZeosPantera) which I looked into, but after reading so many "they're great for being only $25" posts, I seriously started wondering if they were worth the $50 they are now.

So yeah, look into Swans and M-Audio. You can find the later at GuitarCenter or any music store (they are monitors after all) where you can request a listen. Swans I'm not so sure about where to find them, but aesthetically, they may go with your turntable nicely.

You can have a killer setup for under $500.

Mic: Audio Technica AT2005 - A great mic that a lot of let's players use (draax, zueljin, kingdaddydmac, etc.). It also accepts xlr or usb inputs (more on that at the end). I use the atr2100, which is the same mic, just different color and warranty. The at2005 is cheaper by about $25 right now, so buying today, that's the one I'd get. It's a dynamic mic, so it blocks out sound that's not in front of it. Much better for noisy environments. Condenser mics like the blue yeti will pick up a lot more background noise. Other mics I've used are the V-Moda Boompro, which works with most headphones that have detachable cables (in my case the M100s) and sounds good, but changing the cable for when I didn't want to use the mic became old pretty fast. You can leave it attached, but then the boom mic is there all the time. I've also used the antlion modmic 4.0 and can't recommend it. It has white noise unless you use a usb soundcard, the cable is stiff and it's kind of expensive compared to full fledged mics. $56

Stand: Pyle PMKSH01 Suspension Boom Scissor Microphone Stand - A decent cheap stand. Nothing special, but it comes with an integrated xlr cable. I use this one, but may upgrade to the Rode PSA1 ($100) later on. The shock mount will not fit the at2005 however. $21

Shock Mount: On-Stage MY420 - A great shock mount that fits the at2005/atr2100. Shock mounts reduce noises from bumping your desk or tapping on your keyboard; things that may reverberate to your mic. It might not even be necessary if you're not a heavy handed gamer or if your desk is made of a thick, dense material. $25

Wind Filter: On-Stage Foam Ball Windscreen - Reduces wind/breathing noises as well as minimizing plosives. Not a complete necessity, but extremely cheap and it does help, so why not? $3

Cable management: Velcro One-Wrap Cable Wraps - I use these for keeping the usb cable for the mic attached to the stand. Extremely useful and cheap. $6

Headphones: Very subjective to user preference. I prefer closed vs open for noise isolation. Here's what I've used:

Audio Technica ATH M50: Good (not great) headphones for ~$100. Considered the standard by many, but to me they're just good. $155

V-Moda M100: Excellent sound with very potent bass. They make the M50s sound muddy in comparison. HOWEVER, the M100s have a design flaw where the "wings" (the parts above where you adjust the headphones) will crack over time. It happened to two pairs of my M100s. Unacceptable for the price of these headphones, regardless of how good they sound. $222

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm: Amazing. Potent bass like the M100s, but even a bit clearer. Very wide soundstage for closed headphones. I paid $219 for mine and don't regret it a single bit. I might grab another pair at the price they're currently at. $150

All that adds up to around $261 + tax choosing the DT770s, and will be a killer setup for gaming. Far better than any "gaming" headset, and it even opens the option of streaming or let's play videos (the reason I got my setup). There is one more thing I'd add though, given the budget if you're serious about mic quality, and that's the $99 Focusrite Scarlett Solo 2nd Gen. It's a usb audio interface that accepts xlr mics. It gives you a bit more control over the audio coming out of your mic and cleans up the signal so you get less "noise" from the usb interface. Quality is good without it, but with it, it's noticeably better.

Hope this helps some! I spent quite a while researching things when I put my own setup together. :)

• Best reasonable price mic: Blue Snowball
  
• Programs: Fraps for VOD Only, XSplit for livecasting (TwitchTV can upload to YT, so you don't need fraps if you live cast)
  
  I copied and pasted my response from a other caster I was giving advice to:
  
  You can't use viewer count for motivation. For a new caster each video is a lotto ticket, there is a very small chance one of your casts will make it on a site such as SC2Casts or Reddit but when it does you will get 1000 views and hope that 5% of those come back. Until that happens, just upload on a consistent schedule; for instance I just started live casting at 19:00 EST every day and uploading the VODs to Youtube. By setting up a schedule you are catering to "the 1%" who watch you, hoping they tell friends and such.
  
  If you still enjoy casting after following a schedule for a month or two, look into purchasing some gear to improve your quality. You can't look it like "I will buy a $100 mic and it will get me more views and pay itself off!". You're staying at home more and if you are like me staying at home means you are not going out to the bar; which is saving you money. It now becomes I saved $100 this month by not going out; I reward myself with a microphone.
  
  Don't advertise your video's until you are very happy with them yourself; you will only get flamed and demotivated. Every new caster can improve upon something; vocabulary, mic, and just over all quality. Watch every video you make and take notes until you get comfortable.
  
  If you want replays, I have been attaching replays to my YouTube casts lately http://youtube.com/RageQuitTV but if you just google "SC2 Replays" you will find many replays. However I sift through them which ensures they are good games.

Of course!!

It's a bit of an investment, but the equipment I used was the Zoom H4n Pro. Did some research and the Zoom H4n has been a standard for awhile- phenomenal device, and they recently put out an updated model (the Pro) which is identical save for some upgrades to the guts inside (the preamps and the onboard mics). I plan on using it for many years to come.

I took nigelewan's advice and set the h4n in my shirt pocket- it fits snug and perfectly. I kinda hated how it sticks out a bit- the mics are silver and shiny so I have to imagine JD notices it, but the fact that he's currently binging Grateful Dead tapes makes me feel a bit better. Still, I kinda want to paint them black or something. Not sure if that's possible though. The shininess is definitely gaudy, but oh well.

Try to position yourself as close to a speaker as possible. Your recording will end up being what the room at large hears mixed with the crowd audio from around you and also feintly capture JD if he goes off mic which is awesome.

The h4n has a bunch of quality options- I did some research and opted for 24bit/48khz . Apparently that's a sweet spot of making the bass sound really nice and juicy and being high quality but still allowing for a lot of recording time (depending on how big a card you get. I used this 32g card. I used a fresh pair of batteries for each show since I didn't want to take any risks.

You have to set the mic level- I was pretty freaking close to some speakers and it seemed like between 20-35 was the good spot. 20 for most songs, and I'd try to turn it up a few notches when a quieter one came on (and then I'd often forget to turn it back down for the subsequent songs so they'd be louder haha).

Wish you the best of luck! Let me know if you have any other questions.

I don't have a good answer to your first question, but to answer the second; The mics are a good choice, but the kit doesn't come with a way to hook all of them up into a single computer. You could attach them through USB to seperate computers, then import all the recordings onto the computer you edit on, but that's a lot more of a hassle than it needs to be.

If the company is paying for everything, I'd recommend something like the Rodecaster Pro interface. It has four XLR inputs, plus a phone input for people calling in (or to use for other sound effects), and lets all the audio run into a single computer. You would still need a headphone preamp and the headphones (although you really only need a nicer set for one person, whoever is mixing/editing), and the mics of course, but it would be a convenient solution if the company will be paying for it. Otherwise, I'd say go with what you've got, and find a good four-input interface (something like the Behringer UMC404HD), but I don't know of a great way to have phone calls recorded using an interface.

As for your final question, I'd recommend setting up a discord server (it's really simple) over phone-ins. You can get a bot for it (I use Craig) that records everyone individually, and lets you have a .WAV of the tracks.

​

It's hard to give a definitive "what's going to work best" without knowing the budget you have to work with, but hopefully that helps! Also, feel free to ask any other questions and I'll do my best to answer, or at least point you in the right direction to someone/somewhere that can.

Okay.

1 - Take a breath.

You are overwhelmed and rightfully so, shooting is not easy and weddings are not easy either.

If you are doing interviews you need a mic. DO NOT USE ON CAMERA AUDIO! YOu can rent a rode videomic maybe from a local camera store, or buy this it is cheap, if your camera take audio in it will work. Keep in mind it would be Mono so in post you would need to make it stereo by duplicating the audio and sending it to the opposite side by panning it over or using a effect. Audio is very important it will be hard for you not having done this before.

As for video goes always have a camera rolling as a safety net. Sometimes when I do handheld for a concert or live event. I stick a go-pro on top of my camera in wide mode as a safety net incase something happens and I miss something.

I am not going to lie this will be very hard for you to do and you will be stressed out, a lot. Your friends will be better off hiring someone who has experience in this, but if they are content on having you do it I will walk you through.

Get lot of footage, if you don't ind editing a lot, then shoot a lot. Stick a camera up on a tripod during the ceremony frame it nicely hit record. Then go shoot something else with a different camera. That camera on sticks would be your safety net. Zoom in to get shots of the ring and face. Weddings are very emotional so the face, eyes and mouth are key to capture.

You said you don't know how to use the reflector. It has two sides as your know a silver and a gold. This is used to get light on people in the sun (or even from a light if you need to). You bounce the light from the sun into the subject. It is used a lot on sunny days to counter shadows the sun would cause on people's faces. The reflector would be bounce light from the sun onto the subject. You have to hold it or have a friend hold it. Keep in mind the sun moves so you constantly have to adjust your angle of reflection.

• There are other editing programs that are free. Search around I don't know off the top of my head, but I have heard of some.
  
• Gear wise, as I said a mic of some sort, you will need better audio then your cameras can record.
  
• the ring exchange depends on the layout of the wedding, if you are the only shooter I would do the wide from your safety camera and get a close up with another camera. Remember to get the smiles, the ring is important, but the emotions are more important.
  *Movie templates are always available, if you want a DVD template or open credits you can find something for free especially for weddings online.
  
• Common pitfalls include, shaky footage, out of focus footage, poorly framed footage, forgetting to record, BAD AUDIO.
  
• how you prevent it ending up like crap, PRACTICE. Go film things with your set up test audio test zooming, test editing test everything so when you are out and shooting you don't get the "Oh shit" moment. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Watch other wedding videos see what you like what you don't and how you can make a good video with your tools you have.
  
  
  TL;DR be prepared, plan, practice.

As a Youtuber who's invested in the wrong gear before the right gear, here's a quality list that I've found works for my needs and will likely be great for you.


Camera

Panasonic GH4: This is a great camera that shoots 4K. If you are shoot in 4K, downscale to 1080p, you have the option to reframe and zoom into a closer shot without losing quality. It has a flip out screen so you can see yourself, focus peaking to show you on screen if you're in focus, and can record longer clips (in select modes) than the Canon T3i to make syncing easier. This camera is also great for when you want to deliver in 4K one day.
$1699


AC Power adapter: No worrying about batteries for the indoor shooting. $20


Lens

Panasonic 12-35mm: Versatile lens that gives you great range. $1000


14-42 kit lens: Cheaper alternative. $120


Audio

Zoom H4N: Great recorder for your mics. Monitor each mic's level independently. $250


Rode NTG-2: Shotgun mic. $270


Sennheiser Wireless Lav: Expensive, but great quality. $640


Audio Technica ATR-3350s: Cheap corded lavs with long wires. $30


You'll need one long XLR cable, a light stand to use for the boom, and some kind of shotgun mic shock mount. $60 for all.


Lighting

3-light softbox kit: Great kit, been using it for a year with no issues. I don't use the over head light, as I don't have the space. I can use the light stand to boom or for another light. $170


Neewer CN-160: Small LED light to help light certain situations or to use as a hair light. $30


Tripod

Manfrotto Tripod w/Fluid Head: Great set up, worth the investment, but there are cheaper alternatives. $350


Memory Card

64GB Sandisk Extreme Pro: Great card which will allow for smooth 4K recording. $100


____



If you have any questions about any of this gear, let me know and good luck with everything!

I have Reason 7 and a Mac Book (13 inch, non retina, 2012). Everything is just fine and projects from Reason 3 can be used with no problem.

When I was buying a Mac Book the retina was like $600 more than the base model so I went with that, and I'm glad I did. You don't need a retina display to make music.

Also I use an external display, so I never even open the Mac (actually I could probably have just bought a mac mini and it would be the same).

So, you're an engineer...be careful - just get a limited rig and then start making music. Do NOT start reading about everything that's available, your engineering brain will take over and you'll never get around to making music - instead you'll just fall into gear acquisition syndrome.

I would also advise getting the following:

A bluetooth Mac keyboard, a blue tooth mouse, and 4 or 8 rechargeable AA batteries (the batteries are key), and an external display.

For monitors a pair of Jbl LSR305. These seem to be the best "bang for your buck" monitors and in online reviews people will not shut up about how good they sound for $150. Avoid Rokits.

As for midi, I'd say get a good midi keyboard and a good set of drum pads. If you want cheap and easy I'd go for a nanoPad2
If you want something a bit more involved (and actually this is what you should get) go for the padKontrol

You'll need keys. Since you say you're a composer you'll need at least 49 keys (61 and 88 are obviously better, and best). When I was buying stuff the MPK49 was pretty much the best thing you could get (except for the pads). The MPK249 is coming out soon and supposedly has better pads, but we'll see.

And finally an audio interface. I have an Echo Audiofire4 which isn't made anymore (btw it's fucking awesome so if you can find one used, do it). It seems the focusrite 2i2 is the most popular choice among newbies...personally I'd go for something with more inputs. RME and MOTU seem to the best but you'll pay a lot more (though in the long run it's worth it).

I would also say, go slow. There are a ton of cheap midi controllers (like $50-$100) so just get one, see what you like and move on from there. DO NOT cheap out on your audio interface. Your audio interface is the most important part of the whole chain.

So, Reason 7 on a Mac and an external display/mouse/keyboard, some keys and pads, an audio interface, and a good pair of monitors and you're set.

Hope this helps.

Since I saw other people wanting to do voice acting and you yourself might be unsure about what gear to buy, here is advice from a musician:

Try to practice with what you have, when you start to feel more secured about your skill, try to buy a better microphone, do NOT buy a condenser microphone, those are too sensitive if you are starting out, buy a dynamic microphone instead!

Recommended microphones, both made by the brand 'Shure':

SM58

SM7B (If you really can afford it)


To be able to use a microphone that is from an XLR cable to maintain quality you need an audio interface, there is a market solution that brings you to a prosumer level very cheaply and it is called a 'focusrite scarlett solo' it is one of the cheapest but also most durable and stable interfaces in the industry that is worth having! You can hook your electric guitar too if you want to.


The interfaces:


Focusrite scarlett Solo

Focusrite scarlett 2i4 (If you really can afford it, options like the Pad button make it amazing for general use outside of recording)


Now you need a DAW if you want to upgrade from audacity, a DAW (Digital audio workstation) is your workfield, it is what provides you what you want in terms of FX or samples (if it delivers them)


Good cheap DAWs:

Reaper by Cockos

Ableton live 10 intro (more expensive but you get more fx to it, it is less userfriendly for beginners from my experience though)


VSTs are what you will be using in your arsenal for FX and voice processing, you got tons of free VSTs that work like a charm and you got tons of paid ones that obviously work better but you can get them for cheap at plugin boutique! or sign in for emails of the sellers! PM me to request the list for free VSTs, if the demand is high, I'll make a list for it here and edit the post!

The plugin boutique website

I jsut made the switch from a Blue Yeti to a Dynamic mic and XLR set up. I'll post what i picked up. May be a little over kill for solo but gives plenty of room for expansion.

First up, the MIC

Audio-Technica AT2005USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone

This as it states is a DUEL USB and XLR Dynamic Mic. Since I got it i have loved using it for LEt's plays to just Team chat in games and at Lan Parties. It's got what you expect from a USB Mic. Has a Headphone jack and on board volume for the headphones, And an ON/OFF switch. But then it is also XLR compatible. So it's not something you will toss out the door when you move to XLR.

To go with it i got a desk mount Etubby Adjustable Desktop Microphone Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand Holder and some better Mounts for the stand. I have it set up so i just push it out of the way when i don't need it.

As for a mix board i have picked up this
Behringer Q1202USB 12-Channel Mixer.

As in the name as well this is a USB mixer. This does have phantom power if needed, has 4 XLR Inputs , and 12 Channels. And it's only 100 bucks or less depending on Amazon's Mood. And if you got any Music stores around you, This is also sold by GUITAR CENTER in the states, So you may be able to find it locally for same or cheeper.

Since i got it, I Had a little bit of a learning curb and the need to turn up the Compression on the mic channels. First recording with it was well a little blown out. I use this even when solo now cause I get more control over the MIC levels. It's easy to use in windows as it is very much plug and play. Shows up as USB AUDIO CODEC in windows. And if you want to, you CAN send you audio back out through it. Though that part i'm still learning on if it's usable in recordings or not.

I'm Not sure how much Cost wise that will Translate into £'s. But this over all Cost me $180 just for the mic and Mixer. The Mic did come with an XLR cable with it, so you do not need to buy one unless you need it to be longer.

Long post, I Know, But hopefully that gives a few useful suggestions for ya.

Kyle's Setup

Microphone (Shure SM7B) - https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002E4Z8M/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=shure+sm7b&qid=1549674292&sr=8-2

That runs into a clean gain booster, Cloudlifter (I didn't know he wasn't running this since he got his Shure in 2014. Once I learned that, I had him get one and he's been running that for about a month and a half now) https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Microphones-CL-1-Cloudlifter-1-channel/dp/B004MQSV04/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=cloudlifter&qid=1549674274&sr=8-5

Which goes into his mixer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CTKI10A/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Now if someone wanted to run this setup, I would say don't get the Behringer, they have problems but most of the time they're fine. But you want to get a Focusrite Scarlett https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T50LY/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=cloudlifter&qid=1549674274&sr=8-12 or Mackie Onyx https://www.amazon.com/Mackie-Producer-Interface-Bundle-Polishing/dp/B07GJWQQM3/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=mackie+onyx&qid=1549674443&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1 (I recommend the Onyx but they're both fucking great, used both, currently running the Mackie in my new studio setup)

Taylor's Setup

Same exact setup as Kyle, even though I told them to get him this Blue Micrphone TUBE arm: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Compass-Premium-Tube-Style-Broadcast/dp/B078MLBGRM/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=blue+microphone+arm&qid=1549674585&sr=8-5

It's a way better arm. Kyle is using the standard Rode arm & either that's what Taylor's got now or he's using a super cheap ass one. But no way that cheap ass one would work with the Shure's weight, so he probably got a rode. But I recommended they both get the Blue tube arm.

Woody's Setup

Microphone (Electro-Voice RE20):

His preamp/mixer is all in his rack that's mounted with his PC which is down by his knee. I forget what he's using cause it's been many, many years since he built that thing.

The microphone arm he is using is the cadillac of microphone studio boom arms the K&M 23860: https://www.amazon.com/23860-Microphone-Desk-Arm-Black/dp/B00AXMM0L2?tag=paidinsi-20

-----------------

The Shure SM7B and Electro-Voice RE20 are the gold standard for radio and podcast production in studios. You can't go wrong. But if you get the SM7B then you need a pre-amp or something that's going to give you an additional 20-40db of clean gain.

