Podcasters Fighting for Better Audio
Independent content creators, particularly podcasters, are frustrated by inconsistent and poor audio quality from their microphones and recording setups. They face issues like background noise, flat sound, dropouts, and limitations with Bluetooth technology, hindering their ability to produce professional-sounding content. Finding reliable and affordable equipment is also proving difficult.
SOURCES (60)
“You should not need any external pop filter with the RE20. And it will outlive you. There's no doubt that some decent-sounding inexpensive microphones exist these days. Plenty. But if you want to pay for quality and appreciate respectable brands; you can't go wrong with…”
“One other things springs to mind - make sure your USB-C cable is a data cable and not a power-only cable.”
“That is such a cool idea. Does it mean your laptop is always listening? What happens if there are various objects, or no other objects, or a config of objects that are not the same as the calibration config? What happens if there is background noise, music playing, neighbor loudly talking on a webex meeting, or kids at home screaming? If even half of these conditions could be guaranteed, seems high value for a large TAM.”
You may have heard about XMOS XVF3800 and ReSpeaker 4-mic board, based on this chip. The board is not on cheaper side, but it should be able to cover the most painful…
“The wall you keep hitting isn't the app, it's Android. Only one app can hold the mic at a time, and a call always wins. So the second your call goes live (phone, Zoom, WhatsApp, doesn't matter) the recorder gets locked out of the DJI. No app gets around that on a single phone...”
“hii all!! im a lifestyle/beauty/yapper influencer, i want to make better quality talking vids. So which small wireless mics are the best/affordable (pls no temu cheap chinese mics!) . im thinking of dji mini mic 1 but i see some bad comments about it!! i do already own a mic it is a huge podcasters mic which makes it inconvenient to use, please be VERY honest should i stick w my huge mic for now or convert to a different one?. which mic should I buy so there is: affordability ease of use good no”
“I do have a usb mic, but I don’t have a way to plug it into my phone. Is there an adapter I can get for it or something like that?”
“The reason your audio sounds echo-y is that you're using the phone mic. You need to get a better mic that is closer to you. Even something as simple as a blue tooth lapel mic that you can plug into your phone will help immensely. You can get a cheep one for around $40 on amazon.”
I’ve already tried my bedroom, but that’s where the audio was echoed
“Thanks. I will give that shot. It may be really helpful with road noise as well, I have been limiting my recording times to less busy times because of that as well.”
“For that kind of stuff, I actually do use audacity. I find that I really like the workflow in it, maybe because I've been using it for like 15 years. So I use that for cutting and recording. And then I dump everything into cubase for mastering because it handles plugins better. (Although audacity is getting there) So I would take that audio file in audacity and run it through noise reduction. You have to have a few seconds of silence somewhere on the track so you can grab the profile and the”
“What recording program do you use? I haven't messed with audacity much yet. It is not as user friendly as the software I was used to using when I was running windows, but I could give that a shot too.”
“I will see what happens when I change up microphones I have a lower end mic dynamic mic I can try and a friend that has a better quality one. I generally have my mouth about 4 inches or so away depending on what character I am doing. I guess if that helps problem solved, if not I will continue with trying a homemade booth. I have a few moving blankets already they do help quite a bit with noise coming through the door itself.”
“Sennheiser XS Lav USB C mic can plug straight into your cell phone and are top notch.”
“Have you tried using a recording app that lets you pick the input source while your phone call runs in the background?”
“I use a condenser mic but it's a high end one (Neuman TLM) so I'm lucky it doesn't pick up everything. But if it's a constant background noise I just do a Noise Reduction pass on the episode. But like others say, a dynamic mic will solve a lot of your issues.”
“Make sure you are using a dynamic microphone with a cardioid pickup pattern. A condenser mic like you have is the wrong tool for what you are doing. You can fix a lot of it in post with a noise gate or noise removal tool (or both). I often record out on my lanai with traffic sounds from a nearby highway (and this time of year, frogs, so many frogs) and I can filter all of that out in one pass if my mic even picks it up.”
“Your mic is a big part of the problem. A condenser will act almost like a magnifying glass for every sonic imperfection in and around your recording space. You don’t mention how far the mic is from your mouth. You want it 4-6” from your mouth. If that doesn’t help, you’ll want to switch to a dynamic. You’ve pretty much done everything you can do in terms of sound proofing, but you’re never going to get what you’re trying to achieve cheaply. You’re getting noise coming through the walls and door.”
“I am using an old MXL 990 microphone and I have the gain pretty far down currently. I am concerned with dropping it too much more and having it affect audio quality. As far as mic positioning, it is a pretty small room roughly 10x10 ft. It is about as far as it can be away from the door and having way in between an interior and exterior wall.”
