I'd say for me, if I were making my own home office and wanted to trick it out:

At minimum a dual monitor setup, but it would be nice to have 3 (I have dual monitors and also the laptop screen running them so it works out to 3.) A nice monitor arm that will hold both (or all 3) monitors to keep the desk clutter free. Something nice that makes both monitors adjustable for you (maybe even a 90 degree rotation so you can code on a vertical screen when you feel like it.)

A nice condenser mic with an arm for it as well. I figure if I were working from home I would probably be doing conference calls more regularly than if I were in the office, so a good condenser mic will make my life easier and make sure I can communicate well. Maybe a blue yeti or blue yeti snowball with a nice boom arm for it like so so I can use it when I want it and then push it away when I don't.

In the same vein, a decent webcam that can clip on to my monitor (or buy one of the above boom arms and attach the camera to it, probably smart for only $15 so you can move it around.)

Definitely a great office chair since you can justify the expense and you're going to be sitting all day.

This one is great regardless of working for home or working from the office, but a nice mouse. I just got a Logitech G502 the other day for gaming as well as work purposes and MAN. I never knew what I was missing out on. I have thumb buttons/extra buttons programmed to copy, paste, delete, winkey + e to open an explorer window, ctrl + t for new tab, and also a key combination to switch my active window to my other monitor so I can quickly move stuff between them without having to click and drag.

Since you're working from home and don't have to worry about bothering other people, I'd definitely buy a nice mechanical keyboard. They're a dream to type on. I used to have an office to myself so I bought one and I miss it dearly now that I'm in a cubicle. In my opinion, well worth the expense.

Again since you're not in an office you could get a nice speaker. Bluetooth to keep the cord clutter down but really anything works. You can go budget or big here.

If you're a whiteboard person, a whiteboard to hang on the wall.

Definitely yes to the dock. I have one here at my office and it's so flipping nice being able to plug in one thunderbolt cable and keep the clutter contained to the back of my desk behind my monitors with the dock.

I'd probably buy a nice standing or desk light that still uses filament bulbs to make it warm/easy on the eyes. Ample lighting. And probably a plant or two just to make it look nice and feel good being there.

That's all I can think of. Can you tell I'm living vicariously through you? I know you said must haves, so if I were going to buy the above in order, it would be monitors > dock > mouse > blue yeti snowball > mic stand > camera > camera stand

Mic or headset?

🔊 MICROPHONES

• Antlion ModMic 4
  
  Attaches to headphones using a clasp system and is easy to attach and remove. Is compatible with all headphones. Comes with and without a mute switch.
  
  
• Massdrop Minimic
  
  Attaches to headphones using a clasp system and is easy to attach and remove. Is compatible with all headphones. Has a mute switch and is modular. Is only available via drops on Massdrop.com. I recommend requesting it if you want to wait for it.
  
  
• V-MODA BoomPro
  
  Connects to the headphone's jack, replacing the headphone cable. Is compatible with Philips SHP9500 and Status Audio CB-1. Has a mute switch and a volume control.
  
  
• Neewer 3.5mm Clip on Mini Lapel Microphone
  
  Clips onto your clothing. Has no in-line controls.
  
  
• Sony ECMCS3
  
  
• Clips onto your clothing. Has no in-line controls.
  
  
• Zalman ZM-Mic1
  
  Clips onto your clothing. Has no in-line controls.
  
  
• Blue Snowball
  
  Has various placement options. Has no in-line controls.
  
  
• Samson Go
  
  Has various placement options. Has no in-line controls.
  
  

  
  

  
  You can use various audio controllers for volume control and mute toggle:
  
  

• Fosmon
  
• Insignia
  
• Lucid Sound AdjustR
  
  

  
  

  
  To connect the ModMic, Minimic, clip-on mics and other 3.5mm mics to DS4 or an audio controller, you need a TRRS / 4-pole Y-splitter (three black rings on the connector). The BoomPro doesn't require a Y-splitter. USB mics are plug-and-play.
  
   
  
  🎧 HEADPHONES
  
  

  
  

  
  

• AKG K52
  
  Sound: Has a wide and deep soundstage, good imaging, clarity and detail retrieval and decent separation. It doesn't over- or under-emphasize the bass or treble. The bass can sound a little muddy in e.g. blasts and explosions.
  
  Build: Is closed-back and over-ear. Durable and very lightweight. The cups tilt and pivot, so they should adjust to the shape of your head nicely. The earpads have decent quality and are soft and removable, but they're shallow.
  
  
  
• Philips SHP9500
  
  Sound: Has a soundstage with medium width and depth. It has good imaging, separation and detail retrieval and very good clarity. It doesn't over- or under-emphasize the bass or treble.
  
  Build: Is open-back and over-ear. Durable and lightweight. The cups tilt and pivot and the cable detaches. The earpads have good quality and they're soft and removable, but they're very shallow. Replacing them requires modification or buying/making 3D printed rings that the new earpads attach to. Modifying is very easy and quick to do and doesn't require special tools or extra parts. I've made a tutorial. 3D printed parts can be bought from Mod House Audio and Thingiverse. The clamping force is very light, so I don't recommend the headphone for children or if you frequently move your head down and have an average sized head. For aftermarket earpads, I recommend Shure HPAEC1840. These tighten the clamping force for a little, and personally, I love the comfort and fit with these.
  
  
• Superlux HD668B
  
  Sound: Has a wide and deep soundstage, I'd say 50% bigger than SHP9500. It has very good imaging, separation, clarity and detail retrieval. It has emphasized treble and a small boost in the mid-bass.
  
  Build: Is semi-open-back and over-ear. Sturdy and lightweight. The cups tilt and pivot. The cable and earpads are detachable. The earpads have bad quality and are shallow, so I recommend replacing them with earpads from HiFiMAN.
  
  
• Superlux HD681 EVO
  
  Sound: Has the same soundstage as HD668B. It has very good clarity and good detail retrieval, but has poor imaging and separation. It's warm sounding with deep bass.
  
  Build: Is semi-open-back and over-ear. The cups tilt and pivot. The cable and earpads are detachable. The earpads have decent quality and are soft and detachable, but they're shallow and the drivers stick out quite a bit, so I recommend taking out the loose felt inside the cups, unless you're sensitive to treble, and replacing the earpads with earpads from HiFiMAN, or earpads from Brainwavz if you want much more depth. These are expensive, but they have great quality, they are made of memory foam and are very soft and roomy, and the sound quality is absolutely worth it.
  
  

  
  

  
  I also compare to AKG Q701, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x, Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohms), HiFiMAN HE400i, HyperX Cloud, Philips Fidelio X2 and Sennheiser HD700, which I got for gaming, except for HE400i, but it's great for gaming. I don't recommend HyperX Cloud / Cloud II / CloudX. I strongly advise against them if you don't need closed-back. My evaluations derive mostly if not only from gaming (so take it with a grain of salt for music entertainment listening). I can't emphasize enough that perceived performance in headphones is relative.
  
   
  
  Glossary | ℹ️
  ---|---
  Closed-back x | Cups with solid shells that largely isolate sound from passing in and out.
  Open-back / semi-open-back | Cups with perforations/grills that allow outside sound to freely pass in and sound from the drivers to freely pass out. How loud you hear outside sound and how loud people around you hear the sound from the headphones depend on the volume, of course. The sonic benefit to open-back is generally a big soundstage.
  Soundstage | Perceived space and environment of sound. It can be compared to virtual surround sound; both attempt to produce the same spacious, three-dimensional effect. VSS can sound more ambient and immersive, which depends on the processor you use (CMSS-3D, Dolby, SBX, etc.), but it degrades the sound quality and diminishes detailing due to compression from digital processing. You might also experience less accurate imaging and separation if the headphone already has good imaging and separation. Note that a deep soundstage is equally important as a wide soundstage.
  Imaging | Accuracy of sounds/objects positioned across the soundstage. And I mean where they are positioned -- not merely what direction they come from. This distinction is important because being able to tell only what direction objects come from isn't good enough to me when playing against people. Imaging is inherent to the audio content, so if the game is recorded or mixed poorly, a headphone with good imaging won’t improve the positional audio, so don't judge the headphone before using it in games you're very familiar with. I test mine mostly in Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
  Separation | Separating individual sounds from a range of sounds. Good separation makes it easier to filter out or discern overlapping sounds from other sounds and track them.

Hey Naff!! I just got back from a trip, so sorry for the delayed response! First off, I love the organization of your reply! I'm such a sucker for nice formatting and structure haha! Thanks so much for the kind words and I'm glad my feedback was useful!

• 2a - great points and I completely agree there were a few (all reasonable) options to make this one work.
  
• 3a - haha BGM will be the bane of us all. It can be so hard! Again, your levels in this one were good though!
  
• 6a - I totally understand. I researched this a lot and, from what I saw / remember, I believe the Blue Snowball is great starting mic and comes at $49. There are definitely other options out there, but adding this in case it helps you guys reduce research time / get something relatively affordable. https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1542600764&sr=1-4&keywords=blue+snowball
  
  ~
  
  
• 3b / edit - I had the exact same issue and would have never noticed until I read something online. I'm so glad I was able to share some useful info! Again, I didn't notice anything wrong with the quality in the first place, but I was watching on mobile.
  
• 5b - Oh, interesting, I've never tried recording Skype. I mostly record Discord or Battle.net for audio. If you ever experience issues, might be worth trying one of those out and
  
• 6b - Hahah XD I feel like I've given a similar response to people who gave feedback to me on one of my posts when I did a one-time change as well.
  
  Love the mission statement! At it's core, mine is also about spreading laughs and happiness. Will try to re-collect my thoughts and let you know what I think about your AC video! At the end of the day, our videos should consist of what makes us happy, so I like your comment about not stressing out about it. :)
  
  
  You and Ric sound like good-natured, cool people. Thanks again for the kind words and hope you've been well!

Continuing the answer, /u/talbayne:

As mentioned above, XLR is a way to get super clear sound - more than USB.
The reason for this, is because the hardware converting the analog (actual) sound waves to digital input, called Analog-to-Digital-Convert (ADC), is better in a preamp, than inside the a usb-microphone... Or at least they used to be.

The ADC is actually just a small chip - or a part of a small chip - which are inside a regular computer chip. They have a number of input pins to register to register the sound from the actual microphone, as seen on this picture of a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 - the bigger, black chip, reading XMOS upside down.

16 of those small pins come from the first XLR-input, and 16 from the second. This is because it's a 16-bit preamp, which you can also see from this screenshot.

Now - these ADCs used to require quite a certain amount of power, but do no longer. They can now be powered by 5 volts (to convert to 48 volts) - the output of a USB-port. Or... at least some of them can, and quite a few of them do a pretty decent job.

----
Time for examples in the USB-section:

• The Røde NT-USB ($169) review.
  
  I have a friend who uses this, and I have a hard time not hearing it being just as good as my own microphone (longer down the list).
  
  
• Bill Dewees talks about the Apogee MiC 96k ($20).
  
  That man knows his shit - pro dude, who makes 4k a week doing voice over.
  
  
• The Excelvan BM-800 ($25) is in the opposite price range. How can this cheap thing work? Well, like the XLR-microphones it needs what's called phantom power, which is 48 volts - this comes pretty cheap ($20)... or you plug it into your desktop (laptop won't work, I've read).
  
  
• The Blue Snowball Ice ($45) being compared to a few others.
  
  This one is extremely popular with YouTubers - for a good reason.
  
  ----
  
  Well, that's all good and nice, but what about the XLR options?
  
  When you go XLR, you need a preamp, which provides the 48 volts I described before - also known as phantom power.
  
  If you'd asked one year ago I'd say 'get the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2', but that was what I knew worked.
  Today you have two other options (from the same company):
  
  
• Scarlett Solo - $99.
  
  I takes only one input - but you only have one microphone, right? It converts upto 24 bits (where as my own only goes to 16 bit).
  
  
• Scarlett 2i2 (gen 2) - $149.
  
  This takes two inputs, so when you plugin your guitar you get a separate channel for each... It is also 24 bit, where as my gen 1 is only 16 bit.
  
  Are there others? Yes - plenty, but I don't know them.
  
  -----
  
  So microphones with XLR?
  
  
• I have a Røde NT1 (as a kit) for $269.
  
  
• The Blue Yeti Pro ($245) are spoken of as the next step up from its little brother (USB-microphone, mentioned above).
  
  
  Steep price for a starter, right? Well, the sound from it is not too bad, and this is where you need to remember what I wrote in my previous post - Your clients want clear sound. You can get clear sound from the USB-devices as well, but there will still be some quality loss between them. Decide for yourself what you want, and how much you want to spend on it.
  This list can go on forever, but it's getting late right now, so I'll holdt that here.
  
  ----
  
  I talked about sound treatment, yes?
  
  
• /u/sureillrecordthat has a great YouTube channel, where he posted a "booth" to record in (hear the actual recording at about 13:03.
  
  
• If you don't have a walk-in closet, you can do as I already posted and make sure you cover the microphone from reflected sound waves.
  
  
• If that's not an option, put up cheap panels to absorb the sound waves. They work SO DAMN WELL.
  
  Best of luck with your adventure :)

Since you're new to the PC gaming world, I'll try to give you some recommendations that will prevent the some future regret.

Parts:

• CPU - R5 1500X - 4 cores / 8 threads and can be overclocked. If you're not comfortable / informed on overclocking, I'd recommend spending the extra ~ $20 on the 1500X over the 1400. They're essentially the same chip, but the 1500X has a higher clock speed. The 1500X also comes with a better cooler so you can experiment when you're ready to do so. You can find a ton of Ryzen overclocking tutorials on YouTube.
  
  
• ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 - A good motherboard that will go along with the Black/Red theme i went with for this build, also has some LED's.
  
  
• 16gb's of fast ddr4 - Note: You'll have to set the memory in speed in the BIOS (Enable XMP in the advanced memory settings), otherwise it'll run at stock speed.
  
