I do WFH sales for an edtech company and as such, I'm on zoom calls all day long. My air pods are okay but when I watch my meetings back, the audio just sounds very meh.

I have a standing desk and would like to just have the mic on a stand in front of me, but out of view.

Budget is somewhere between $100-$250ish.

Hello,

I want to do Zoom/Skype calls. If I buy an external microphone like the HyperX Solocast, will there be echoes? Do you know if I need a headset? I used my laptop's internal microphones up to this point, but I want a far better quality. I don't know what to buy or what product class I need.

Thank you.

I'm facing a dilemma choosing the right mic for my needs. Working in an untreated room, I prefer the mic to be off-frame, ideally on a small desk stand. The two options I'm considering are the Shure SM57 with a Focusrite Scarlet Solo and the Audio Technica AT2020USB-XP. Both options have the same price.
Given that they are different types of mics (dynamic and condenser), I have a couple of key questions:
In terms of sound quality at a distance of 1 foot (30 cm), will the Shure SM57, with proper gain on the preamp, outperform the AT2020USB-XP, which lacks gain control?
Considering my untreated room with some echo, could the Shure SM57 be a smart choice as it effectively blocks ambient sounds due to its dynamic nature, in contrast to the AT2020USB-XP, which is a condenser mic?
Considering ease of use and workflow for Zoom calls and video presentations, where I seek a plug-and-play solution, which option is more convenient? I worry that the Shure SM57 with the preamp and XLR cables might be slower to set up compared to the Audio Technica solution, which requires just a USB cable to connect to the computer. Or am I mistaken, and both options are equally quick and straightforward to set up?

I'm looking for a budget-friendly, out-of-frame microphone setup for Zoom meetings. I'll be using a custom-built desktop PC. I need a mic that stays out of the frame, so I haven’t listed any dynamic mics. However, if there’s a dynamic mic that could work while staying mostly out of the frame, I’m open to suggestions.

My budget is under $300, but cheaper is better. This mic will be used solely for my WFH setup in meetings, so I’m not looking for anything too high-end. I’ve heard mixed things about shotgun mics—some say they pick up unwanted noise, while others recommend them.

Here’s a breakdown of the options I’m considering. Please recommend any other mics not listed, and let me know which of these might be best:

Dynamic Microphones:

• ?

Cardioid Microphones:

• AKG P170

• Rode NT5

• Audio-Technica AT875R

• Sennheiser Professional

Hypercardioid Microphones:

• Sennheiser MKE400

• Audio-Technica AT2035

• Audio-Technica AT2040

• Rode NTG2

Small-Diaphragm Condenser Microphones:

• Audio-Technica AT2021

I was using my Apple AirPods but people on the other end couldn’t tell any difference between the AirPods and the laptop mic.

I want excellent sound quality for my zoom partners. What specific products produce “in the same room” sound quality over Zoom?

I’ll use headsets, lavaliers, whatever works.

Thanks!!

Hi All,

Been searching for a couple days for an external mic that checks the following boxes in an untreated room:

• budget: $200 or less

• can be out of frame on zoom calls. My webcam has about a 80 degree FOV.

• picks up less background noise such as my mechanical keyboard and occasional dog barking.

Based on my research, it seems that a cardioid condenser might be best? Only concern I have is if the mic is out of frame, will that lead to more reverb and sound pick up? I’m guessing that since I use a mechanical keyboard, a boom arm would be better than having the mic on my desk?

Appreciate any help!

I need a mic I can use for Zoom calls that will provide good sound quality. I want to keep the mic out of frame so it would need to work well from 1 to 1.5 ft away.

I currently have the Rode NT USB Mini but it doesn’t sound good if I put it 1 ft away and it picks up a lot of background noise.