If you don't have that Cloudlifter and just use it with that mixer, then you have to crank the fuck out of the gain which greatly increases and raises your noies floor. So you'll be audible and sound good, but you'll still get lots of white noise/background noise.

In my setup it's the Shure SM7B, Mackie Onyx, Cloudlifter, Blue Mic arm and quality XLR cables. When I plan to expand and add more microphones to do several people in studio productions. I'll create a rack unit VERY similar to what Lefty is currently running. With an electricity conditioner and the same preamp he has that I researched on my own and it's perfect for getting the clean gain added that you need so you don't need the cloud.

Respectfully, it's a complete waste of time and money. You're better off using your B speaker setup like I use mine as a way to run a different type of speaker for different content not in an AB configuration. That can create its own issues.

Bi wiring / bi amping

McGurk effect video

Better things to do than bi- wiring and bi-amping speakers to improve your audio experience:

1. Experiment with your speaker placements i.e. distance from boundaries, angle of speaker, distance from speaker and height of the tweeter lining up with your ear height at the MLP.
   
   
   
2. Get fully familiar with your receivers room correction type and setup procedures. If there are 6 or 8 different mic positions available at setup use them and rerun the room correction anytime you change what's in the room, your seating position , the speakers themselves or the speakers positions in the room and invest in a boom mic stand and camera mount adapter to keep the audio mic away from reflection points and try to reduce your rooms noise floor as much as possible before running the correction i.e. AC system, ceiling fans , screaming kids or wife.😏
   
   
3. Learn more about passive room treatments. You don't have to go crazy and there are several companies that offer free online modeling programs to determine the type and number of treatments your room might need at affordable prices. GIK Acoustics and ATS Acoustics are 2 good ones that spring to mind.
   
   ATS Acoustics online acoustic analyzer
   
   GIK Acoustics analyzer
   
   
4. Use good quality cables and connectors. Again you don't have to go crazy but getting good affordable cabling and connectors usually helps eliminate or reduce many minor troubleshooting issues to something other than the connectors and cables. Again Blue Jeans Cable and Mediabridge comes to mind but there are others.
   
   
5. Download the freeware program REW and just play with it a bit. You'll need a calibrated audio mic with an HDMI cable or stereo RCA connector to fulfill its full potential but there is a built in room modeling program that anyone with a sealed rectangular room can get some good benefits from using without a mic or cable and it gives you time to get more comfortable with what is a fully equipped acoustical software program and did I mention that it's free.?
   
   Room Equalization Wizard
   
   There's more. Like learn speaker specifications and what they mean with regards to efficiency and power requirements but these are the major things that came to my mind ahead of bi- anything.

for a build JUST for audio production, you could honestly probably get away with a pretty barebones motherboard. This is because the main question will be what outboard audio interface you will use with it. The audio interface will completely bypass the motherboards audio chipset, and if functioning properly, will provide far higher quality audio and much more routing options/customization than any motherboard chipset can claim. Fortunately you don't need to spend much to get something like that. This focusrite scarlett series is a particularly popular choice: https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-GENERATION-USB-Recording/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1491458677&sr=1-12&keywords=audio+interface I don't really recommend something like this though since it has no external power supply - if your friend intends to power and record a microphone that requires phantom power this interface will both transmit the data and 48 volt over usb 2.0. It works, but seems like people have mixed results with it. This Behringer Umc404hd is outrageous value for the $99 dollars its currently priced at. https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UMC404HD-BEHRINGER-U-PHORIA/dp/B00QHURLHM/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1491459101&sr=1-1&keywords=umc404hd. Pretty sweet with those 4 inputs and all those output options on the back.

I would say as long as the mobo has enough usb and sata connections you'll be fine. Just depends on whether your friend is interested in overclocking or gaming which will definitely increase the cost. For an overclockable motherboard Id get something like this https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130993&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= If not overclocking, you could go as cheap as this $46.99 ASRock H110M-HDS LGA 1151 Intel H110 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard and not run into problems as long as it has enough I/O for your friends needs. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157685&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Definitely understand being new to the game, took me a while to figure out what I needed for live use.

Here's my 2 cents:

• Free/low cost synth samples: You could check out the free Proteus VST, which includes tons of 80s and 90s style synths, basses, horns, strings, etc. sampled from the 90s-era Proteus 2000 rompler. http://www.creative.com/emu/proteusvx/ Check out sample videos on YouTube to see if you like the sounds . . . it is FREE, so that's a selling point. I've heard good things about Arturia's Analog Lab software, I think it's relatively cheap . . . you can get the software bundled with a keyboard controller for $99 (or less if you shop around).
  
  
• I don't know about PCI, but if you're trying to use USB to go to a PA, there are lots of choices available. A standard USB audio interface with one set of L and R outs to a PA board would probably run you $50 at lowest on Amazon. You can also find some small mixers that have a USB interface built in, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Alesis-MultiMix-USB-Four-Channel-Mixer/dp/B001T9O5VG/ref=sr_1_11?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421427469&sr=1-11&keywords=usb+interface
  
  I haven't used this mixer, but I've had good luck with Alesis mixers in the past. Using these interfaces would require you to run cables from the outs of the interface to the ins of the PA's mixing board.
  
  If you've got the money to spend, a better-than-lowest-rung USB interface might be a good investment. I bought the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 for home recording a year or so ago and LOVE it . . . you can find smaller/cheaper interfaces in that range and they're all great - it just depends on the number of ins/outs you need: http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Compact-Interface/dp/B00MTXU2DG/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421427916&sr=1-4&keywords=usb+interface&pebp=1421427921645&peasin=B00MTXU2DG
  
  
• Not sure about Chromebook . . . I don't have one. Does it allow you to install windows-based applications at all? Software apps on the Android platform are limited as compared to iOS because of the latency common in a lot of Android devices . . . but I'm not sure the line between Android and ChromeOS, having never owned a Chromebook.
  
  You could check out AudioTool: http://www.audiotool.com/
  It's a browser-based music studio with bass synths, key synths, samplers, sequencers, drum machines, etc. I believe it'll let you connect an outside MIDI controller keyboard and play the synth modules.
  
  Hope this helps!

Hardware/software wise it’s pretty simple. If you have a semi decent computer you can find free audio software. You’ll just need to purchase a microphone that connects to you computer via USB and download something like Audacity to get started.

If you want an easier solution you could go with a a multitrack recorder like the Zoom R8 or this zoom portable recorder The ZoomR8 is nice because you can do all your work directly on it, or do as I do and recordson it, pull out the SD card and import what you’ve recorded into your computer for mixing and adding any effects that you may want to do. It’s a great way to learn in my opinion and the one I recommend.

If your computer has a built in microphone, you can probably skip buying a mic and just download the software record like that.

If you try Audacity and don’t like it, just google free recording software there are a few options out there. Also, if you have a Mac if any sort, you can always use GarageBand since it comes with you Mac. You may or may not need a USB microphone for it. I’m not sure, I don’t use it

Oh and go to your local library. They should have some books on getting started with multi track recording at home.

Hope that helps!

Cheers

Be careful condenser mics like the Blue Yeti will pick up a dog farting 4 blocks away.

If you learn how to use a microphone and position it close to your mouth. I would go for a dynamic mic like the Audio-Technica AT2005 USB

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JX8O0Y

It is cheaper, higher quality, and won’t pick up as much noise.

Edit: I own both, because like most people I bought the Yeti based on the hype. But I did some research and learned about microphones and audio recording. It also depends on your use case. My Yeti (condenser mic) is great for when the kids want to talk to grandma, because they are never going to project their voice to the microphone.

But if you are podcasting or streaming and it is just your voice, dynamic microphones are the best. With my Yeti, I was picking too much background noise. I mean if you have a quiet studio, you could probably get by with a condenser mic, but it would pick up the fan noise from any computer case in the room. Noise suppression and noise gates can help, but you might as well buy a dynamic microphone.

Check out these resources for a good discussion:

• https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/condenser-vs-dynamic-mic-actually-need/
  
• https://homestudiobasics.com/condenser-mic-vs-dynamic-mic-differences/
  
  What I like about the Audio-Technica AT2005 USB, is that you can use it as a USB microphone, but if you want to get into higher end audio, it also has a XLR output. I personally just bought a used Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 to connect my AT2005 to. Next major purchase is a good mount and then I might splurge for a Heil PR40, Electro Voice RE20, or Shure SM7B. If you are rich with disposable income, I really like the setup they use on TWiT:
  
  
• http://wiki.twit.tv/wiki/TWiT_Brick_House_Equipment
  

The answer is.... it's compicated.

First off... where are you (country)? And what do you want to use the microphones for? And what is you budget?

1. "the at2035 will still sound better than an at2020usb mic right?"
   
   No-one who reviews microphones likes to say that one microphone is better than another (annoying right?). This is because sound and how a human interprets it and "hears" a thing is entirely subjective. So most reviewers will say "They sound different and personally I prefer this one....". It is generally true that a more expensive microphone will have better, more sensitive components, less self noise, better frequency response and will handle sound better. You are unlikely to notice a huge difference, though, if this is a microphone for you to stream games with...
   
   The frequency response of the AT2020 is 20-16'000Hz, the AT2035 has a frequency response of 20-20'000Hz. The power requirements for the USB mic is 5v and the XLR mic is 11-52v. When looking at the Audio Technica technical specifications for both microphones there is not much more information for the 2020 whereas the 2035 lists Low Freq Roll-off, circut sensitivity, impedence, noise dynamic range, etc. Audio Technica either do not provide that information for the USB mic as an oversight, or because it is not important/nothing to write home about. There is no doubt in my mind that AT2035 is the better microphone and a more worthy investment.
   
   AT2020 USB - http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/c75c5918ed57a8d0/
   
   AT2035 - http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/cebb57a269d232ee/
   
   There are also loads of links on YouTube where people compare microphones. One tip is that if you go and watch these, unless your PC has good monitor speakers try to listen to these videos using a pair of decent headphones (like these - https://www.whathifi.com/akg/k92/review). If you are streaming or producing music you will need a good pair of headphones anyway, good does not have to mean expensive. Just check out reviews, the K92's are fairly cheap and are good.
   
   YouTube link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4784ITB8WFI
   
   YouTube link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8wCHEe3m2E
   
   You will also find plenty of reviews there of the AT2035.
   
   
2. "I dont understand what I need to buy to make it work, like a mixer or something?"
   
   So... You will need something that provides phantom power to the microphone and then connects to your computer, usually by a USB. I use a Focusrite 2i4 2nd Gen. (note if you go done the Focusrite route there are plenty of units on Ebay as well as new, but make sure you get 2nd Gen.) Again it depends how much you want to spend and what you plan to use the microphone for... there are cheaper and more lightweight units (that does not mean that they are poor quality) and you can go right the way up to expensive and more complex units.
   
   

1. Blue Icicle XLR-USB Adaptor, a good leightweight solution - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Microphones-XLR-USB-Microphone-Condenser/dp/B001EW5YQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502188957&sr=8-1&keywords=USB+XLR+USB+Adaptor
   
   
2. Music Authority Best Audio Interface Buying Guide and Review summary page - https://musicauthority.org/audio/best-audio-interface/
   
   
3. Similar review product summary from musicradar.com - http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the-best-budget-usb-audio-interfaces-in-the-world-today-570850
   
   Good luck.

I've recorded myself a bit with both budget and hi end mikes. I have used a Zoom H4n Pro ($219) portable recorder for a project I have with classical guitar improvisations. All the recordings are done either in living rooms or outdoors. There's no fx on the recordings, only a little bit of eq and compressor. Here's a link to these recordings on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5XAY5a4uUdTP4EYave3ND3?si=AraITj7DQ8yUnF-Uk0t8wA

I also record original classical guitar compositions using expensive Schoeps mics (Collette stereo set w/Mk5 capsules), here's a solo guitar tune recorded with these mikes in a parallel configuration with added reverb:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4Nju2e1clXsp0SW0nycdM4?si=CtAFUNuFR0y_UpRpFzok-A

I happen to like the sound of the Zoom because it feels more "real" or "natural" to me. Like sitting in the room with the player. The good thing with doing recordings is, you'll have to practise getting less scratching. I get scratching all the time, but recording myself has helped me being aware of this and try to improve it. Same thing with playing, recording can help you improve because you'll probably start hearing what you'll need to practise when listening to your recordings.

Personally I don't like the sound of line/piezo much, but I guess it can sound more controlled and you'll probably get less scratching sounds as well. But budget mikes today can be great, I would do some experimenting with mic placement and maybe recording in different rooms if that's an option. Especially where you place the mic does make a huge difference, so I would advice to start with that. I like the sound of stereo recordings much better than mono also, it sounds more natural to me, and less honky.

Link to Zoom:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H4N-Digital-Multitrack-Recorder/dp/B01DPOXS8I

​

Link to Schoeps:

https://schoeps.de/produkte/stereo/sets/stereo-set.html

Once you get audio taken care of you'll have a good enough setup to get going. H1 is a good choice for audio and if you can swing it get this to go with it. It's a cheap lavaliere mic but sounds pretty decent for the price.

Those kinds of lights aren't the best, since a lot of light is spilled (wasted) out the sides since CFL bulbs put more light out the sides and not out the end (into the umbrella). But they are certainly better than nothing if that's all you have and can't buy better gear. Since you’re going for daylight balanced bulbs, I would definitely try to arrange it so you’re getting sunlight from a window to at least act as your fill light. Ideally you’ll start with a room with a ton of windows and sunlight. Then you can use your lights to add modeling to the subject.

Camera settings are subjective and dependent on the environment. You want to start with a good guess and adjust from there using your histogram for exposure. Don't trust the LCD. I'm sure you know that if you're a photographer. If it were me, I would start with f4 or f5.6 and try not to go wider than that. It can be a real challenge to keep the subject in focus if they move at all when you're shooting wide open. Set your desired shutter speed. And start at minimum ISO. Is it too dark? Then bring up the ISO until you have a good exposure. Is it too bright? Then choose from the following: stop down the aperture, increase the shutter speed, or move your lights farther away.

Not sure about software. I use FCPX. If you have a mac, iMovie should be more than adequate for this.

The best microphone I know of for this type of use would be the Sennheiser MD-46. It is one of the best if not the best interview microphone around. It has low handling noise and is a dynamic microphone with a super Cardioid pattern. It was specifically design by Sennheiser at the request of NBC Sport for their Olympic coverage a few decade ago and is the favored microphone for many NFL sideline reporters.

However, the Sennheiser MD-46 is an XLR microphone and not a USB microphone. So you'd either have to pick up a portable recorder such as the Zoom H5 or a USB Audio Interface such as the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 to make it work.

If you are thinking of just a USB microphone one of these microphones I tested would be my recommendation. The Knox Podcast Microphone is currently running for $40. But you can also pick up a Audio Technica AT2005, a Audio Technica ATR-2100 or a Samson Q2U. These microphones have a higher handling noise but do record great sound in a stable environment. They are also dynamic cardioid microphones but will pick up a bit more background noise than the Sennheiser MD-46. The bonus with these microphones is that they have both USB and XLR capability and output with both simultaneously so are extremely useful for any podcaster.

Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!

Thanks again! I had noticed on the back they had a "external mic input (plug in power)", but somehow didn't comprehend what it meant... great to know. Great tip about clip-ons for guests too, just the stuff I need :)

That mic you linked was somewhat pricey though... would something like this $22 ATR-3350 lavalier be OK? (I've heard good things about them for the price (mixed on amazon though!), but unsure if they count as 'powered' as in this application))

I will get the remote control too: had found a good deal for an accessory pack and I was wondering :)

Here’s my personal recommendations:

For an interface, this is the best bang for the buck on the market right now (again, in my opinion), especially if you’re just starting out :
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00QHURLHM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520813639&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=umc404hd&dpPl=1&dpID=41q-puettzL&ref=plSrch

For a mic(s), it really depends on how extensive (and what) you’re going to be recording, and specifically if you plan on recording real drums or not. I’d recommend just getting one or two mics to start with, and getting more slowly over time, because if you use sampled drums in the beginning (which is a reality for many small home studio owners), you can do quite a lot of work with 2 mics. I’d recommend the following:

Any large diaphragm condenser in this price range will get the job done, but here’s what I use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00D6RMFG6/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1520814113&sr=8-14&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=condenser+microphone

An SM57 is a standard in many studios, and is also versatile and good to have around:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000AQRST/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520814292&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=sm57&dpPl=1&dpID=31KR2%2BJ86GL&ref=plSrch

Now, for a monitoring situation (a.k.a. How you’re gonna actually listen to what you’re recording and mixing), it’s not the smartest idea to invest in monitors (which will eat up a substantial amount of your budget) without investing in treatment for the acoustics of your room. You could easily spend $500 on these two things alone, so I’d recommend just getting a pair of decent headphones for starting out. I know mixing on headphones is a whole can of worms on its own, but while you’re learning, it’s really not gonna make a difference, as long as you have something better than apple Earbuds (not that they aren’t useful). Just get something where you can really understand the sound of it, and reference on a lot of different systems, especially your car. (Disclaimer, I wouldn’t recommend spending more than $100 on headphones, and try to look for something with a relatively flat response, instead of something with cranked bass and hi end, so you can hear as accurately as possible)

As far as DAWs go, I know how appealing it is to buy the same program that people at the top of the industry might be using, but the truth is that most DAWs nowadays can essentially do the same thing. If you only take one of my recommendations, let it be REAPER. You can use a fully functionally demo for as long as you want, and chances, it’ll do everything you need, especially while you’re starting out. Hell, I know professionals that swear by it, and for good reason; it’s insanely flexible and useful, and for the price point (basically free, but if you end up sticking with it, you really should buy a license, it’s only like $60), you just can’t go wrong.
http://reaper.fm

Edit: Unless you’re gonna be mixing 50 track songs right out of the gate, your MacBook will probably be just fine for the time being

Hope all of this helps, good luck!

Not sure where your budget bracket falls into, but you can always find good microphones out of popular name brands (Razer comes to mind, I use their Blackshark headset and it's fine) but since you record a lot, you're going to be more focused on your microphone than a full-on headset, so I would recommend going for a desktop standalone. Sennheiser is one of the best makers you can come across, but not the most practical. I think your best bet is to just try one or two out that are Below $100 or so and just keep returning them to the store within a day or so if you haven't found the quality you're looking for.
Couple options I found after just searching a bit:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/snowball-ice-usb-microphone/3242031.p?skuId=3242031&ref=212&loc=DWA&ksid=3e33501a-bb4a-476e-aded-0a38dbf5dd86&ksprof_id=3&ksaffcode=pg213668&ksdevice=t&lsft=ref:212,loc:2&gclid=CjwKEAiA3qXBBRD4_b_V7ZLFsX4SJAB0AtEVX0thRWeC0I_T8xoQ_g66W5jwC3lCUrEQkPnKLful_xoC7U_w_wcB

https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Meteor-Studio-Microphone-Chrome/dp/B004MF39YS/ref=zg_bs_3015406011_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=J8CFQ57YAJSP6MJ435XS

https://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Beach-Universal-digital-Streaming-TruSpeak/dp/B01GTL4YKK/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1479175250&sr=1-4&refinements=p_36%3A1253505011%2Cp_72%3A1248879011

Hope I'm not too far off the mark, good luck brother

Drew uses a lot of stuff I've used or am currently using!