  
• Storage - 240gb ssd / 1tb hdd, pretty standard for a gaming build.
  
  
• RX 580 8gb - Just released last week and it'll be able to play most AAA games on ultra settings 60fps (Don't expect 60fps on Ark on any system lol).
  
  
• Phanteks P400 TG - If you like NZXT's cases, you'll like the P400. This version has a slick tempered glass side panel. Also has a black / red color scheme.
  
  
• 550W EVGA G3 - Good quality fully modular power supply.
  
  
• Corsair K95 RGB - Went with the non-platinum edition. You only get 6 macro keys with the Platinum and you get 18(!) with the non-platinum version. Corsair Keyboards aren't really my cup of tea, but they are decent. This k95 i added has Red Cherry switches, it also comes in the Blue and Brown. This guide will give you a good visual on how each switch works.
  
  
• Logitech G502 PS - Considered to be the best all around gaming mouse. Depending if you have a claw or palm grip or if you want a lighter fps mouse, there's also the G403 Prodigy.
  
  

• The only "gaming headset" that i can recommend that aren't garbage, are the HyperX Cloud ll's. Everything thing else just isn't good enough or overpriced. If you want to get better audio, going with something like some HD558's and a Blue Snowball is usually a good start.
  

  
  

  Let me know if you have any questions :)
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
  

  
  

  Type|Item|Price
  

  ----|:----|:----
  CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 1500X 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $188.98 @ NCIX US
  Motherboard | ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 ATX AM4 Motherboard | $102.99 @ SuperBiiz
  Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $119.89 @ OutletPC
  Storage | Zotac T500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $69.99 @ Amazon
  Storage | Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $47.49 @ OutletPC
  Video Card | Sapphire Radeon RX 580 8GB PULSE Video Card | $228.99 @ SuperBiiz
  Case | Phanteks ECLIPSE P400 TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case | $79.99 @ Amazon
  Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $79.99 @ SuperBiiz
  Keyboard | Corsair K95 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard | $189.99 @ Best Buy
  Mouse | Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse | $59.99 @ Amazon
  Headphones | Kingston HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset | $99.99 @ Amazon
  | Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
  | Total | $1268.28
  | Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-24 13:40 EDT-0400 |

I think others have said it, but your best bet is to forget about the camera and start with what you have. Even cheap phones work well enough for youtube as long as you can pump enough light into them. You are better off concentrating on the rest of your kit first.

Audio is the most important part of your video. Nothing will make someone skip your videos faster than having terrible audio quality, especially if you are wanting to do ASMR and mukbangs. If you are going to blow your budget somewhere I recommend going big on your audio. For starter mics I recommend the Audio-Technica AT875R. It is a killer mic and the best bang for the buck mic I have found so far. You will need a recorder, but to save money starting out you can record directly to your computer using a cheap phantom to usb adapter and Audacity.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT875R-Gradient-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B000BQ79W0/

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-1-Channel-Microphone-Condenser-Recording/dp/B076WF7DSP/

The other thing you will need starting out is light. Your footage is going to look terrible if you just record with available light inside. There are alot of cheap led lights out there but for the most bang for the buck I recommend going the DIY route. A pack of high cri led bulbs is cheap and will give you more light than any similarly priced panel will. You will need a trip to a home improvement store for a fixture and extension cord. I think FilmRiot has a tutorial on this setup, and you can even build a dimmer into the cord for about $10 more. Then you can diffuse the light through a frosted shower curtain for great soft light.

https://www.amazon.com/TORCHSTAR-Dimmable-Equivalent-1600lm-Daylight/dp/B07JMP9K7W/

https://www.amazon.com/Nuvo-SF77-193-Polished-24-Inch/dp/B01F4DSYDM/

https://www.amazon.com/Woods-General-Purpose-Extension-Black/dp/B000KKJUHE/

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Dimmer-Rotate-Almond-18020/dp/B002DNG3EE/

https://www.amazon.com/Hubbell-5320-2-Weatherproof-inches-Bronze/dp/B000BW3EK0/

The last thing you will need is a tripod for your phone. You aren't shooting anything that really needs or would benefit too much from alot of movement, so a gimbal or steadicam is just overkill and unnecessary. There are a million tripods out there, but for the sake of consistency I will link to one I found.

https://www.amazon.com/Acuvar-Aluminum-Universal-Smartphone-Smartphones/dp/B00SHJPMEU/

So there's the kit I would put together if I was starting out again. It will give you a great foundation to grow from and when the budget appears for a better camera it will still help you out (I still use my DIY lights in my home studio even now that I have a trunk full of much better lights). I'm not sure what you have lying around to make this cheaper, but by my rough maths you are looking at about $350 USD for everything on my list, and you could probably hunt around and get it even cheaper.

​

As to editors, I recommend ponying up the bucks for Adobe. It's a little expensive, but it's better to spend a little now rather than spend the time learning a cheap or free NLE and then having to relearn Adobe down the road if you decide to up your game. If you absolutely don't have the budget both Hitfilm's and Davinci have a free version that is pretty solid.

​

edit: forgot to mention software.

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.

Personally, I think the MXL V67G is a good mic choice for beginners. It has a warm tone that's pretty forgiving for a lot of voice types, it takes EQ decently, and it's only ~$65. It has a good bass response, which many cheaper mics lack, and the upper frequencies are fairly smooth.

For the interface, pretty much any full interface will work. I normally recommend the Behringer UM2 for the price (~$40), but as long as you avoid stuff like the Neewer phantom power supply (which isn't an actual interface) you'll be fine. If you have extra money, something like the Audient iD4 (or iD14 if you need two inputs/think you will in the future) or Apogee Duet are good choices. They both have a good amount of clean gain (no hiss from the preamps) and they don't color the sound much, if any.

You will also need a mic stand, XLR cable, pop filter, and headphones. To get all that, it's going to cost about the same as a Blue Yeti (minus the headphones, but you'd need to buy those for the Yeti as well) and will sound far better.

If you have the money though, look around and test mics out before you buy. Every mic is going to sound slightly different, and just because one mic is popular or fits one person well doesn't mean it's the best choice for you. There are plenty of mics under $1000 (even under $500) that are phenomenal, you just need to find the one that suits your voice the best. As for mid-price mics that you may be interested in, there is the Lewitt LTC 440 Pure, Aston Origin, Rode NT1, CAD e100s, and Audio-Technica AT4040. This is just a list to get you started looking, and by no means covers all the good mics, so look around for what you think will suit you. Test out what you can, because you don't want to spend that much money without being sure it will sound right for you.

​

More important than mic selection though, is acoustic treatment. Even the best, most expensive mics are going to sound terrible in an untreated space. You can buy panels or foam squares, but if you're tight on money you can improvise this pretty easily. There are tons of youtube tutorials, so I won't spend too much time on it, but some good materials are blankets (moving blankets, quilts, comforters, basically anything really thick with lots of dead space), cushions, and pillows. If you have a fully stocked walk-in closet, that's even better.

(For tl;dr just look at the parts in bold)

I'm not the first nor will I be the last person to say this, but pretty much every brand is gonna be on this list. Personally, I've never had a large issue with any brand, nothing of the caliber to make me not buy from them again.

I feel that you should avoid certain products or product lines. Here are some things that I avoid/know of, for your consideration:

1. Gaming headsets are nearly always garbage. Get yourself a nice pair of headphones, and a separate microphone. Here's my setup. I use the products right below. They're all fantastic, I've been using them all since last summer, and am happy to answer any questions about them. I also know some good alternatives.
   

• Neewer NW-700 Mic ($31.99 on Amazon). Includes mic, cable, the adjustable boom mount and clamp
  
• Neewer NW-100 Phantom PSU ($18.99 on Amazon)
  
• Philips SHP9500S HiFi Precision Stereo Over-ear Headphones ($54.99 on
  Newegg)
  
  

2. In general, a cheaper product is more likely to be lesser quality. I know, this isn't true for every single product, but that's why you should always do your research on something before purchasing it, no matter what it is (tip for being a smart consumer).
   

• Example: Corsair's cheaper line of power supplies, the CX line, is of lower quality than their RX series. I've used both, and have had issues with neither, however I have heard of people having issues with the older CX series (it was revised, I think in 2015?). The RX series is more expensive than the CX series, but has higher quality components, and a higher effciency rating. Do your research.
  
  

3. Since it is the most controversial brand on the list: Razer is a very hit and miss company. I have had 3 of their mice: The Deathadder Chroma, the Lancehead, and currently the Basilisk. I loved the Deathadder, but I decided to upgrade when the Lancehead came out, after trying it at Best Buy (the wireless version). Ended up not liking the Lancehead after 6 months, it didn't fit my grip well (and wireless version has a more "premium" material that's super sleek, looks nice, but isn't grippy enough for my taste (their usual material is better). So I ordered the Basilisk off of their website right when it was released (October 2017), after doing a fair amount of research, and I love it. No issues with the mouse so far. The software used to control it, Razer Synapse 3.0, is still in development, so it's pretty broken right now (it's shit currently, forgets my profiles from time to time, but I only change sensitivity so it's not a big deal), however it doesn't look like gamery trash like 2.0 did, so it's an improvement. I also had an OG Black Widow with Cherry MX browns that I found at Goodwill - worked good as new, ended up selling it to a friend, he still has it, it still works - I think it's about 6 years old now. tl;dr not everything Razer makes is shit.
   
   
   
   The 1TB Western Digital Blue HDD is probably the most popular component that I have never heard critizism for.

In all honesty I think any mic should work out. all you have to keep in mind is that although the mic does play a big role, the DAW (editing software) plays an even bigger role. I recorded my first 10 episodes with this set up. unfortunately the audio quality is different from one episode to an other but thats only because i tried different things while I edited the audio.

​

The mic is the Neewer-700. I'm from Canada so this is the link i got it. hopefully you can find it where you are located

https://www.amazon.ca/Neewer-Professional-Broadcasting-Microphone-Adjustable/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1536802291&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=microphone&psc=1

​

The mic in this is technically around 20 dollars. this mic is a more sensitive mic so you will need to play around with your gain (the knob on your mixer or audio interface) that changes the sensitivity of your mic.

​

I strongly believe either one of your choices will work out great. work with what you have and as you learn new things you will realize which direction you want to go with your audio. That was honestly the way I learn how to do it.

​

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. I would be more than happy to help out a fellow podcaster (keep in mind im also new at this and still learning new things).

​

Take care,

Hey McDaddy,

Great question!

I'm doing something similar and have some advice for you.


The big thing that you're going to be looking to invest in is Audio equipment. A phone can be used as a camera if you would like a facecam.


As far as audio goes, you're probably going to want to go with a Preamp and a condenser Mic. This will allow you to work from the preamp, and fine tune the audio before it even gets recorded in the computer.

• A great and Affordable* preamp that I have used for a while can be found here: Behringer Xenyx Q902USB
  
  
  This Preamp simply plugs into a USB slot on your computer, then you plug in a mic, preferably with an XLR cable in order to be able to use the features of the Condenser Mic.
  
  
  
• A good, and extremely cost effective condenser Mic w/ Vice Arm and Pop filter can be found here: Neewer NW-700
  
  
  This DOES NOT come with a straight XLR Cable, so you would need to buy one was well, but they run about $8-10
  
  
  IF that is not affordable enough (We're looking about the $120-150 range currently), you could go with a cheap USB Mic. Someone below suggested a Blue Yeti mic, which wile good quality, is honestly not necessary.
  
  
  
• I suggest this mic, which is what I used before working with Condenser mics: Samson Go Mic
  
  
  Beyond this, the only other thing that I could think that you may need beyond a computer would be a capture card, but ONLY if you are recording from a console. Even then you most likely only absolutely need one to record from a Switch or something that is from a previous generation of consoles.
  
  
  With decent internet you can stream a PS4/XB1 straight to your PC using PS4 Remote Play App or the Xbox Console Companion App respectively, which you can record in OBS.
  
  
  Feel free to DM me if you have any questions!
  
  *Not exactly the most budget friendly, but it's a great value for what you can do with it.

Wow thanks for the detailed reply!
> This is a bit of a tricky setup, but as long as you only want to use the microphone on your PC it is pretty achievable.

Yeah I do only want to use the mic on my PC.
>
> Also if you want to play the sound off your PC and use a gaming console, you will require a mixer to play both sources. If you don't require this it makes your setup less complicated.

Yeah it sounds like I need a mixer since I want both sources. So it sounds like setup 1 will work for me.

> This will not sound as good as option 2.

Do you have any recommendations on how I could improve Setup 1's sound? I'm willing to spend more money if need be. If not though I'm sure the mixer will sound fine.

> As far as microphones go, try a USB one (this is a decent cheaper one, you can go more or less expensive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014PYGTUQ) to reduce the audio noise your friends are telling you about.

That looks perfect! I think that's the mic I will buy.

EDIT: Also any recommendations on quality cables to buy to try an alleviate any of the static that may be coming from them?

This combined with an InnoGear Phantom Power Supply works really great as a starter kit. I bought it some weeks ago, and I was really surprised of the quality of the mic. To the price I thought it would be really horrible with all the other things that comes in the package, but it's really great. Works wonders especially if you have a good soundboard on your motherboard. The pop filter is really tricky to put on since it has a weird shape for it's clamp, so I bought this mudder pop filter and it fits perfectly on the mic. If you're on a budget or just don't want to go full ham with your blue yetis or other super fancy mics, then these items can be recommended for an aspiring streamer :)


But it's a really good guide you have made here, thank you! :D

Edit: the phantom power supply is from the uk, so you'll need a converter for it to work with your power outlet if you don't live in the uk. Else any other phantom power supply should work just as fine. There's not an XLR cable included in the kit, but they're pretty cheap and can be found in almost every electronics store or music department.

There's tons of good options sub $100, HyperX Clouds are really popular on this sub, I haven't tried them myself but my friends like it and the reviews look good.


