April 16, 2023 • 19 mins
This episode features audio samples of many of my top recommendations for podcasting microphones in 2023. The audio was taken from the video on the YouTube channel, so check out the video if you want to see them!
Video: https://youtu.be/67393s07kD4
There is also a full article on the website with info about all the podcasting microphones I recommend, including a couple that I didn't have on hand for the video.
https://semiprotechgear.com/best-podcasting-microphones-by-budget-tier-2023/
Audio Notes:
Video: https://youtu.be/67393s07kD4
There is also a full article on the website with info about all the podcasting microphones I recommend, including a couple that I didn't have on hand for the video.
https://semiprotechgear.com/best-podcasting-microphones-by-budget-tier-2023/
Audio Notes:
- Intro: Warm Audio WA-67, MOTU Ultralite mk5, post processing
- Mic samples: Normalized to -16 LUFS, -1dB limiter, no other processing
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Jeff here, you're almost professional host of the semi-pro-tech and gear podcast and YouTube channel.
(00:06):
In this episode, we've got a rundown of some of my favorite podcasting microphones for 2023.
Now, this is actually going to be the audio taken right from a video on the YouTube channel that I did,
where I showed off some of my favorite podcasting microphones.
So I will link to the video in the description of this episode if you want to check it out.
(00:28):
Just ahead's up, there might be a couple of spots in the audio where I'm referring to something that was on the screen,
because for a couple of these microphones while I was giving the audio sample, there is also a mobile app that goes along with them.
So I apologize that you can't see that while you're listening to the podcast, but if you want to see the visuals, hit up that link to the YouTube video.
(00:49):
It should still be an interesting lesson because I'm giving you audio samples of all of my favorite podcasting microphone recommendations for 2023.
All right, no matter what your budget tier is or whether you're a beginner with podcasting or if you're experienced and you're just looking to upgrade your microphone.
I think I've probably got a pretty good option for you here, and I also have a full article of my top podcasting microphones over on the website,
(01:15):
semi-pro-techgear.com.
I'll put a link in the description to that article so you can check it out.
There are a couple more recommendations I have that I don't currently have to give you an audio sample of, so the full list is over there on the website.
When we do get into the samples, I will not be applying any post processing to the audio, unless I mention otherwise during the sample because a couple of them have DSP capabilities, so I will demonstrate what those sound like.
(01:40):
But otherwise there will not be any EQ or compression or DSing or noise reduction applied during the samples.
All right, so let's get you some audio samples of all the microphones that I think are top choices for podcasting.
So kicking things off as the most budget-friendly option that I recommend for podcasting is the baranger XM-8500.
(02:02):
This microphone is one of if not the best values in audio at 2999.
I'm pretty sure the stand that it's sitting on also cost me 2999.
This is an XLR dynamic microphone that doesn't require an exceedingly high amount of gain to be driven,
and at this price point it really makes getting started podcasting affordable.
(02:24):
As far as other features there are none.
Now handling noise, this is on a table stand, so if I just kind of tap around here, you'll get a sense for what the handling noise is like.
Sorry if any of that was super loud, but I do know it picks up a little bit of handling noise which might seem odd because it is a handheld dynamic microphone,
but again we're talking a $29 microphone that works.
(02:45):
This is the smoothest best sounding microphone you can buy, of course not, but in my opinion it sounds better than it has any right to for $29.
And I firmly believe that nobody will question the quality of your audio if you're using the XM-8500.
Alright my next recommendation is a step up in the budget tier to the $50 price point. This is the Zoom ZDM1.
(03:06):
This is another XLR dynamic microphone that was intended for podcasting and broadcast use.
Personally I think the extra little bit of smoothness that I hear in this microphone makes it worth that modest jump up in price from the XM-8500.
It does come with this pop filter which I do recommend because it is fairly prone to explosives without it.
The downsides for the ZDM1 are two things mainly in my opinion.
(03:30):
The build quality is it feels a little bit like more of a value microphone.
The ZDM1 doesn't feel cheap. It feels a little bit lightweight like maybe lighter gauge metal is used on it.