The headphones are the Sony MDR7506, or the Sony MDRV6 and they are ultimately the same thing. I have both, I haven't been able to tell the difference, and from what I've researched, they use the same parts internally, so the only thing different is the cosmetics. I know the Vergecast also uses these headphones in their studio.

While I don't have the Focusrite 2i2 like Drew was using, I do own the Focusrite 18i8 (Gen 1), and the Focusrite 18i20 (Gen 2) and both are phenomenal. They are more expensive than a standard USB Mixer, but the pre-amps make up for some of that cost, plus the ease of use.

I have never used the Shure SM7B, but it's the same microphone that Kinda Funny Games uses. I use the Electro Voice RE20, which is the same Microphone that Giant Bomb West and East uses, as well as, the Vergecast. I would love to hear Drew's opinions on both mics. Both mics are exceptional review-wise and very popular in audio recordings, but having Drew compare the two would have some value.

And just because I have listed all the equipment Drew has used. Here is the Anker 10-Port Hub he was using. Anker is a great brand for USB/Computer accessories. They have an outstanding warranty and customer service department.

Note none of these links are affiliate links, this post was simply to make it easy to find the gear Drew was using.

Hi /u/nerdress -

The Rode Videomic Pro is a pretty good mic but the t3i is really, really bad for audio no matter how good the microphone. I'd strongly suggest getting an external recorder like the H4N or, at the very minimum, a H1N. You may want to pair it with a XLR shotgun mic like this if you can find the $$$.

A tripod is something that can last for many years, but the one you linked to is really bottom of the barrel. This is something I'd suggest investing a little more money into, you are going to want a universal fluid head specifically if you plan on doing video work semi-regularly. I'd get a semi-compact Manfrotto tripod like that one, you won't regret it.

Lastly, do you plan on using the kit lens? I'd suggest grabbing the famous nifty fifty. It's a legend for many reasons (super sharp, great lowlight, durable as can be).

Also you are going to want to get this battery grip for the t3i if you don't have one already. I remember when I shot on a t3i I purchased that out of whim, and I'm pretty sure I never took it off for 3+ years. It not only extends your battery, but it makes the camera much more comfortable to hold.

Hope some of this helps, sounds like you'll be in good shape! Remember, audio is just as important as video, so it's smart to invest in that type of gear.

Well kind of the same deal, but my point still stands. I meant a boom mic with the adapter which is basically the same damn thing but a longer arm. The thing folds up and I haven't used mine in a while and I always think it's a tripod which it basically is.

I still think I'd win in court because it's logistics and tangible difference is putting it mildly, more like, after reading all the nuances of how to actually run audyssey, and no you don't pick up whatever shitty thing they give you and plop it in 8 different spots and think it'll be fine, you probably made it even worse actually because it's crazy precise and beyond amazing. The Judge would make you eat your hat unless you have a great lawyer.

Denon actually pays them to let them use it and it's the best in the world and you don't know how lucky you are to actually have the top of the line too. Take a pic or let me see your distance levels between the speakers and then just the Audyssey specs on the levels.

Here is what to get:

https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Stands-MS7701B-Tripod-Microphone/dp/B000978D58 - Boom/Tripod

https://www.amazon.com/CM01-Camera-Digital-Recorder-Adapter/dp/B001GWCC4I/ -- mic mount

The adapter that goes in the end and you screw in the mic perfectly and then you are ready to rock and roll to set it at perfect ear level, swivel it in 3 different positions so you don't have to go crazy by making sure all the positions are equal. Plus if you have a couch or recliner or something you can kind of work around it as best you can. So when you read the forums that is what they'll tell you to get too, although they are crazy over on AVS so I bet they will tell you to get some $200 boom mic/Tripod but that is just fine and what we've (people on avs) have been using for years, although I haven't been keeping up with the latest info the past few years. There are a few vids on youtube that I saw a year or two a go using a boom mic, which is how you do it, but I can only imagine the finer points of your setting.

I have a 4k TV that my 7.1 Denon doesn't display a picture at all, but that's not a problem for me because I remember ever single little setting on the receiver by heart so it's not even an issue for me and running it just fine through HDMI from computer to receiver then back to TV while still keeping all the bitstreaming and lossless formats which makes me think I can hold off even though I'm starring at the $500 3400H in my cart right now and it's a hell of a deal but with the new models coming out I'm sure we'll see it again.

I'm currently using this microphone on this boom stand, clamped to the side of my desk. I originally invested in this setup because I was planning on streaming on Twitch and making youtube videos, so I wanted the good quality of the microphone and I liked the aesthetic that the boom arm provided. I was originally looking at the Blue Snowball and other mics and eventually settled on this one because the dynamic microphone was better than condensed ones for my purposes (doesn't pick up nearly as much environment noise).

It's now 2.5 years later and I've disliked this setup for a long time. I'm still using it because I just haven't gotten around to switching to something else (probably going to go with the Antlion ModMic). The microphone (even this cheaply priced, low end one) is completely overkill quality-wise. Sure, everybody on Teamspeak and Skype thinks I sound the best of anyone on there, but it's not like that matters, especially for me - I'm not the one hearing it. If you're going to be streaming or making videos, yeah, the quality is absolutely paramount, but just for general gaming it's very overkill. I've heard the ModMic's quality from multiple sources - youtube reviews, friends on skype/teamspeak, etc - and it sounds just fine. In fact, it's been a very long time since I've heard a modern microphone whose quality is insufficient for gaming and perhaps professional webinars.

Now, the thing that makes me dislike the setup is that the boom arm has become make-you-want-to-flip-your-desk levels of noisy as you move it, and I move it back and forth constantly. It takes up such a ridiculous amount of space that I'm moving it all the time because it's just uncomfortable and inconvenient and in the way when I'm not using it. When I am using it, it's permanently in my peripheral vision and that's just something I've had to get used to, but all for what? There are so many reasons NOT to go with a table mic or other kind of setup that really you should only be doing it if what you're doing requires, really, professional level sound. Other mics, like the Vmoda Boompro mic, the Antlion ModMic, hell even the cheap as dirt Zalman clip-on mic for like $8 will do the job just fine. Dealing with the extra cable that comes from the ModMic or a clip on mic is LEEEEEAGUES ahead of the solutions you'll need to employ to get rid of desk/keyboard sounds going through your table mic (you pretty much need a shock mount). On top of that, with the table mic you need to worry about placement, it takes up space on your desk which is dumb, or you end up with some dumb thing like a boom arm which is the absolute opposite of elegant, especially when it starts creaking and literally sounding like Santa Claus's workshop every time it moves a millimeter. Sorry, this turned into more of a rambling rant because honestly I've just been dealing with this shitty setup every single day for 2.5 years without benefiting at all from the quality of the microphone except for, I guess, just knowing that I sound better than everyone else on Teamspeak. I'm probably going to go on Amazon and order a ModMic or something directly after hitting save on this comment.

I guess the take-away here, my advice would be to drop the mindset that the quality that comes from a table mic like a Blue Snowball, Yeti, Sampson Meteor Mic, etcetcetc is needed and worth the hassle that is a table mic. Move forward with the mindset that other solutions - BETTER solutions - are just as good, especially when quality really isn't something that's make or break for you. Streaming and making youtube videos and such makes microphone quality pretty much the most important part of your setup because no one wants to listen to you unless you sound perfect, but gaming and the occasional webinar is a much different situation.

If you have any questions let me know.

tl;dr maybe try separate outputs for each pickup

If you want to go for something unique and versatile without spending much cash, you can go for a two-output configuration. On the Fender Jazz, this would involve putting a second output jack where the tone knob currently is. You can decide how to wire up the remaining knobs... maybe you don't need volume control for one pickup, but you do want tone control for it, or maybe you don't need tone control at all.

The idea is to have one pickup going to one output, and the other pickup going to the other. That way, you can put the effects on the sound of only one pickup.

I do this on my main bass. It has a fat mudbucker at the neck position, and it has a P-style pickup at the mid position, and the P-pickup is wired to a 0.0047 μF capacitor to kill the low end, so that it doesn't interfere with the mudbucker. The mudbucker runs clean to provide a huge low end, and the P-style pickup runs through an overdrive pedal to boost the treble and add some crunch, and also a phaser when I want something a little different. This way, all the effects only act on the attack and the fret buzz sound, while the low end can just be what it is.

Maybe you want something different, like putting thick fuzz on the neck pickup while the bridge pickup provides a clean, treble-rich attack with a little bit of chorus. Maybe you set up one pickup with a reverse tone knob... if you wire it up like it's a volume knob, and then bridge the terminals with something like a 0.0047 μF capacitor, you'll have a knob that turns down the low end while leaving the high end. There's a lot you can do, and this is a fairly easy mod that's fairly easy to undo if you don't like it. But if you like to use a lot of effects, having two signal chains with different frequency profiles can provide a lot of versatility.

If you have two amplifiers, great, but to combine the signals for one amplifier, you'll need something like this, which runs about $25: https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-MicroMIX-MX400-Low-Noise-4-channel/dp/B000KGYAYQ

Here's the thread where I describe the two-output mod I made to my bass: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/5mn5my/gave_my_cheap_ibanez_a_new_paint_job_a_second/

When buying a new bass, the biggest thing to look for is how it feels. You can always change pickups and electronics and such, but finding a bass that's just fun and comfortable to play is the challenge. If you're interested in a Rickenbacker, it already has dual-output capability, so go to the music store with your pedals, and try a bunch of configurations with the effects, and you'll see what's possible.

There's no way you can be on a team without a mic.

Price an issue?

• This Clip On Mic is only 8 dollars and is pretty high quality too.
  
  
• If you can afford to go higher I can recommend a Blue Snowball for $60.
  
  
• Also, maybe a CAD U1 for $30.
  
  Even a headset will do. Make sure you enable push to talk and are using headphones.
  
  Are you afraid? Get over it. Sorry for the bluntness, but consider your team to be friends. People you'd play any game with and still have a good time. If they aren't people you can relate to, don't join their team. It's that simple. Find people you can relate to easily. Find people that won't yell at you. Find people that will crack the occasional joke and laugh at stupid/amazing plays. You will create incredible bonds with these people, and have lifelong friends. These people must be more important to you than a random lobby player, so talk to them!
  
  And to be honest... most teams don't take people who can't/won't talk. Even if you were Clockwork or Ruwin.
  
  So, get a mic.

If this is you... "but it doesn't look cool like those other streamers have with their racing chairs and Yeti mics!" this info isn't for you.

​

But if you want good quality and an enjoyable experience I got you covered. I'm not talking about spending tons of money up front, but instead getting good gear from the start that will solve problems you didn't realize until you were stuck with them and setting you up to save money in the long run to upgrade to an even better set up in the future.

​

I have spent a few thousand dollars on multiple set ups (AT2020 w/ Scarlet 2i2, Rode NT-USB, Shure SM7B w/ Cloud Lifter & Scarlet 2i2, Beyerdynamic MMX300 & What I use now Electro Voice RE320 w/ Art Voice Channel)

Here's my battlestation: http://imgs.fyi/img/7p6s.jpg

​

After spending hundreds of hours trouble shooting, sound proofing, gear swapping, re-watching vods etc. I have a passion for getting good gear and not just what "every one else has", it drives me nuts. So long post inc.

​

The problems with the Yeti...

- its massive, so it gets in your way/eye sight

- weights a lot, so boom arms have to be heavier duty and not as easy to move around

- no native pop filter, so you only have the small foam ones or the giant round ones with goose necks that take up even more room

- side directing mic (meaning you have to speak into the side and not the end) so you have to position it funny with its giant size

- Condenser style, so it is extremely sensitive, will pick up all background sounds, computer fans, keyboard etc (the other option is called a Dynamic Mic, which will pick up virtually no background noise)

- No future upgrade ability, want to add a good compressor, noise gate, eq, gain booster etc.. need all new gear. It sucks to spend money on something and then a year later want to upgrade and realize you wasted money.

​

So, a couple common mics that solve some of these problems are the

- Rode NT-USB, smaller profile, "built in" pop filter

- Audio-Technica AT2020, smaller profile, can get a small contoured pop filter

​

But both of these still have the problem of being condensers that pick up too much noise and no future upgrade paths.

​

If I was starting over from scratch I would start with a

- Audio Technica AT2005USB https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2005USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B007JX8O0Y/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=usb+xlr+mic&qid=1554823050&s=gateway&sr=8-8

Can use USB into PC and nothing else required to start. End address so it doesn't get in the way, small and light, lots of good foam popfilters out there for mic shapes, and most importantly it's a DYNAMIC mic. So you wont have to spend hours and hours with noise proofing, buying keyboard dampners to silence it, hanging blankets on the walls to block out noise, telling your family/neighbors to be quiet because your condenser mic picked up the noise ETC

Then when you want to add more gear to really get top tier sound you can use the mics XLR connection because it has both!

​

Okay that was enough, but just in case you're interested, heres a list of my gear that I am 100% happy with and never expect to change (audio gear lasts decades)

- Electro Voice RE320 /w accompanying foam pop filter & small generic shock mount

- Art Voice Channel, has a all the features you'd ever need all in one. Gain, Impedence, Compressor, Expander/gate, Noise Gate, EQ, USB interface

- ProBoom ultima

Just a few thoughts: If you are a beginner and especially if you are going to be both operating the camera and doing interviews at the same time, don't use a DSLR. You need a regular consumer camcorder, the nicest one you can afford. Be sure it has an external microphone input and a headphone output. So, you will need at least one external microphone, a shotgun and/or a lavalier. The most important thing in your documentary is good sound!

This little Audio Technica lavalier can sound just fine:
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-3350-Omnidirectional-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B002HJ9PTO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382119845&sr=8-2&keywords=audio+technica+lavalier+mic

This inexpensive shotgun also works well:
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-6550-Condenser-Shotgun-Microphone/dp/B002GYPS3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382119920&sr=8-1&keywords=audio+technica+shotgun+mic

A little explanation: A consumer camcorder has pretty good auto focus and usually face recognition, so you won't have to worry about keeping things in focus. Also, you'll have pretty good auto exposure and auto white balance. If you are shooting your first documentary with limited experience and/or a very small crew, you need to think about content and let the camera help you instead of having to think about too many things. It's true a DSLR with a good operator can make your documentary look better, but it won't matter if the story isn't there. If your story is good, the audience will accept a lot of shortcomings, especially in the picture.

When shooting, use the external microphone whenever you can. If you have only one subject, use the lavalier, otherwise use the shotgun. Always monitor the audio in the headphones. I have a friend who accidentally plugged the microphone into the headphone jack and didn't know it until too late!

Good luck!

Depends on what you want to do. This seems to be a great consumer product but I wouldn't be sure that this is a right choice for a producer. From all the reviews I've read, it sounds good, but that's not what you want as a producer, you want it to sound true. It's the same case as with the bass in your headphones. You want a true sound, not something that is made pleasing to the ear. You need to hear your mix clearly without boosts in certain frequencies, you need to hear your mistakes so you can fix them. Plus when the bass is artificially boosted in your headphones, it makes by default the low mids and mids distorted and muddy, thus hurting your ability to truly hear what's going on in the music.

Second thing is that this interface doesn't have any inputs, so you can't use it for recording at all. But if you don't ever plan on using microphones for recording vocal lines, samples of whatever, talking, perhaps collaborating musician's instruments, then it shouldn't bother you. (I'd recommend having them just in case anyway)

One more thing that you might appreciate in the future is a separate output for headphones and for monitors. Once you get them, you'd be glad you don't have to unplug them every time you want to use headphones.

In the end, I'd recommend going for a traditional audio interface. Those things are made for producing music so they deliver a sound as uncolored as possible with I/O and features that are practical for a producer and a musician.

In the same price, category check out these for example:

Focusrite Scarlett Solo

Behringer U-PHORIA UM2

Presonus AudioBox

or simply type "audio interface" into the search bar and look for yourself. Hope this helps.

Sure!

So I'll assume you guys have the absolute bare bones in equipment and work from there. Since these are voice recordings from the 60s\70s there won't be much fidelity to capture so you should be pretty safe.

I've only done this with a Windows machine but I think there are similar settings on Mac. If not this will at least give you an idea of what to Google.

You'll need to get the audio from the tape deck to the computer. Technically you should use a line input. If you have a desktop computer it might be the blue connector. If you have a laptop you can use one of these things or something similar. If you're a cheapskate like my Dad you can just use the microphone input (if you have a headphone/microphone combo jack you'll need this doo-dad).

Note that the Mic input is "hot" in the sense that it's very sensitive to the noise coming into it and a line level input from a tape deck with clip out all the audio. You'll need to dial the mic sensitivity down. In Windows 10 right click the audio icon>Sounds>Recording>Select your default mic input>Properties>Listen>✔Listen to this device (to monitor)>Levels>Adjust levels. How to adjust levels should be apparent soon.

If you're using a Walkman type player you can connect with a simple auxillary cable (double sided male headphone jack). If you have a big tape deck just hook it into the Mic or Line jack with one of these. Toss a tape in there and let it play. Check to see if you can hear it with the "Listen to this device" checked. Adjust the levels to where it sounds normalish. You'll fine tune it next.

Install Audacity. In the top bar you'll see a mic input drop down, select your line in or mic input. Click the audio meter for the mic next to check your input levels. Advice on this varies but in general keep the green bar bouncing on the low end between the -12 and -6 during normal audio levels on the tape. This gives some wiggle room when people on the tape get antsy. You can adjust that with the OS input levels and fine tune it with the Audacity mic levels.

Restart your tape, hit record, and play it through.

When exporting I like to use FLAC for lossless audio but if you're looking for something more practical just use a high quality setting for MP3. FLAC is built in but you'll have to install the MP3 exporter (which I just linked wiki instructions for). You can also use WAV but its a lot bigger and doesn't support tags. When you export you'll have options to tag the artist data. I like to input as much data as I have about the tape in these fields. It will display in any compatible media player and it keeps things generally more organized.

If you don't want to bother with any of that you could try visiting local music shops and recording studios and I'm sure there's someone there that you could pay to have it done. I've never tried that though.

Hope that sets you down the right path. Preserving old audio like that of our parents is important. I have a box of old "love tapes" my Dad mailed to my Mom when they were dating. I should digitize them... but it's really weird to hear. Maybe I'll send them out.

Hey guys,


The DAC and amp guide here seems a bit old and I'm a bit of a newbie so I figured I'd ask here.


Here is my current equipment at my work desk:

• Dell E1505 laptop - crappy, giant, old school enterprise laptop. Only audio output is 1/8th headphone jack and the sound card is awful
  
• M-Audio Studiophile AV-40 Active Studio speakers with built in amp
  
  
  These are currently connected using a simple 1/8th to 1/8th audio cable, but the end result sounds awful and looks ugly as well since the 1/8th cable has to be plugged in to the front.
  