If you want a split headphone/mic system, audiotechina and sennhieser are pretty good that have headphones in sale somewhat often. Just be sure to get a decent mic like the snowball although this mic might push you over your budget with the headphonws i listed. Theres good headphones by phillips and monoprice that are ~$50 o keep you under $100. Or a cheap clip on like this zalman one I use this mic and the only issue I have is that theres no mute button but most chat programs have one so its not too bad.


As for the mic issue have you tried playing with the windows setting and your chat program? You could boost your mic and adjust the threshold to not pick up your breathing noises

For a mic, I recommend a blue snowball, its easy to setup, sounds good and has a stand.

To be honest, I really dont think that a webcam at this early stage would be such a good idea but a good one would be a Logitech C922x

As headphones go, a pair of corsair void pros would be great and have awesome sound quality. The wireless ones are great, plug them in overnight and then play all day and you are good to go! But for simplicity, I recomend the wired version as then you dont have to remember to plug them in

I do not agree with previous responder at all.

So.... You are a starter and are probably dipping your toe into the pool for the first time. You are also on r/microphones asking about decent mics, I mean some of the people here will have spent $1000's on a single microphone.

There are plenty of decent entry level microphones from good manufacturers for about $100 or more. But there are also options for people who want something for gaming/streaming and do not want to spend a lot. Those of us who spend money on mics look down on them, but the reality is they are fine for low end stuff....

My friend, when he bought a mic for playing PUBG with me bought something like this...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00XOXRTX6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511793284&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=Microphone&dpPl=1&dpID=41Eb5zzJy8L&ref=plSrch

I realise it is a UK link, apologies. But it is fine... A good bit of kit, we play PUBG and it is great. Would you want to record yourself singing on it? Probably not.

Now.... The biggest problem that you have, if you were to buy that kit, is powering it. The power is through the 3.5mm jack and Mac's cannot do that. Watch the following review:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLzEW-dm_vsRvIbU0CSlArUBwsmbtpiSZk&v=lUBS7JhQj7g

USB mics are a good way to go and can be got for less than $100. Here is the same reviewers budget mics playlist...

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzEW-dm_vsRvIbU0CSlArUBwsmbtpiSZk

Maybe a good middle road is a Samson microphone. Google Samson USB. It should bring up the Samson Meteor and Samson SAC01UPRO mic... Both fit your budget. But again, make sure of Mac compatability before purchase. You can then buy a cheap boom arm from Amazon.

Hello everyone! I should be mentioning, I've been using the built-in microphone of my Astro A40s for 4 years, using Adobe Audition in conjuction with VB Audio Cable to make audio quality not-so-shitty through live noise canceling. But right now the mic is making some kind of slitherine sound I can't fix, so I really really should just get a good microphone and be done with it. The Astros are still working very good, hence I'm here asking for your help! My budget is currently at around €120, but I don't mind going just a tad bit over that (±20). If it's lower, and you think it's still a very good choice, I surely won't mind. My goal is just to have a decent all around mic, to avoid me the hassle of using Audition to live-fix my sound. I'd like to be able to record without the need of post-production for audio fixing. A friend linked me those two (very very low price-range), what do you think?

https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B00XOXRTX6/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1IM96RSBPC3L0

https://www.amazon.it/dp/B01KHMUQ2M?psc=1

I like the Tonor, but I don't really know much about microphones. I don't think he does either, to be quite honest. Are there any better mics for that price range?

I know I'm very likely being annoying at this point, but if you could recommend mics for different price ranges (e.g. 40-60, 70-90, 100-120), I'd be the happiest man alive.


TL;DR: Win7 64bit; Astro A40 headset (mic is broken, that's why I'm here); €120 max budget (±20); would be used for YouTube videos, Discord/TeamSpeak/Google Hangouts; I'd prefer multiple recommendations for different price ranges (preferably low-mid-high price).


Thanks in advance, r/microphones!

Thanks for the additional information. For interviews and documentaries intended for the web, you might want to consider [Referral Links]:

Camera and Support

• [Sony HXR-NX100 HD camcorder with a 12x power zoom - $1699] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017C05SZ2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) This camera has a 1" sensor - much larger than traditional camcorders. And, unlike your DSLR, it has pro XLR mic inputs and can record continuously for hours (DSLRs are limited to 12-30 minutes of continuous recording). It also has built-in ND filters to maintain shallow depth of field in outdoor settings.
  
  
• [Ravelli AVTP Professional tripod - $159.69] (http://www.amazon.com/Ravelli-AVTP-Professional-Camera-Tripod/dp/B00139W0XM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&keywords=Ravelli%20AVTP%20Professional&qid=1465495773&ref_=sr_1_1&s=photo&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) This is a solid tripod and its 27 lb. max payload will give you lots of room for growth. I have put a lot of miles on my AVTP Professional over the last four years and it is still going strong.
  
  Audio
  
  
• [Audio Technica AT-875r pro XLR shotgun mic - $169] (http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT875R-Gradient-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B000BQ79W0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) Best value for money ENG/EFP shotgun mic. Phantom powered - balanced XLR output.
  
  
• [2 x $204.50 Rode Lavaliers] (http://www.amazon.com/Rode-LAVALIER-Condenser-Microphone-Omni/dp/B003Z8OUUA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) with [2 x $27.99 MiCON 5 adapters] (http://www.amazon.com/Rode-MiCon-5-Connector-3-pin-Devices/dp/B005Y0VS5M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) For sit down interviews.
  
  
• [Hosa XFF-1015 right angle XLR cable - $9.75] (http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-Right-Angle-Cable-XFF-101-5/dp/B001L9AVXU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) I use one of these to plug camera mounted mics into XLR camcorders. The right angle jack is very useful, as seen [here with the Hosa connecting my Audio Technica AT835b to a JVC LS300 camcorder] (https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMxiN3k_diZbThKiUvG_2IIb-g9qgp5ORUkvEIOh9RpniL2srufxS1nus-_F2dPiA/photo/AF1QipMkk3M3BuoEb6HMOf7sCXlcLt7ReHN2IQaRaokQ?key=aUtSYW1PQ1BacEZEU0ZfOVo4UUlpaXVTZWl2R3Jn).
  
  
• [Senal SMH-1000 Closed-Back Professional Monitor Headphones - $69.95] (http://www.amazon.com/Senal-SMH-1000-Closed-Back-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00ASWZO6U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) Sony MDR 7506 clones - but with [detachable/replaceable cables] (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=SMH-1000+replacement+cable&rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3ASMH-1000+replacement+cable&linkCode=ll2&tag=battleforthew-20) so you don't have to buy new headphones when the students break them.
  
  Lighting
  
  
• [ILED 576 Dimmable Daylight LED Video Panel 3-Light Kit with barndoors, AC adapters and NPF Battery Plates - $459.90] (http://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Daylight-3-Light-Battery-Plates/dp/B01A8CLJ2M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) Since you're starting out in the studio, you can use AC power. Later, you can buy Sony NP-F batteries and chargers and take these lights into the field.
  
  
• [3 x used Steve Kaeser light stands - $42.88] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00P1OEGVY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&condition=used&linkCode=ll2&tag=battleforthew-20) High quality used stands are better than buying Neewer, Cowboy Studio or some other cheap brand new.
  
  This package should come in right at $3000 and give your students a good foundation in video and audio production.
  
  Hope this is helpful and best of luck with your grant application!
  

Continue to practice until you feel that you can overcome your nervousness. Redo the lines where you feel you stuttered, or edit them out. I've recently been given advice on my speech and audio quality as well.

This is going to be long, but I hope it helps:

My problem with my speech during recording is that air gets recorded as well (if I make popping sounds when I say a certain word such as Piano, Karen, etc.)

So, I've told to keep away from recording too closely, and I tested it out recently, and it's working perfectly!

As for the audio quality/mic, here a few links I've been given as well to improve it:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XBQ8UGG/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ACFAULC/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076HMR23G/

I also use audacity for audio editing (editing out stutter words or incorrect words, adding in the right words, increasing the audio volume, reducing background noise, etc)

You'll definitely get better the more you practice, and this is your first video, so it's not going to be perfect.

I didn't mean to make this long, but I hope this helps!

Uhm Behringer Xenyx Q802USB together with the Neewer NW-700 (Go with the kit). Would be a total of $90 +$27. Its a great starter combo, you could even get 2 mics on that mixer, but they require a treated room to get their full potential (Otherwise they are still good but more tinkering with the EQ settings on the mixer).

Another mic option would be the Samson C01. I have the USB version of this one, and regret not buying the XLR version. I LOVE my usb one and have had it for 7 years or so. The quality of the mic is great even in an untreated room like mine. The downside of both microphones is that they are condensers so they pick up a lot of everything that happens, unfortunately generally dynamic microphones are more expensive.

The Shure SM58 is a dynamic mic that would just fit your budget together with the mixer at around $100. Don't really have experience with this one myself, but its very very popular.


Before making any decisions go on youtube and listen to samples of these mics for example on podcastage or other channels reviewing them to hear the sound for yourself. Also look at some reviews for the mixer. Never make an uninformed decision, in the end, sound is a bit of preference as well (and it differs for everyone).

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Description|If you want this chair just click here: https://amzn.to/357Wyu6⤶___________________________________________⤶Get What I Have!⤶Camera: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07524LHMT/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07524LHMT&linkCode=as2&tag=saltiepennies-20&linkId=fe5f45246abf1e709b5a9e0aa44751e4⤶Webcam: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050FBI4C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0050FBI4C&linkCode=as2&tag=saltiepennies-20&linkId=d1a7fe649b8f9312c23bca8a05618f6b⤶Microphone: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQPGRRE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00KQPGRRE&linkCode=as2&tag=saltiepennies-20&linkId=1750d07b823bb39dabc7a33638de9dac⤶Boom: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XOXRTX6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00XOXRTX6&linkCode=as2&tag=saltiepennies-20&linkId=e1c88a6c5ec781600e472d77bcbe0ca2⤶Tripod: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002EXF38/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0002EXF38&linkCode=as2&tag=saltiepennies-20&linkId=da329e69c6ae68e975f440fc3b527dd9⤶Headset: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072DRCM1Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B072DRCM1Q&linkCode=as2&tag=saltiepennies-20&linkId=1b0180539f96657625e7831bb71338fb⤶Chair: https://amzn.to/357Wyu6⤶Computer: https://youtu.be/6JubXjWqgXE⤶___________________________________________⤶[Twitch Prime Subscriptions earn unprecedented access to Discord and Snapchat]⤶Please be sure to check out our other pages:⤶.:Twitch:.⤶https://twitch.tv/saltiepennies⤶.:Subreddit:.⤶https://reddit.com/r/SaltieSubClub/ ⤶.:Instagram:.⤶https://instagram.com/saltiepennies⤶.:Twitter:.⤶https://twitter.com/saltiepennies⤶.:Patreon:.⤶https://patreon.com/saltiepennies⤶.:YouTube:. ⤶https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnIK0cThKHZGKK2F95KHHw⤶.:Discord:.⤶https://discord.gg/WDAwt8k⤶___________________________________________⤶► Music Credit:⤶⤶ LAKEY INSPIRED⤶Track Name: "Days Like These"⤶Music By: LAKEY INSPIRED @ https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired⤶Original upload HERE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTGEo...⤶Official "LAKEY INSPIRED" YouTube Channel HERE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOmy...⤶⤶HOPEX - Conquer⤶Provided by Copyright Free Trap:⤶https://youtu.be/tDoSdJhjV-Y⤶♫HOPEX♫⤶» https://soundcloud.com/iamhope123⤶» https://www.instagram.com/prodhope/⤶» https://www.facebook.com/hope.prod.1⤶_________________________________________⤶License for commercial use: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported "Share Alike" (CC BY-SA 3.0) License.⤶Full License HERE - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⤶Music promoted by NCM https://goo.gl/fh3rEJ

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You don't need to get super fancy (especially starting off). If you're audio sounds like a phone call, that's going to be an issue that will deter listeners. But mediocre audio quality will not hinder your growth, bad content will.

A few recommendations:

Cheap mics:

This works great as a portable mic: https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Mic-Portable-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B001R76D42/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1498145879&sr=8-3&keywords=samson+clip

I also used this to clip onto my headphones before: https://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1498145910&sr=8-6&keywords=clip+mic

Actual mics:

I've heard good things about the Snowball but I've never used it: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-iCE-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1498146044&sr=8-3&keywords=mic

If you want an actual mic, this is the cheap mic I buy all my cohosts. It sounds perfectly fine. I've been using it for over 2 years now: https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2100-USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B004QJOZS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498146015&sr=8-1&keywords=atr-2100

You don't need a mixer. Instead, I would use zencastr to record the audio. It has a free version but I pay for the unlimited one ($12).
Otherwise, you can just record your own individual audio with Audacity which is free and GREAT!

If I were in your shoes....

While you can get a mixer with fewer channels, I recommend getting a mixer with at least eight XLR microphone inputs - as you might, in the future, expand the number of gamers at your table.

This is the board we use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I0Q8LIO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_Zd5vk3i6OxmYg

Then there are a plethora of shotgun microphones available on Amazon as well. The can be hidden and do a pretty good job limiting ancillary noise.

These are the microphones we now use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BQ79W0?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

(Other thoughts....

I tried USB microphones but had inconsistent sync issues in OBS.

The board we use has a USB 2.0 out and originally we used that to send audio to the OBS computer. Now we dual channel XLR out to a Shure converter to USB 3.1. The audio quality is more consistent and better - but we are always tweaking it....

In addition, we originally used cardiod lavelier microphones. However, they were inconvenient at the table and picked up way to much ancillary noise.

Obviously there are many other knickknacks you will need, and it would take forever to cover them....)

In my humble opinion, the biggest challenge that you are going to have is getting consistently good quality audio in you budget.... You might burn through $300 pretty quick....

Good luck!

Oh, here is our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/7SidedDie/ Please subscribe. 😀

Hello! Mod here.

If price is a big factor, the Blue Snowball setup is top quality and under $100 flat. I have first-hand experience using this setup and I highly recommend it.
The Blue Yeti setup is a little better, but costs about $40 more if you can swing that.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to post them here or send us mod mail, we do our best to reply as soon as possible and have a great mod team.

