The Definitive Guide to Choosing the Best Microphone for…
Public Speaking • Zooming • Podcasting • Presenting • Recording Videos • Interviewing…
Read this before BUYING a microphone!!!
I wear men’s Levi’s 30X32 slim pants. They fit my legs, waist, and style perfectly. A higher-quality brand might not fit as well.
It’s like a mic: I use an AT2020-USB. It fits my voice tone, room acoustics, and speaking applications perfectly. A higher-quality mic might not sound better, and might even sound worse!
And read this before UPGRADING your microphone!!!
Unfortunately about 95% of people mistakenly think a higher quality mic will fix poor sound quality. But usually they’re wrong!
Poor sound quality is often due to the microphone picking up echo, HVAC noise, and ambient noise in the background. So a higher-quality microphone often sounds worse by amplifying unwanted noises!
TAKEAWAY
Choose a mic by how it fits, not by what it costs.
First, determine the best location for your microphone.
This is a key step when selecting the best microphone for public speaking, professional speaking, podcasting, zooming, videoconferencing…
| Microphone Location | Pros | Cons |
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| Handheld microphone | They give your hands something to do/fidget with. This is helpful for people who are nervous, and also for people who are concerned what to do with their hands when in front of an audience.
Holding a mic can also relieve nerves for a nervous speaker. |
It’s very hard to maintain an equal distance from the mic to your mouth; if the mic gets closer, you may get too loud and sound distorted … if you swing your arms away, your mouth will be too far from mic and the audience will not hear you.
You may be less animated because one hand needs to be If the handheld mic is wired, then you also need to contend with not tripping over the wire. |
| Shirt clip-on-microphone
AKA lavalier microphone AKA lapel microphone AKA tie-clip microphone |
Wearing your microphone is physically freeing: because it’s clipped to your shirt (typically), it goes everywhere you go. This means you can be more animated.
It’s small, discreet, and no mic stand needed. |
Wearable mics often pick up loud rustling sounds from clothes…and this be distracting to the audience.
It also picks up thumps if you touch your shirt near the mic. Because it’s hard to see this type of microphone when wearing it, some people are inclined to speak too loudly (as if they forget the mic is there / they don’t trust the mic) and the audience can feel yelled at. |
| Headset microphone | Easy to wear. | Less personable looking. It can set you apart from your audience (like when you talk with someone who is wearing headphones).
Can be distracting, as it’s always directly in front of your face. |
| Conference room table microphone | Great if you have 3 or more people in various locations. | Will pick up noise (HVAC, echo,…) from all areas of the room. |
| Microphone on a mic stand | Easy to use.
You can be more animated, since you can use your whole body for body language. |
You’re stuck in one spot for the duration of your presentation. |
| Microphone at a lectern | Easy to use.
You can be more animated, since you can use your whole body for body language. |
Users tend to clench onto the lectern, which inhibits body language.The lectern hides your body, which further sets you apart from the audience. |
Second, consider these factors…
For the best sound quality, consider all the following factors… because they all contribute to your sound quality. And the best news? These factors do not necessarily lead to a more expensive microphone… rather, they lead to a better-sounding microphone!
1. Your voice
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- Different voices react differently to different microphones. It’s like jeans: you just need to try them on until you find ‘the one‘. The same thing applies with microphones. So find someone who has trained ears and also knows what sound is optimal for the type of voice over you offer … and then go microphone shopping with them. (At Edge Studio, we have sound-engineers who can help).
2. Your room – this is the most defining factor of your sound quality.
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- If speaking in a room with noise (traffic noise, people next door, HVAC,…) and/or echo, use a microphone that picks up sound directly ahead of it (where your mouth will be) and rejects sound from other directions. There are 2 types of microphones like this:
- Shotgun microphones have a long, thin body shape, and mostly pick up sound coming directly toward them. These mics tend to have a very clear, sharp sound
- If speaking in a room with noise (traffic noise, people next door, HVAC,…) and/or echo, use a microphone that picks up sound directly ahead of it (where your mouth will be) and rejects sound from other directions. There are 2 types of microphones like this:
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- Any other style of microphone that has a highly directional pickup pattern, such as a hypercardioid or supercardioid pickup pattern. These pickup patterns tell the microphone to pick up the sound coming straight at it and reject most of the sound coming from other directions. PLEASE NOTE: The best thing to do is to speak in a quiet room that does not have any echo.
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- If speaking in a quiet room without echo, you can use any microphone.
- HOMEWORK! Test your microphone because it possibly sounds worse than you realize. And here’s why: Noise and echo are amplified/worsened by the time your voice reaches your listener, due to an audio-process called compression (volume/dynamic range compression) that many telephone, VoIP, and communication services use to reduce the difference between loud and quiet sounds, making your voice’s levels more consistent. The by-product of this process is that ambient noises (echo, HVAC, distant traffic,…) are further amplified. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to test your sound quality.
- Stand at your microphone, talk, and listen carefully. Very carefully. Listen for ambient sounds, echo, HVAC,…
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- Then talk some more, and this time record yourself (either use an app on your smart device, or begin a Zoom meeting and record it).