  
  I would like to hook up the laptop to send audio to the speakers, I don't usually use headphones. The speakers use RCA and 1/8th as input, but I'd like to use RCA because those inputs are behind the speaker and won't clutter my desk. In an effort to accomplish this AND improve the sound quality a bit, should I get a DAC? And should I consider switching speakers or do you guys think these are ok?
  
  
  
• Audio source: laptop.
  
• Audio type: music, mostly metal, some IDM, some hip-hop.
  
• Willing to buy used: yes.
  
• Budget: ideally <$150, the lower the better.
  
  
  
  Ideally, I'm looking for the DAC to run off of AC/USB power since I intend to leave it plugged in 95% of the time. A rotary volume dial would be ideal but isn't strictly necessary. Do I need something like these? And if yes, which one would you recommend?
  
  
  
• Syba USB DAC
  
• Nuforce Icon UDAC-3
  
• Modi USB
  
• Fiio E10
  
• Audioengine D1
  
• DAC destroyer
  
  
  
  
  PS - Could something like this Fiio D3 work maybe? Not sure what kind of adapter would be needed, but it seems unlikely.
  

I have a few recommendations for you to get you started:

1. This book: Music Theory for The Computer Musician , it's a great way to start off if you're unfamiliar with music theory. It gives you the basics and foundation of theory and while showing you how to apply it to various DAWs. It's a fairly easy read and there are quizzes and a CD with examples from the lessons. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
   
   
2. Here are some good subreddits:
   /r/edmproduction/
   /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/
   /r/abletonlive/
   
   
3. As others have mentioned, there are no shortage of resources online. There's tons of Youtube videos and forums where you can find tutorials.
   
   
4. I also recommend listening/reading up on different types of EDM to give yourself a better understanding of what differentiates each genre. For example, check out the "House Music" wiki. Look at the description and try to understand what the "elements" of House music are: Rhythm structure, characteristic sounds, etc.. Do that for the genres you like first, and then venture to others you may not be familiar with.
   
   
5. Lastly, if you're serious about it, stick with it. Just like anything, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. Also, keep in mind it's not a cheap hobby or easy (time wise). You can do a lot of basic stuff with you Macbook and Logic (or whatever DAW you prefer) to get yourself started. I would hold off buying much hardware until you are comfortable with basics. If anything I would start off with some headphone and speaker monitors. (the links are to what I'm using and recommend to get started).
   
   
   I hope at least some of that is helpful...Good luck with everything!

I have this http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2005USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B007JX8O0Y
got it not too long ago and I absolutely love it. The sound quality is quite good however not as good as a nice condenser mic. The Blue Snowball and Blue Yeti are very popular mic's in your price range as well. I would suggest checking out some reviews.

I switched to the dynamic mic over my condenser mic because they tend to be less sensitive to background noise, vibration and environmental factors at the expense of a little bit of quality. I was using a very decent condenser mic I had from doing music stuff years ago but I was running it through a Blue Icicle XLR to USB adapter and that thing was less than amazing.

Also, ideally you want to isolate the mic from your desk to reduce keyboard noise, so if you're going to be recording voice over while you play you don't really want to be using the small stands most Podcaster style mics come with. Boom stands and broadcaster arms are what you want to take a look at, as well as shock mounts and you'll want a pop filter or windscreen too, you're probably looking at around $30 bucks for all that stuff at the low end. The essential bit is the pop filter/windscreen but those are very inexpensive (a wire hanger and some panty hoes will make a good pop filter in a pinch).

Will $100 buy a "great" mic? No, not really haha. But it will buy you a very good mic and on top of that you can tweak your recording a bit to bring out an even better sound if you're inclined to do that. Once you're past the $100 mark there's a bit of a diminishing return on the investment in my opinion and there are tons of things you can do to improve your audio before you drop $500 on an amazing pro mic. I wouldn't suggest going beyond your current budget for your first mic, you will learn a ton about your voice and audio recording once you get into it. From there you will be able to make a much more informed decision if you choose to upgrade down the line.

> The Razer Seiren features a versatile multi-pattern USB digital connection capable of four different recording pattern configurations with three custom-tuned 14 mm condenser capsules. This makes the Razer Seiren digital microphone ideal for the needs of professional musicians

Yeah... no. Not without an XLR jack. Microphone preamps are as important (some say more important) than the mic itself.

These USB microphones are fine for streamers, but not at this price. Think about it, this is what you are getting:

• 1. Small microphone capsules (3)
     
• 2. Microphone preamp
     
• 3. Analog to digital converter
     
• 4. Microphone preamp
     
     Between say, $60 and $200, you really wont see "studio quality," for "professional musicians."
     
     Besides that, condenser mics would not be my first advice for streaming. They excel at picking up transients and room noise (clicky keyboards, anyone?) and will sound horrendous when they clip. If you want to step up your gear, buy a Focusrite Scarlett Solo and a Shure sm57 for a bit more money. Or if you really want a condenser, you can get an MXL 770. If you truly want broadcast quality, get a Shure sm7.
     
     My friend has a yeti, it's fine, i have heard streamers with the Blue snowball mic, yeah it sounds fine. But don't charge $180 and call it studio grade. It's like HP passing off a $300 prebuilt desktop as a gaming machine.
     
     EDIT: Or a great option is the Sennheiser broadcast mics. The HMD280 is an HD280 with a mic slapped on it, and this is stepping into the realm of actual broadcast-quality gear. It will sound awesome, will pick nothing up but your voice, will not clip, and hey you get a $100 pair of headphones to boot. You'll still need the preamp though.

What higher-end programs do you have access to? You'll have more options most likely than Audacity. Even Reaper is a better choice for editing/processing/mixing.

Getting something to dampen the wall now might help, but it's unlikely to be able to tell without doing a full room acoustic analysis.

USB microphones pale in comparison to regular XLR microphones and a good recording interface, because of the sheer difference in sound card quality. Basically, all the A/D conversion in a USB microphone is shafted for convenience. I have an Audio-Technica AT2020, and a Blue Yeti Pro, and the AT2020 through my Focusrite is much better.

I've done some listening to you and to Matt Shea. From what I can tell, he's got some audio issues as well, but he also uses compression, EQ, and other effects. You come across clearly, but the timbre (natural fundamentals) of your voice is cut through by noise reduction. Noise reduction is NOT a catch-all; it should be used sparingly. I usually go by this rule: Try to make your processed audio match the original sound as much as possible.

Those are a couple of suggestions. You're already ahead of the curve with the shock mount. Now you just need to use some more advanced software and upgrade your microphone. I think maybe switching to a dynamic microphone could work for your voice. Something like the Shure SM7B or similar (SM7B's are expensive).

I hope I gave you some insight on improving. If you have more questions, make sure to ask!

listen to me and tell me using audition to reduce background noise is bullshit. it's not, you just have to know what you're doing. http://www.twitch.tv/grandstaryoshi/v/27950653 (this link is used as an example of audio quality, not advertisement.)

what i do, for those curious/wanting to do the same:

• in your microphone's preferences, set its levels to 75, + set the default format to 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000Hz. http://prntscr.com/9bagtn
  
  
• using adobe audition, open a multitrack, then go into your audio hardware settings and set the default input device to your microphone, and set the default output device to your default audio device (for me, that would be my headphones.) http://prntscr.com/9bag9u
  
  
• do the same to track 1 of the multitrack (you can delete any other tracks, you only need this one.) http://prntscr.com/9bah80
  
  
• in the effect rack, add a single-band compressor and a parametric equalizer. http://prntscr.com/9bahkh
  
• single-band compressor settings: http://prntscr.com/9bahzp + parametric equalizer settings: http://prntscr.com/9bai9z
  
  
• click both the little R and I icons in track 1 of the multitrack. this will make the microphone output to the selected device, in this case, my headphones. http://prntscr.com/9bajgp
  
  you may see i also have two other effects, dynamics processing and an echo. dynamics processing basically evens out audio levels, bringing quiet sounds up and loud sounds down. i use this for various other things, but not for cutting out background noise. it actually brings that out more. and the echo is just for fun, really. :P
  
  a couple of things about this setup. one, i run my microphone audio, as well as any other stream audio, through my headphones and only use one channel in OBS, the desktop audio source, and then give that a 5db gain boost within OBS, that way i'm able to know and balance my own audio levels rather than having to constantly ask chat if audio levels are okay. hearing yourself during stream takes a bit of getting used to, but it's super useful in the long run. if you don't want to do this, you can run it through a virtual audio cable and set that as your output device in audition, then set that up as your microphone source in OBS.
  
  also, i HIGHLY recommend getting a mic arm. the one i use cost me $20 on amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Suspension-Scissor-Built--Female/dp/B00AK7SKL4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449483500&sr=8-1&keywords=neewer+broadcast+arm), and came with a shock mount. i also don't recommend pop filters unless they're attached to the shock mount out of personal preference, as i've found clamping shock mounts to be super clunky and in the way, especially for streaming. i prefer to use a windscreen (although get one bigger than the one i have. it doesn't cover the entire mic, and more importantly, the actual part you speak into. i just keep it there until i get a bigger one.).
  
  and the advice about keeping the microphone close to you is very sound. 6 inches, no more than a foot.
  
  any questions, feel free to ask.

Having good audio is crucial (Especially for a mostly voiceover channel). Now normally I would say, "stay away from mics less than 200" just because it is really an investment and you get what you pay for, but the snowball is a fantastic mic, especially for its price.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Microphone-Aluminum/dp/B002OO333Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466624278&sr=8-3&keywords=blue+microphones+snowball

If thats still a bit pricey, I would say save up until you can afford it because anything less than that will either break the day you open it or sound similar to what you are using right now. (Keep in mind, i dont mean to sound like a jerk, i'm a nice guy i swear) And the great thing about this one, over the snowball ice is that it has a switch that will cancel out any background noise automatically.

If you want the cheaper variant, i thought i would link it, its fine but it doesnt cancel out background noise for you so it will sound pretty cruddy. But if 70 bucks is too much, this is the absolute cheapest i would suggest.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B006DIA77E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466624278&sr=8-2&keywords=blue+microphones+snowball

Happy hunting!

Depends on what you're going for...on the mic side I would totally recommend the "Blue" brand mics. They're cheap(ish), reliable, sound fantastic and are very simple to use. The Audiotechnica mics are pretty good as well, here's my [personal favorite] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QJREXM/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d4_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=195GX3VX0C1R7HKTJWNK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846)

Editing:
For editing there's a lot of choices, a ton. Personally I'm a big fan of
Premiere Pro and Adobe Creative Cloud overall. I'm also studying graphic design and finding out how those skills can be used to enhance my let's plays. So the package comes with Premiere Pro, Photoshop (for image editing/graphic design), After Effects(for any effects heavy work, how I make the intros to videos, etc.

If you JUST want barebones editing and nothing too fancy Sony Vegas is a really easy piece of software to learn, it's not too difficult and can create some nice videos without much experience.

Capture:
I don't know much on this one...at least for consoles. I've used and tried out every piece of recording software for the PC although, still recommend and go with FRAPS. It takes up a LOT of space, but it works the best and never really fails. Console-wise...I would go with the Elgato. It seems the most appealing to me, but considering you want to capture legacy consoles it does't really work/

I hope I helped, I'll answer any questions if you have any! :)
-Dave

I like his commentary a lot and I think he has huge potential, so here a few little things that he could improve:

• Get a widescreen monitor. 4:3 is very offputting if you're watching it on 16:9/16:10. I personally like the newer IPS panels, but an average TN will suffice.
  
• Buy a better mic. The audio quality is very important if you are doing a lot of commentary and the average headset one isn't good enough most of the time. A lot of streamers/casters use this one since it's rather cheap, solid quality and looks awesome
  
• Adjust your webcam angle and position. The image should contain mainly your upper body and your face while the camera is placed on the same level as your head or shoulders like this. Basically you want to give the viewer the impression that he is sitting right in front of you since it helps with presenting your personality and content. If you need a decent webcam with better quality and a better stand a lot of streamers use this one.
  
  If you have trouble with funding your hardware I'm sure redditors will be glad to help you out a bit.
  
  
  
  
  

Hey dude. Great video. You might also crosspost to /r/cars. I bet they'd dig it.

My wife and I do a YouTube car show called Crossthreaded. We subscribed and retweeted and facebooked it.

We're by no means experts, but two things you can really easily do:

1. Grab a lavalier mic. The cheap (~$30), wired ones on Amazon really help get all the "room" out of your audio. We have two of these going into a H4N.
   
   
2. Be a little more dynamic. If you talk to the camera exactly the same way that you'd talk normally to a friend, for some reason it looks wooden.
   
   More shots of the car would have been good like the other poster said.
   
   Great work, though.

Samson makes some desktop monitors that feature bluetooth input. I haven't really seen any reviews for them yet. The MediaOne

Take a look at reviews for those and get at least the 4" ones. I can't expect the 3" ones would have much bass response.

Everything else listed lacks bluetooth, but you could add a standalone bluetooth reciever to any of them.

The M-Audio AV-40s get good reviews, and the Wirecutter calls them the best computer speakers.

Those are active monitors. They will be good for near field, and the amp inside them is designed with the speakers.

If you go passive plus amp you can upgrade components down the road. Maybe get the Micca MB42X and a Topping TP20, or find a good reciever (70s Kenwood, Pioneer, Marantz, Teac, Technics, etc. are great) for super cheap (0-$20) at a yard sale or thrift store or craigslist and get the Panasonic SP-BS22

Great broadcasting mic is the Shure SM7b; will run you approx. $450-500 (Canadian) (expensive but soooo worth it for broadcasting).
Great room conversion kit is the Primeacoustic London 12 room kit; will run you $200-300. If your using a larger room to broadcast then Primeacoustic makes larger kits for more money.

I took a radio/broadcasting trade in high school and now I'm on my way to be a sound engineer in a recording studio (not radio) so i feel confident enough to say despite the extra cost; they will definitely be worth it in achieving the best sound, good luck!

http://www.primacoustic.com/london.htm

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B0002E4Z8M/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1449720218&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=SM7b&dpPl=1&dpID=41rWaLTs%2BdL&ref=plSrch

Mod mics? You mean something like this? Those aren't going to be amazing, but honestly I've known people who record their show using their laptop's internal microphone and it sounded okay. It's more important to use what you have and produce something rather than sit on your hands and produce nothing.

That board you linked claims to have 8 inputs, but it actually has 4 stereo channels, two of which are mic-level and two are line-level. If you have more than 2 people, that's probably not a great option. I also wouldn't recommend that particular mixer because it has no USB-out. It's also going to be outputting stereo, which is to say two audio channels. You can record in stereo, but it will give you less control when editing. If you want to get a board like that, I'd recommend this one from Behringer. It's substantially the same, but has USB.

Incidentally, how many people are you going to have on your show? If it's more than two, what I'd actually recommend is something more like this 4-channel audio interface. To use those mod mics you'll need some adaptors for the 1/4" microphone plugs. But it will let you record up to 4 individual audio channels, and if you decide to upgrade to better microphones in the future you'll be able to use the same device.

You might be able to find it for less than $100, but that's the first one I came up with.

If you have more than 4 people, I think you'll have a hard time finding an effective solution for less than $100. But again, I think the quality of your show is more about the content than the fidelity of the audio.

For your friend:

I recommend that she picks up a pair of Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros. You can get them here: http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-Custom-One-Pro-Black/dp/B008XEYT48/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369159044&sr=8-1&keywords=beyerdynamic+custom+one+pro

They are great headphones and only have a 16Ω impedance so powering them is not going to be a problem.

Another headphone I would recommend would be the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 32Ω edition. Similar to the Custom One Pros but with a little better bass response. You can get them here: http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-DT-770-Pro-Studio-Headphones-Limited/dp/B008POFOHM/ref=sr_1_5?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1369159022&sr=1-5

For you:

Coming in right at $400 is the HiFiMAN HE-400. I haven't listened to these myself but I hear that they are the best headphones you can buy for $400. You can get them here: http://www.amazon.com/HiFiMAN-HE-400-Planar-Efficiency-Headphones/dp/B007ZG32I4/ref=sr_1_3?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1369159720&sr=1-3

However, if you really want to step up I suggest you stretch your budget to the $500 mark and pick up the Sennheiser HD650. These are some of the best headphones out there and would be a considerable upgrade from what you currently have. Check them out here: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Headphones/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1369159720&sr=1-1

I honestly think that if you have the money for it then that is the way to go. I think the HD650s are more suited to the kind of music you like than the HE-400s anyway.

Hey man, don't worry about asking "stupid" questions, there's no such thing, and we've ALL been there before. I still seem to ask stupid questions at least once a day, and I've been doing this for some years now.

You have two options here bud. You can buy something like this which is a USB microphone, (similar, but not the same to what the last guy said) a really common choice for beginners looking to just experience recording into their computer, but the quality is still surprisingly great. It can work on ANYTHING. Guitar/vocals/drums/farts whatever.

The second option is to get something with some "upgrade" capability if you plan on doing this for a long time. That would be to buy TWO things, one would be an audio interface (which has preamps built in) which can connect virtually ANY microphone into it, which goes into your computer via USB. This is a great one of those, simple and doesn't break-the-bank But then you'd also have to buy another microphone, like the sm57 or whatever. If you did it this way, your interface could last you many many years and it will provide usually a headphone output, one of two mic inputs, as well as gain control and leveling. A little more professional, but an extra thing to buy.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

/u/Koopa_Khan - the [$199.99 Zoom H4n Pro] (https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H4N-Digital-Multitrack-Recorder/dp/B01DPOXS8I//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) is a great external recorder, and syncing your audio in post is fairly straighforward, but it might make your life a little easier to get a [$199 Saramonic SR-AX107 preamp with AGC disable] (https://www.amazon.com/Saramonic-SR-AX107-Channel-Transformer-Adapter/dp/B00SSLCON4//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) [Referral Links] and record clean sound directly to your camera.

Nice review of the Saramonic [here] (https://youtu.be/NTCEBzxN0zI).

Hope this is helpful and good luck with improving your audio!

Try this (Blue Yeti Mic) and this mic stand

​

These might look a little like his buddies. But the mic is very recommended from streamers and such, I personally us it and it is great. If he likes his headphones then a new mic would be another step to improve his audio.

​

I would say that I am not sure this is ideal for him, just trying to help as much as I can based on the original post!

​

EDIT: This is a cheaper mic made by the same company that is also a great option. Best of luck!

Hmm, for $150 I would consider a couple of things.

Perhaps an articulating mount such as the ergotrong: http://www.amazon.com/LX-Desk-Mount-LCD-Arm/dp/B00358RIRC

It clears up desk space and gives your monitor a really cool look as if it is floating. You can easily switch between portrait and landscape and landscape as well. I know some people would immediately dismiss spending so much on a mount, but once you use one you'll see that they are worth their weight in gold.

Another option would be new speakers. Something like these M-audio speakers would be light years ahead of those stock dells: http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Studiophile-Powered-Monitor-Speakers/dp/B0051WAM64/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1341771746&sr=1-1&keywords=swan+m10

They would be visually much more impressive than the Dells while being much better for music a gaming as well.


I agree with urkiburki, cable management is a great place to start.

I've personally never used that interface, so you'll have to rely on the Amazon reviews (or hopefully someone here has had experience with it). The preamp (what you plug the mic into), and the mic you use, determines the sound you're going to get. Again, you're gonna have to read the reviews. You're just starting off, so I wouldn't stress it too much. You'll get a better sound than just plugging a USB mic into your computer.

If I were in your position, with a small budget, I'd save up a bit more and buy this:

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Compact-Interface/dp/B00MTXU2DG/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1452061607&sr=1-1&keywords=scarlett+solo

The Scarlett series, in my opinion, is the best in terms of budget audio interfaces. Their preamps, and the system, overall, is of great quality.


When you're ready for that mic - put enough together to buy sayyyy this:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B0006H92QK/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1452061954&sr=1-1&keywords=Audio+Technica+AT2020

...and you got a good little startup.



The mic stand should fit pretty much any mic. It has both the clip, and a part to screw in the mic's shock mount (look up "shock mount").


I always recommend that you get warranty with your equipment, cause, you know...shit happens, so you should check if there're any music stores around that sell whatever you're interested in, and offer the warranty, as well.

Unfortunately £100 is just around the lower limit of the very-entry level, not really mid-range if we're going to be honest.

The easy solution is M-audio AV-40s. They are 'powered monitors' so the amplifier is inside, all you have to do is feed them signal.

Alternatively, you could go for "passive" bookshelf loudspeakers and an amplifier. The advantage to this route is that you can upgrade the speakers or amp separately (edit: also each individual component is probably at least a bit better than the av40s, and if anything ever fails it can be replaced separately; it's just more flexible overall). There's some extra work involved but it's not difficult..

These Wharfedale 9.0 should be good for the price (the Diamond 9.1 were reviewed by Stereophile and they measure well for the price).

You'll need an amp, speaker wire, and some banana plugs are helpful. Oh, and probably a 3.5mm stereo to 2RCA cable to connect your 3.5mm source(s) to the amp.

How much better are either of these compared to tiny computer speakers like Logitech or Creative etc.? Much better.

ATH M50x: Nice starter headphones.

Beyerdynamic DT770: These are closed so they are good at bass. I linked the PRO-32s because I doubt you have a soundcard, or want to get one that can push the ohms.

Beyerdynamic DT 990: These are like the 770s, but they are open, so less bass, and better positioning (sound staging).

All three should be good for music and gaming, with the first 2 being better for bassy music and the last being better for more instrumental music.

Later on you should look at getting a DAC.

You can get good stuff at the price point you are looking for, but if you end up loving the sound quality, 150+ should be your starting point. Also check out head-fi forums for other suggestions.

Edit: Changed link for the 32 Ohm version of the DT990s

One way to help is with a mic boom, you can get the mic closer to your face, further from the keyboard, and because of how mics like the AT2020 and the Samson Meteor (the mic I use) record, they record out like a cone, if the keyboard is below the mic it becomes more of a background noise.

Another option is getting a keyboard that is still mechanical but does not use MX Blue switches. MX Blue switches are the loudest switches for mechanic keyboards, there are ones like red that give a little less resistance but are quiet, I believe brown is the quietest, also the hardest to find. A custom keyboard like a Ducky has them, and also still has back light.

Another quick fix is to put the mic on something soft like a folded hand cloth, socks, etc. Sometimes the mic picks up a slight thud from typing, having it on something like that works. However, the best fix is to go with a mic stand / boom, and I know the AT2020 fits well into one of the shock mounts.
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Broadcast-Microphone-Suspension-Scissor/dp/B00AK7SKL4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417559941&sr=8-1&keywords=mic+stand+shock

Another option is setting up filters, there is one with the Reaper plug ins, and VB Audio Cable, that allow you to edit where your mic picks up sound all along the sound scale (hi to lo) However, it does add a delay and I found a slight mechanical ting added to it. I went with the mic stand and it fixed much of my problems, especially since you can lower your mic gain and that reduces the background noise even more.

I hope this helped a little.

Ok, while I don't have personal experience with the phantom power unit you are using, here's what I think is going on.

Every microphone needs a Preamp because the signal captured by the microphone is too weak to hear. Some microphones (like yours) need power as well. You're supplying the needed POWER for the microphone to work, but you still need a preamp to bring that weak signal up to the appropriate level, just like every microphone needs.

Now, here's my suggestion. since you would still need a preamp for your microphone (most preamps include 48v phantom power as a feature) and considering your needs, I'd say you have two decent options.

• Option 1: Return your phantom power unit and get an XLR --> USB adapter/converter such as the Blue Icicle which will not only convert your weak signal to a digital signal for easy use with Skype / gaming / etc... but will ALSO provide the necessary 48v of phantom power for your microphone.
  
  
• Option 2: Return both the microphone and phantom power unit for a simple USB microphone. There are many good options with budget friendly price tags. If your goal is computer audio and not pristine voice-over or music recording, then you'd be fine going with something even as simple as the Samson Go Mic or CAD U1
  
  If you want even better quality (honestly, these options will do you good) let me know and I can help you out with other options.
  
  --DISCLAIMER--
  
  I haven't personally used the BM800, but I have read reviews and listened to some demonstrations. It is a pretty 'bottom of the barrel' microphone which will be adding some unwanted hiss and noise to the audio it picks up because of the cheap components used. If you decide to keep it, it will most certainly be the bottleneck in your audio quality. Even those cheap usb microphones will likely be better.

Budget - $150 - $200 CAD, $250 MAX

Source - I phone 5 SE and computer

Requirements for Isolation - Yes prefer Isolation. Using while traveling on bus, walking, at school (can get noisy sometimes). Using while studying

Preferred Type of Headphone - Over ear preferred unless IEM is very comfortable.

Preferred tonal balance - I like Bass but for studying it can get annoying, so balanced I suppose?

Past headphones - cheap OEM earbuds (Samsung, apple) and KZ Zs3

Preferred Music - Deep House, [Rap]
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRXzrbZ89Y)

Location -Canada

Other relevant info - slightly bigger ears. Lol

Current Black Friday Opportunities

Sony MDRXB950B1 - CDN$ 123.00

Bose QuietComfort 25 - CDN$ 229.00

Sennheiser PXC 480 - CDN$ 199.95

beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO - CDN$ 232.45

Sennheiser HD 598 Cs - CDN$ 158.95

ATH M50X - CDN$ 168.00

Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus - CDN$ 184.37

Jaybird X3 Sport Bluetooth Headphones - CDN$ 89.99

Shure SRH440 - CDN$ 109.00

I would love to hear your experiences with either of these and which one you recommend given my situation. Or even other ones not from this list you suggest. I would love to purchase one this weekend. So your advice is much appreciated.

Thanks everyone

Another great option is these (nb I think that's an amazon referral link from noaudiophile. I have no association, but he provides an excellent service. I'd recommend reading his reviews for entertainment as much as information). Also note that is the price for one speaker.

Excellent bass (and everything else) for a bookshelf speaker. Note that they are active so you lose some of the benefits of buying passive speakers, but I also don't think you'd want to change or anything.

Well, I like your list. I don't know that Rode mic in particular but Lefty had two different Rode mics during PKA and they both sounded great.

I'd personally point you toward the RE20. I love mine and you don't have to be right on top of it to sound great. I also love my Shure SM7B but more than one person has mentioned to me that they can hear me breathe so I'm either going to switch back to the giant foam pop filter or to the RE20.

This package is $500 but it comes with the mic, shock mount, cable, boom, etc. http://www.amazon.com/Electro-Voice-Microphone-Shockmount-Two-Section-Broadcast/dp/B00U1S4YY4/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1457378551&sr=1-2&keywords=re20

I don't like your audio interface. In particular it's analog and in my experience if you turn up the gain on an analog mixer you get a hiss. It's not a subtle hiss you think you hear either, it's a real problem. (Or maybe the one I had was just extra bad?)

Anything in the scarlet focusrite series will do, this one is $100: http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Compact-Interface/dp/B00MTXU2DG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1457378874&sr=8-3&keywords=focusrite

For $150 you can get two inputs: http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457378874&sr=8-1&keywords=focusrite

Let me know how to sound wedges do. I typically just count on curtains, shag carpet, oil painting and furniture to break up the sound.

I'm trying to figure out a good setup to work on my PS4 and PC. Let me just start off by saying I know very little about headphones and amps, soundcard thingys and such but I do know that the PS4 controller jack uses bluetooth and has compressed audio and headsets sound worse when using it. Anyways, I'm trying to figure out if this setup will work.
I want to use a Blue Snowball Mic
with Senneheiser 598
and Turtle Beach DSS to get the performance out of the 598's. Has anybody tried a setup like this? Would this even work? Is there a better/easier option to have a good desktop mic + headphones? If I'm able to put the snowball directly into the PS4 and then use the headset with the DSS plugged into the console then that would be perfect. Thanks for helping me figure this out.

I'm also strongly considering something like these just to save money and have a simpler setup.

Best and cheapest are two different things. IMHO, you want the best sound possible since audio makes your film look better.

You can get a lot of bang for your buck with a Zoom H4N audio recorder, a RODE mic and a boom pole. If you have a couple of bucks more, look at a pair of RODE wireless lavalier mics as well. These are wireless body mics. You can use those on actors, but also they can be hidden on set in places that are hard for the boom to reach. The key idea about recording audio is to get the mic as close as possible to the person speaking.

You probably also want a slate with a clapper on the top. You don't need a fancy one with timecode. Apps like Davinci Resolve can sync sound automatically, but it's always better to have a clap at the top of the shot in case you need to sync it by hand. Slating your shots laso make it easier to figure things out in the editing room.

I have a similar setup, though it's all digital.

Here's what I do, and then I'll suggest a setup for you.

My equipment:
vocal mic - at2035

audio interface - umc404hd

midi pedalboard - fcb1010

midi controller - maudio code61

I have both my vocal mic at2035 and guitar plugged into my UMC404HD.

The UMC404 allows you to record 4 input channels (2 stereo) into the computer via USB, it also has midi inputs if you want a midi controller that isn't USB.

That allows me to monitor the input directly and to monitor after passing both through ableton live. The direct input monitoring (using the mix knob on the umc) doesn't have any effects applied to it since it's only the mic and guitar that are straight into the recorder.

The UMC also has 4 output channels, which allows you to send some outputs to the monitors, and some to the headphones, I use this for "cue" tracks and the metronome, which gives me a click track in my headphones, but not over the output I would use for playing live.

I then have a code 61 that I use for pad drums, midi control and keyboard input.

I want an FCB1010 to do the looping and etc inside of ableton itself, so it's a single contained unit and everything goes through my laptop, but currently I just program my sustain pedal on the keyboard to trigger looping.


What I would do for you is...

If you're using an amp / pedals for your guitar, get something like a shure sm57, plug that into the UMC, and point it real close to your amp so that you're capping it without any room noise.

If you're looping guitar, you can have the looper pedal connected in line before your amp.

If you're only wanting to loop vocals, you can inline the looper pedal to the mic before input to the computer/umc.

You can loop both with a single pedal, but at that point, your output probably should go into the computer only, skipping the guitar amp. You can direct monitor that, and have it inputting to the PC. You can have midi / etc backing on the PC playing back at the same time into your headphones/monitors.

I personally use amp modeling VST on the PC and just playback my guitar through my monitors anyways.

A much cheaper (but still good) alternative to the code61 is the akai mpk mini 25.


If you want to skip a loop pedal and only loop in software, this is specific to ableton, there are a few ways to do that.

I've seen 2 main methods.

1. Map a pedal switch to the "session record" button in ableton. It's the empty circle to the right of the transport controls at the top. When you hit this, it triggers midi / audio recording for every armed track in the session view. I know this will overdub midi notes, but I think it will simply overwrite audio.
   
   
   
2. Map a pedal to arm/load/play the looper VST on a track. If you want to loop more than 1 track, you can set the track output to be send only, set the looper on a send, and direct the audio output from those tracks to the send with the looper on it. This will allow you to trigger the looping for any track thats getting sent to that single send/fx channel.
   
   Here is a video explaining one of the ways to do looping. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFQzc8bYE2g
   
   If anyone else knows better ways to do looping in ableton, I'd love to hear about it.
   Hope this helps.

Alright, your TV has RCA outputs and the option of fixed or variable output through there. If you wanted you could just grab two JBL LSR305 and connect them with RCA to TRS cables. Probably $450 total but would sound much better than the miccas. Go into your TV audio settings and select variable audio out. This way you can change volume through your TV remote. Just set the amp on the back of the JBL speakers to 8 or so and never touch them again.

If you want to go the passive speaker route for upgradability then you can grab a stereo receiver like this Yamaha for $200. Just plug your TV in with RCA cables. This allows you to spend an extra $100 on speakers. You'll save even more money if you look through your local listings for a used receiver. If you like the Klipsch sound you can go for these. Otherwise look through your local listing for a good tower speaker that you can afford. I was going to recommend the Pioneer FS52 but a pair of those would go over your budget. You can try pairing them with a cheap SMSL amp, but I would be worried they would distort a tad early.

The best sounding setup out of the box would be the JBL LSR305, but it's also the least upgradeable setup.

I'd buy my current setup...

Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 Audio Interface ($150)

(2) MXL 770 Cardoid Condenser Microphones - Amazing quality microphone for the price. ($144 for 2)

(2) XLR Cables ($20 for 2)

(2) Microphone stands. I use this Gator for my main mic stand and a cheap scissor arm stand for my second. ($100ish for 2)

(2-pack) Microphone pop filters. I like these replicas of the Popgard, but also have one real PopGard that I paid $40 for. Either is much better than those pop filters on a long extension arm that gets in the way. ($10 for 2)

Zoom H4n Pro or H5 portable recorder. I have a Zoom H4 Pro (and a regular H4) but either would work well for recording a podcast on the road or on location somewhere without a computer. ($200-275)

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Studio Monitor Headphones ($150)

Software - GarageBand or Audacity or other free DAW. Or, if you already have a Creative Cloud subscription like I do, Adobe Audition.

All of that is way less than $1k, and give you the ability to do a two-person interview podcast in the studio or on location. With the extra $100 or so, buy some sound proofing materials for your studio.

This is exactly what my setup looks like right now.

Regarding FaceTime on the Mac, there was a bug in FaceTime Audio regarding mic selection where it would only use the internal or 1/8" jack for input. That was fixed recently. Unfortunately, I'm on the dev betas and I don't recall if it's fixed in the latest 10.10.2 release or in the beta releases. This was never a problem with FaceTime Video, however.

Also, there is a desktop application that will be leaving beta soon called PodClear. It will use a paid service but it will let you get double headed recordings regardless of the method you use to communicate and it lets you control the record button and settings to you don't have to trust the guest to know what they are doing. It will be pretty darn cool as it lets you have effectively unlimited guests using Hangouts or Skype and get pristine locally recorded tracks sent to you.

http://www.podclear.com

You can also of course just wire you Mac or IOS device into your mixer. The best hardware I've found for this that always works with the Apple TRRS single headphone port is a Tascam iXZ.

http://www.amazon.com/TASCAM-iXZ-Instrument-input-iPhone/dp/B005NZ05J8/

I've had luck with some RCA video to TRRS cables as well but occasional noise occurred. A Behringer UCA222 or UCA202 depending on your color choice is also well worth the cost if you are mix-minusing with a mixer.

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-BEHRINGER-U-CONTROL/dp/B0023BYDHK/

!

This was a surprise to me, too, when I got my first Volca after collecting a few Pocket Operators. They still play nicely together, but not in the same way. If you plan on getting more Volcas, a Volca Mix <https://www.korg.com/us/products/dj/volca_mix/\> may not be a bad idea (it can power three additional ones), though it is more expensive than other solutions.

Otherwise, there are a number of affordable mono mixers out there. I've seen people mention the Behringer Micromix before <https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Micromix-MX400-Low-Noise-4-Channel/dp/B000KGYAYQ\>, but you'll need some adapters for 3.5mm to 6.35mm jacks. This will strictly be mono, however, so if you plan to add some stereo devices to the mix (pun intended), you'll hit a wall pretty quickly. Behringer has a range of other mixers, and you may want to check something out in the Xenyx range <https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-502-Premium-5-Input-British/dp/B000J5UEGQ/ref=sr_1_9?crid=120WM7ZC873VD&keywords=behringer+xenyx&qid=1555091076&s=gateway&sprefix=behringer+z%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-9\>, where even the lowest-end one (linked) will give you plenty of room to expand.

Personally, I just bought a Roland GO: Mixer <https://www.amazon.com/Roland-GO-Mixer-Smartphones-GOMIXER/dp/B01MYC4DVP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=roland+go+mixer&qid=1555091001&s=gateway&sr=8-1\> to use between a Volca, a few PO's, and a microphone for straight-to-phone video/audio recording purposes, and I've enjoyed it. If you don't plan on recording things and just need something to mix, this will be super overkill for you.

oh sorry I was thinking of the snowball, but it's the ICE version, cheaper and it's just the same mic, but without the different modes, Microphone Link and here are accessories, the boom stand is much better than the tiny stand they give you, and it's better for freedom, and it comes with extra bits for future proofing Suspension Stand Here's some medium quality padding if needed Padding and a nice pop filter to stop the P's and S's slipping through Pop Filter This is all the same stuff I use and it is a wonderful starter kit, I highly recommend this to you!

• Thanks Tom, that is helpful.
  
• I am based in Spain, but I'll probably buy online from Amazon.es or Thomann.de (because local stores carry little stock and have no listening room or anything like that while background noise is generally too loud). If I buy online, I can try them out at home (and return them if I am not satisfied). I can even order multiple sets and only keep the winner). The problem is, of course, that I do not even know what candidate system(s) I should order...
  
• When you say 'with an integrated amplifier', do you mean so-called 'active speakers', with an amplifier in every speaker? So, no separate amplifier needed? Does that also imply that they are wireless? How would I connect the iPod (old clickwheel type, without wifi or Bluetooth) to such speakers? Should I get a more modern iPod/iPhone?
  
• It should not be bass-heavy of course, but I would appreciate sufficient bass (for contrabasses and so on to really kick in when they do). So floorstanding or bookshelf+woofer seems to be the route to go.
  
• Could you recommend any types/brands/models? (I would rather opt for 'proven success' than 'latest'.)
  
• How about the JBL LSR 305 that is 'recommended' in the purchase thread (without amplifier, suggesting they are active?)? On Amazon, I get two hits, both saying it concerns a studio monitor, but one is just the speaker cab, and the other seems to be some kind of bundle with an EON? See the links:
  
• https://www.amazon.es/JBL-LSR305-Monitor-de-estudio/dp/B00DUKP37C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467138541&sr=8-1&keywords=jbl+lsr305
  
• https://www.amazon.es/Jbl-LSR305-monitor-estudio-biamplificado/dp/B00TZW9BJK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1467138541&sr=8-3&keywords=jbl+lsr305
  
• Not saying this should be it, but if this is good, really good, it seems a bargain.
  