Have a good one, and happy Recordings!

thank you so much for the response! I just started really making videos and was having issues initially with my mic being picked up in general (during gameplay,) so that is how I started doing commentaries. I just fixed that issue last night though, so I am not sure how I will proceed. Because I didn't plan to do commentaries at first, I record with a headset that has a mic on it, but that hasn't worked the best as you can see. It gets the job done though so I can't complain too much.

I record gameplay with shadowplay (Nvidia's software,) and then I edit everything with CyberLink's PowerDirector and AudioDirector. I have a friend who is helping me out as well as I continue to upload videos and do things, and he suggested getting a real desk mic to use (as it will reduce a lot of the issues that come from doing a voice over with a headset.) I'm looking at getting this: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_F72Lyb8AQPW3E - any thoughts on that?

I sincerely appreciate your response again, and I apologize for the extended reply. I hope you don't mind another response, but I figured I would explain how things are going and see if you had any more expert advice! haha :)

Edit: I added links to Amazon products that are pretty nice and fit into your budget, if none of these work or you wanted advice on finding similar ones on slightly cheaper budgets just let me know and I'd love to help out!

​

I realize some people like them, and I mean no disrespect to u/MNLegoBoy but please do not get him a steam controller. I own one and me and everyone I've ever known who used one absolutely hated it.

​

If he only has one monitor in his setup I would highly suggest getting him a decent second monitor to have discord, youtube, or whatever else he wants up while he plays. It can be really helpful and never hurts to have.

​

If that doesn't work, you know about his setup...

and he uses a headset with a built-in mic I would suggest getting him this microphone and this interface. Even though they're cheap they're more than good enough and make people feel more legit because they're more like a streamer setup.

​

and he really likes his headphones/has really nice headphones but doesn't have a headphone stand or mount for him to keep his headphones on and keep his desk organized.

​

and he's into fighting games or older arcade games you could get him a fighting stick (be careful on this one, if he doesn't have room or likes using his KBM I wouldn't suggest it. It might also help to get one on a higher budget.)

Im looking to upgrade my audio into a xlr setup from a usb mic. I broadcast on Twitch (live streaming service) and I have some questions about what equipment would be best for my application.

For my mic, I was going to purchase the Rode NT1
Is a condensor mic best for what I'll be doing? (Disclaimer: I yell a lot)

I was going to purchase the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Is it worth it to purchase this two channel audio interface, or should I buy the single input version for a cheaper price? I'm only going to be using a single mic, but I read that the quality of the 2i2 build is a bit better.

My final question is on whether or not I should purchase a Compressor/Gate to reduce clipping when I yell, or is it possible or to compress my audio with a software program? Trying to see if dropping the money on the compressor would be worth it. This is the compressor/gate I was looking at: DBX 266xs

Thanks ahead of time! I really do appreciate your help! :)

I used this, with a pop filter for demoing privately for two years. It's pretty cool for personal use because of the plug and play nature. You can get a USB to lightning adapter and go directly into Garageband on the iPad. No power issues, or interface needed. Of course it has its own firmware and programming on-board, so you're surrendering a lot of control.. That said, it's great for personal use. Fantastic for speaking engagements like podcasts too (mine is out on loan for that now.)


If you're just trying to get in the habit of recording quick, easy and dirty for your own review - it's great. It's also salvage in post production considering how cheap the mic is.

Anyway, the Blue Ice is a great piece to have around to capture when you need to quickly! It'll be a gateway to better things later!

Question(s), from a noob but still important:

1. We're starting a new podcast and balling on a budget. We have relatively quiet studio spaces, and have built two DIY "studio boxes" (professional condenser panels lining a 30 gallon plastic container with the same lining the outside). We're pretty set on buying a cheap pair of condenser mics, but seeing as we wont be in actual studios, should we bail and go to dynamic mics?
   
   
2. Using the mics above, it has everything we'd need except for an AI... We're recording solo from two separate states via zencastr and then I'm editing the audio after, and don't have the budget for a few hundred bucks on mixers. Seems like an audio interface is the best bet. Looking for the best budget friendly AIs? Or do I need to even worry about one?
   
   

Not knowing where to start is a bummer. Lots of good advice already offered, so I'll just throw in my 2 cents. I like to make recommendations based off of budget and preferred music genre. As a rock, classic rock, trance, etc. fan, I would recommend The Fidelio x1/x2. Lively sounding headphones, comfortable, easy to drive, and built like tanks. The Sennheisers already mentioned in another reply are good.

Also, I use a usb desk mic. I don't like boom mic in my face. I use this https://amzn.com/B00022TNHM. If you want to get fancy, something like this. https://amzn.com/B014PYGTUQ. It sits out of the way, and it works fine at my computer desk. USB mics don't interface with your sound card, so ground loop hums and stuff are rarely a concern. That might be an option. Hope that helps.

1. A separate microphone and separate headphone is going to provide better performance overall than a 'headset."
   
   
2. V7.1 is available through many different software sets, and you don't need to look at a headphone/headset that is 'natively' "3d/surround sound" capable -
   Dolby Atmos (paid); Windows Sonic (free,) - but a lot of the performance of Virtual 7.1 sound comes down to the sound-engine used in the game.
   
   
3. Noise canceling is a completely different issue that a gaming headphone/headset wants to do. Are you sure you want Noise Canceling, or would a closed back (noise-isolating) headphone/headset work?
   
   If you're looking for an all in-one (headset, closed-back) package, the CoolerMaster MH751 (or the 752 with it's V7.1 USB dongle) is the best option. < $90
   
   If you want to get away from the headset; and get interdependent pieces: (will cost a bit more than the CM headset, but has advantages in doing so.)
   
   (prices are with Amazon Prime, so yours may differ - but you can usually ebay them for about the same prices I can see.)
   
   

• Takstar Pro82 ($90 on Amazon, or under $70 on Aliexpress.) or Status Audio CB-1 ($70 on Amazon)
  
  
• Blue Snowball iCE ($35-40) https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B014PYGTUQ
  
  
• Boom Arm for Mic /w pop filter(s) ($15-20) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CN2C93T
  
  
• Fiio E10K DAC-AMP ($75-85 on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Portable-Headphone-ICP-AT1000-Headphones/dp/B076DVBNRP = basically free earbuds, and I have no idea if they are good or now..) otherwise $50-60 on Ebay.

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!

Check if you can trouble shoot the camera and the built-in mic first if you haven't. I have a very finicky old camera with built-in mic in my desktop that i have to unplug and replug the camera every time i turn off my computer. Sometimes I have to play with the skype settings to make it work.

I understand the headphones built-in mic since my SO has gone through a million and one pair and its not the comfiest for him. I use an in-ear earphones and its better for me and its my go to. I'm using these earphones for all around because they are cheap and they sound great for the price and pretty durable.

If you want a separate one and to invest, buy a nice quality mic that has a lot of reviews. I suggest going to amazon and reading the reviews there. I have heard a lot of good things with Blue Snowball mics and you can even use it for gaming or recording audios.

I hope it helps and you find something that works! Best wishes to both of you!!

Skim through the materials already covered, but any essential concepts should be written or typed. To make note taking even faster, I use Windows speech recognition software to write down notes on a word document to review later. If your computer doesn't have a built in microphone, I would suggest getting one of these. They are some of the best budget microphones and really pick up words well.
So far tonight in about 2.5 hours of studying general psychology, I was able to make 4 chapters of vocabulary terms and practice question sets, and I am now only 6 chapters behind lecture. Anyway, good luck catching up!

Edit: I read the whole motivation thing right after typing and I would suggest treating school like a 9-5 job (even though it takes money from you). This mindset has really helped me make college one of my top priorities every day.

I'm no rapper but i've done some animations on youtube so I can give some tips. As of writting, reading help a lot with that. You'll write awesome tracks before you know it. Now for recording, you willl obviously a mic. Any mic will do, even a 1$ mic can do the job just fine. Of course, if you want to invest in your hobby I suggest a Blue Snowball. Now for actually record your rap you'll need Audacity which is a free quality recording software. Good luck!

How much of a budget are you looking for to spend on that Webcam? Because I can tell you right now, it probably doesn't exist. What you can do, and what I use on my Mac, is get a USB mixer, like this one, and a XLR microphone, like this one and an XLR male to XLR female, because that microphone comes with a XLR female to male 3.5mm jack only (and no it won't plug into your computer and work fine, it needs power provided by the mixer). This should run you less than $80. And it will work as a separate microphone from your webcam when you plug it into your Mac. On ElGato, choose the microphone input as USB Audio Codex when it's plugged in.

On the mixer, you have 2 channels: the XLR input, and a left and right channel through RCA inputs. There is also a left and right RCA out for speakers, and a 1/4" Jack out for headphones. There is also a USB assign to line, but you don't want to use that because it will make your computer audio go to the mixer and out the monitor and RCA outs, and you can not input at the same time to the computer. You can adjust your gain for the microphones separate from the line 2&3 RCA inputs, I keep mine a little more than halfway. And you can plug an extra audio source for music, like a phone or iPod, in through the RCA jacks (using an RCA male to 3.5mm male) and adjust that separately, and then you can boost the master output of both of those, I keep mine about 60-70%).

Edit: Or, I just thought of this. Get a usb sound card, the ones that are like $6 and have a 3.5mm jack for headphones and another for mic. Then, you can choose this as USB microphone in ElGato. But, I still think my first option gives you better quality and more control, and the benefit of adding that extra audio input through an outside source, at a reasonable price.

Get a M-Audio Mobile Pre and 2 Samson C02 small diaphragm condensers. I have this set up, and it sounds pretty damn good for the price. If you find you really like recording stuff, Tascam makes great interfaces with many more inputs. Shure SM57 is another great dynamic mic and built like a tank. If you want large diaphragm condensers, The Studio Projects B1 and AT-2020 are both great.

I recommend getting some Studio Over Ear Headphones, and getting a Mod Mic or Desk Mic to go along with it. I bought an Antlion ModMic for the wife, and it works great. Sounds great as well compared to all the shitty gaming headset mics. My setup is a Razer Seiren Pro that I got on a banging deal almost $100 cheaper than typical pricing :). I have a mic stand that sits right above my monitors. It does pick up echoes if I have my speakers turned up too loud, but it's not too bad. I use voice meeter banana to route all my audio to 2 separate audio devices so I can just mute my speakers and put headphones on.

 

Recommendations:
Desk Mic: Blue Yeti - ~$120, Blue Snowball ~$50
Mod Mic: Antlion ModMic ~$60, V Moda BoomPro ~$30 (V Moda Mic wont work on all headphones)
Headphones: r/Headphones | Read about headphones.

 

They come down to preference for the user typically. I have M-Audio Q40's with Beyerdynamic's EDT 770 V Replacement Pads. You probably won't be able to find any Q40's online, but I bought mine back in 2010 and I still use them today. I've replaced the audio cable probably 10+ times now. They are built to endure, and they are not that comfortable with the stock pads. Put the EDT 770 V pads on and feels like a cloud. I personally also have a desk headphone amp to get clearer/crisper sound.
As I said, this all comes down to preference. You need to research specific items you are interested in. Try to find reviews on reddit or forums. I wouldn't follow "reviews" that are articles on web pages. Half of those are BS and are generally favored towards the provider of the equipment unfortunately.
Typical google searches would be:
M-Audio Q40 headfi
Blue Yeti Pro reddit
Blue Yeti Pro Issues reddit
mod mic reddit

 

Good luck on your ventures! Let me know if you have any other questions.

PS - If you have a mechanical keyboard, invest in o-rings/pads to help with the clickiness, or if you don't have a mechanical keyboard and you are looking for one, get silent keys. I forget the actual switch types names.

This is a bit of a tricky setup, but as long as you only want to use the microphone on your PC it is pretty achievable. Also if you want to play the sound off your PC and use a gaming console, you will require a mixer to play both sources. If you don't require this it makes your setup less complicated.

Either way you will need an HDMI audio extractor, this should work: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIQER0E Plug that into the output of HDMI switch then:

Setup 1 - With mixer. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=614305 plug the output of the HDMI audio extractor and your PC (using 3.5mm to RCA cable). Headphones plug into mixer. This will not sound as good as option 2.

Setup 2 - With DAC. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722FRQQ7 . Plug the output of the HDMI extractor (using an optical cable) and the PC in using a USB cable. Select one or the other using the toggle switch and it will play that source out to the headphones.

I would recommend setup 2, as the external DAC will be of higher quality.

As far as microphones go, try a USB one (this is a decent cheaper one, you can go more or less expensive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014PYGTUQ) to reduce the audio noise your friends are telling you about.

I think you have some great energy and a good plan to move forward. I would recommend a better mic. Something like This works amazing and gives you the ability to edit your audio as well. Other then that..keep it up! #Roadto100Subs

My buddy bought a Neewer brand microphone for pretty cheap. It would well enough and is about $20.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XBQ8UGG/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1502818132&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=neewer+microphone&dpPl=1&dpID=513TvuH0TbL&ref=plSrch


Idk how to shorten links, but there's a great deal. Definitely better than a laptop mic, and great for starting out.

My current microphone is a Neewer NW-800 with a pop filter, stand, power supply, & shock mount. In total, around 100 dollars (excluding shipping and the wire/adapter)
Microphone,
Boom Arm,
Pop Filter,
Power Supply,
I got mine for around 65 because the mic was on sale, so I would wait until it goes on sale again to be a bit more affordable.

PS: If you want to connect this mic to the PS4, I recommend these two:
Wire, Adapter

Yes, your specs are good enough for an LP series. I agree with Pyroraptor (Audacity, OBS Studio/Standard OBS, Gimp, I use Lightworks, but you could use HitFilm. The webcam seems pretty nice. Just remember that the Neweer is a condenser mic, meaning it will pick up almost anything, so it would be a good idea to either remove any potential background noise in Audacity or use a noise removal program. I would focus on the mic and software first, webcam later. Hope this helps! -Alduin

blue yeti not needed it's expensive. my mic is 30 dollars and with tweaking it can sound decent or pretty good Neewer NW-700 I have a power supply with it and it's highly recommended. Neewer 1-Channel 48V Phantom Power Supply. for other good or decent mics look up condenser mics. or alternative common twitch mics. the reason behind why i'm saying what I'm saying is alpha gaming check this out and your understand. how to set it up is gaming career within obs. hope this helps. total about $50 vs blue yeti $100+. unless you can afford it I'd go with $50. good luck and hope this helped

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.

Of course, I'm happy to help! As for cheap mouse mats, I have this and love it. It's huge though, so you'll want to measure your desk to make sure it'll fit. If not, just about any mouse pad will do. Don't spend a whole lot of money on it (like getting one that's RGB). As for headsets, Amazon has a bunch that are great, and fairly cheap that you can look at. Personally, however, I would recommend getting a stand alone microphone like this guy and using a pair of headphones or earbuds. It might be a little more pricey overall, but I've found that most headsets are really uncomfortable for long periods of use. I splurged and bought some Bose headphones and have a standalone mic that I use. All personal preference, though. Now, for desks and chairs, I'm not sure about. I would maybe check your local Target for a desk, or IKEA if you have one nearby. I'd say the same for chairs. Don't buy a chair just because it has "gaming" in the name, either. Get a chair that you're comfortable in, who cares what it looks like?

Anyways, that's my two cents!

I'd recommend looking at this list: https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/57ml11/guide_gaming_headphones_mics/

My recommendation for under 100 are the Philips SHP9500s.

If you're looking seriously into podcasting, this kit may be pretty nice to get into it:

https://www.amazon.ca/Neewer-Professional-Broadcasting-Microphone-Adjustable/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486951905&sr=8-2&keywords=neewer

Add in something like a focusrite scarlette or any decent audio interface and you're set. That boom arm is really nice for the price. I use it with a Neat Worker Bee condenser mic that I record guitar with and it's holding up well. The Neewer mic is not amazing but it's very, very good for the price and will definetly get the job done. If you ever get serious about it then you can upgrade to a good studio mic easily.

If you don't want to dish out for the interface then just get a snowball. It won't be amazing sound quality direct to USB but it'll do the job.

Hopefully this helps

Honestly, get a blue snowball. They sound pretty great for what they are. I wouldn’t record a record with them, but for gaming or YouTube recording they are just fine, and probably one of the best sounding options out there. Certainly better than the options you listed.

Blue snowball amazon

Source: I use one for my gaming set up and I have apogee interfaces and high end mics at my disposal.

Hey AltusJ, thanks for the kind words - the feedback is much appreciated! It's definitely a learning curve but I hope speaking to myself will become natural over time :)

I'm currently using the Blue Snowball Ice - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=twister_B0168R7CKY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Yea I noticed the echo too - any recommendations on sound proofing?

Thanks again

Wow! I'm really surprised that you don't have more subscribers. You were really entertaining and funny through the video. If I was to critique anything is that you should do more videos like this on your channel and maybe look at the camera a bit more.

You just earned a new subscriber😎

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XBQ8UGG/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1500864731&sr=8-12&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=mic

My brother uses this mic and it works really good.

if she will be gaming on a Wii u you will need a capture card or a capture device that plug in via usb.

I recommend a good webcam like a Logitech HD C310 or Logitec HD C920

for a mic I would recommend a good dedicated mic, something like this or if you want your kiddo to feel like a professional streamer without breaking the bank, then [this](https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Broadcasting-Microphone-Adjustable/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=sr_1_8?
ie=UTF8&qid=1494912402&sr=8-8&keywords=computer+microphone)

Other then that, I would suggest grabbing the open broadcasting software to use to record her videos.

If you're specifically thinking of recording the Wii U, you're going to need a capture card between the console and your PC. While I haven't tried to record any gaming on a VCR since hooking a Nintendo 64 up to one back in the day, I'm not sure that would work with a newer console (as I'm pretty sure the Wii U doesn't support the old red/white/yellow AV cords).

Elgato Game Capture HD60 is what you're looking for (there's an older "Elgato HD" that will support older consoles but not newer ones). Now that's a $US150 option, so I guess that depends how much you plan to spend on your daughter's make-believe. On the plus side, you shouldn't have much trouble reselling the Elgato down the line if she's just going through a phase, or indeed you could just keep it if you decide to do some game capturing of your own.

The Elgato comes with its own software. It's not too terribly difficult to set up the first time, and after that you barely have to do any set up ever again (especially if you're recording from the same console every time). It has the ability to record video/game audio and your commentary audio too. All you need is a mic-- even a headset mic would probably suffice for your daughter, but there's plenty of condenser mics out there if you want to splurge).

Out of curiosity, what channels or videos does your daughter watch? I'm fascinated by the idea of anyone under the age of 10 being interested in Let's Plays.

[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!

I believe it's this one but it looks like it's not in stock on Amazon anymore. Hopefully the name will help your search though!

https://www.amazon.com/Samson-C01U-Recording-Podcasting-Microphone/dp/B000H4MZU2

As for the individual products you can get the Samson C01U separate. It's a decent starter mic, only reason I replaced it was to upgrade to mics with XLR. Do note it's a condenser mic though, they're quite sensitive to background noise. If you're looking to record anywhere with ambient noise you might be better off looking at a dynamic mic

I went with the AT875r because it lacked the gain issues that the NTG-2 had, but was still pretty affordable. I mostly shoot indoors and that influenced my decision as well. I've been pretty satisfied with it so far, but it is only powered through phantom so I reccommend buying a pack of high capacity rechargeable AAs for your H4n and having spares on you at all times.

OK, so all you need is a microphone.

TheEternalNightmare's suggestion of the Zalman Zm-Mic1 will get the job done but this is a case of "You get what you pay for" at less than $10 it's not much. But it is a mic; you talk, they hear you (mostly).

If you're willing to spend more (around $50) the Blue Snowball iCE is a pretty good choice. Connects with USB.

If you need something like a standard headset boom mic the Antlion ModMic is probably your best bet. It sorta just sticks to the side of the headphone cups and connects to the
3.5mm microphone port. It's around $55

It just depends on what you want and what you're willing to pay for.

Topping D30 doesn't work with a boompro. You would need an AMP/DAC combo unit that has headphone out and MIC in, or you will get buzzing issues.


If imaging accuracy is your goal, I find the AKG 712 Pro to be damn near cheating, even better than my DT 770. My HD 800 crush it in sound stage width of course, but the imaging is actually fairly close between the two in games like PUBG, Battlefield 4, and Apex legends. Not bad for a $270 headphone! That leaves you in a tough spot if you want a boom mic. You COULD get an in-line mic like this:


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NXY5H9L/?coliid=I24BOF07FMCL76&colid=KE3MOM1DD6I5&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it


But your voice will sound thin and you would have to use push to talk so the mic doesn't pick up keyboard/room noise.


Best is to get a nicer USB mic and mount it on a boom-mic streamer-style. Something like this can get you started cheap:


https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Microphone-Suspension-Broadcasting-Recording/dp/B07DKB68DL/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=USB+mic&qid=1565999441&s=electronics&sr=1-5


Or you could go ALL THE WAY to the top with a Rode NT-1


https://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT1KIT-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00GGGQK56/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Rode+NT-1&qid=1565999578&s=electronics&sr=1-3

I did a ton of reading up on this before making the purchase and I'm really happy with it. It's the Samson CO1U and I'd suggest getting a pop filter for it as well. I've never had any complaints about voice quality with it. You can get just the mic for a good bit cheaper, but I think the kit with the shockmount and stand is worth the extra money. Been considering a boom for it just to free up desk space since it has a pretty large footprint, but it's been more than fine without one.

I'm a newly partnered twitch streamer and looking to produce YouTube content as well.

I was planning on getting a better quality mic for videos/streaming, and yesterday my headset mic broke so I figured now is the time.

I have a budget of <$150 CAD. What are the best options? I was looking at getting these two combined:

NW-700 KIT
UM2

Is there anything better? Should I look at something else? I was also considering waiting for a sale on something like the Blue Yeti but I've been told the quality would be better by getting these and it would be cheaper. Thanks for any help!

On-ear is also an option. Koss Porta Pro is cheap and has a lifelong guarantee, and then you could just stick an AntLion ModMic on it. Both run you just about under 100$.

Btw, a Blue Yeti is decent and also usually doesn't cost 100$.

I also wear glasses, and decent headphones aren't going to be uncomfortable, they just cost more. It's an investment, but if you want something cheaper and portable I think the Koss are very decent.

ModMic: https://www.amazon.com/Antlion-Audio-ModMic-Attachable-Microphone/dp/B00R98JVVU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1525683488&sr=8-4&keywords=AntLion+ModMic

Koss Porta Pro: https://www.amazon.com/Koss-Porta-Pro-Headphones-Silver/dp/B00001P4ZH/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1525683534&sr=1-3&keywords=koss+portapro

Some other recommendations:

SoundMagic E10: https://www.amazon.com/SoundMAGIC-Noise-Isolating-Earphones-Gunmetal/dp/B005HP3OB0/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1525683563&sr=1-3&keywords=SoundMagic+E10

These will actually sound amazing depending on the hardware you run them on. The better the source, the better they sound. They can sound as good, if not better, than In-Ears that cost double as much! They're rather neutral.

Yeti Blue Snowball: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1525683616&sr=1-3&keywords=Yeti+Snowball

(Actually only 50$ right now)

I got this condenser package and this power supply alongside my headphones.

I looked at mod mics but overall I'm much more happy that I got this package, the mic is surprisingly really high quality for the price and it comes with everything you need. Overall I would definitely recommend these two items over a mod mic, but I understand that some of that is just personal prefrence.

It also makes your setup look awesome :D

Oh good, at least you figured out what's going on. Yeah Gigabyte has some questionable quality control in some of their products.

Onboard soundcards aren't always bad and if yours worked I'd imagine it would have been perfectly fine for your setup. I'm not sure you'd benefit much (outside of working audio) from a soundcard/amp/dac. As for PCI I don't really know, I haven't really ventured in that field much and an external amp/dac is almost always recommended here.

The cheapest (not bad, mind you) amp/dac that seems to be worth the money is the FiiO E10k. The only downside in your case is I don't think any external setups or interfaces have a 3.5mm mic in, at least I haven't seen one. I'd imagine you could keep the amp by your header mic in and just plug it in there with the audio in through the dac/amp.

If you stream, though, I highly recommend looking into a proper external mic as well, probably a condenser. The mics on headsets are acceptable for voice chat but if you want good audio for your voice the way to go is definitely an external mic. That would also leave you room to ditch headsets entirely and get a good pair of headphones :D.

Glad I could help. If the Sennheiser is above your budget limit, I recommend the [$155 Audio Technica AT875r] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQ79W0/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000BQ79W0&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20) [Referral Link].

It does pretty well when compared to some pretty expensive microphones: http://vimeo.com/11451198

One caveat - this mic is phantom powered only (no battery), so you'll need the DR-60D to power it and you won't be able to plug it directly into the GH3 or any other DSL camera.

Again, hope this is helpful!

Bill

IMO, it's one big gimmick and you would get better build quality and sound quality from music headphones. If you pay a little more then you get a little more.

A gaming headset mic is ok but a standalone mic like the V-MODA BoomPro, Modmic or the Blue Snowball would be better.

'7.1 surround sound' is basically gamer advertising for the soundstage I mentioned earlier.

Extras like the programmable keys, RGB and wireless are gimmicks too. I used to own Logitech G930s with programmable keys and wireless. I went into the other room and my wireless would drop in and out. I ended up not using the programmable keys because I already have a ton of keyboard keys and mouse buttons. It's plastic buttons and colors my friend.

I just want you to get something really well made and that blows everything else out of the water.

good mic not necessary but definitely recommended. as an example of a bad mic, all of Figurehead was recorded using headphones pressed up against my face as the microphone. if you didn't know you could do that, now you do. good cans actually produce a pretty damn good recording. good cans will also have a mesh-like cover usually which doubles as a bit of a pop filter.

imo avoid USB mics unless it's all you can do, every one i've used from Blue's offerings (yeti, snowball) to M-Audio mics has had a really fucking weird frequency response and been awful about room noise no matter how much carpeting i have.

currently i use this set: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00XOXRTX6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which requires phantom power. i have a behringer mixer for that (which i use for a bunch of other stuff as well). it kicks the ever-loving crap out of every other mic i've used, which is bizarre. i have use roland and sennheiser condenser mics and many USB mics and this one comes out right on top, especially for the price.

to reduce room noise, you can throw down a rug or blankets or even put a sock over your mic. you'd be surprised how much it helps.

play with EQing and compressing on your vocal track. a bit of a noise gate before all that can help too. i prefer it over noise reduction at this point, since noise reduction can be pretty artifacty, and if you're going to do pitch correction or other effects, that artifacting can get really noticeable really fast.

as for the best place to start: wherever you want. i just used headphones as a mic for a long time and if Figurehead is anything to go by, it'll work for most people while they get started, and will teach you a lot about EQing your recordings.

Yo super late to the party.

Was picking up the house a bit, I've got my whole computer setup, and one of these guys coming in the mail either tomorrow or Thurs.

Discord works great for me, I use it for practically everything anyway.

And yes, I'm super interested still.

Scarlett came out with the 3rd Gen recently. Do you need the 2i2, would you be OK with the Solo? I'm from the US, so I am not sure what the prices would be in EU. But here is the link for the 3rd Gen Solo ($109 USD)

- https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B07QR6Z1JB/

​

As far as mic, there are plenty of options under $200. But the Rode NT-1 is an awesome mic. I actually own it, and have been using it for the past month or two with my Apollo Twin USB. It has a flat frequency response which is great for allowing the most flexibility when manipulating the audio in post. Don't get fooled by the graph, as they have updated the NT-1 [The old NT-1 had a different frequency response]. This is the new response graph.