Would the Shure MV7 be a good option? It has Far mode. I know it may be overkill but I’m paying for the mic with a generous gift card I got.

hello all, i do tons of zoom meetings on the go in public, coffee shops, outside and my life has been tough trying to find a quiet spot to be able to do the meeting however i know the meeting is hard for the other side as i always get complaints on my audio. i use airpods pro or my macbook mic depending on the environment. i want to purchase a microphone or headset that would make my voice clear and these loud environments.

i preferable don't want a full on headset with the band that covers both ears as the look is too tacky but if thats the only way to achieve clear audio in these loud environments i may have to.

i did some research and i like the poly voyager 5200 however idk if the mic would get close enough to my mouth since it looks like a shorter stem. i also was thinking of maybe getting a decent clip on microphone or something i could hold or set on a desk that is small and portable?

i think the clip on mics are called laval or lavalier mics correct me if i am wrong but i found the following from some good brands. i don't want to spend an arm and a leg around $100-150 ish is prob what i want to spend since the voyager 5200 is around that price.

i found the following with some quick searching

shure MVL lavalier mic

Sennheiser XS Lav

Sony ecm lv

rode lavalier go

i am not sure what would be the best and also idk if this would help that much, i could be mistaken but wouldnt it just end up picking up all the background noise if its clipped to my shirt? or is this where zoom noise cancelling/isolation is supposed to save the day?

looking for more recommendations please!! thx

I would love to get some feedback or options on any good quality microphone setups that Sales or Solutions Engineers are using to demo content either on live calls or through recording.

I've been looking at the Blue Yeti, but would love to hear if anyone has had experience with it or has an alternative.

Thanks in advance

i’m looking for a pretty high end microphone for when i’m on virtual calls with potential clients. believe it or not, in the industry i’m in things like that go a long way. budget is around £500 for mic itself. (i understand some mics require things like a cloud lifter etc so i’m not including that in the budget and will keep that as seperate) my #1 biggest thing is that the mic CANNOT be shown on screen, therefore needs to be able to pick up really clean audio from either on the desk, or out of frame above monitor or something.

yes i know, this probably sounds obscene, but this is what i require.

shure sm7b sounds great, but needs to be close to ur mouth to sound good (from what i’ve seen) sooo is there a good xlr mic that will be able to pick up hi def audio on a mount that can sit far enough off screen (probably about 30-50cm from face) or will need to buy a shotgun mic? and if so which one thanks!

I'm using an old iMac with a terrible on-device mic at our somewhat echo-y office for our small nonprofit. We're looking for a simple, inexpensive upgrade in the form of a USB mic. No headsets or lapel mics as sometimes others need to be able to pop into frame and start speaking. Everything I keep seeing feels like overkill, meant for podcasting or video production or stage performances. Could you give a recommendation? We're trying to avoid spending like 80 bucks for features and quality we'll never use.

As the subject states, I see a lot of people who either like or dislike USB microphone's such as the Blue Yeti. Is there a good 'cheap' USB Microphone that you would recommend for your podcasting and zoom calls (work)?

Thanks.

hello all, i do tons of zoom meetings on the go in public, coffee shops, outside and my life has been tough trying to find a quiet spot to be able to do the meeting however i know the meeting is hard for the other side as i always get complaints on my audio. i use airpods pro or my macbook mic depending on the environment. i want to purchase a microphone or headset that would make my voice clear and these loud environments.

i preferable don't want a full on headset with the band that covers both ears as the look is too tacky but if thats the only way to achieve clear audio in these loud environments i may have to.

i did some research and i like the poly voyager 5200 however idk if the mic would get close enough to my mouth since it looks like a shorter stem. i also was thinking of maybe getting a decent clip on microphone or something i could hold or set on a desk that is small and portable?

i think the clip on mics are called laval or lavalier mics correct me if i am wrong but i found the following from some good brands. i don't want to spend an arm and a leg around $100-150 ish is prob what i want to spend since the voyager 5200 is around that price.

i found the following with some quick searching

shure MVL lavalier mic

Sennheiser XS Lav

Sony ecm lv

rode lavalier go

i am not sure what would be the best and also idk if this would help that much, i could be mistaken but wouldnt it just end up picking up all the background noise if its clipped to my shirt? or is this where zoom noise cancelling/isolation is supposed to save the day?

looking for more recommendations please!! thx

I'm currently using a Logitech c920 for both video and audio for zoom meetings at work. Alongside this, I use a pair of PC speakers. With this setup, there is no echo during calls which is great.

However, I want to use a proper microphone to enhance my voice quality during Zoom calls and would like to know which mic would be best for my situation.

These are a few requirements for the setup:

• I want the mic to be unseen on camera. This will require the mic to be placed 20 inches away from me

• I want to use speakers with the microphone since I don't like wearing headphones. No echos.

• My home office is in a semi-open area, so I'd like surrounding noise from far away (such as toilet flushing sound from upstairs) to be filtered out

I know this might be a bit difficult to achieve, but is there a setup where I can tick off all the boxes?

I'm looking to get a mic that I'm hoping might serve a few purposes.

I have a Scarlett Solo for GB recording, so I'd like to have recommendations for mics that work well in home recording environments. I know the Shure SM58 is gold standard, but, I also have been doing a lot of Zoom meetings (like most of us) for work, so I was hoping whatever mic I get could also serve as a decent general speech mic.

Would an SM58 pick up well enough if I'm not on top of it for general Zoom calls? Currently, I'm using the built-in mic on my iMac and there's a lot of background noise. If I get a mic that I have to crank the gain on to be heard, it defeats the purpose.

Or should I just get one mic for my vocal recordings and another USB mic for Zoom? If so, which USB mic? What should I look for when comparing?

I wanted to buy a microphone and not sure if I need to spend too much of $$ for it. So upon looking with some Google search, I stumbled b/w few pricey ones(can't decide yet).

Anyway my question is, how can I keep the microphone near to me but hide away from being visible on the video. Many YouTubers show the microphone from the arm and their audio is damn clear, but always wonder why they don't hide it.

Thank you!

I have started a new job that requires me to be on zoom and customer calls a lot. I have tried several types of different headphones over the years and regardless of what kind of headset of cup size, on ear or over ear, it still causes a slight pain on my left ear. It’s on the outside of my ear so it’s not a sound or volume issue, it’s a physical pressure thing. I’m on windows 10. I’d love to use my AirPods for audio since I can wear them all day with no problems and the audio is fine. I don’t have a ton of deal space for a mic and the space I do have would make it sitting approximately 8”-12” away. Would there be any good mics for this kind of scenario that won’t make me sound like I’m on speakers phone and talking from a distance? Thanks!

The PC mic is ok but less than professional.

I do not want to spend over $100. There are online condenser mics that should limit ambient rooms sounds.

What is your advice?

I looked it up on google and youtube and rode wireless go seems to be recommended but they are too expensive, can you recommend a product that is under $100. and I dont use big headphones that have mic on them or any bulky microphones for that matter

I would like to improve on the recording quality of the mics in my USB webcam or bluetooth headsets, and would like to understand the pros and cons of dynamic vs condenser USB microphones:

• I use the mic in a home office, just me in an ordinary, not sound-proofed room, with some occasional background noise (neighbours' baby crying, etc)

• Would a dynamic mic like the Shure MV7 be better because it will pick up less background noise?

• Or would these microphones be overkill because, even if they record better, the bottleneck is the compression and the bandwidth of Teams / Zoom etc?

• I get it these mics are expensive, but, if I can improve my call quality in important work calls, it will have been worth it

• Or, as long as the noise is not in the same room and is not too loud, even condenser mics would be fine? Something like the Shure MV51, the Blue Yeti, the Razer Seiren etc.

• How about bulk and positioning? Would a condenser mic be better if I have to type while I'm talking, in the sense that a dynamic mic would need to be closer and get in the way of the keyboard? Can a condenser mic be positioned more to the side of the desk and so leave you more room to type, look up a printout etc while on a call?

• How about keyboard noise and table vibrations? Which type picks up more of those? My desk is on a carpet, btw.

Thanks!

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UPDATE AND CONCLUSION

I ordered a Shure MV51 but sent it back. The audio quality was great, but even in speech mode and playing around with the mic gain, it was picking up too much noise.

I ordered a Jabra Talk 750 USB and bluetooth speakerphone and it's simply fantastic. For conference calls, this kind of speakerphones like the Jabra Talk series, the Plantronics Callisto, the Sennheiser SP20 or 30 etc are unbeatable because they have an excellent background noise cancellation which studio microphones cannot match - because of course they are meant to do something different. If you need to record music, singing, etc, and are in a soundproof room, get a microphone; if you need it for conference calls in a non-soundproof room, get a speakerphone.

Practical example: a fan on full blast at 1 metre (3 feet) from me disappeared completely when recording with the Jabra, but could be heard very clearly with the Shure.