• Kind regards,
  
• Ruud

If you’re looking for software, you’ll need OBS or something similar, this will give you almost all the tools you need on the software side.

There’s tons of add ons to get, but one other one I love is voicemeeter, it allows more fine tuning of your audio than OBS allows for.

here Is a great guide on how to make yourself sound better

As for hardware, [this]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QJREXM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9CLHDb5R3T53Q)is a really great cheap mic, and if you’re just starting out with twitch you can get away with [this]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FHO5Y6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PELHDbFYWFCAM) since twitch doesn’t let you stream in 1080 right away.

A little feedback on the audio from an audio geek:
The dynamic level change is a bit drastic between your opening theme (which I LOVE by the way, super cool) and when you guys start talking, which forces listeners to turn their speakers way up to hear the content. I would maybe decrease the levels on the intro to match the rest of the podcast.
It sounds like you guys are sitting around one shared cardioid mic (or maybe a built-in laptop mic?) and there's a slight echo in the room, I think you could improve the sound of your voices if you picked up something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Microphone-Gloss/dp/B002OO18NS/ref=zg_bs_11974631_4 (it has on omni pickup mode so it would register both your voices at the same level without taking turns holding it). Blue makes great mics for basic home recording for around $50-60.

As for the film, I couldn't even get through the Innkeepers personally. I thought it was way too slow getting started and the effects were cheesy. Did really like Ti West's segment in V/H/S though.

The Podcaster is a decent mic. The XLR version, Røde Procaster is better and, along with the EV RE20, and the Shure SM7b, are genereally considered some of the best broadcast mics on the market, so any of those should be a safe bet if you want that round, warm, radio host sound.

The Focusrite 2i2 is a decent interface for the price, it will however need a preamp, as it alone lacks the gain to run these mics. You can save money by buying an inline preamp, like the Triton Fethead or the CL-1 Cloudlifter. They will up your gain something like 20db, giving you more than enough.

This will all be expensive though, so maybe space the purchases out over a few months and just keep using the Podcaster in the meantime?

Here's everything for equipment, so hopefully this answers any questions:

---

Wall:

• TV
  
  
• Lights/Nanoleaves
  
  
• Whiteboard
  
  ---
  
  Desk:
  
  
• Top (74x1 1/2")
  
  
• Drawers (can't see in picture) (2x, in brown-black)
  
  
• Top Legs (Supports top off of drawers)
  
  I also made modications to the desk, including installing a grommet with 2 USBs and 2 outlets, as well as a wireless charger.
  
  ---
  
  Audio Setup:
  
  
• Shure SM7B
  
  
• Rode Arm Stand
  
  
• Behringer Xenyx X1204USB
  
  
• Dbx 286s Microphone Preamp
  
  
• Sennheiser HD 660 S
  
  
• Headphone stand (Not sure if I can recommend. Headphones leave a lot of marks on the stand and can make the transparant plastic look foggy)
  
  ---
  
  Peripherals:
  
  
• Glorious Model O (White, might want to wait for the Model O- to drop if you have smaller hands)
  
  
• The Glorious GMMK (Full sized, white keycaps, Kailh Speed Silver switches)
  
  
• Mouse Bungee (White)
  
  
• Mouse Pad (XL)
  
  
• Monitors (2x)
  
  ---
  
  PC specs:
  
  
• 2080ti
  
  
• i9-9900k
  
  
• 64 GB Ram
  
  
• 4 TB SSD
  
  
• 3 TB HDD (Unsure what exactly, bought a long time ago. Pretty standard HDD though)
  
  
• 1000w Power Supply
  
  
• HZXT H500i Case
  
  
• Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero Z390 Motherboard
  
  
• Corsair Hydro Series H150i Water Cooling
  
  ---
  
  
  Any other questions, feel free to leave them and I'll try to respond :)
  
  ---
  
  Edit: Thank you for the gold random kind redditor!

Definitely that Shure SM7B is the best one for the $400 range, but it does require an extra hardware for the proper gain volume but its the best sounding for sure.

You can also go cheap which works really good as well: Audio-Technica ATR2100

It has both XLR and USB connection as in you can connect it with a mixer or go directly with USB to the PC.
Here is a combo for $90 with arm stand clamp, pop filter and the mic(it includes both xlr and usb cables, and a mini tripod mic stand)

As I said, if sound quality isn't really the issue and you're just using voip, the gear he has is fine. Also that's a pretty nice audio interface that'll last op for quite a while.

Alternative with better value and slightly better specs Second xlr/1/4 in, and it comes with studio one and midi input/output. Pretty good bang for the buck.

I have this and it's really nice. Also I've filled up all the inputs and outputs so ¯\ (ツ) /¯

A Higher quality and well recommended mic would be the AT2020

I have an sm58, used, these can be found in the 50-100$ range, and they tend to live very long and kick a lot of ass. There are stories of these mics falling out of moving vehicles on tour and then (once picked up) continuing the tour working just fine.

I have a pair of ath m50xs but the m40s are also a great pair of headphones, and a real budget would be the m20s if you're looking for headphones.

I know you asked for budget, but op did a pretty good job already so if you don't really care about recording then get what OP got.

Hopefully I did help. Sometimes a person can be put off by information overload. But you do have options from FREE to about $150.

It will depend on whether you want to record on a Stand-Alone Device like a Smart Phone or Digital Recorder, or whether you want to record directly to a computer using a separate USB Microphone.

There are also USB Interfaces that could be used. These are USB to the Computer, but use standard common XLR Microphones. If that interest you, I could explore that option. I would guess a simple USB Interface with a good XLR Microphone would in the neighborhood of about $100 to £150 for both.

Just to dgve you and overview, though there are many more options, here is a simple Single standard Microphone USB Inferface from Behringer -

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UMC22-BEHRINGER-U-PHORIA/dp/B00FFIGZF6/

Here is a similar Behringer Model with TWO Standard Microphone Inputs -

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UMC202HD-BEHRINGER-U-PHORIA-2-Channel/dp/B00QHURUBE/

A Standard XLR microphone would be cheaper than a USB Mic. Here are some examples -

https://www.parts-express.com/cat/vocal-microphones/765

Going direct into the USB of a Computer, I would expect this basic setup to be pretty good, though you would need a microphone stand to mount it all on -

https://www.parts-express.com/talent-all-in-one-usb-home-recording-studio-vocal-booth-usb-mic-shock-mount-pop-fil--233-090

Microphone Stand - (not that expensive) -

https://www.parts-express.com/cat/microphone-stands/747

As to the noise, as has been indicated, you just have to work on finding an environment that has low noise, and record close to the mic, and if possible use Uni-Directional Mics, one direction or cardioid. Though in a quiet room with somewhat close mic'ing, an Omni-Mic as found in most Cell Phones and Digital Records will still get the job done.

Part of the problem is that there are so many ways to accomplish the same task depending on how complex and expensive you want to make the task. Hopefully, it nothing else, you understand the range of options available.

Let's us know what you decide and how it works out. That could be very helpful to others who might come along with a similar problem and read this thread.

Do you have a smartphone with a voice recorder? That’s all I use and it’s remarkable how well these sound considering their general availability. I usually put the phone behind the body of my acoustic to balance the sound with my voice.

That’s about as good as you can get with a low budget. Most “budget equipment” out there that’s designed for this purpose is not going to be significantly better that it’s really worth shelling out money, unless you really want a step up, which obviously costs more.

If you want to overlay tracks, there’s apps for that too depending on what kind of phone you got, but usually I’m going for a natural real live sound, so I generally record my voice and guitar together on one take.

If you have a couple hundred dollars to spend, I’d recommend an “h4n pro”. It’s got amazing sound for the price, does multi-track recording, it’s a good room mic for a band practice and it has some onboard effects that are very cool to use if you do it right. I can’t really recommend it enough considering the bang you get for your buck. We’ve broken our a couple times over the years and I always seem to keep coming back to it.

Everyone else has mention audacity, but that’s what I’ve been using for years and still do. Find some cool plug-ins and you can really do a lot with very little or no money down.

Auducity can be wonky but works well. Are y'all in the same room or remote?

Obviously a good mic is important. Can't go wrong with the snowball or yeti. I personally use this

Audio-Technica AT2005USB Cardioid... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JX8O0Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share (non affiliate link) and love it compared to the blue mics. When you can getting a sound board is really nice and really helps with your quality

I see a lot of people here recommending great builds, so I don't have anything to add on that from. However, no one here is mentioning the audio interface that will be needed to actually record his music.

There are a lot of different options available for those, and they definitely have a huge range in price. As an audio guy/musician myself, I use the Presonus Audiobox USB for home recording. It has the inputs I need to record with either a mic or by directly plugging in my guitar and using amp plugins.

If he's using large sample libraries, then he'll need a lot of ram. 16gb would be ideal, but he can get by with 8gb. It'll just limit the amount of libraries he can load in one recording session.

Also, I don't know if he already has a Pro Tools license, but that doesn't come very cheap. Currently, a Pro Tools licence goes for pretty much your entire budget (600$). If you want a cheaper solution, I HIGHLY recommend Reaper, which goes for about 10% of what it costs for Pro Tools (60$). I use it both personally and professionally for work and can say with some authority that it's an excellent tool for any kind of audio work that you need to do, be it music, sound design, or even scoring video.

This is the setup I am saving for. I don't have near the amount to spend on it, but it's a goal of mine to save enough. I want to set up a Turntable>Integrated Amp>Speaker station. Here it is:

U-Turn Orbit Plus ($309.00 USD) Or even a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon.

Mies i100 Integrated Amplifier ($312.18 USD) OR Marantz PM5005 Integrated Amplifier ($499.00 USD)

JBL LSR305 ($290.72 USD)

I'm thinking about spending $1,000-$1,500 which would be ideal for me. I really don't want powered speakers though, so can anyone recommend some passive speakers for around the same price? Any other suggestions would be nice.

Cheers!

Look into the Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera. It's about $1000 without lenses. It shoots ProRes and RAW HD. Get a free copy of Resolve to edit and color grade the footage. It's a great little camera that takes beautiful footage, and Resolve takes it to the next level.

Here are some samples to give you an idea of the quality.

For £4000, you should be able to get a camera, batteries, memory cards, lenses, ND filters and an outboard audio recorder and mic.

I recommend these lenses:

Tokina 11-17mm

Voigtlander 25mm

Sigma 18-35

The Voigtlander is MFT, but the other two I recommend getting in Nikon, and buying an Nikon-to-MFT adapter. Part of the joy of MFT is that you can use nearly any kind of lens with the proper adapter.

I also recommend getting two kinds of adapter: a straight adapter, and a MetaBones Speed Booster, which widens the focal length of the lens and adds about a stop of light. It's like getting twice the number of lenses for the cost of an adapter. (For example, the 11-17mm lens goes to 8mm with the Speed Booster.)

I can help if you are using an iPhone. I believe garageband is free and records multitrack full quality with decent editing and mixing options. You can even use 3rd party plugin apps! You'll need an USB adaptor to connect an audio interface. you'd be best with this usb adaptor because it also get's power from your charger. This does two things for you, 1) your iPhone won't die on you 2) your iphone will have enough power for the interface. Then you can get something like this behringer. Then all that's left is grabbing a few SM-57 mics, or a shure drum mic kit](https://www.amazon.com/Shure-DMK57-52-Drum-Microphone-Kit/dp/B0002E51C6) to get a usable recording. Toss the big one on your kick, then one 57 on the mic, and then the other two over head pointing at your cymbals and toms. this set up will allow you to get pretty decent recordings, especially if your kit is in a good sounding space. Alternatively you can get an omni/stereo mic for iOS and mess around with placement to get a passable sound. This is cheaper, and still good enough for a more vintage vibe

Basically, there's two components to think about. An amplifier takes power and audio input (as stereo RCA plugs or a 1/8th inch jack) and outputs amplified audio (almost always as binding posts or clamps for speaker wire). Speakers take amplified audio as input (again, as binding posts/clamps for speaker wire) and make noise.

Active or powered speakers just means that you're buying the amp and the speakers integrated as one unit. M-Audio AV40s are a good example of this. Scroll down and you can see a picture of the back of one speaker. Power cord, RCA inputs, and speaker wire output to the other speaker.

Passive/unpowered speakers mean you're just buying the speakers, and you need to buy an amp separately. A good example of this is the Micca MB42x and Lepai LP-2020. Again, look at the back of each one to get an idea of how they're connected.

If you want simplicity, go for a pair of powered studio monitors. However, what you trade off with that is upgradeability - because monitors are integrated all-in-one, you can't easily add to them later on.

If you want to go the component route, I'd recommend a 2.1 amp (meaning it has outputs for 2 speakers plus a subwoofer) such as the Lepai 168HA. Add in some unpowered bookshelf speakers like those Micca MB42x, and you've got a great system for less than half your budget. Depending on how much room you have on the floor near your desk, you can also add a subwoofer, either now or at some point down the road. The Dayton Audio SUB-800 for example is small enough to fit under a desk pretty easily, and would still be within your budget.

Hello everyone, just picked up some Beyerdynamic 770 Pro 32 Ohms over the weekend and I'm absolutely loving them so far.

Even at the risk of sounding like a dumbass, I'm stumped. They sound great but I'd love for them to potentially sound even better. I have a SMSL SA-50 Amplifer which powers my Micca MB42X speakers. This setup worked extremely well in the past as all I had were some crappy Steelseries Siberia V2's for gaming.

But now do I need more equipment to have my headphones sound as good as they possibly can? I know very little about DACs/Amps or audio equipment in general but from what I do know I'm missing something crucial.

Sorry if my question is vague and please let me know if you need more information!

Thanks for any help you can provide.

The headset that broke was the G35 headset from Logitech which goes for about $90 these days. It's a great headset but this would be my 3rd set in 4 years. The mic quality is average and often requires fussing with in post but overall it's a great headset.

While rocking this backup setup I've been using ear buds and I quite like it compared to the closed ear noise cancelling headset so I don't think I want to go the headset route again.

I've always wanted to go the XLR/Mixer route. This would allow me to manipulate any volume/noise issues with the mic on the fly and not touch it at all in post. I never settled on a solution that was afforable and always went with what I knew the G35.

This is the goal. It's not much more expensive than the G35 headset but is the correct tool for the job :Þ

• Audio-Technica AT2020 XLR ^USB ^version ^exists ^too
  
• Behringer Q502USB 5-Channel Mixer
  
• XLR Microphone Cable
  
• Microphone Suspension Boom
  
  A few notes about these choices. The 5 channel mixer is total overkill but this one functions as a USB audio interface meaning when you plug it in to your PC it shows up like a USB mic would. Behringer makes a 3 port USB mixer but I don't like the way it looks lol.
  
  Not all mixers have the ability to function as a USB device. On NON USB mixers you would have to run the output of the mixer into the input on your soundcard on your PC.
  
  I prefer the audio device approach. You plug your XLR mic into the mixer which is acting as the USB audio device. This allows you to control on the mixer what the computer hears on the audio device interface.
  
  Totally a long and involved answer but some might find it useful if in the market for audio upgrades :Þ

I'm not familiar with Massive, but I can help with getting your bass signal to your pc.

As a first option, there are 1/4" guitar USB devices sold expressly for this purpose. Behringer makes the cheapest one I know of: Behringer UCG-102. Ran across it while looking for a general purpose USB audio interface, but I didn't buy it because of the reviews complaining about the drivers. There's a $30 Mac cable I've seen used, too, but I don't know if anyone has PC or linux drivers for it. There are a lot of others, most of which start around $100 that I've seen. The Native Instruments one runs several hundred $$, I think.

I have a cheap jerry-rigged method that suits my needs, though. If you have a desktop pc, a DI pedal, or a better soundcard than usual, you might be able to do something like this more easily, but this is what I threw together one day after picking up the ground-isolator and USB audio interface for other purposes:

1/4"-to-3.5mm adapter into the headphone-out of amp, then a 3.5mm-to-RCA converter on top of that. Ground-loop-isolator (mine has RCA inputs and outputs, hence the converters) from that into the USB audio interface. I'm using the Behringer UCA-222. The interface connects to the PC via USB, or course.

Two things worth noting: 1) you'll probably want to install "ASIO4ALL" drivers to decrease latency times on this or similar USB audio interfaces and 2) you may not need a ground loop isolator, depending on your hardware. I'm using a laptop in this setup, and if it's plugged in then there's some interference. Easy way to check: while the pc's plugged in, if you can output your pc's audio to the Line In on your amp without hearing static, you probably don't need a ground loop isolator.

Hope that helps.

I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I'm looking for a low-end solution for recording vocals, connected to a PC.

I have absolutely no experience whatsoever with audio hardware. My wife loves to sing - and though I am of course biased, I think she's pretty good at it - and so I want to get her a gift of some recording equipment.

I'm not looking for anything high-end; I'd like for it to be "decent", but it doesn't have to be professional level hardware. I'd like to be able to get everything for somewhere between $300-400 if possible. So, specifically, I'm looking for...

1. A microphone for vocals (with a stand, or stand separate)
   
   
2. A way to hook everything up to the PC (for use with something like FL Studio or Audacity)
   
   I assume there might need to be an amp in there somewhere? I don't know, I don't know anything about this stuff.
   
   Would anyone please be willing to give me some recommendations on parts, and what specifically I will need? Thank you.
   
   Edit: Okay, what about this?
   
   AT-2020 Mic
   
   Scarlett Solo USB Interface
   
   Mic Stand
   
   Pop Filter
   
   XLR Cable
   
   Seinnheser HD280 Headphones

Another tip as for mic wise, check out the Blue Microphones Snowball. (New to reddit, so hopefully you are allowed to post links to amazon... but I'll put the link at the end of this post. I'm linking to amazon, you might be able to find them cheaper or even on amazon if you don't want their "prime" service.) It is currently listed at $66 bucks and you can't get a better microphone for under $100 that compares to that one. Another to consider, if you want to save a little and make the jump is the AT2020 (Again, posted as the second link at the bottom.) I bought mine 2 or 3 weeks ago for $110 through their prime. (Seems to have jumped to $140 right now...) Very solid mic. Works great from a distance and close. If you plan on being close to any mic, invest in a pop filter (Link at the end again). Amazon has a great one for $15 that I use. If you plan on just putting it on the edge of your desk and talking, it'll work too, but you'll have to raise the mic levels, and thus get more interference and background noise. I talk close (probably a foot or so away.) to my AT2020, and get no background noise. Haven't personally tried the Snowball, but everyone I've talked to that has it loves it and recommends it. Food for thought when money becomes available. As for your current audio, it doesn't sound bad, seem to be doing a good job in Audacity, I was going to recommend that program until I saw you already use it :-). And if thinking about any other mics, just search them on youtube, people almost always have a comparison or such video to listen to them with. (And on another note, regardless of mics that I've used, I still put an EQ on them to drop off the highs and lows that speech doesn't use. Just a good thing to throw on, usually editing software has it.)