- http://cdn1.rode.com/nt1_datasheet.pdf

​

If you're looking for used, I would check out Reverb. They have the NT-1 on Reverb for sub $200:

- https://reverb.com/p/rode-nt-1-kit-w-slash-shockmount-and-pop-filter

​

Another good mic for $200 is the sE Electronics X1 S. They have a vocal bundle on Sweetwater for $200

- https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/X1SVocalPk--se-electronics-x1-s-vocal-bundle

​

Lastly, there's a $150 mic called the AKG P220.

- https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/P220--akg-p220-large-diaphragm-condenser-microphone

- https://www.amazon.com/AKG-High-Performance-Vocal-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00M9CUJ6W/

​

All these microphones are Large-diaphragm Condenser Microphones. And as already stated, they all have a pretty flat frequency response.

Neewer NW-700 Condenser Mic kit. I know it looks like a lot but it's actually super convenient and sounds really good for the price. It's possible you might have to get phantom power for it which might bring the total up to $55-60. I run it straight into my PCI-E sound card and it works great. Just depends on how much power your mic port will put out. Doubt a laptop would. But that's my suggestion. I run it with a set of Sennheiser HD439's, which were the reason I got the sound card in the first place. Asus Xonar DG

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_bQCsyb1YCN3AN

Sure, I have used the Samson microphones as they are quite easy to set up. I used an older one, the Samson C01U, but there is a lot of good from the Go Mic and Meteor Mic.

I do hear good things about the Blue Snowball as well, though I do not have experience with the brand.

And once you do get a microphone, I would totally recommend getting a directional pop filter for yourself, it can make quite a difference.

Like the other comments say, I'm still in the "not liking my own voice phase" i like to think i have a good voice but I still never like what i record. But other than that, I highly recommend getting a decent mic. Aim for XLR, if you can, over USB microphones. They are a bit more expensive but totally worth it for quality. the NW-700 is a really good beginner Microphone. As of now its only $27 which is awesomely cheap for an XLR, although you will have to buy a phantom power, little box that powers the microphone since the computer itself cant generate it, but thats only an extra $17. And a small adapter to actually go into your PC. This is by no means professional but any XLR is better than a USB microphone, in my opinion.

Microphone: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XOXRTX6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Phantom Power: https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-1-Channel-Microphone-Condenser-Recording/dp/B014H8AWGC/ref=pd_bxgy_267_img_2/132-8551522-3088534?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B014H8AWGC&pd_rd_r=ee89c156-a0db-4f07-b5fd-08246cdd8db3&pd_rd_w=oJwwl&pd_rd_wg=2W4Tj&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=GZSZ5G9AGGFHYCWXQWJM&psc=1&refRID=GZSZ5G9AGGFHYCWXQWJM

​

Adapter: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=pd_bxgy_267_img_3/132-8551522-3088534?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00IRVQ0F8&pd_rd_r=ee89c156-a0db-4f07-b5fd-08246cdd8db3&pd_rd_w=oJwwl&pd_rd_wg=2W4Tj&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=GZSZ5G9AGGFHYCWXQWJM&psc=1&refRID=GZSZ5G9AGGFHYCWXQWJM

​

I myself am no professional but have been into this for a while and had this very microphone for like 2 years. I've since upgraded to an AT-2020

I'm looking for a recommendation for a new microphone. For a while now I've been sing a cheap clip on mic and the quality is pretty bad and I'm ready for an upgrade.

I want a standalone mic that has good sound quality while picking up as little of the ambient sound as possible. I am looking at the blue snowball ice since it has good reviews and says it only picks up sound from the front which seems like it will help with the ambient noise issue.

Is this probably the best one for my needs in the <$50 price range?

Yeah I mean you should be able to find short videos of the pictures I linked and cut like 0.3 seconds into your video in between scenes. Also, this is the mic I use, and it's damn near Blue Yeti quality (You'll need one of these in order to use it though). And there was a thread just a day or two ago on this subreddit that covers music. For CS GO videos, I think part of the humor is using some of the overused tracks, but that's just me.

I'd love to critique your video, but I think you're only allowed one review item per post. I'd be happy to comment on it once you've created a [Video Review] thread for it specifically.

> the V-Moda Boompro

can't be used with the K7XX. The Boom Pro requires a non-recessed 3,5mm.

> AntLion ModMic

Good choice for the K7XX for gaming. I used to use one, but the additional 2nd wire got annoying.

> Blue Snowball (ICE)

That's what I'm using now. There are two versions of the Snowball. The more expensive one features 3 pick up patterns and you'll never use two of them. Get the ICE version for regular VoIP and gaming purposes it is excellent. If you have a mechboard people will LOVE you!

If you want to get really crazy with an excellent set up:

• ATH AT2020
  
• Scissor Boom with Spider

Actually, an affordable USB condenser microphone is all you need.

For example this one. I have Samson Go which is even more portable.

You can plug it to your laptop (or even smartphone) and use free Audacity software to record and edit your song.

Please don't hesitate to ask anything. I wish you and your old man the best of luck!

If you're willing to go a little over budget I'd pick up the [Logitech C920] (https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/hd-pro-webcam-c920) and the [Blue Yeti Microphone] (https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Yeti-USB-Microphone-Blackout/dp/B00N1YPXW2/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1520708427&sr=1-3&keywords=blue+yeti). Both of these are quality equipment that even bigger streamers with a large budget use. If that's outside of your price range, I'd switch out the Yeti for the [Blue Snowball] (https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-iCE-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1520708583&sr=1-2&keywords=blue+snowball). It's still a good quality microphone for around half the price of the Yeti. I'm not sure if there is anything better at that price range but I've heard nothing dealbreaking about either the Yeti/Snowball or the C920.

As for tips, I'd recommend having some way to look at chat and whatever alert system you use (We use StreamLabs) without having to alt-tab out of game constantly. Whether it's a two monitor setup, a tablet/phone, or even playing in windowed mode, interacting with the people watching is definitely important.

I love your voice and your video style. You really need to invest in a better audio setup, though. It sounds like youre 15 feet away from the mic.

Near professional quality audio is very simple and essentially plug and play these days. Well under 100 bucks can get you a decent mic, boom stand and pop filter. A good mic example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-iCE-Microphone/dp/B014PYGTUQ/

Like the other commenter stayed, beautiful voice.

My critique would be to buy an actual mic. Blue snowball is a pretty great beginner condenser mic. Later down the road you could play with some dynamic mics but you can literally do some great recordings with the blue snowball mic alone.
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=blue%2Bsnowball%2Bmicrophone&qid=1564511189&s=gateway&sprefix=blue%2Bsnowb&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1


If you get the blue snowball I would say make some individual tracks. Example would be one track for vocals, another for your instrument and that would allow you to further tweak your recordings accordingly.

YouTube has some good stuff on shotgun mics. Unfortunately shotgun mics don’t have a good cheap option like dynamic mics have. Good ones are expensive They also take quite a bit of skill/knowledge to get them sounding good.

Maybe something like 2 or 3 of these.
Audio-Technica AT875R

Here's my recommendation for a podcast starter kit:

• Microphone: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB
  
• Pop filter: This one.
  
• Headphones: Sennheiser HD 202 II
  
  
  The ATR2100 USB is a dynamic mic that sounds good, and has both USB and XLR options.
  
  ​
  
  If you have a bit more money, I'm currently using this setup:
  
  
• Pre-amp: Behringer UMC202HD
  
• Microphone: Audio-Technica AT875R
  
  ​
  
  A pre-amp will improve the amount of gain you get from a dynamic mic (like the ATR2100). The biggest complaint about dynamic mics is they don't always produce a lot of volume.
  
  ​
  
  I've written a longer beginner's guide here.

Well, your budget does not have a lot of room...here are my thoughts and recommendations...

1-Camera...Keep using your cell phone for mobile recording, maybe consider getting some sort of stabilizing grip or selfie stick...that being said, your budget must leave room for good sound and software, so i am reccomending you purchase this HD 1080p webcam for all stationary shots at home...dont underestimate it, this is one of the most used webcams on Twitch...https://www.bestbuy.com/site/logitech-c920-pro-webcam-black/4612476.p?skuId=4612476&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=CIn069KPs9oCFbiPxQIdQ9UAdw&gclsrc=ds

2-Sound...Blue is a trusted and WIDELY USED company in the YouTube world...this USB mic would be for home use, but would allow you to have great audio and do voice overs...https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=asc_df_B014PYGTUQ5436005/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B014PYGTUQ&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198066279761&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10746801737752064127&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061082&hvtargid=pla-343815780929

3-Software....As another person has recommended, i would go with Adobe Premiere Elements...get used to the Adobe ecosystem so one day you can graduate to the full program and entire suite!...https://www.bestbuy.com/site/premiere-elements-2018-macwindows/5983001.pskuId=5983001&cmp=RMX&extStoreId=1104&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=CKPes4KQs9oCFV6VxQIdgbYFqg&gclsrc=ds

Entire package comes in at around $170...if you want to spend more, put it towards the microphone!

-Cam

If you're interested in non-usb mics, you could always look into condenser microphones. I wanted to get a mic separate from my headset, but didn't want to spend the $$$ for the blue yeti, and I thought the snowball sounded poor for he price. So I looked into different Newer and another mic brand. I ended up going with this kit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D4KYRYC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for $50, and I think the mic quality for the mic is pretty solid. Having it come with a scissor arm is pretty sweet too. So I'd say check out mics like the nw-700, nw-800, etc just to see what else is out there.

They are put in an L-shape and the mic is clamped. the mic was super cheap but super worth it over a normal headset mic. if your interested - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01D4KYRYC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I know little to nothing about really recording audio, or how to make stuff sound good. What i do know is that all my friends i voice chat with think my mic sounds like i wired my Nintendo DS lite to my computer and used it to talk to them. So I figured I'd do what a normal person would do and do research instead of being lazy consult reddit for advice on what microphone i should buy. I don't plan on spending a lot on my microphone, but I think i might as well spend enough for my friends to be able to hear my actual voice instead of the equivalent of what you'd hear from a usb microphone you'd hook up to your Wii to play rock band.

For the sake of accuracy, I don't plan on spending much more than $30-$40 on a mic, and if I can go lower without much sacrifice in audio quality I'd prefer that. If it helps any, I have a somewhat deep voice and I plan on using it for gaming, more specifically voice chat on discord. I am currently looking at the Blue Snowball iCE Condenser Microphone which is on the upper end of my budget. Thank you so much for any advice you can give me.

Garageband is perfectly acceptable if you acknowledge its limitations. If you're just recording vocals and using backtracks it should be fine for a while.


If you're looking for microphones I would stray away from USB microphones. Its almost always better to get a cheap interface and a cheap microphone than it is to get a mid range USB.


You could purchase a focusrite solo and an MXL 990 on ebay for under $100 (as long as you get lucky with auctions), which are two fantastic beginner/hobbyist devices.

I've even heard some decent things about this dirt cheap Neewer.

Yeah Im trying to get my hands on a basic Blue SnowBall ICE since its really popular and not too expensive.

The big point I like to make about my stream is that Im flying COMPLETELY blind. I know 0 about Morrowind. Im not looking anything up. The only info I get is asking my twitch audience for super vague help.

Heres a link to my Morrowind playlist Id love some feedback..

Short answer no they don't. If you want to spice up your headphones get yourself a dac/amp combo. A very popular one is a schiit stack. https://www.schiit.com/

I use a Beyer DT 770 pros 250 ohms for my gaming ($142 on Amazon right now), but I also use a dac/amp ($200). You really only need an amp for these (250 ohms) but that can be had for less than $100. My mic is a snowball mic that I got for $50. So you can have a nice setup for under $250 (w/o mic) which is what some of these gaming headsets run.

Here are the DT 770 Pros on Amazon, but if you don't want to spend the money for the amp (amp is a must with the 250 ohm version) you can get the 80 ohm version for a bit more.

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-770-PRO-Studio-Headphone/dp/B0006NL5SM

This is the amp I have for another pair of headphones I have, but will work well with the DT 770 pros.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VETHZ04/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and here is my mic

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014PYGTUQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


So if you go with DT-770 Pro 250 ohm (grey color cheaper) + amp + snowball mic you are looking at $253.

If you go with the 80 ohm version (black one is cheaper here) + snowball mic you are looking at $220.

Any other questions feel free to reply.

Get a desktop mic instead.

This will give better quality than any headset you can buy below $200.

Headset microphones are atrocious pretty much across the board due to the incredibly limiting dimensions normally required.

With a real mic you and your teammates/friends will have a much better experience. Clearer audio with better leveling and it will probably outlive your PC.

Even a cheap one will be 10x better, and if you ever want to foray into youtube/podcasts/twitch you've got the equipment.

Then, when your headset dies death buy some good headphones without a mic. Before you know it you've better quality equipment at a lower price.

I bought this a few months ago: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D4KYRYC/

​

Didn't need the phantom power with my gaming rig but it's nice to have it in case I use the mic for other devices. The stand is pretty sturdy for such an inexpensive package deal. I'm happy with it.

Based on what you mentioned as your budget, I'd recommend purchasing a USB type of condenser microphone. Unfortunately, anything under $40 isn't going to sound too nice when recording. Your best bet is to up the $40 to $50-ish and get a Blue Snowball.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-iCE-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=sr_1_21?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1519757795&sr=1-21&keywords=condenser+mic

It's a nice mic and it'll do you justice over any other mic in the price range. As for headphones, I'd buy these: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-201-Lightweight-Headphones/dp/B0007XJSQC/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1519758135&sr=1-12&keywords=studio+headphones

Okay so been looking to get a good mic for my gaming videos on YouTube, quality is what I aim for so been looking for a good microphone. What's the difference between these two? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-NW-800-Professional-Broadcasting-Microphone/dp/B00XBQ8UGG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469956081&sr=8-2&keywords=neewer+mic https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Professional-Condenser-Microphone-Butterfly/dp/B01DXXSJ1M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469956189&sr=8-1&keywords=neewer+300e Also I was gonna buy the 300e but a lot of people say you need a power supply for it to make it sound better like a Phantom. Would you also need a power supply for something more expensive like a Blue Yeti? I'm basically looking for a cheap Mic that in total will cost me about £40 but im unsure which need power supplies and what is the difference between USB and non USB ones?

