What's a good PC microphone?

I'm doing some unprofessional voice recording, and I was wondering what's a good cheap PC mic that'll prevent static. Right now, I have a mic that's probably 10 years old and a mic from a webcam I brought. The webcam one will probably be even worse. I'm only interested in getting rid of the noise from the recording so I don't need anything fancy.
 
lol that is funny. I have no problems with it. Though I use it for gaming so its much more important for the mic to be close to my face to get best quality instead of having to lean foward and down for something like the other mic posted here.
 
Hey, these mics are actually cheaper than I thought. I was thinking I'd need something in the 100+ dollars section. I'll take a closer look at those choices.
 
Headset or Desktop??

Personally I prefer desktop and logitech makes the hands down best usb desktop mic on the market for about 30usd (unless of course you are looking for something professional grade).
 
A desktop. I'm doing some recording for me internet show. The freakin' noise and hissing is pretty annoying. I tried some software to remove them, but it makes my voice sound a little weird.
 
Bump!

I would like to buy a decent microphone for voice overs and stuff. And what is the best setup for these tasks? Do I also need headphones or something else?

Any suggestions other than the ones here from 9 years ago? :mrgreen:
 
Lots of good options nowadays given the rise of streaming and youtube creators. What's the price range?
 
The 'best setup' overall would be a phantom-powered studio condenser mic, connected to an external breakout box and audio interface with an XLR input, and closed-ear monitoring headphones. That would be $200-300 for a mic, $100-200 for the breakout box, $50 for a mic stand with a shock mount, and $200-300 for headphones.

The worst would be a wired lavalier clip-on mic, or similar cheap electret-condenser mics with USB connector, and cheap in-ear headphones. That would be around $50-100.
 
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Lots of good options nowadays given the rise of streaming and youtube creators. What's the price range?
Hm, I haven't thought much about that. I don't mind spending a few hundreds, if it's worth it. :)

The 'best setup' overall would be a phantom-powered studio condenser mic, connected to an external breakout box and audio interface with an XLR input, and closed-ear monitoring microphones. That would be $200-300 for a mic, $100-200 for the breakout box, $50 for a mic stand with a shock mount, and $200-300 for headphones.

The worst would be a wired lavalier clip-on mic and similar cheap electret-condenser mics with USB connector and cheap in-ear headphones. That would be around $50-100.
Wow, so many words I don't know. :LOL: Thanks! After googling almost everything, I have a clearer idea, even though this is still new to me and I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to combine everything. Are "closed-ear monitoring microphones" actually "headphones"? Oh, at any rate... the setup you mention can be connected to any computer, such as a laptop with a simple audio jack?
 
I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to combine everything.
Oh, at any rate... the setup you mention can be connected to any computer, such as a laptop with a simple audio jack?
Audio interfaces / breakout boxes are typically connected by USB, so they will work with either a desktop or a laptop computer - you plug the mic and the headphones to the breakout box and connect it to the computer, then run mixing/recording software that comes with the box.
There should be at least one XLR input with +48V phantom power, and a 1/4" TRS jack for headphone output (or a 3.5 mm mini-jack).

If you want a complete starter kit, there is Focusrite Solo Studio Pack (Gen 3) - but the included headphones and the electret-condenser microphone are not particularly good (though probably better than cheap USB-connector mics with integrated preamp and ADC).
There is also Rode AI-1 Complete Studio Kit, which includes a large-diaphragm studio microphone, an audio interface, and a shock mount - so you only need to add a mic stand and monitoring headphones.

For top sound quality, look for pro-audio interfaces from Focusrite, Presonus, MOTU, Steinberg etc., large-diaphragm condenser mics from Newman, AKG, Rode, Audio Technica etc., and closed-back studio headphones like AKG K271, Beyerdynamics DT770 Pro, and Sony MDR-7506 - but that combination could easily cost you $500 and more...

Are "closed-ear monitoring microphones" actually "headphones"?
Yes, that's "headphones" of course. They just have to be 'closed-back', noise-isolating type - this is critical for studio monitoring work, as opposed to music listening.
 
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I'm doing some unprofessional voice recording, and I was wondering what's a good cheap PC mic that'll prevent static. Right now, I have a mic that's probably 10 years old and a mic from a webcam I brought. The webcam one will probably be even worse. I'm only interested in getting rid of the noise from the recording so I don't need anything fancy.

to prevent static, you would need a USB mic or USB sound card or use blueooth mic.

as a crutch, you also can record on a phone (if you have good quality internal phone mics, you can get 2ch - 5ch recordings, if not, you can use handsfree earbuds' mic) then copy the files to PC.
 
To prevent background noise, you need to improve signal to noise ratio of your speech - by holding the mic close to your mouth and using a windscreen or a foam windshield to suppress the windy consonants, and being in a very quiet or sound-proofed room. That works with every microphone, either cheap or very expensive.
 
To prevent background noise, you need to improve signal to noise ratio of your speech - by holding the mic close to your mouth and using a windscreen or a foam windshield to suppress the windy consonants, and being in a very quiet or sound-proofed room. That works with every microphone, either cheap or very expensive.
Yes, I plan on buying a pop filter. :yes:

Oh, and regarding the sound thingy, I bought a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. I'm still deciding on the microphone and headphones.
 
Too late now but I dont think Focusrite Scarlett's are that great, they do advertise a lot on the net though. I cant recall exactly why not, I think it might only be with lined instruments eg guitar, so perhaps you're good with microphone
 
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