Any plastic clip for your mic stand that it comes with is a little bit on the flimsy side.
However I would recommend putting this on a boom arm and probably getting a shock mount for it anyway.
Because the second downside that I see for this microphone is that it is quite susceptible to a handling noise.
(03:57):
And it's not supposed to be a handheld microphone, but if you bump it like you can probably hear I'm just tapping on the table tapping on the stand a little bit.
I'm sure that came through pretty loud because when I've monitored myself recording this I've bumped it a couple times and it picks up all of those little bumps and things.
So that is the one significant downside to the ZDM1 in my opinion.
But the sound of it for $50 I think is still an excellent value.
(04:22):
And so this is another top pick of mine on the budget tier of dynamic microphones for podcasting.
Alright, taking another step up in price to the $79 US price point is the first USB microphone on my list of recommended podcast mics.
This is the audio technique at RTR 2100X.
This is actually a combo USB and XLR microphone, which you can plug directly into a phone tablet or computer or use it over the XLR connection to your interface.
(04:52):
So for $79 it provides you a good bit of flexibility there, you can start off using it over USB and then you can change over to XLR if you want to get an interface at some point and you're not required to get a new microphone.
Now I'm recording this into the road reporter app using the USB A dongle or adapter for my iPhone 14.
The ATR 2100X is capable of recording at 24 bit up to 192 kHz with the built in A to D conversion for the USB connection.
(05:20):
So there you go, a good USB and XLR option at the $79 price point.
Alright, we're taking another step up in price to the $99 price point and this price point $99 has become very competitive and very saturated as far as the marketplace goes for dynamic microphones.
However, there's still a few that I think are the best choices for podcasting and the road pod mic continues to be one of them.
(05:45):
And there's a reason they're so popular, they definitely have some of that podcast broadcast quality to their sound.
They take pretty well to some mild EQ and they're good at minimizing your ambient noise as well.
And of course the build quality on these at this price point, we're really starting to get into the really high quality as far as the build quality goes.
The pod mic is a hefty fairly heavy microphone and it is really really solid.
(06:09):
However, if you're not a huge fan of the sound of the pod mic and you want to stick around that $99 price point, there are also several alternatives to consider.
And one of those options is this microphone here, the SE Electronics SE V7.
This is a handheld dynamic microphone that also goes right at the $99 price point.
I think the V7 is a little bit smoother sounding than the pod mic and definitely is more full in the low end.
(06:35):
The build quality is still fantastic SE Electronics always has great build quality on their microphones, but there are two differences or tradeoffs to be compared to the pod mic since we're at the $99 price point.
One is the handling noise and the pod mic, as I mentioned, once it's on a boom arm or stand, generally is not going to pick up too much of that, but the V7 is a little bit more susceptible, which again is a little bit surprising considering you know this is intended to be a handheld microphone.
(07:02):
The design difference is actually in the polar pattern. The SE V7 has a super cardioid polar pattern, which means that it has a tighter area in front of it for picking up sound, and it's going to be better at rejecting or minimizing the sound that it picks up from the sides.
However, the tradeoff with super cardioid is that it actually has a little bit of sensitive area right behind it.
(07:25):
Hopefully this has been enough to give you an idea of the difference in the sound at the same price point.
We've arrived at the only large diaphragm condenser microphone that I'm going to give you a sample of here for the purpose of pod casting.
This is the road NTUSB+ and it comes in at a price point of $169 US. If you do have a more treated space that's very quiet, condenser microphones can absolutely be used for pod casting, and they can give you a nice natural and rich quality sound.
(07:55):
When I'm recording this into the road reporter app on my iPhone, and I'm doing that in this case because that gives you access to the built-in DSP capabilities of this microphone.
Specifically, you can enable a high pass filter, a noise gate, the oral exciter, and the big bottom, which are two different plugins that actually apply a little harmonic processing to the high end and the low end to make you sound fuller or make you kind of sound a little sparkly.
(08:20):
Now the NTUSP+ doesn't really give you the ability to make fine adjustments to those that's a simple on-off feature for those DSP tools.