Alright so here's some stuff to get you started.

Blue snowball microphone.

AGPTEK MyPin capture device.

Both of these are "budget" solutions but should perform just fine for your needs. It's your call if you want to get a mic arm but I would suggest one, along with a pop filter.

The capture device should interface with OBS Studio without any major problems. It's a bit on the "no frills" side but from what I can gather it's still a pretty solid option.

Just be aware that you may run into HDCP issues with the Switch, where the capture device will refuse to accept the video stream. If that happens, you can just run the signal via a cheap HDMI splitter and it will take care of that.

Have this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XOXRTX6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but I don't use the pop filler as I feel it lowers the overall volume, what does peaking mean? I'm quite new to this but voice acting is pretty fun haha.

"That I can use anywhere..."

Eh, that's not really a thing. Microphones are space dependent.

If you're just doing Youtube, talking head style videos, you don't even need to spend that much money.

Get yourself a condenser mic. I use a Rode NT1 Kit. I like that the pop filter is right on the mount and it sounds "fine". You can get a lot of opinions, with a lot of cork sniffing. In a mix, with proper compression and filtering, there are differences, but it's real small. Diminishing returns is strong with mics. I was using a Neumann TLM104 before, and honestly, not that big of a difference. It's a sensitive mic though, so you'll want a quietish room.

https://www.amazon.ca/Rode-Large-Diaphragm-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00GGGQK56

Now you need an audio interface to hook the mic up to the computer. Really, you don't need to go that wild. You're just getting your talking voice in there.

https://www.amazon.ca/Focusrite-SCARLETT-2I2-3RD-GEN-2x2-Audio-Interface/dp/B07QR73T66/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?keywords=focusrite+scarlett+2i1&qid=1573845792&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-2-fkmr0

Real simple, and will work fine enough, and has a second input, if you ever need one.

Some people will tell you to get a compressor, to run the mic through that on the way in. It's not really necessary and at this point, hardware compressors and software are indistinguishable in a mix or outside of an AB test scenario. Just shoot your video, and record your audio. After, run your vocal through some compression and a high pass filter, and you'll be good to go, for relatively cheap.

Well I dunno what to tell ya bud, you've got a solid PC and the best DAW software ;) but if your USB headset wont let you switch beyond 8kHz you're gonna have a bad time. I'd strongly advise picking up an audio interface and a non-usb mic, if you're on a budget and are just getting started I can suggest this interface and a dynamic mic like this or one with a wee stand like this. Dont forget and XLR cable too! Obviously the higher the budget or direction you want to take your audio can influence these purchases.

I don't necessarily think your on-board audio card would be causing noise. It's most likely your microphone. If it's a headset you're most likely going to get noise from it.

If you're planning on switching over to an audio interface to attempt to reduce the noise, go with an XLR microphone as well. The audio interface might let you set a noise gate and also control the gain, but it won't be able to eliminate everything the headset is picking up.

I currently use this microphone:
Studio Projects B1

and I use this audio interface:
M-Audio M-Track

I used the Blue Snowball a while ago, but it still picked up too much noise for my liking. So I went with something I knew would not pick up nearly as much noise. I also use a Korg D3200 mixer, which isn't necessary, but it allows for voice effects and further fine tuning.

TL;DR: If you're going to switch to an audio interface, get an XLR microphone to use with it. It'll eliminate noise and provide a much cleaner and stronger sound in your voice.

The Blue Snowball microphone is pretty affordable and can be used with an arm or the little stand it comes with. I like it, seems like the audio quality of my voice is pretty good.

i wouldn't.

honestly if you're going to invest in a microphone, maybe save up a bit so you can afford something that'll last you longer. save up the 50 bones and buy this which is something that would probably be a good place to start. you get a cheaper clone of a Neumann U87, basically an audio interface, and a microphone scissor arm. all that's left is to buy a 7-10$ pop filter and whabam you've got a great base recording system.

I'm not sure if he's talking about a different mic or just made a type-o but I keep hearing great things about this mic for the money. You can look up a mic comparison done by Andrew Huang on youtube that shows how great this little thing sounds on vocals for only 20$

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Broadcasting-Recording-Microphone/dp/B00XBQ8UGG/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=andrhuan01-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=464c7c6be0c095f9f4cb3831b5aac603&creativeASIN=B00XBQ8UGG

Please, for the love of god, don't get a yeti. They are so overhyped.

Look into the Samson Meteor Mic. I used it to make a few radio commercials. For a pop filter, check this out. Finally for the arm, take a look at this

This is the setup i used until...yesterday when i got some pricier gear. But it works very well.

If youre looking for sound quality, these items should leave about 50 left in your budget. Consider getting REAPER, a professional quality DAW. Allows you to add equalizers and compressors and just sounds a million times better than audacity.

Credibility: Chief Engineer and former production director at WNYO 88.9FM in Oswego NY

This is a great answer. Thank you!

I've made worse than $11 mistakes, so that's not a big deal.

I'm guessing my next low budget option would be something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B014PYGTUQ

or

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076ZSR6BB/ref=vp_d_pb_t1_m_lp_B014PYGTUQ_pd

I would like to keep using the high-end noise canceling headphones, as they make it much easier to hear what's being said by the others on the call who don't always have very good mics either.

Thank you!

It's pricey, I won't lie. Besides a DAW (unless you use something free like Audacity or something) You only need a USB mic, which can run you like $50-$80(This one is nice for the price). Everything else can be added with time. Get it done man. You remind me of Quentin Miller, most def would like to hear more of your tracks man.

Assuming you are recording with a computer, do you have an audio interface and/or a mixer with phantom power? If not, you'll have to confine yourself to USB mics. The one I usually recommend is the Blue Snowball, which is about $70 and works quite well for voice/narration. I have perhaps 20 mics and a decent home recording system but still use the Snowball for podcasts and quick projects sometimes because it's reliable, easy to setup, and sounds good for the price.

There's also a cheaper version (called the Snowball iCE) that is a simpler design with fewer features for about $25 less. I haven't used those but it might be worth a shot, especially if you're just doing a single voice in a quiet room.

I'm building in a month or so, but I'm coming from a laptop where all the different systems are so simple and integrated. Can I use this as a microphone for general use? i.e. Discord, Skype, streaming?

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Broadcasting-Microphone-Adjustable/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1465940180&sr=8-2&keywords=microphone

It's cheap and seems like a decent quality mic. The description says you can just power it from your computer as long as you don't need the extra phantom power supply for hardcore audio recording stuff. It's the same price or cheaper than a modmic, and seems to be of comparable/higher quality. Plus I just like the idea of having a discrete microphone. Thanks friends!

For that price you won't get a good mic with a headset, your better off to get a mic, I reccomend this one:
Neewer Mic
It has a boom arm and a pop filter too
And get this too to power the mic properly:
Neewer Phantom Power

Then just get a pair of headphones you like, a desk mic will give you a lot better sound than any headset mic, if you are doing YouTube I would highly suggest doing this and getting a pair of headphones.

My cousin has these they sound pretty good and you won't look like a dork if you have them on in public.

All that is a total of 60£, sure that's 20£ above your budget but the mic sounds really professional, a channel called Podcastage made a video where the entire thing is recorded with it, sounds really nice.

I got a Neewer for $30, same set up, and it's been with me about 2 years now? Still doing pretty great. I saw a comment that had concerns about the arms in these bundles and they're right, those arms are squeaky as hell. Definitely worth the money I paid, but also definitely worth getting a new arm.

Here's the link in case you're interested: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JrI1Db0M19SN6

Quick question for all of you audio guys out there! I am wanting to do some amateur recording. I intend to buy the Panasonic G7. (Mirrorless camera) Would it be better for me to record directly into an audio interface then sync my video/audio when I edit the video, or would it be better for me to record into a digital recorder that's connected to my camera? I would be using this mic.

My main concerns were issues with syncing audio and video post production (if I recorded into the interface) I imagine this method would sound better, but would the audio sync well?

Thanks for the advice!

OK your best bet is to Buy a separate microphone, a mixer and headphones.

Gaming anything is just marketing you will end up paying a premium for something that you really don't need.

For first timers I would recommend a cheap XLR microphone into a cheap mixer. DO NOT GO WITH USB MICS or USB AUDIO INTERFACE.

If you buy a USB device that uses a regular windows generic driver. windows will muddle your audio. This is commonly known by advanced users.

Instead plug in your mic using your mixer to your mic jack on the back of your motherboard.

Here are some affordable but great mic/mixer combo you can even maybe get them on eBay for Hella cheap.

Neewer NW-700 Professional Studio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_iDwIAb8DBK7RA

BEHRINGER XENYX 502 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J5UEGQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BFwIAbG6B1SAT

I just picked up this "Neewer NW-700" microphone with boomarm and also a usb soundcard (to provide more voltage to the microphone), honestly the best $35 I've spent ever, sounds super professional, whole microphone and boomarm are made of metal, check out a review of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqI96QWnpKk

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014PYGTUQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The snowball is a great starter standalone mic that is well under $150. from there the rest of this sub will help you pick a good closed headphone in your price range.

Also, they're not closed, but I have the Fidelio X2HR and they're a joy for gaming, just food for thought

That phantom power thing you linked before isn't a replacement for an audio interface, it's just to supply power to condenser microphones. You would still need an audio interface after that. For talking to your friends on discord, you don't need all that. A good usb mic is more than enough. A very decent affordable option is the Blue Snowball. My brother uses that and he sounds very good. I also highly recommend the AT2020 USB if you want to spend that kind of money.

One of those usb mics, with your current setup is plenty good.

In all honesty, the Cam and Mic that I use in my setup is probably the best "budget" equipment.

Webcam:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003LVZO8S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Mic:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K72ENKE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But to be honest, the mic isn't the best for streaming. It has a good sound for recording YouTube videos especially since you can edit the mic quality, but the mic does have a weird static background noise. It's barely audible, especially when streaming a louder game, but the mic does sound great, especially if you're just starting out (which I'm assuming you are).

Edit: Kinda forgot to mention, but I also had to buy a scissor arm.

The Blue Snowball is one of the most popular budget-friendly mics ever. It's always gotten positive reviews.

I use the Blue Yeti, another popular mic, and I can recommend it!

I know that a lot of streamers use the audio technica microphones so here's one. There is also the Blue Yeti. In terms of budget microphones, there is the Blue Snowball and the CAD u37. You also might want to consider an audio interface as well. Here's an excellent combo, cause its awesome.

Well I love the Sony H.ear, great noise cancelling but I have not used them for gaming before. And i also love this mic https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4KYRYC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_cFlHzb6HA8E17

8 snowballs?? How many people on your show? Those mics are meant to record a group. I wouldn't use one per person. Also, they are USB mics and aren't easy to connect more than one to a computer. The computer won't recognize that there is more than one connected.

If you want a dedicated mic per person, check out these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XBQ8UGG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492662052&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bm+800&dpPl=1&dpID=513TvuH0TbL&ref=plSrch

That and a mixer.

Also, audacity is a great free DAW that you can use.

I'd go for a decent set of headphones and a seperate Mic. I have these Audio Technica M20x headphones, really good quality and nice long cord to tuck away. I pair these with a Blue Snowball Mic as its good quality but doesn't look out of place on a desk or tucked behind a monitor when not in use.

This combo is $10 over your max budget but really gives you the best of both worlds for a reasonable price, I personally couldn't reccomend any 'gaming headset'.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M20x-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482690495&sr=8-1&keywords=audio+technica+m20

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-iCE-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482690510&sr=8-3&keywords=snowball

u/MacintoshEddy definitely gave some good advice there. I'll throw in something. If you're looking for a cheaper option, I'd recommend the Audio Technica AT875R. I've been really happy with mine.

I like the DR 60D - it's good, great price (comes with syncing software Plural Eyes as well), mounts under the camera, etc. It uses batteries somewhat quickly so buy two sets of rechargeable AA's.

Paired with the Audio Technica ATR875R http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQ79W0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1, it works really well.

If you're going to film indoors, I'd suggest getting some faster glass. The 50mm f1.8 you have is great for that, but a little tight. I liked my Sigma 17-50 f2.8 for a multipurpose semi-fast lens.

Buy some lighting equipment!

I would recommend the Blue Snowball, which sounds almost as good as the Yeti. The Samson Meteor is also great and slightly pricier.

Edit - if you want to attach your headphones to a mic, the ModMic will serve you well.

Not sure if you're still doing your podcast but if you are I would recommend a better mic. The Blue Snowball Condenser Microphone is a great low cost yet high quality option.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=psdc_11974651_t2_B00K68MT9Q

It seems like it could be really decent. I use a Florean BM-800 which seem very similar. You don't "need" a mixer, just a phantom power and an XLR cable to connect your mic to the phantom power. With a clean up through Audacity I think you could get by for a good while and that is a pretty decent price.

I did this some time ago before I got the Phantom Power:
>Here is an audio test with usb power unedited and edited (in the same clip).

>44100 Hz: https://clyp.it/wubqpopv
>48000 Hz: https://clyp.it/yqhdiyxp

*Actually this seems like the more complete purchase with phantom power: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4KYRYC?psc=1

This is $10 over your proposed budget, but I wanted to bring it to your attention as it is a fairly common intro level condenser mic.

If you're just using it to chat on discord, or use for in game chat, it might be a bit overkill, maybe check out something more like this.

That first mic is a great multipurpose condenser mic, the second is just a good alternative dependent on your needs and intended use.

I run the roll20 app inside of google hangouts. It does the game table, and voice chat all in one window. I have tried every chat client out there and Hangouts is by far the best now (it sucked the first few years, but it is google so it got fixed).

