Other mics, like the Podcaster and M-99, change tonality significantly as you move closer or farther. Some mic designs, like the SM7B, keep the capsule far enough back from the grille that proximity effect is reduced. A mic’s “proximity effect” is the amount of bass boost it produces as you move the mic closer to the sound source. Proximity TestĪs noted above, each of these mics prefers its own working distance. On the M-99, I’d enabled the “presence enhance” EQ circuit, which boosts the highs to compensate for proximity when worked close. The SM7B’s tone switches were all set flat.
Conversely, the Podcaster sounded thin and strident if I wasn’t right on top of the mic, so I recorded the Podcaster track at a distance of about an inch. For example, the LSM sounded muddy and dull at 2 inches, so I backed off to about 5 inches. In all cases, I recorded at a distance that seemed best for the mic. Mic: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Microphone 6 Listen blind to the samples below, then click the button at the bottom to reveal which mic is which.
#Road podcaster mic 320 kbps#
Audio SamplesĪll mics were recorded directly into Pro Tools, then RMS gain-matched, exported at 24/44.1, fine-tuned and converted to 320 kbps MP3 via Sample Manager. I’ve tested it, and confirmed the results. This step will make an audible difference in the noise floor of a 16-bit USB audio track. If the mic has 16-bit output, you’ll want as hot a level as you can get without clipping, to maximize the signal to noise ratio. If the rightmost bar lights up, you risk clipping. Set the input gain slider (found in System Preferences, Sound pref pane on OSX) so the input level peaks at the second-last bar. For best results, set up the mic in the position you’ll use it, and speak into the mic as you will when tracking. Too low, and you’ll have a very noisy track when you apply digital gain or compression in your DAW. If you set the input level too high, you’ll clip the mic’s signal. It is worth noting that the input level for all these USB mics is adjustable via software, at least under OSX. Do you think you’ll hear a difference? Optimizing input gain for USB mics This audio test is completely unfair: the samples below include USB mics ranging in price from $50-$230, against a 24-bit signal chain worth over $750. Both these analog dynamics were used with the Cloud Microphones “Cloudlifter” (see my review of the Cloudlifter CL-1 mic activator.) These are not USB mics, so we used the Mackie Onyx Blackjack, an affordable 24-bit mic pre and audio interface that performed well in our Budget USB audio interface shootout. To that mix, we added two high-end broadcast dynamics.
#Road podcaster mic plus#
We tested three moving-coil USB dynamics, plus a hybrid USB/analog condenser that shined in our shootout of $200 condensers for podcasting, the Studio Projects LSM. How do they compare to the industry standards? Let’s find out. This means podcasters can plug these mics directly into their computers and get all the benefits of a dynamic voice mic with none of the hassle of needing a separate preamp and converter. Recently, we’ve seen a couple intriguing new podcast mics come on the market: dynamic mics with onboard amplifiers, ADCs, and USB output. (For the record, we made a couple great recommendations in that piece, so if you’re shopping for an inexpensive signal chain for your broadcast dynamic mic, click that link to find our picks.) We reasoned that most podcasters can’t afford a high-end analog preamp and separate analog-digital converter, and would benefit from knowing that there are affordable USB audio interfaces that have enough gain to drive a low-output dynamic. That problem was precisely the reason we tested all the leading USB mic pre’s with the Shure SM7B in our Budget USB audio interface shootout. They tend to have low sensitivity levels, which means they require preamps with a lot of clean gain. My preference for dynamic microphones for podcast and broadcast use is well-established see the Ultimate Podcast Mic Shootout, in which I tested every great dynamic mic the broadcast industry has been loving for 50 years.īroadcast dynamic mics aren’t necessarily friendly to beginners, though.
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