- Then play back the recording, and listen to it on headphones (the type of headphones that go completely over your ears, and do NOT have noise-reduction). The noise/echo you hear will likely be much louder than how it sounded before you recorded … and unfortunately, that is what your audience would have heard.
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3. The tone you want to convey to your audience.
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- For a super sharp, clear tone, use a shotgun mic. Shotgun microphones have a pinpointed pickup pattern, so they can be recorded a bit farther away from you while maintaining a clear sound. And they do a great job of rejecting sounds from other directions.
- For warmth, use a large diaphragm mic. Large diaphragm mics have a warmer, fuller tone.
4. How much do you move?
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- If you move around while speaking, select a mic with a larger diaphragm, as they tend to have a larger ‘sweet spot’ (the area where your voice will sound best on the).
- If you stay still when speaking, any size mic will be fine.
5. What do you want your audience to see?
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- If you’ll be on camera (Zoom or any other video conference software), then consider what ‘look’ you want your audience to see:
- Going for a retro look? Then a larger microphone will look the part. BUT it takes up more space, and if you position it close to your mouth, it could block part of your face.
- Want a clean/minimalist look? Then a smaller microphone may be a better choice. Plus it takes up much less space, and may be easier to position without blocking your face.
- A shotgun microphone can be positioned a bit farther from your face and can therefore mitigate the need to block your face.
- Clip-on microphones (AKA lavalier mic, AKA lapel mic, AKA tie-clip mic) require virtually no space, and are small enough that your audience may not even see it. Tip; go with wireless to avoid a wire bouncing around.
6. How many audio controls do you want?
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- To keep things super easy, select a USB mic (plug and play). Though you’ll have less control over your sound.
- For better control, choose an XLR microphone that requires an interface. Most interfaces have controls to better shape your sound.
7. How many people will be speaking on the same microphone? (For example, a group of people standing around one microphone.)
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- With one person speaking (standing in front of the microphone), use a microphone that has a “directional” pickup pattern.
- With two people (one on either side of the microphone), use a microphone with a “figure 8” pickup pattern.
- With three or more people (standing in a circle around the microphone), use a microphone with an “omnidirectional” pickup pattern.
8. How many people will be speaking on different microphones in the same room? (For example, a group of people each on their own microphone.)
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- With multiple microphones near each other, it’s usually beneficial to capture each person on their own microphone, without the voice of other people. To do this, use a shotgun microphone or a non-shotgun microphone with a hypercardioid or supercardioid pickup pattern. Both pick up the sound source (for example, a person speaking) in front of it, and very little to the sides, top, and bottom of it).
And third, if you’re upgrading your sound quality, then determine why it’s unclear.
Sound tinny? Then upgrade your microphone:
If your voice sounds tinny (that is, it sounds thin and lacks fullness), well yeah, then upgrading your mic to a higher quality model may be a good thing. A higher quality microphone should provide a fuller/richer sounding voice.
Have extraneous noise? Then upgrade your pickup pattern:
More often, voices sound bad because there is extraneous noise being picked up by the mic. For example, HVAC hum, refrigerator buzz, and so on.
In this case, switching to a higher-quality mic will pick up even more of the unwanted noise. So no, NO, NO! Don’t switch to a more expensive mic, that’ll make it worse!
Instead, switch to a microphone that has a tighter pickup pattern. In fact, the new mic can even be the same quality and price…it just needs a tighter pickup pattern, meaning that the mic picks up more of where you talk into it, and less from the other sides, above it, and below it. The two common types of tight pickup patterns are called hypercardioid and supercardioid.
These highly directional microphones are popular … and for good reason. However, they have one downside: you can’t sway too much when speaking into the mic. If you do, some words will be lower in volume.
Have an echo? Then upgrade your acoustics:
Most often, voices sound bad because:
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- There is an echo, even a little echo, in the room that you talk into your microphone.
- And echo is exacerbated by most communication software (like Zoom).
So, for example, say your office has just a tinge of echo. Then, after your voice travels through Zoom, the person you’re Zooming with will hear a lot of echo. (Ever tell someone on the phone they sound like they’re in an echo chamber? And they say, “What? It sounds fine to me!”) Well, there you go!
In this case, a mic with a tighter pickup pattern will help a bit.
And sometimes changing your location in your room and/or changing the direction you face in the room will also help a bit.
Though what will help a lot more is mitigating the echo in your microphone room. Do this by covering as many surfaces (walls, floor, ceiling) with echo-absorbing material. Optimally 80% of surface are treated with material that’s at least a 1/2 thick.
Here are some ways to do this: Hang sound blankets on the walls, or attach foam to the walls. Put thick carpet on the floor. Stick foam on the ceiling. Put portable tri-fold room dividers on as many sides as you as possible, and lay thick blankets over them. Attach a round shower curtain rod onto the ceiling, and hang thick moving blankets from them. Then when you’re done zooming, you can open them back up. And so on.
Want my help?
I offer a ‘$47 Review’. Just click here and we’ll schedule time to hop on Zoom, I’ll listen to your acoustics, see your setup, and make recommendations 🙂
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