“What microphone are you using! The type of mic can absolutely make a difference. Also mic technique, positioning, and levels can be adjusted as well if you have a controller”
“whenever i try my voice comes out sounding like what id imagine a kitchen disposal system to sound like if it could talk submitted by /u/Ok-Tough-1366 [link] [comments]”
“I’m currently building out my portable live streaming setup using a YoloBox E xtreame and OBSBOT Tail 2 cameras. For audio, I use BoyaMic 2 wireless lavaliers. Here is my issue: When I run the Boya receivers directly into the OBSBOT cameras or directly into the YoloBox, the audio easily distorts/clips. The preamps in those devices just can't handle the hot wireless signals very well. I want to insert an external device between my Boya receivers and the YoloBox to act as a proper preamp and m”
“If you already have a computer to record to, you can probably find a used Blue Yeti in decent shape on Facebook Marketplace for about $50 or less. They are okay mics. Not worth the price new, but they are reasonable if you get used or around $50ish.”
“I'm just looking to start podcasting, but I'm also pretty young and don't have a lot of money. I'm looking for something a bit cheap by Microphone standards. I think the most I could spend would be about $50. I still want it to sound semi-professional, not perfect, but as good as I could get for that price. I was just wondering what you guys would recommend? Thank y'all so much! submitted by /u/First_Membership_813 [link] [comments]”
“i think it's possible, but i don't know how, to use that mic for youtube etc ,,,”
“I have the Rode Wireless Go 3 and Hollyland Lark A1. I’ve been very happy with both.”
“We have Sennheisers, and added digital wireless lavs a year ago. They work well, they're cheaper than the full pro packs, I'd buy another pair or three for our program.”
In a way that’s validating 😅 but gosh that’s frustrating especially because they’re so convenient. :/ I’ll def look into that tascam. Thanks so much!
“I’ve been using the Samson go mic mobile pack for a couple years and at first it was pretty good but all of a sudden it is just trash quality. I’m hesitant to invest in rode microphones because I personally feel like they’re overrated and overpriced for the quality. Honestly, my 10 year old Skullcandy headphones microphone has the best quality surprisingly than any mics I’ve used before including a Shure boom mic. Not sure what company to trust or what to look for. I like the mic pack style in L”
“Does anyone here have a Zoom H2e? I've plugged it to my computer but I just can't make it work as a USB mic. Does anyone have any idea how to do it? submitted by /u/No-Silver2971 [link] [comments]”
“Few immediate things (in no particular order). 1) Both of your microphones are not great at reducing the noise floor. Headsets, for example, tend to have higher gain and EQ toward clarity rather than quality. Also, the Yeti might be set to omni or bi-directional, so make sure it's polar pattern is cardioid; otherwise it'll exacerbate the issue. Why? Because those settings are designed to pick up multiple directions of audio, not just your voice. 2) For VO you really want a mic that is st”
“Do you have any recommendations for USB microphones or editing software? All the research I’ve done say to get an XLR microphone”
“yeah that will work. I got a pair of those headphones that were dead out of the box but the mics work well and the zoom P4 is easy to set up.”
“Phantom power isn't supposed to introduce noise with dynamic mics, but it does sometimes. You're right that the Cloudlifter doesn't pass power at all, so at this point I'd be testing each element in the chain to see where the noise is.”
“For cameras, I would try to get into a camera store, and try some. See which one would be usable for you. I have the Panasonic GH5, Osmo Action 3, Osmo Pocket 4, and I use my Samsung S25 Ultra. I would see if the osmo pocket is something you can use. Being able to put the lens on yourself, then press a button to flip it 180 degrees is nice. And you can move it with the joystick. Not sure how much limitations you have. Starting over, a mic is one of the first things I would buy. I remember flippi”
“I started off with just an osmo action 4 and capcut. If you can operate your phone, then it's a great way to start. The DJI pocket cameras have gesture control and also an app. I'm waiting for the pocket 4p to release in the UK, but I'm using an action 4 and 5 while I'm waiting. All do well. I motovlog, so the DJI Action cams and mics work really, really well for that. I want to start doing more B roll, interviews etc so looking forward to the Pocket 4P”
“I got a response all typed up, and then realized I missed the "to edit into a YouTube project" line, which mostly invalidates this advice because the recorder I recommended uses 44.1kHz, not 48kHz. I'll still post it anyway in case it's useful for anyone else. Original post: I can't speak to how it's working in action (our first recorded session is scheduled for next weekend) but my scenario is very similar, 4 players plus DM, playing in a living room that may change. I”
“Start with a mic (DJI mic mini for example) and start recording with your phone. Once you've done a number of videos you'll learn whether or not you like it and figure out where you need new gear.”