And having the ability to turn on that high pass filter and noise gate gives you the ability to tame down a little bit of that ambient sound. As long as your background noises and too loud.
And just to give you a quick sample, I have now engaged the 75 Hertz high pass filter and the noise gate on the NTUSB+.
(08:43):
So you can see if there's any difference in what you hear in this space, and I don't have very much ambient noise in this space. So you might not hear a ton of difference, but you can probably tell that the noise gate is engaging and disengaging based on what I'm talking or when I stop talking.
So there you go, sample with the high pass at 75 Hertz and the noise gate engaged.
(09:04):
Alright, we are moving on to the mid-tier price range of two to $300 and at this price point it is hard to beat the sure MV7.
This microphone was intentionally designed for podcasting and streaming and work from home scenarios where it is a dialogue based recording or live stream.
And it really focuses on picking up your voice and minimizing background noises and the ambient sound of your room.
(09:30):
MV7 comes in at $249 and it is a USB and XLR microphone, so it gives you the option of recording in both ways.
Now if this price point is a little bit too high, but you love the sound of the MV7 and if you already happen to have an audio interface, sure also released the MV7 X, which is an XLR only version of the MV7. You'll get the same high quality sound that the MV7 offers for $179 instead of $249.
(09:58):
Now again, I'm recording this into my phone over the USB connection so you can get a feel for how the USB sound quality comes out.
And this time I'm using the sure motive mobile app, which allows you to access the DSP capability of the MV7.
It does have some capabilities like some basic EQ, high pass filter and compression.
I don't have any of those features currently enabled, so this is just the raw sound of what the MV7 sounds like.
(10:24):
There is a desktop version of the motive app as well if you prefer to record into your computer.
And even without enabling any of the DSP, I like the sound of the MV7, I think it would be a fantastic USB microphone in a work from home scenario as well to sort of level up your audio game for your virtual meetings.
The one drawback to the MV7 and I believe also the MV7 X is the pop filter doesn't do as good of a job at blocking explosives as the one on the SM7 B does.
(10:54):
Actually let's just do a comparison right now. Please pick my podcast.
Please pick my podcast. There you go. There's a comparison between the "plosive" rejection of the MV7 and the SM7 B.
And just to give you a little sense of what the DSP features sound like that you can get in the motive app on your mobile device or on the desktop app.
(11:16):
I have now engaged the presence boost as well as light compression. So there's a couple different settings for compression.
This is just the presence boost and light compression. So you can get a feel for what that sounds like with some of the processing engaged.
Alright, we are jumping up in price tier to the, I guess you could just say the expensive tier, the professional tier, whatever you want to call it.
(11:39):
These are microphones that cost well over 300, actually I all of them cost over 350 dollars and we're going to start with the easily recognizable "shore SM7 B".
Now this microphone is one that tends to divide the audience in terms of whether this is a top microphone for podcasting or not.
A lot of people use the SM7 B for podcasting and broadcast use. And one of the reasons is that it has a very neutral tone.
(12:03):
And when you're hearing this without any processing applied, you might actually think it sounds a little bit dull.
But it does give you that flexibility to shape the sound tier liking and once you add a little compression to it, it absolutely sounds like a broadcast standard microphone.
Now what else can I say about the SM7 B, the construction of it is fantastic, it's very durable.
So the only downside to it is the thing that everybody says about it, it's that it's so darn quiet.
(12:28):
You've got to have super high-end expensive preamps to drive the SM7 because it's just so quiet.
Now this is one of those things where I think it's overblown a little bit. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
It is absolutely a quiet microphone. The sensitivity on this thing is minus 59 dBV.
It's less sensitive than even other broadcast microphones like the RE20, which is at minus 56 dBV.
(12:50):
Now I personally recommend pairing the SM7 B with an interface or recorder or mixer that has preamps with at least 60 dBV of gain.
And there's a lot of those on the market at this point, but there are interfaces on the market with less gain than that, more closer to the 50 dB range, in which case even at max gain, this is going to be quiet.