On another monitor I have our campaign document open, which is a GoogleDoc spreadsheet with a tab for every character and several game notes. I share all of that in a gDrive folder with the game rules and handouts.

I keep a pdf of the gamebook open on a third monitor (I only use pds anymore so that I search the text).

Then I have also started to run Roll20 on my tablet as a player so that I can make sure I see what the players are seeing.

A good microphone

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Microphone-Headphones/dp/B003LRTQEA/ref=sr_1_14?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1410961646&sr=1-14

And webcam

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Webcam-Widescreen-Calling-Recording/dp/B006JH8T3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410961712&sr=8-1&keywords=hd+webcam

I'd recommend splitting into separate components.

$150 spent on a mic and cans separately will yield a much better setup than a combo deal.

I would go with a Blue Snowball and a pair of ATH M40x. You can get these with a Bluetooth adapter. They are great cans. Links below total up $160 and will blow away any bluetooth headset.

Headphones

Bluetooth

Mic

Mic Option 2

Depends on how you define inexpensive.

A good beginner setup would be a Neewer NW-800 + single-channel phantom power box of your choice + a clip on pop filter. Should cost you around $60 for the whole setup and get you condenser XLR quality that'll beat any USB mic in the same price range and much higher.

Links for reference:

• Neewer NW-800
  
• Phantom power supply
  
• Pop filter
  
  Do yourself a favor and use low-end, but real audio equipment like this instead of a Blue Snowball or Blue Yeti. Using those two mics is like writing "I have no clue what I'm doing" on your VA profile, but so many people do it. A Yeti Pro is the minimum you should go for in Blue mics, otherwise the people hiring you WILL be able to tell you're on a USB mic and they WILL use it to gauge your level of experience against you. As a general principle, XLR is a much better look when you're trying to get hired doing voice work.

This is the one I use. It has good sound and picks my voice up perfectly from a few feet away on my desk. Pretty affordable too.

Get something like this and use it as an overhead:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Microphone-Suspension-Broadcasting-Recording/dp/B07DK89QZS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1549569140&sr=8-10&keywords=usb+microphone

​

It won't be awesome, but based on other replies you're not looking for awesome, just serviceable. This will certainly be serviceable and won't require a separate audio interface or additional preamp hardware. record right into Audacity in Windows or GarageBand in Mac (both for free). good luck


*edited to include a mac option just in case...

Your build looks good, I have this microphone, it certainly isnt like "studio quality" or whatever, but when I listen to it, it sounds pretty clear to me: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XBQ8UGG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1GCIUWFSUP4IL&coliid=IQN9IPW6H9MR9&psc=1

What you are probably looking for is an audio interface. An audio interface will let you connect an external mic through XLR and also has outputs for powered speakers and headphones, and most wiil have separate volume knobs that let you control the volume of each individually.

​

For a mic, I suggest the Audio Technica AT2020 mic with a mic stand and pop filter like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020-Condenser-Studio-Microphone/dp/B077YXX1M4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1540320647&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=audio-+technica+at2020&psc=1

​

For an audio interface, I suggest one like this Mackie Artist interface that let's you change the volume of the headphones and monitors separately and also lets you connect the external microphone:

https://www.amazon.com/Mackie-Onyx-Artist-1-2-Interface-x/dp/B07664LMPQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1540320825&sr=1-3&keywords=mackie+onyx+artist

​

The speakers you are looking at are great. What other brands and speakers are available where you are at?

​

Not sure about sub $30 mics, but if you're willing to a little more ($50), the Blue Snowball Ice is pretty fantastic for the price.

Standard setup for bedroom production is something like a Scarlett 2i2 with varying mic choices based on budget. Two sweet spots as far as price/performance ratio for me:

Rode NT1:
New version of the classic NT1a with clear performance representation and a crisp high end. Metal pop filter is also dope. Sensitive to background noise.

https://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT1KIT-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B00GGGQK56

Shure SM7b:
Widely used for a reason. Everyone and their mom has one of these because they sound so good. Bonus for non-studio work is that it isn't going to pick up a fly farting in the room next to you because it's dynamic. You need a cloudlifter tho so keep that in mind.

https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002E4Z8M

Any combination of these is good, I've also included a deal on amazon USA that has audio technical awesome audiophile headhones 199$ -> 70$;

---------------head phones-----------------

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HVLUQW8/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205349&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=audio+technica&dpPl=1&dpID=41EDeh-wXKL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0001ARCFA/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205717&sr=1-2&refinements=p_36%3A1253505011&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=headphones&dpPl=1&dpID=41iu1l-OAvL&ref=plSrch

www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00001WRSJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205768&sr=1-16&refinements=p_36%3A1253505011&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=headphones&dpPl=1&dpID=41ADlzRP9hL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ENMK1DW/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205768&sr=1-15&refinements=p_36%3A1253505011&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=headphones&dpPl=1&dpID=41%2BX-iFa0PL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004FEEY9A/ref=mp_s_a_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205768&sr=1-21&refinements=p_36%3A1253505011&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=headphones&dpPl=1&dpID=41ljcZIdgGL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009S332TQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205768&sr=1-20&refinements=p_36%3A1253505011&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=headphones&dpPl=1&dpID=41kFstqC55L&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HVLUQW8/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205349&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=audio+technica&dpPl=1&dpID=41EDeh-wXKL&ref=plSrch

---------------------mics---------------------

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002HJ9PTO/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205474&sr=8-11&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=lav+mic

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0058MJX4O/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205474&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=lav+mic&dpPl=1&dpID=31l%2BOAM-HdL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015R1U5XS/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205429&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=neewer+nw&dpPl=1&dpID=51LxsbISrEL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XOXRTX6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503205393&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=neewer+nw&dpPl=1&dpID=41yPNjD%2BW6L&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Condenser-Microphone-Suspension/dp/B01D4KYRYC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1520108136&sr=8-5&keywords=microphone+kit

This is what you want! Comes with everything you'd need and a microphone that's just as good as the ones you mentioned...just a fraction the price. Look up reviews on YouTube or read the ones on Amazon, shit's legit and under budget.

Edit: I have the same kit minus the XLR power adapter. Mic just plugged into my motherboards mic input and it works fine. So you might could get the non-powered kit and save more money:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XOXRTX6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I didn't see this post up here. This guy wrote what I was going to say. The 2i2 interface is excellent and is what I use. I have this mic https://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT1KIT-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B00GGGQK56

If you want a good example of what this interface and a condenser mic is capable of here https://soundcloud.com/user-420962322/01-flex

If you plan on recording more in the future, look into getting a condenser mic setup like this. Even if you use it for other things like simple voice chat, the difference in audio quality is huge. You can find lot's of videos on youtube on their quality and how to set them up (it's pretty easy)

Here are links to the stuff I got; you don't have to get exactly these things of course, and I'm pretty sure the mic and recorder were cheaper when I got them.

Mic: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQ79W0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Recorder: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NACC6M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

XLR cable to connect the two: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002GML68?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Mic stand to act as boom: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000978D58?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

The recorder writes to an SD card. I learned the hard way that you want to get one of the fast high-performance cards rather than the standard cheap thing that comes with the device. Otherwise the data comes in faster than the card can record and it just stops halfway through. When you're a one-man crew like me and you can't sit there and watch the recorder to make sure everything's going fine, it really sucks to cut and then see the audio stopped two minutes ago. Same goes for the camera, get a high-performance card.

The main drawback to using the mic stand instead of having someone hold the boom is that you can't really move in the scene. Otherwise you hear the actor's voice get louder as they approach the mic. A lav mic would solve that problem; I've never used them so I have no experience there at all.

Oh, and I have a T3i as well, I've been really happy with it. Here's an episode of my webseries I shot with all this stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By5LflOE1gI

ah yep, absolutely true! and there are some cheap xlr mics on amazon, my friend uses this one when he records with me. it gets the job done and the sound can be tweaked on the mixer board:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HTMA69Q

You're always going to get SM58 and SM58 recommendations.

If you consider these, do yourself a favour and bypass them and head straight for a Rode M1. Built like a fucking tank and best bang for your buck.

If people would get over their obsession with Shure mics this thing would sell thousands.

Fantastic update! I just ordered a better mic from amazon. I hope it helps the audio quality.

Is it better to buy a medium priced microphone, or a cheap microphone with a cheap audio interface for around the same price?

My friend wants to start a hobby in singing, so as a Christmas present I was going to buy him some vocal equipment (around $60 CAD). I've heard audio interfaces are quite important for voice work, but will it make that much of a difference in this case?

Here are the 2 ideas I had for each scenario:

• Medium priced Microphone
  
• Cheaper Microphone & Audio interface
  
  Are there any microphones/interfaces that would work better for this budget?

Hi folks,

I want to start streaming so I am in the market for a decent microphone. I narrowed down my options according to my budget (which isnt much, so I cant pick up the go to recomendation Blue Yeti). Also I want to state that I DO HAVE an audio interface (m-audio fast track). Ok here are my options,

1. Floureon BM-800 (56$) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KPKCJ2G/ref=od_aui_slice_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   
2. Excelvan BM-800 (46$) https://www.amazon.com/Excelvan-BM-800-Condenser-Microphone-Recording/dp/B00K72ENKE/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1479243474&sr=8-16&keywords=bm+700
   
   
3. Neewer NW-700 (32$) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XJF5DMI/ref=dp_cerb_3?th=1
   
   Prices are shipping and tax included for my country.
   
   First I ordered the Floureon BM-800 but then I found the Excelvan for 10 bucks cheaper and canceled my order, and now I found the Neewer one for even cheaper. Iwatched some reviews about all of them and it seems like they are not that much different. Also it seems like they all have the same internal components and only the branding is different. So I am really inclined towards the cheapest of them all.
   
   What are your thoughts?

Glad I could help.

As far as accessories go:

• If you need a pro mic, I recommend a [$153 Audio Technica AT875r] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000BQ79W0/sr=8-1/qid=1415412404/?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&condition=new&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&qid=1415412404&sr=8-1&tag=battleforthew-20) (I bought a used Audio Technica AT835b, and I can vouch for the quality of Audio Technica mics)
  
  
• If you need a tripod, I recommend the [$150 Ravelli AVTP Professional] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00139W0XM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00139W0XM&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20) (I own this tripod - it has a smooth fluid drag pan head, a 75mm bowl and sturdy all metal contruction)
  
  What else might you need?

Here's the links


Neewer NW-700 Professional Studio Broadcasting Recording Condenser Microphone & NW-35 Adjustable Recording Microphone Suspension Scissor Arm Stand with Shock Mount and Mounting Clamp Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_MFR.zbMV7D3WGNeewer 1-Channel 48V Phantom Power Supply with Adapter, BONUS+XLR 3 Pin Microphone Cable for Any Condenser Microphone Music Recording Equipment (8 feet) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014H8AWGC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hGR.zbE7XTJSP


Edit : here's an awesome pair of headphones, my dad has the lower end models and LOVES them.
AKG K 240 Semi-Open Studio Headphones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001ARCFA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_KLR.zbXS4SYW2

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Broadcasting-Microphone-Adjustable/dp/B00XOXRTX6

I bought 2 of these bundles. One has great sounds connected to the newer computer while the older computer has sufficient sound. The stand is great.

I think if you're all facing the mic it would work very well. It is a budget mic and it does have good sound quality. For podcasting tho I am going with a different mic the Neewer NW-800 it's probably as good as the blue but isn't USB. My issue with the snowball is range but if you're using it for conference calls you can just adjust the gain.

I had no idea what kind of mic could be described as a dildo, so for anyone else curious, it's just your average shotgun mic.

Since those tend to be pricy, a viable alternative would be something like the Blue Microphones Yeti or the Snowball.

Regarding shotguns, this one seems to be the best option within a reasonable price point, but the others will give a much richer sound to your voice as they have a frequency range that extends to 20 versus the shotgun's 90. Additionally, the shotgun is a condenser that requires a Phantom power line, typically from an audio interface (I don't trust much in the way of XLR to USB), which is an additional step/cost/complication.

Do you have access to this? http://www.amazon.com/Samson-C01U-Pak-Recording-Podcasting/dp/B000H4MZU2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1SA8PXVZCPWY7&coliid=IS4G3IA70O6AO

I don't have it, but it has good reviews and i've heard good things about it.

I don't own a mic other than the one built into my webcam. I have read up on the modmic which you can attach the headphones and something stand alone would be a blue [snowball] (https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-iCE-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=lp_2586045011_1_1?srs=2586045011&ie=UTF8&qid=1503600799&sr=8-1) or a yeti. There's a 4th option but you will have to mod the headphones sorta using the v-moda boompro, you'll have to google that. Good luck!

I imagine a condenser microphone would work nicely. You would probably want to set the mic up to be in front of the lip plate a few feet away from you and also elevated enough so that it doesn't catch any of your airstream in the sound. A quick search on Amazon gave me this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XOXRTX6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1463616023&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=condenser+microphone&dpPl=1&dpID=41vQYTss7TL&ref=plSrch

Also, this video is great for showing the proper way to mic a flute:

https://youtu.be/ZTtQ2Zk-crU

Thanks for the suggestion! One problem is I have an A/C unit right behind my desk. This may be overkill, but would some kind of shotgun mic be a better option? Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT875R-Gradient-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B000BQ79W0/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1500701809&sr=8-9&keywords=shotgun+microphone#customerReviews

I don't sing, however I watched a youtube video that reviewed this super cheap mic and made it look pretty damn good for the price. It obviously won't stack up to a nice mic, but it looks like it'd get the job done if you wanted to record some vocals on a budget and didn't mind doing some post-processing afterwards.

I wouldn’t get the Snowball iCE, maybe just me but I don’t like it’s look or performance for price, my advice? Get the NW-700 kit which has the microphone, boom arm, pop filter and phantom power for £35 so probably $50. It’s also XLR so the phantom power can be replaced by an interface for even better audio.

Edit: LINK!