standalone mic

Fri Mar 27 18:00:56 MST 2020

HA! You’re asking for a one-size-fits-all computer, OS, and programming language! 

Mics are inherently very specialized pieces of equipment. You choose a mic to fit your need. Anything even approxminating a one-size-fits-all solution is not going to produce good results for a wide range of needs.

The only truly solid thing I can recommend is to look for a “unidirectional” mic. That would be one with a “cardioid” or “hypercardioid” pickup pattern rather than “omnidirectional”.

Omnidirectional mics pick up everything in the room, and are the main source of feedback you hear when people have their computer speakers on.

FWIW, most lapel mics (the ones that clip onto your shirt) are almost all omni’s. They tend to be paired with transmitter packs that have ALC so they don’t pickup a lot of room noise, just the loudest signal nearby.

Another general recommendation if you want to use it with a computer is that you typically have two choices:

1) get a mic with a built-in A/D converter and a USB plug on it; or 

2) get a mic with a common XLR (3-pin) connector on it and a decent mixer / preamp / computer interface.

A mic with a USB connector on it will be mostly “plug-n-play” for most situations and fairly universal. It’ll look like a sound card and USB port.

They typically come with a desk stand, or are designed to be mounted on a mic stand or moveable arm.

There are generally two kinds of mics: dynamic and condenser. Actually, they’re ALL dynamic, but some have a preamp built in, and they’re called “condenser” mics. So you need "phantom power” to make them work, and you get it from a preamp or mixer. (Some take batteries, but most use phantom power.)

Mics have different sensitivity levels and different abilities to handle high Sound Pressure Levels (SPLs). You put mics that can handle high SPLs on drums and brass instruments. 

Electric guitars have pickups built-in and they put out line-level signals that are much higher than typical mics. Keyboards also put out line-level signals.

Acoustic guitars and woodwinds would use mics that are good for vocals. They’d also be good for podcasting, voiceovers, and Zoom-type meetings. Don’t use them for drums or brass instruments or you’re likely to damage them.

The most popular all-purpose mics in the world are the Shure SM57 and SM58 (and its little brother, the SM48). You’ll need a preamp to use them with your computer. Shure also makes some nice USB mics with desk stands.

Many USB mics have a rather retro look to them. 

A lot of people get these big (4”) round things on a gooseneck that are suspended in front of the mic. I think they’re pretty silly unless you’re doing professional-level sound. They’re used as “pop filters”. A foam windscreen that goes over the mic is just as effective most of the time, and a lot cheaper. 

Mics designed to sit on your desk typically have foam inside the mic. An external foam windscreen is good today because you can take it off and wash it.

You could consider a gaming headset; they’re going to have both a mic and headphones, along with either a USB plug or two 1/8” connectors (pink and green, for the mic and headphones). Headsets usually have omni mics on them, which is OK since you’re listening through the headphones.

I prefer to listen through my computer speakers, and I use an AudioTechnica PRO-8HEx head-mounted mic. It’s a unidirectional dynamic mic, so you need a preamp or mixer with it. I use a Scarlett Solo. These head-mounted mics are used by lots of radio and sports announcers who work in noisy environments, as well as traffic reporters who report live from helicopters. If they can block out chopper noise, you think they can block out your computer speakers and prevent feedback? HECK YEAH! And dogs, kids, traffic noise outside, etc., all of which are often picked up with cheap omni mics.

Omni mics have their purposes, for sure, but not for use in front of computers. That’s one reason there’s not a one-size-fits-all mic unless you get one that has a switch on it that lets you select the pickup pattern.

A few interfaces I can suggest are:

* Scarlett Solo or 2i2 — great quality, looks like a sound card to the system, but they have their own Windows drivers. (Dunno about Linux.)

* Zoom LiveTrak L-8 — it’s a new device that’s designed for podcasting. It has some really unique features, like the ability to plug in a TRRS plug from a cell phone that bypasses the main mix (called mix-minus) to avoid feedback. It’s for when you want to talk with someone on the phone during a podcast or to record an interview. It’s a 12-track recorder, mixer, EFX, 4-channel headphone splitter, and computer interface all in one spiffy box. Computer is optional.

* Presonus StudioLive AR8c — this is another new device that’s very similar to the L-8 but instead of a TRRS plug it has Bluetooth 5.0 built-in. And no headphone splitter.

As an aside on mixers today: There are something like three vendors who make A/D and D/A chips that are used by virtually everybody who makes digital audio equipment today. So the specs on most equipment are going to be nearly identical. Which means companies are finally starting to have to innovate by adding new and useful features to these devices without charging an arm-and-a-leg for them. The features you find on these two mixers at the level of sound quality they offer was unheardof 10 years ago. They are full digital recording studios in a box with a bunch of EFX and other features you usually wouldn’t find in typical mixers. And the EFX themselves are quite good quality.

So most people buy a MIXER that has a bundle of features they’d want or need (even if it’s as simple as a Scarlett Solo or 2i2), and then get a couple of basic mics to use with it. The nice thing is, mics are universal things, like keyboards — they can plug into just about everything. So you don’t get “one to beat all”. Rather, you get a mixer, and then add mics that you need when you need them.

-David  Schwartz

> On Mar 27, 2020, at 4:41 PM, der.hans <PLUGd at LuftHans.com> wrote:
> 
> moin moin,
> 
> With everyone else suddenly going online I need to finally improve some of
> my versatility.
> 
> Any recommendations for microphones?
> 
> 
> Needs:
> 
> * something that does well with voice, e.g. podcasts, presentations, meetings
> 
> * something that will work for an acoustic instrument
> 
> * works with laptops and desktops
> 
> * can eliminate background noises
> 
> * works with debian/Ubuntu
> 
> 
> Wants:
> 
> * one mic to rule them all rather than needing multiple mics
> 
> * works with cellphones
> 
> * wired connection option
> 
> * inexpensive
> 
> * can be used in an open room with someone else joining the same chat room
> in a different room in the house without flashback sound effects
> 
> * can be used in an open room with someone else joining the same chat room
> in a different room in the house with flashback sound effects because
> kidling thinks it's hilarious :)
> 
> 
> We already have that last feature with the current setup.
> 
> For the most part, mic use can be in isolated parts of house. I might end
> up needing multiple mics. If so, preferably they'd all be the same, but
> that's not strictly a requirement. Most likely, I'll be buying one mic and
> multiple headsets with mics.
> 
> Preferably, I'll be buying from Newegg.
> 
> ciao,
> 
> der.hans
> -- 
> #  https://www.LuftHans.com   https://www.PhxLinux.org
> #  Linux Fest Northwest cancelled, working to get presentations online
> #  https://www.lfnw.org/conferences/2020
> #  The key to making programs fast is to make them do practically
> #  nothing. ;-) -- Mike Haertel, 2011Aug21
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------
> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
> https://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss