If you are looking for a mic for your home studio podcasts, then look no further

With so many people realizing the value of sharing their views over recognized platforms such as personal blogs, podcasts, and YouTube videos, the need for a good mic has occurred to very many individuals. It would have been the case some years ago that, if you spoke of getting a good mic, it was assumed that you are a singer or a musician. Well, that might very much be the case. However, as I mentioned, you could be a content producer with the knowledge to share about very many different subjects, or you may have one special subject you wish to speak about, then a good mic is a need; not a luxury.

Let's get the most basic thing out of the way. There are 2 kinds of mic you will be looking at. There is the dynamic mic, and there's the condenser mic. It's vital to know the difference between the two, and why one is to be preferred over the other.

A dynamic mic (or a ribbon mic)

The dynamic microphone is called a “moving coil microphone.” This is because it involves the use of a few moving parts like coils of wire and a magnet. It makes use of the electromagnetic principle to create the necessary audio signal. So, when one says “dynamic microphone”, one usually means “moving-coil dynamic microphone”. This microphone transducer type uses electromagnetic induction to transform sound into audio.

You would want to know why this type of microphone is right for you. These are rugged and able to withstand strong sound pressure levels, such as those produced by a kick drum. They provide high-quality audio in all aspects of microphone performance. They do not require an electrical power supply to function. Such a mic could get all its power from the audio interface, which in turn is connected to your laptop or desktop via the USB port. In the case of an audio interface, the mic will usually connect using an XLR cable. These mics are reasonably priced. If you are in a noisy environment with noticeable ambient sound, then this mic is ideal for you as it will record your voice, and be least disturbed by any background sound. A little bit of sound editing using software like Audiotonic (based on Audacity) will take care of that ambient sound as well.

A condenser mic

The condenser microphone is a transducer, just like any other microphone, meaning it transforms one type of energy into another. In this case, it turns mechanical energy into electric energy; air sound waves into audio signals. However, some of the nuances it is able to capture are the main reason for its extensive use in voice recordings as well as of instruments in general. Besides, due to their reputation in the recording business, those are probably the most expensive microphones you will find.

These microphones need external powering - phantom power - that normally comes from the computer or the audio interface. Because of its active circuit and external power source, the condenser microphone captures very subtle sounds with significant gain. Of course, the downside is, if you have ambient sound this kind of mic will pick it up even if the source is at a great distance. Unless you have a sound-proof recording studio, this mic will even pick up disturbances from the other room, or from outside your home.

Now that we have the basics out of the way, let me recommend to you dynamic mics and condenser mics. In making these recommendations, there is some knowledge from my personal experience, but largely it is based on research and the feedback from other users. Or, you could skip my recommendations and simply visit the 2 links in this paragraph to find the best-selling mics in either category on Amazon.

Visit the best-selling microphones on Amazon

My recommendations for dynamic microphones are

My recommendations for condenser microphones are

I thought, maybe you would like to hear one of my newer videos. This is made using the Rode podmic - an excellent dynamic microphone. Then, I used Audiotonic to clean up the background sound.

 

Thanks, for visiting this page. I hope, you found this information to be simple and practical. It would be useful to make a decision, I am quite sure. Do take your time. In my opinion, I would suggest looking toward dynamic or ribbon microphones instead of condenser microphones, if you are looking for that radio sound. And, yes, don't forget to get yourself a pop filter. This little mesh will help you avoid those punchy sounds when the air from your mouth hits the mic directly while pronouncing certain words.

Here are a few more videos on how to pick a mic and on sound editing. These videos helped me as well when I was doing my research.