And if you pair the SM7 B with an interface or recorder that doesn't have enough gain to get a really strong signal out of it, that is where devices like the cloud lifter or the FET head come in.
(13:19):
Basically they're just line boosters that use Phantom power, but of course that does add additional expense, and this is already a $400 microphone.
So you have to make the decision as to whether this is a good choice for you based on the interface you have and what other gear you already have.
And how big of an investment it might be, especially if you're outfitting a podcast that needs multiple microphones.
(13:41):
Alright, if you're not a huge fan of the sound of the SM7 B, but you are comfortable with your budget right at that $400 price point, my alternative for you here is actually a condenser microphone.
This is the Earthworks ethos.
This is a broadcast condenser microphone, which means it is engineered for use in a broadcast environment such as radio and podcasts.
(14:02):
So even though it's a condenser microphone, it's not going to pick up as much of the ambient sound and background noise as a large diaphragm condenser.
Now Earthworks lowered the price of the ethos in 2022 right down to the $399 level, and that makes it directly compete with the SM7 B in a broadcast setting.
Now Earthworks did a fantastic job in tuning this microphone for a neutral response, really clearly representing the sound source, and also not being harsh in the high end.
(14:29):
It is very smooth in the top end, in my opinion, compared to some of these other microphones.
And that means you're going to have to rely less on EQ adjustments or a DSer plug into tame the sharpness of those S sounds.
I do think it needs just a little bit of tweaking in post in to my ear.
It sounds like it has a little bit of a veil over it almost.
Another really nice feature of the ethos and actually the icon pro also sold by Earthworks is this triad orbit mount.
(14:55):
It makes it so that you can very easily all kinds of adjustments and get it just right positioned exactly the way you need to.
And it also is much more compact than the SM7 B or the RE20.
It's just in a nice compact package.
So if your budget allows you to get up to that $400 price point, I think the Earthworks ethos is a fantastic alternative option if you're just not a fan of the sound of the SM7 B.
(15:21):
Alright, we're down to the last two microphones in my list of top podcasting microphones. And we've come to the great granddaddy of broadcast microphones, the Electro Voice RE20.
This microphone has been around since 1968 and thousands of broadcasters and recording artists have used it over the decades and for good reason.
(15:43):
The RE20 comes in at a retail price of $449 and it comes in a black or a
B.
I definitely prefer the black. To me, it has a little bit more of a full low end while also representing more of those higher frequencies.
The construction of this thing is like out of this world.
This thing you could probably run over with a cement truck four or five times and it would be fine. This is a heavy heavy duty microphone.
(16:10):
It also has what Electro Voice calls variable D technology, which basically just means that as you get closer to it and then as you get further away from it.
The response in the low frequencies doesn't change significantly. So it's not going to have quite as big of a difference in the proximity effect.
However, the RE20 in my opinion out of all of these microphones, this one is the absolute best at not picking up background noise or ambient tone of the room or anything like that.
(16:38):
So does a legendary microphone like the RE20 have any downsides other than the price?
Well, in my opinion, as far as home use for podcasting, it has one downside and then after that, it's pretty much just subjectivity at that point.
But as far as actual downsides, if you're a home podcaster, you know, you're recording in a small space, it's big.
It's a big and bulky and the stand, the special shock mount that's made for the RE20 is even bigger.
(17:04):
It is a huge thing. And if you don't have a permanent space to really keep it, you're probably going to get tired of taking it out.
Moving it around and all that stuff because it's just, it's kind of like this monstrosity that needs a permanent place to live because of the mounting style.
It doesn't have a threaded base. So that means that a lot of shock mounts on the market will not work with it.
(17:26):
But this one that higher makes called the PRSM shock mount has the same type of base attachment or mounting.
And it takes up a little bit less space. It still does a good job of isolating, you know, handling sounds and boom noises and things like that.
Alright, we've arrived at the last microphone on my list of recommended podcast microphones.
And this is something unique. This is the loud and audio LS208 and address condenser microphone.
(17:53):
This microphone was designed for use with vocals, guitar amplifiers and drums.
And it gives just that little extra something that I don't hear in a lot of other microphones.