EDIT: Also in order of necessity, mic first obviously, and then the pop filter can come later if you are having problems with the "s" and "p" letters causing peaks. I also forgot to mention, if going with a condenser mic, it's a good idea to look into getting a shock mount that fits the mic, that'll stop vibrations from being picked up in the mic too, sometimes they become audible as a low or high hum that are difficult to remove.

Blue Mics Snowball
http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Microphone-Aluminum/dp/B002OO333Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346788232&sr=8-1&keywords=yeti+snowball

AT2020
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-Condenser-Microphone-USB/dp/B007I53N0Y/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1346788324&sr=1-12&keywords=at2020

Pop Filter
http://www.amazon.com/CAD-EPF-15A-Filter-15-Inch-Gooseneck/dp/B0002E3FCO/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1346788628&sr=1-2&keywords=pop+filter

That is a big limit.

1lb Fat replica

Infant Circumcision Trainer(Great, now i have that in my browsing history)

Weener Cleaner soap (When your hand just isnt enough)

Can we have more than one item that we want as long as its under $2000?
If so, heres a few things. if not you can choose from that list.

4K Monitor $624

Microphone $57

Headphones $188

Keyboard $95

2TB External HDD $100

Computer Case $160

Power Supply $170

Graphics Card $340

I really need any of these so even one thing will help tons and i really appreciate the contest and what you are doing is both crazy and the nicest thing ive seen someone do. even if i dont win you are still and amazing person. Thanks again and good luck everyone.

Not /u/fluffleofbunnies but any features can be matched with a decent pair of headphones, as for style just find a pair of headphones you like the look of and as for comfort, any headphones you pay a decent amount for will be very comfortable.

We aren't telling you you're wrong to get a gaming headset, we're just trying to explain that sound quality can be much better than a gaming headset and that any features and styles you look for can be attained also.

I have these headphones and this mic. The mic is a bit overkill but I used to make YouTube videos. The headphones however, are relatively cheap, great quality and very comfortable.

Twitch Steaming audio help!

​

I was wondering what people would recommend for a semi-professional audio setup. I don't really have a budget other than under around $800-$900. By no means am I and "audiophile" but I do know the basics and then some. All I want is crisp sounding microphone, a mixer with a good DAC and compressor, and a good pair of headphones. Here is the hardware I am currently looking at, any advice will help a lot! Also the mixer I found is kinda ugly IMO, is there any mixer with good functionality that isn't as ugly? Thanks :D

Microphone: https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002E4Z8M/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1542937982&sr=1-3&keywords=Shure+Dynamic+Microphone%2C+XLR+%28SM7B%29

Mixer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JRGHEZ2/ref=psdc_11974871_t1_B00IBIVL42

Headphones: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1542938032&sr=1-4&keywords=sennheiser+headphone

Again thank you for the help!

Just grab some lav's

[This Rode smartLav is great] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO4A7L0/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mic-reviews-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00EO4A7L0&linkId=4ccaf6812920138f74d980411d5a90a8)

[This ATR-3350] (https://www.amazon.ca/Audio-Technica-ATR-3350-Omnidirectional-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B002HJ9PTO)

[If you can stretch for $800 bucks this will be excellent] (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/618735-REG/Sennheiser_EW_100_ENG_G3_A_Evolution_G3_100_Series.html)

[This BOYA mic is great and inexpensive] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MRMU2HU/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00MRMU2HU&linkCode=as2&tag=pv0dbb-20&linkId=UZT4YZXUAJ7VKBG6)

Basically watch this video and decide what you think is best for your application.

Keep in mind, for a condenser mic you need a sound treated room for the best quality audio.

But yeah, there are FAR better mics out there.

[This is a great setup] (https://www.twitch.tv/videos/140197666)

Condenser mics are good for picking up a lot of people, but they also create a lot of background noise too. I used a condenser for 2 years, we JUST made the switch. Now i use 4 dynamic mics, via an xlr to USB interface. We record in adobe audition. Even if you dont record in it, i recommend learning it and running your audio through it for post editing. ill link all my useful stuff and equipment. These will all be amazon links.

The Mics

Good Mic Stands for cheap

interface

if you go through the trouble of learning audition this is helpful. This is the algorithm the Game Grumps use, i cannot state enough what an amazingly drastic quality difference this makes. it raises the lows, lowers the highs, evens it all out.

Dynamic Audio Processing Chart

​

I should mention that to record multiple mic inputs, you need either an additional sound card, or the ASIO4ALL driver (which hogs your soundcard making it so you cant hear your game, booo.) The alternate solution i went for is recording the audio on another PC.

​

If you're recording with lots of people, to avoid audio spillover (one person being picked up on another's mic) you want to record with each track at the near lowest possible Gain/Volume/Db, and raise it all later. this will make the mics only pick up the voice right in front of them. I usually also angle all the mics in a way that they face only their speaker, but not others. I can elaborate on this further if you like. Then i run it all thru the Dynamic Processing. I think that about covers the gist of it, sorry for how detailed it was lol. If anyone is curious, i can give good tips on creating thumbnails, info about how i make my art and music, how i edit my videos and general technique too, when i have time

Some constructive criticism. There is some potential here, but your sketches were all very predictable and/or unfunny. You're either rehashing jokes that everyone has already heard/seen a thousand times before, or your punchlines are falling completely flat due to lack of proper comedic timing and buildup. Take some time to study some of the comedic greats, and really focus on how they build up their jokes over the course of the sketch and how they deliver the punchlines.

On the technical end of things, see if your voice actors have the resources to invest in better microphones. Particularly the "new Lalafell woman"; the low quality of her audio really took me out of the moment. You can often find good quality microphones on the cheap if you shop around online. Generally speaking, headsets tend to have lower quality mics than what you'd want in a voice acting gig. Headsets are sufficient for talking on Skype or Mumble or whatever, but when you're doing voice-over work, you really want a good desktop mic. The Blue Snowball is a good option for amateur voice work. Good quality for the price you pay.

With only a single USB camera you're going to be limited in stream quality regardless so you are going to have to be creative in your production. doing it all live will capture everything, including your friend who can't figure out what he is going to do until its his turn and then spend 20 minutes deciding (Damnit Tim) which won't make for edge of your seat viewing since you can't edit out the down time.

Audio is going to be super important so you will also want to pick up a quality compressor USB mic that will be able to pick up a broad range (as opposed to literally just in front of the mic). Blue Snowball mics have worked well for me in this regards.

Not familiar with Open Broadcaster, so I'm not certain of what it provides that connecting directly to Youtube/UStream for a broadcast wouldn't already do, again especially with only one camera. From the site it looks like it'll broadcast your video games but I could be wrong. Graphic overlays?

From an ease of use perspective if you haven't done this type of thing before, I'd suggest sticking with Youtube. Easy to use, and with proper descriptions/tags will become more searchable by others who are looking for the games that you've previously played as it'll automatically make them available via youtube (one less step for you).

All this said, after a couple of broadcasts to work out the kinks/see if folks are still onboard with doing it, I'd recommend getting a domain that you can point to your youtube channel/website so its easier to share/promote. Redbeardtheimpalerplaysgames.com is easier to remember than youtube.com/watch?v=0hiUuL5uTKc or http://youtu.be/l-O5IHVhWj0

All this said, it can be fun, but make sure that your players are onboard with it. for the sake of showing you what minimal effort can get you, here is a live stream recording of Dice Hate Me Games Brewcrafters playtest that my group did a little over a year ago using the onboard mic/camera to a macbook pro via google hangouts on-air

This mic stand is pretty good, but I can't really recommend it for the Yeti. The Yeti is a bit heavy and if you extend the arm on the stand it won't be able to hold the mic up. I've solved this with a very inelegant counterweight.

The monitor stands are really great. They're strong and very versatile. Would recommend.

Do you have the xlr or usb version? if its xlr any old xlr cable should work, but the usb uses this cable . Personally I use this shockmount and this desk mount which isn't very bad for the price but you can definitely tell its a cheap mount. Most of the accessories are garbage and I ended up cutting out the XLR cable and wiring my usb cable through it, but if you have the xlr version I guess it'll work fine for you. I know for a fact that shock mount you just linked doesn't work, but it does come with the desk mount I linked (for $20 more) so you may as well try it for yourself, the best option would be the Audio Technica shock mount but its pretty pricey. I should also mention the better option for the desk mount would be the Rode desk mount and that the AT2020 on its own is comparable with either desk mount as long as you use the mount that comes with it for the desk stand, just remove the mount itself and screw it to the desk mount. hope my experience could help you out :)

Unsurprisingly, everyone is recommending m50xs... you should checkout the headphones subreddit, the people over there know their shit. The Sony's and msr7s you were asking about are on different sides of the sound signature spectrum. The msr7s are pretty punchy and bright, while the Mdr-1s are more warm and laid back sounding. I would say go for something like the beyerdynamic Dt770 they really are awesome for electronic music, and they're pretty affordable as well. Also if you want to spend a little more the focal spirit pro is a great choice.

Link to the dt770: https://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-770-PRO-250-ohms/dp/B008POFOHM?th=1&psc=1

Link to the spirit pro: https://www.amazon.com/Focal-Spirit-Professional-Studio-Headphones/dp/B00EXO8Y3Y

> Get a good headset (I use the Logitech G930s, but just find something comfortable and decent quality)

I strongly recommend getting a nice pair of headphones and a separate mic instead of a headset. Gaming headsets tend to have poor sound and mic quality when compared to a dedicated pair of headphones and a mic.

For headphones, try /r/headphones. For the mic, you could just get a clip-on like this zalman or an antlion modmic, or you can get a full blown mic like a blue yeti or blue snowball.

Consider looking at the AT2100 dynamic mic. It's currently at $58 (with retail at $80).

This is a very nice starting mic for a few reasons:

• The sound is rather good for the price point, as indicated by reviews. Not as good as the blue snowball, BUT
  
  
• It has WAY better background noise rejection as a dynamic mic versus the snowball, which is a condenser mic.
  
  
• It has a USB connection, for easy and immediate use. You can use this for the time being with the on-board audio interface.
  
  
• Down the road, it has an XLR connection so you can upgrade your quality by buying a dedicated audio interface (like the scarlett solo, for example). XLR with a dedicated XLR-to-USB interface will give you a better sound than USB with an on-board interface.
  
  tl;dr: I don't know why more people don't recommend dynamic mics, and the AT2100 is a great starter.

Hey everyone!

I'm hoping to find some help in picking out some new studio monitors for my home studio that will also double as a stereo system. So I'm basically looking for a wide and flat frequency response as well as a pretty large sweet spot.

I'm trying to stay near the $300/pair price range,if possible, and I've narrowed it down to these possibilities:

M-Audio BX5 Carbon,
Behringer Truth B1030a,
JBL LSR305,

I haven't personally heard any of these, so I'm curious to see if anyone has an opinion on what would be best for my use case. Thanks!

I have a question about studio monitors. I'm looking to get a pair and my buddy has the Rokit 5s which sound amazing but are out of my price range. What are some good, self-powered monitors with clear sound and good bass? Are M-Audios any good?

Thanks

I'm actually more of a fan of the 5 mic idea rather than one condenser, for the reasons that /u/carlmmii outlined below. I'm also going to second the idea that running the mixer via Line In, while it may work, isn't the best way to go about doing it. It will work, but the chances of having unintended audio issues (hum, etc) are increased. Instead, I would recommend pushing the mixer budget a little bit to get one with a dedicated USB audio out, or running the mixer L/R outputs into something like this.

​

As far as good mics in the $50 range, I'd go with Shure PG48s. They're cheap, sound decent, and Shure has a reputation of being incredibly tough. Regardless of which mic you pick, I'd recommend dynamic over condenser to cut down on the amount of vocal bleed (i.e. the voice of Player 1 getting picked up in Player 2's mic) and overall reduction in table noise/dice dropping/etc.

I have 2 sets of those Klipsch! They're great for gaming and I have a set plugged in to my TV as well. :)

Piggybacking on what others have said - yes, you need a pair, and yes, you'd need a soundcard. The best bang for your buck right now would be a reasonable USB soundcard (I recommend and own the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, $150) and a set of low impedance reference headphones - you can get the Beyerdynamic DT-770 in 32 Ohm impedance for $175.

Links to make life easier:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008POFOHM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1396855842&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005OZE9SA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1396855882&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40

Scissor arm mic stands can make a huge difference if you have limited desk space. Great for cord-management too. Don't need a mic right now? Just shove the whole thing out of the way.

I'm sure the mic will be fine for most use. Without a digital audio interface, you'll be limited to microphones that are direct USB devices. While they do record sound, you're never really going to get that "radio voice" that you might be seeking. Next step up would be to get an interface and step up to an XLR vocal mic. Shure makes some damn good voiceover mics, but they'll set you back a couple hundred. The difference is night and day, though.

Those headphones are fantastic for listening, but maybe not the best for editing. I'd go for something with a much flatter response that isn't open-ear. I've been using a basic pair of SONY 7506s and I've not had too much of a problem with them. The ears could use a bit more padding, but the sound is good enough to do what I want out of them. Ideally, one should use a decent set of studio monitors for proper editing, but... yeah that's a major investment. For basic voiceover stuff it's not going to be super necessary.

Hey all,

I'm getting ready to go big on a microphone setup, but I want to get a few extra opinions on the hardware that I have selected to make sure it is both sufficient for each other as well as the best price to performance. I'm really looking for some GREAT quality but not needing something for full on production.

-----

Here is a list of the items and below is a screenshot of the cart if people don't want to click on the individual links.

Audient iD14

Shure SM7B

CL-1 Cloudlifter

RODE PSA1

LyxPro Balanced XLR Cable 6 ft

LyxPro Balanced XLR Cable 1.5 ft

-----

https://i.imgur.com/T08p76s.png

I don't think that adapter will improve how you sound. Microphones are made to pick up specific frequencies and no in between hardware will change that. It might 'alter' it by removing certain frequencies but if you may not want that because most cheep mic's only pick up a small range to begin with. I think your money might be spent elsewhere. That's just my two cents, and I'm no expert in audio either.


If you want to spend close to nothing, you could go steal your mom's/sisters/girlfriends pantyhose. You'll want to put this over the tip of the mic and cut excess away. Experiment with layers. This will be a homemade pop-filter. :D


Also, you can try voicemeeter. I have a tutorial on how to use it with dxtory. I need up update my tutorial, but make sure to choose the MME devices over the WDM ones. I would like to note that you don't necessarily need to follow my guide to get voicemeeter to work for you. If you need help, let me know.

Money options

I use a MS LX-3000. Cost me $20 USD. Along with voicemeeter, I think i sound pretty good.

Two of my friends use the Samson Meteor and really like it. It's around $70 USD on amazon.

Then there's the whole range of podcasting style microphones. They can range from the same price as the samson to thousands of dollars.

This build will be adequate for music production, although just barely. Like others have said, an outboard audio interface that connects by USB is one of the most important components for an audio production PC (definitely cut that asus xonar sound card). this focusrite Scarlett series is an immensely popular choice https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1491756709&sr=1-2&keywords=audio+interface I would also recommend the behringer umc hd series as being much better value at the $99 price point (this is what I just replaced my ancient audio interface with) https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UMC404HD-BEHRINGER-U-PHORIA/dp/B00QHURLHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491757010&sr=8-1&keywords=umc404hd The audio interface will allow you to 100% bypass the motherboards audio chipset and will provide far higher quality and much more routing options than any onboard audio chipset can claim.

I wouldn't cut anything from this parts list. If you running even a few different VST's in ableton you may come to find the mechanical drive insufficient to allow you to smooth play back of instruments. An 250-500gb SSD would be a likely future upgrade for this build that would tangibly improve performance.

Also, if an audio interface is outside your budget, I would simply wait on buying one. Depending on what your doing in Ableton you might not find it essential right off the bat. Its not like its gonna affect your warping or timestretching ;)

It depends on what you want aim for in terms of quality. If you want a cheap but sufficient interface (what you plug instruments and mics into) then go for a line 6 ux1 or ux2.

http://www.amazon.com/Line-6-POD-Studio-UX1/dp/B001EKECAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449798017&sr=8-1&keywords=line6+ux1

http://www.amazon.com/Line-6-POD-Studio-UX2/dp/B001EKECC2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449798017&sr=8-2&keywords=line6+ux1

For a microphone, there's a bit more searching involved. I don't have experience with a huge variety of mics but the 2 that I know work really well are the Shure sm7b and the MXL 4000.

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002E4Z8M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449798231&sr=8-1&keywords=shure+sm7b

http://www.amazon.com/MXL-4000-Multi-Pattern-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B001REGEF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449798319&sr=8-1&keywords=mxl+4000

The Shure SM57 is also pretty good but is usually used on instruments more so than vocals but that doesn't mean it can't get the job done well

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM57-LC-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B0000AQRST/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449798383&sr=8-1&keywords=sm57.

If you want to hear the interface and the Shure sm7b in action, check out some of the stuff I've recorded before. Used to be into recording my old band a lot. I assure you it doesn't sound like it was recorded in a tin can: https://soundcloud.com/herpyderpypuddingpie/worldacousticmaster (and yes, i already know you love my soundcloud channel name) (oh and ignore the horrible acoustic guitar tone. this was before I figured out that recording them DI wasn't all that great of a solution)

Translation:

"Any half decent voiceover mic" with proper equalizer settings (controls how much of the bass, mid, and treble you hear) and compression (controls how dynamic the volume of a sound is, resulting in a louder overall apparent volume (technically, compression doesn't increase the decibel level, which is why TV commercials always sound louder than the shows despite there being laws in place about decibel levels needing to be the same)) will do the job.

He then drops some specific model names, SM7, C414 and C214

And finally, for the tidbits he adds about each model. "Cardioid" and "multi-pattern" refer to the pickup pattern of each mic. The pickup pattern is a description of where sound is best picked up around the mic. Cardioid refers to a roughly heart-shaped (in the '<3' sense) pattern, extending from the face of the mic. This means the mic will best pick up sound directly in front of it, and then extending out, with a wider pickup area further away. There are, of course, other patterns of pickup. The C414 noted above is capable of operating in 9 different patterns, giving you more flexibility for recording. "Brighter" just refers to sound quality, which here means... well, what it sounds like really. It's going to pick up less bass, which leads to the 'brightness'.

The speakers are passive (unpowered), so they need much more power than the aux port on your motherboard can offer. Many PC speakers are powered on their own, so they don't need a separate amp. If you go with passive speakers you need either an amp or a receiver.

For less than $300 on all of that you might want to go with powered PC speakers instead of passive+amp which would give you some money to throw at a better set of headphones. This might be controversial around here, but I would highly advise against a gaming headset. For the same amount of money as a gaming headset you can get much better audio quality with a good set of headphones and a separate mic. You have lots of mic options, some can even connect right to the headphones.