“Invest in a descent microphone. The camera could just be the camera on your phone with a gimbal. But, if you want to have better quality: I like the Insta360 X5 because it films in 360 so you can later choose if you want to camera be on you or your surroundings. It has good tools to stick the camera to a wheelchair, a bike, a car or any vehicle and with the extendable pole you can make great shots. I personally do not like to watch to much pov and prefer the person to be in the video. But that&#”
“What I coincidence... I was thinking about the same mic (Hollyland Lark Max 2)! I agree with you. A tiny mic will always help... in other words, having a synchronization problem is much easier than not having a recording at all!”
“For three people in one room, probably sitting fairly close to each other, lavalier mics are an acoustically poor choice. That's because each one will pick up sound from everyone, only a little attenuated. But the more distant people will have lots more room ambience. Yes, the talking head TV shows have people sitting around a desk wearing lavalier mics. They also have an audio engineer adjusting the mic levels constantly, pulling down the level for the people not talking and boosting the le”
“Both mics appear on camera? I think I've seen a similar setup, but we can say it's a bit sophisticated. They have a Shure Sm7dB + an expensive shotgun microphone positioned out of the frame.”
“For 3+ lav mics all at once you probably need a audio interface with enough inputs, the clip-on mics themselves are cheap but the way to connect them is the tricky part.”
“Honestly, I’d skip the H2n, the preamps are kinda noisy and unless you're in a dead quiet room, it'll sound like a tin can. The H4essential or H6 will give you way cleaner audio, and they have enough mic reach to pick up folks around a table if you put it somewhere smart, like centered on the table on a little tripod or even just a folded-up hoodie to dampen vibrations. For the rotation issue, a Zoom on a gorillapod is about as grab-and-go as it gets.”
“I don’t know if this is the right sub, so I apologize if not, but I’m hoping someone can help! Me and my friends are starting a podcast and need mic rec’s. Nothing big, just the small ones you clip on your shirt. Requirements- •not to expensive •good quality •3+ mics •all mics can connect to one device and all have audio input simultaneously submitted by /u/Highquality_idiot [link] [comments]”
“Thank you so much for your advice! Yea the mics thing has been my biggest head scratch. I did in fact get dynamic mics, Sansom and Behringer. But I just know it’s not going to work in the long run. I haven’t even thought about publishing anything so no announcements have been made; cause like you said editing it down will take a lot of time. I needed a camera anyways so I plan to use it in my free time so I’m not worried there. I’m really not sure how it’ll come out with all the people. The topi”
agreed auphonic is way better. I'd be screwed without it lol
“Don't use Zoom as your recording source, it compresses everything and your video and audio end up sounding worse than what you're capable of with the mics you already own. Instead, record locally and sync it later. You and your co-host each hit record on your own camera and mic at the same time, right where you're sitting. Keep a Zoom or Google Meet call running in the background just so you can hear and talk to each other live but that's not what you're recording, it's j”
“software monitoring is probably the thing messing with you. even a tiny delay can make your own voice feel impossible to talk over. for your actual goal, which is catching street noise, i would not monitor your voice the whole time. try this instead: leave one ear uncovered so you hear the room directly watch the input meter for spikes when a horn happens, stop for two seconds and restart the sentence clap or say "pickup" before the retake so it is easy to find later if your interface”
“Or get an SM57 or 58 for just shy of $100 and you'll get years of use out of it”
“I got one of those bad magnet mics and my webcam. It ain't much, but its all I can afford. I'm trying to get into voice acting, but the only software I could find that would do it was Capcut pro (I don't have enough even for a decent mic, how am I gonna pay for freaking capcut lmao). Any recommendations? Also, does anybody here have a tutorial on editing? submitted by /u/Apprehensive-Bag8463 [link] [comments]”
“I’m happy with my yeti. I use it for both pod and music with no issue. Riverside or Descript can add studio sound quality quickly.”
“Keep the mic in the same spot and your mouth in approx same position week to week. Slap your hand if you even think of touching the gain knob on the interface 😆 Provided nothing else is changing you should be able to reuse the same EQ/compressor etc settings once you've dialed it in. Maybe tweak occasionally over time. It is VERY easy to over think post work and fall into the trap of tinkering too much.”
“Good choice. My next piece of advice is don’t spend too much, you don’t need the most expensive or newest one. I have the most basic, very first model Zoom ever released. It still works awesome and it’s not fancy, doesn’t even have a digital screen.”
“I recently got into making videos, and so I got a blue yeti mic to record with. I do recordings in Audacity and simultaneously use my camera to film while I talk and put them together in post. However, as I’m editing this one, I am realizing the audio is just so ass. I’m aware now the yeti is a condenser and therefore more sensitive, and a dynamic would be more ideal, but I kinda want to try to make this work before I return it and have to find another one when I’m not really in a place to spend”