However, this one here is not budget friendly.
It comes in at a retail price of $598 though it can be found for less on the secondary market if you look around.
As I mentioned, it's an end address condenser microphone that was engineered to be good at minimizing background noise.
(18:19):
So it actually is applicable to use this in a podcasting or spoken word scenario.
If you just love having something different than sort of the more commonplace microphones, I recommend checking out the 208 because I really enjoy the sound of it.
The build quality on it's very nice. It comes with this yolk mounted shock mount, which is pretty effective as well as a nice hard case.
(18:40):
It also has a usable analog high pass filter. It's a two position switch.
It's got a 50 hertz in a 120 hertz option.
The 50 hertz option is very usable for a spoken word application.
120 is going to be a little bit too high unless you have a very high pitched voice.
There are only two real downsides to it that I see and one is that it is pretty prone to plosives.
And so I do recommend if you're going to use it for close mic scenario for spoken word.
(19:06):
I recommend just putting a windscreen on the end of it to help with some of those plosives.
And of course try and speak past it instead of directly into it.
Well that's going to do it for my top picks for podcasting microphones.
Head over to semiprotechgear.com.
If you'd like to see the complete list with links to all of these microphones, I'll put a link to that article in the description as well.
(19:27):
Thanks everybody.
See you next time.
time.
[Music]
Jeff here, you're almost professional host of the semi-pro-tech and gear podcast and YouTube channel.
(00:06):
In this episode, we've got a rundown of some of my favorite podcasting microphones for 2023.
Now, this is actually going to be the audio taken right from a video on the YouTube channel that I did,
where I showed off some of my favorite podcasting microphones.
So I will link to the video in the description of this episode if you want to check it out.
(00:28):
Just ahead's up, there might be a couple of spots in the audio where I'm referring to something that was on the screen,
because for a couple of these microphones while I was giving the audio sample, there is also a mobile app that goes along with them.
So I apologize that you can't see that while you're listening to the podcast, but if you want to see the visuals, hit up that link to the YouTube video.
(00:49):
It should still be an interesting lesson because I'm giving you audio samples of all of my favorite podcasting microphone recommendations for 2023.
All right, no matter what your budget tier is or whether you're a beginner with podcasting or if you're experienced and you're just looking to upgrade your microphone.
I think I've probably got a pretty good option for you here, and I also have a full article of my top podcasting microphones over on the website,
(01:15):
semi-pro-techgear.com.
I'll put a link in the description to that article so you can check it out.
There are a couple more recommendations I have that I don't currently have to give you an audio sample of, so the full list is over there on the website.
When we do get into the samples, I will not be applying any post processing to the audio, unless I mention otherwise during the sample because a couple of them have DSP capabilities, so I will demonstrate what those sound like.
(01:40):
But otherwise there will not be any EQ or compression or DSing or noise reduction applied during the samples.
All right, so let's get you some audio samples of all the microphones that I think are top choices for podcasting.
So kicking things off as the most budget-friendly option that I recommend for podcasting is the baranger XM-8500.
(02:02):
This microphone is one of if not the best values in audio at 2999.
I'm pretty sure the stand that it's sitting on also cost me 2999.
This is an XLR dynamic microphone that doesn't require an exceedingly high amount of gain to be driven,
and at this price point it really makes getting started podcasting affordable.
(02:24):
As far as other features there are none.
Now handling noise, this is on a table stand, so if I just kind of tap around here, you'll get a sense for what the handling noise is like.
Sorry if any of that was super loud, but I do know it picks up a little bit of handling noise which might seem odd because it is a handheld dynamic microphone,
but again we're talking a $29 microphone that works.
(02:45):
This is the smoothest best sounding microphone you can buy, of course not, but in my opinion it sounds better than it has any right to for $29.
And I firmly believe that nobody will question the quality of your audio if you're using the XM-8500.
Alright my next recommendation is a step up in the budget tier to the $50 price point. This is the Zoom ZDM1.
(03:06):
This is another XLR dynamic microphone that was intended for podcasting and broadcast use.
Personally I think the extra little bit of smoothness that I hear in this microphone makes it worth that modest jump up in price from the XM-8500.
It does come with this pop filter which I do recommend because it is fairly prone to explosives without it.
The downsides for the ZDM1 are two things mainly in my opinion.
(03:30):
The build quality is it feels a little bit like more of a value microphone.
The ZDM1 doesn't feel cheap. It feels a little bit lightweight like maybe lighter gauge metal is used on it.
Any plastic clip for your mic stand that it comes with is a little bit on the flimsy side.
However I would recommend putting this on a boom arm and probably getting a shock mount for it anyway.
Because the second downside that I see for this microphone is that it is quite susceptible to a handling noise.
(03:57):
And it's not supposed to be a handheld microphone, but if you bump it like you can probably hear I'm just tapping on the table tapping on the stand a little bit.
I'm sure that came through pretty loud because when I've monitored myself recording this I've bumped it a couple times and it picks up all of those little bumps and things.
So that is the one significant downside to the ZDM1 in my opinion.
But the sound of it for $50 I think is still an excellent value.
(04:22):
And so this is another top pick of mine on the budget tier of dynamic microphones for podcasting.
Alright, taking another step up in price to the $79 US price point is the first USB microphone on my list of recommended podcast mics.
This is the audio technique at RTR 2100X.
This is actually a combo USB and XLR microphone, which you can plug directly into a phone tablet or computer or use it over the XLR connection to your interface.
(04:52):
So for $79 it provides you a good bit of flexibility there, you can start off using it over USB and then you can change over to XLR if you want to get an interface at some point and you're not required to get a new microphone.
Now I'm recording this into the road reporter app using the USB A dongle or adapter for my iPhone 14.
The ATR 2100X is capable of recording at 24 bit up to 192 kHz with the built in A to D conversion for the USB connection.
(05:20):
So there you go, a good USB and XLR option at the $79 price point.
Alright, we're taking another step up in price to the $99 price point and this price point $99 has become very competitive and very saturated as far as the marketplace goes for dynamic microphones.
However, there's still a few that I think are the best choices for podcasting and the road pod mic continues to be one of them.
(05:45):
And there's a reason they're so popular, they definitely have some of that podcast broadcast quality to their sound.
They take pretty well to some mild EQ and they're good at minimizing your ambient noise as well.
And of course the build quality on these at this price point, we're really starting to get into the really high quality as far as the build quality goes.
The pod mic is a hefty fairly heavy microphone and it is really really solid.
(06:09):
However, if you're not a huge fan of the sound of the pod mic and you want to stick around that $99 price point, there are also several alternatives to consider.
And one of those options is this microphone here, the SE Electronics SE V7.
This is a handheld dynamic microphone that also goes right at the $99 price point.
I think the V7 is a little bit smoother sounding than the pod mic and definitely is more full in the low end.
(06:35):
The build quality is still fantastic SE Electronics always has great build quality on their microphones, but there are two differences or tradeoffs to be compared to the pod mic since we're at the $99 price point.
One is the handling noise and the pod mic, as I mentioned, once it's on a boom arm or stand, generally is not going to pick up too much of that, but the V7 is a little bit more susceptible, which again is a little bit surprising considering you know this is intended to be a handheld microphone.
(07:02):
The design difference is actually in the polar pattern. The SE V7 has a super cardioid polar pattern, which means that it has a tighter area in front of it for picking up sound, and it's going to be better at rejecting or minimizing the sound that it picks up from the sides.
However, the tradeoff with super cardioid is that it actually has a little bit of sensitive area right behind it.
(07:25):
Hopefully this has been enough to give you an idea of the difference in the sound at the same price point.
We've arrived at the only large diaphragm condenser microphone that I'm going to give you a sample of here for the purpose of pod casting.
This is the road NTUSB+ and it comes in at a price point of $169 US. If you do have a more treated space that's very quiet, condenser microphones can absolutely be used for pod casting, and they can give you a nice natural and rich quality sound.
(07:55):
When I'm recording this into the road reporter app on my iPhone, and I'm doing that in this case because that gives you access to the built-in DSP capabilities of this microphone.