If you want to go with passive speakers plus an amp, here is a quick setup I threw together:

• Micca MB42 passive bookshelf speakers -$70
  
  
• Polk PSW10 powered subwoofer -$90
  
  
• Lepai LP-2020A+ speaker amp (not the best, but more than enough power) -$25
  
  
• Sennheiser HD 518 open headphones -$80
  
  
• Audio Technica ATR2500 USB mic -$65
  
  
• Total: $330
  
  You could go with a much cheaper mic, but you get the idea.

All these recommendations of Logitech and Corsair (and Altec, etc.) speakers on what claims to be a knowledgeable forum really hurts, guys. You wouldn't recommend a $100 Logitech keyboard over a CM Storm, so don't do the same here.

Now to answer your question, OP:

A Xonar DG and M Audio AV40s will be a killer combo for a nice clear sound that extends into low frequencies very well for the price (great bass). I highly recommend it. Now a sound card isn't necessary, per se - you will have audio without it; but the improvement from onboard to a cheap sound card is immense. Go for it! I've recommended this setup to tens of people, and I used it myself until I upgraded my sound card, and it's really amazing bang for the buck and sound.

Hope this gets to you :)

Just a heads up: The seiren bundle is almost like the Beats of microphones. Okay not that bad, but still. It looks good (if you like a big razer logo on your mic). The features don't come close to matching the price though.

50% off makes it a reasonable package, but at stock price its essentially a much more expensive Blue Yeti. The reviews for the essential hardware lead me to believe this one gets a little thin if you compare it to the audio technica USB mic at the $130 pricepoint..

As for the pop filter and shock mount, as I have mentioned elsewhere, Your biggest reduction in unwanted sound will come from getting a boom mic. It reduces vibrations and, more importantly, allows you to place the microphone at a proper distance from your mouth. With the proper placement, the mic signal is hot, so you're not turning up the gain to sound intelligible, which in turn increases the ambient noise. The pop filter can be useful, but the seiren filter is needlessly expensive, for something you can make at home. Shockmounts will be relevant only if you for some reason need to adjust and move the mic stand all the time. A boom stand eliminates the need.

What I'm saying is, although you're technically getting a deal, There are other choices you can find with more bang for your buck, if all you need is a mic to record your voice for gameplay streaming or VOIP for games. If your budget is $150 dollars I would say to get either the audiotechnica (a reputable and affordable audio company) or the Blue Yeti, and buy a heavy duty boom mic stand.

Now don't let me stop you from spending the money the way you want, but I just thought I would throw out my two cents on the matter since I had the time.

[EDIT] Just throwing this out there, I would buy this mic before any of the ones we talked about: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2100-USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B004QJOZS4

or this: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2005USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B007JX8O0Y

looking for a budget audio input solution for podcasting.

I currently podcast with one friend, but would like to eventually add more friends to the podcast. I currently have a cheap microphone, but no stand and no USB adapter for it, and a wireless gaming headset.

For our first episode I planned to use the built-in mic of my laptop and the USB headset as inputs, but i couldn't get the USB headset to mix with the built-in mic.

I saw this article on best USB audio interface. My initial plan was to buy the Tascam US-2×2 to mix my non-USB mic and another cheap microphone. I would need to buy some cheap tabletop mic stands, but i don't know which brands.

An alternative would be to spend the $150 I would spend on a sound board on two new USB microphones instead of a USB mixer. One advantage of USB mics is I wouldn't need mic stands. I was thinking maybe the Meteor or the Snowball ICE

which is the better solution? USB mics or USB mixer?

If I go with the USB mixer, which cheap mic and tabletop stands should I buy?

Is there a cheaper alternative that I'm missing? I would like to start low budget and gradually upgrade as necessary.

The Audio-Technica ATR2100/AT2005/Samson Q2U are very good podcasting microphones, and are versatile by having both USB and XLR connections.

The Zoom H6 is a good recorder. If you want to save money, get a Behringer mixer (1-XLR, 2-XLR, 4-XLR) and a Zoom H1 to record with.

The Audio-Technica ATH-M30x or ATH-M40x are good headphones.

Get any pop filter that fits your price. A Neewer boom arm is OK for podcasting (that's what I use), but the next step up is a Blue Compass, Rode PSA-1, or Heil PL-2T.

The Neewer boom arm comes with a plastic shock mount.

Monoprice.com has pretty good quality cables for cheap, but price almost equals quality for audio cables.

Audacity is a good audio editor.

Check out Better Podcasting, The Audacity to Podcast, School of Podcasting, The Feed, and Podcasters' Roundtable for podcast advice. Pod Squad is a Discord server that I help moderate where you can also get more help from other podcasters.

This headset is said to be good for an audiophile on a budget. http://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHL5605PP-28-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B006WHPQUO

Audiophile headsets are often better for gamers than "gaming headsets" as they provide you with more straight forward high quality sound. Discounted from $100 to $33 is great, and it will enable you to get this mic: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002OO333Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419576540&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=51DRAN8k5eL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

That there sir, is a blue snowball. An amazing mic which I personally use and would recommend to ANYONE. Even better, they too are on sale. They are no longer 100, but instead a measly 50. This stays well below your max budget, and maybe you can buy yourself a nice game with what you'll save.

So... Did I sell it to you?

My setup is literally two pieces of equipment. It seems expensive, but if you sell some textbooks to amazon, you can easily knock about a hundred fifty bucks off the total cost. This isn't audiophile equipment, but it's solid, it's a good place to get started, it's relatively cheap, and it'll sound a million times better than whatever you'd get at best buy or urban outfitters for the same price.

Speakers: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051WAM64/

Turntable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002S1CJ2Q/

Of course, if you can, go vintage.

> Is there a loss of quality when plugging high quality mics into a lower-end camera's jacks?

Generally yes, but not always. It's more a usability thing. If you're shooting abroad with no way of repairs or replacements, an XLR will be a lot more rugged and reliable than a molded jack. Additionally, pro camcorders provide phantom power so you don't need to put batteries in the microphones meaning one less consumable to worry about.

You've linked to a lav microphone - but be aware that the one you've linked to requires a powered preamp, and will not work on standard 'mic ins' on consumer level equipment. Lav mics are great - they don't produce as 'natural' a sound as a shotgun microphone (due to the proximity to the chest giving emphasis to low end frequencies), but they do produce reliably clear, understandable sounds. There are, however, a few reasons why I personally would shy away from using one for your project:

• They're a bit awkward to use with subjects that are not used to appearing on camera. You need to give at least some mild coaching to make sure they don't move their head around too much, fidget with their clothes, or touch the microphone (which may be difficult if you don't speak the language very well!)
  
• They're fragile
  
• They only capture good audio for the person they're attached to, meaning that you'll need more than one if you want to do an interview-style conversation, or a conversation between multiple parties (and then you'll require some kind of mixer)
  
  If you'd like to go that route, then a nice affordable option is the ATR3350. Make sure you pack batteries though!
  
  
  

Strictly speaking, you are in the wrong subreddit - gear for a musician is better asked in /r/audio.

However:

> HT | OMEGA Claro Halo 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card w/ a built-in HI-FI Headphone Amplifier

If your friend is making music, it's reasonably likely that he's at some stage going to record external instruments (or voice). Internal, consumer-oriented sound cards are very nearly useless for this: They won't have a sufficient number of inputs, and their inputs are unbalanced. He is going to want a proper prosumer external audio interface.

There are many to choose from, but here are a few that has been reasonably well reviewed:

• Focusrite Scarlett 18i6, $299.
  
• PreSonus AudioBox 44VSL, $299.
  
  Both of the above have headphone amps, and you can connect instruments directly, and microphones requiring phantom power.
  
  Disclosure: I use neither of the above - I needed a budget option for recording in situation where I may not always have a computer, so I use the Zoom R16, which is also neat because it can act as a very compact control surface.
  
  > Logitech Z506 75 watts RMS 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
  
  No. For making music, he's going to want studio monitors, or something resembling them. The absolutely cheapest option in that department I can recommend is the M-Audio Studio AV40 at $130. I have owned these, and wrote a review here.
  
  However, I'm going to go out on a limb, and guess that you're coming from the PC gaming side of things. In which case, you've probably picked the heftiest graphics card you could find. Scale that graphics card back by about $100 - a fast GPU isn't needed for music. Lots and lots of RAM and a fast CPU is.
  
  Either way, my point about scaling back on the GPU is that while I like the AV40's, monitors at around $300 are much better tools for musicians than $130 monitors. I was so happy with the way the AV40's performed, that I upgraded to their big brother, the M-Audio BX5 D2 - but there are many alternatives to it.
  
  TL;DR Your friend needs an audio interface, not a sound card, and he need studio monitors, not gamer's toys from logitech.

When I was looking for a mic, my tech friend sent me towards the Audio Technica ATR2500 because he said it was basically as good if not better than the 2020, but far cheaper.

Been using it for 3-4 years now and the audio quality is quite good. I'm always getting compliments on it. (The deep voice and Australian accent probably helps too.)

They sell it on Amazon and It's on sale pretty frequently.
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2500-USB-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B004QJREXM

Ok....I don't think DIY is an option in audiophile, so let's forget that unless you're an absolute genius and have been inventing for B&W or Wilson or something like that but I would assume that you are not.

If you are buying under $300, the recommendations (JBL LSR305) are pretty good monitors to start out with. You can also try http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Studiophile-Active-Monitor-Speakers/dp/B0051WAM64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-1&keywords=m-+av+studio if you're on even a bigger budget...

But for $300, the JBLs are probably the best you can get. May be try to spend an extra ~200 or so for a DAC, that would help a ton if you're using a computer as a source. :D

[netherlands][60$]

Guys ive been doing some research for the past week for a good usb mic for gaming and streaming I dont want to spent hundreds of dollars but just a nice little something that has a decent output the budget is 60euro

I found 2 contestants:

1: samson meteor

2: Blue Snowball Ice

When I listened to audio tests i felled that the samson meteor sounded better just wanted to know what you guys thought about it

If you got some similar suggestions please do so and state why it would be better. (ps USB is highly preffered

I want to thank everyone who took their time to respond to my question in advance!

Keep making these! My feedback is:

1.) Get a better mic. I use this one. I get pretty good quality recordings from it. I also have a pop filter. Here's an example recording with the mic.

2.) I felt like you were jumping around in a lot of different places. I don't feel like all the lines work together to create one vision or support one theme.

Great stuff :-).

Samson go mic? I used to have one of those ages ago... Decent for the price, as I remember. So. Here's my advice for multiplayer commentary at a budget of $250.

Mixer = $100

Mic x4 = $120. This is my go to mic and I love the sound it gets. Not suitable for live performances through a PA, but for lets plays it's awesome. This particular link includes XLR cords too.

These mics are also dynamic, so they should pick up considerably little of the game audio. I'd recommend picking up some boom stands, like these for about 20 bucks each.

As for headphones and such, I've used my microphones without headphones and it's picked up little to no game audio.

I think I'm going to try this one and test it. If the wind noise is still too much, I'll look into the a windjammer.

It's probably pretty cheap, but it has it's own battery power supply - so there's no wondering about whether it'll have power, I think and I like the on/off switch. The person who made the mod tutorial did not end up with very good audio quality at all, just mostly-reduced wind because of his external mic placement, which did not lend to good audio quality as the mic was in the tail of his bike, which is basically the usual storage place for a rattling circuit-breaker box. It almost exclusively picked up muffled engine noise.

If you have any thoughts on that mic selection, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks for your help!

I wouldn't say that there is a "best mic" out there, since once you get to a certain price point getting $500 microphones is basically pointless for YouTube.

Since you want to go without acoustic foam, a dynamic microphone is probably best. I see a ton of twitch streamers with the Shure SM7B, and it seems to produce damn good audio quality. Though a much cheaper ATR2100 has similar sound quality. I would HIGHLY reccomend getting some higher end equipment with compression, EQ, decent gain control, etc. for a cheaper microphone then spending most of your budget on an expensive mic. With some decent editing and hardware you can make any mic sound good. (within reason)

As a side note, most acoustic foam and room foam stuff is to remove echo and other unwanted stuff that will come across in any microphone. If your room has hard wood floors or is very echo-ey then there's not much spending more on a microphone can do for that, unfortunately. The best you can do without getting some foam is to lower your gain, talk closer to the mic, and edit the audio in post with some noise reduction and echo reduction filters.

If you like to pump your bass, then I recommend the JBL LSR 305 for $89 each. https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Professional-LSR305-First-Generation-Powered/dp/B00DUKP37C/

The LSR305 are studio monitors that compete well in overall SQ with the best powered speakers <$500. IMO, they have better midbass and deeper bass extension than many other speakers their size. For example their lower end rated response is 43hz for their 5" drivers vs. 60hz for those Edifiers with the smaller 4" drivers. I think realistically, they have solid 50hz performance (and likely the Edifiers would be more like 70hz).

Tons of professional reviews for those speakers as they have been popular for years.

You would need to also purchase a special cable to plug it into your computer: https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-CMP-159-Stereo-Breakout-Cable/dp/B005HGM1D6

So you would definitely recommend it? Were there any issues with set up or anything? Also, just to be sure, you mean this right?

http://www.amazon.com/Samson-Meteor-Studio-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B004MF39YS

Thanks for your help. Btw, you guys are great, lol.

Since your title specifies low cost you can save some money by using a wired lav mic like this Audio Technica or this Olympus lav mic. You simply plug it into the camera's mic input. A 3.5mm extension cable might be needed to reach the camera. Use the lav mic with an inexpensive voice recorder if you need the subject to move around. Smart phones have decent audio recording apps too. Syncing the audio in post can be a hassel so only do this if the shot requires being untethered. If you record audio with a separate recorder it helps to mark it by saying a scene number and making a clap sound so you can find it and sync it with the video editing software.

For lighting you might consider an inexpensive LED light and a second battery. Charge one battery while using the other.

I've used clamps like this and this for quick and simple mount of camera and small lights to a chair, windowsill, cupboard, etc. You can use JB Weld to put a 1/4-20 nut-coupler on the light if it doesn't have it already.

edit: I like Canon equipment and their line of Vixia Camcorders starts at around $300 and has a mic input. The lens and image stabilization gets you a nice picture compared to a camera phone or similar "cheap" camera.

IIRC Premiere has a basic mode that uses a simpler timeline more like Apple's iMovie. You can download 30 day trial versions of the latest Adobe products. Give Premiere Elements a try.

Getting ready to purchase the JBL LSR305's as recommended. I like to have higher quality systems at work, but I wanted some decent sound for the house computer.

Aside from these Breakout Cables, is there anything else I need / can do to improve the sound (that's worth the effort?) I just plug this straight into my Mobo's audio jack right? Would a dedicated soundcard make a significant difference? Would a USB to DAC to Breakout cables be worth it? If so any recommended DACs for these speaks? I'm mostly only familiar with headphone setups

Fyi I already have a lot of high quality source music so I'm mainly just talking about the hardware

Absolutely! I'm assuming you'll be using your phone for music?
A great set of headphones with great bass and clarity are the Beyerdynamic DT770. If you're intending to go simple and use the headphones with a portable device such as your phone or an iPod, you'd be wise to get the 32 Ohms version.

This "32 Ohms" is the measure of the headphone's impedance/resistance. This means that the headphone provides less resistance to the power being supplied by an amplifier. This means that with a lower impedance, your audio source's amplifier (phone, iPod, etc.) will be able to easily power to your headphones, and the headphones will have more volume and clarity.

The 250 Ohm version would need a decent amplifier—not found on phones. If you plugged a pair of headphones with an impedance of 250 Ohms into your phone, the headphones would resist a lot of the power coming from the phone's weak onboard amplifier—resulting in very low volume and clarity on the headphones.

I hope that I made sense with that description! Let me know if you have questions!

I agree with /u/bluesmcgroove that the Blue Radius is a good one, but you can certainly go with non-Blue stands as well. I personally use this stand as it works well for me -> http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Stands-MS7701-Tripod-Microphone/dp/B000978D58/

Pretty inexpensive and you can clip whatever filter you use to it easily. Of course, this is if you have a spot to set it next to you to swivel the arm in front of you. There were some other people who recommended one that clamps onto your desk in the past, but I can't say I have experience with those ones.

Should use google man.

Sound Dynamics was a decent Canadian company in the 80s.

Klipsch synergy is their lowest line, I wouldn't bother.

The KG 1.5s are good for the money.

The JBL setup only has one speaker. I dunno how good they are. JBL's newest line of LSRs is super well regarded. The wave guide on the tweeter is the same as their super flat $10,000 m2s. https://www.amazon.com/JBL-LSR305-Studio-Monitor/dp/B00DUKP37C/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1468809717&sr=1-2&keywords=jbl+lsr
You wouldn't need an amp either.

The Bowers and Wilkins are great for the money. I would get these. At that price they would be gone in less than an hour in boston.

Yes I see where you're going there, however I'm not sure that mixer is as versatile as it looks at first glance. Unless I'm reading them wrong, the first slider is for the mic only, and the 2nd slider is for either usb or line, not both. Now, there are a couple (and I do mean a couple!) of line mixers that would be appropriate for my particular purpose (apparently I'm pretty rare in the computer/desktop/tv demographic). I found this, which is an active mixer. And then there's this guy which is passive, Some say the voltage drop through the signal path on this one degrades the audio somewhat. I have to say the Behringer's active electronics along with the price make it the more desirable of the two. Samson makes a 5 channel line mixer as well, but they're fifty bucks too. I'm really trying to keep my total expense as low as possible without losing the potential to hear good audio. Thanks for helping me out Zeos. I really appreciate it!

You can get a cheap usb condenser mic. Not ideal over a more expensive xlr mic setup (watch the video I linked at the end, it explains a lot there), but for just gaming it's better than pretty much any headset. If you don't have room on the desk, there's the Antlion Modmic. Overpriced for the sound quality imo, but it should still be better than most headsets. I'm not sure if the a40s have a detachable cable, but if they do you can also get the V-moda boompro. I've used mine for a few years before upgrading to the ATR2500, and it sounds almost as good as the standalone mic and I like the sound signature much more than the Antlion. The only downside being some hiss that the condenser doesn't have, and it needs power from one of the channels for the mic to work, so you need to adjust the center for the headphones. Ideally if you're just using voice chat in games and in programs like Teamspeak, Discord, Mumble or whatever, the most you should be spending is around $50.

Here's a video if you wanna take the plunge and get something more professional for voice overs some time in the future.

Having two mics is a good call, but instead of recording vocals and guitar together, I'd would HIGHLY suggest recording your guitar in stereo with both mics and your vocal in mono with one mic (performed separately). When I started out, I used AT2020's which are very affordable and will sound okay until you're able to upgrade to something better.
Also, Reaper is a steal at $60. Use the trial version for a while and see if you like it...comes complete with all the basic, entry-level plug-ins that you'll need.
You'll also need an interface and a good pair of mixing headphones. Good luck!