Specifically, you can enable a high pass filter, a noise gate, the oral exciter, and the big bottom, which are two different plugins that actually apply a little harmonic processing to the high end and the low end to make you sound fuller or make you kind of sound a little sparkly.
(08:20):
Now the NTUSP+ doesn't really give you the ability to make fine adjustments to those that's a simple on-off feature for those DSP tools.
And having the ability to turn on that high pass filter and noise gate gives you the ability to tame down a little bit of that ambient sound. As long as your background noises and too loud.
And just to give you a quick sample, I have now engaged the 75 Hertz high pass filter and the noise gate on the NTUSB+.
(08:43):
So you can see if there's any difference in what you hear in this space, and I don't have very much ambient noise in this space. So you might not hear a ton of difference, but you can probably tell that the noise gate is engaging and disengaging based on what I'm talking or when I stop talking.
So there you go, sample with the high pass at 75 Hertz and the noise gate engaged.
(09:04):
Alright, we are moving on to the mid-tier price range of two to $300 and at this price point it is hard to beat the sure MV7.
This microphone was intentionally designed for podcasting and streaming and work from home scenarios where it is a dialogue based recording or live stream.
And it really focuses on picking up your voice and minimizing background noises and the ambient sound of your room.
(09:30):
MV7 comes in at $249 and it is a USB and XLR microphone, so it gives you the option of recording in both ways.
Now if this price point is a little bit too high, but you love the sound of the MV7 and if you already happen to have an audio interface, sure also released the MV7 X, which is an XLR only version of the MV7. You'll get the same high quality sound that the MV7 offers for $179 instead of $249.
(09:58):
Now again, I'm recording this into my phone over the USB connection so you can get a feel for how the USB sound quality comes out.
And this time I'm using the sure motive mobile app, which allows you to access the DSP capability of the MV7.
It does have some capabilities like some basic EQ, high pass filter and compression.
I don't have any of those features currently enabled, so this is just the raw sound of what the MV7 sounds like.
(10:24):
There is a desktop version of the motive app as well if you prefer to record into your computer.
And even without enabling any of the DSP, I like the sound of the MV7, I think it would be a fantastic USB microphone in a work from home scenario as well to sort of level up your audio game for your virtual meetings.
The one drawback to the MV7 and I believe also the MV7 X is the pop filter doesn't do as good of a job at blocking explosives as the one on the SM7 B does.
(10:54):
Actually let's just do a comparison right now. Please pick my podcast.
Please pick my podcast. There you go. There's a comparison between the "plosive" rejection of the MV7 and the SM7 B.
And just to give you a little sense of what the DSP features sound like that you can get in the motive app on your mobile device or on the desktop app.
(11:16):
I have now engaged the presence boost as well as light compression. So there's a couple different settings for compression.
This is just the presence boost and light compression. So you can get a feel for what that sounds like with some of the processing engaged.
Alright, we are jumping up in price tier to the, I guess you could just say the expensive tier, the professional tier, whatever you want to call it.
(11:39):
These are microphones that cost well over 300, actually I all of them cost over 350 dollars and we're going to start with the easily recognizable "shore SM7 B".
Now this microphone is one that tends to divide the audience in terms of whether this is a top microphone for podcasting or not.
A lot of people use the SM7 B for podcasting and broadcast use. And one of the reasons is that it has a very neutral tone.
(12:03):
And when you're hearing this without any processing applied, you might actually think it sounds a little bit dull.
But it does give you that flexibility to shape the sound tier liking and once you add a little compression to it, it absolutely sounds like a broadcast standard microphone.
Now what else can I say about the SM7 B, the construction of it is fantastic, it's very durable.
So the only downside to it is the thing that everybody says about it, it's that it's so darn quiet.
(12:28):
You've got to have super high-end expensive preamps to drive the SM7 because it's just so quiet.
Now this is one of those things where I think it's overblown a little bit. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
It is absolutely a quiet microphone. The sensitivity on this thing is minus 59 dBV.
It's less sensitive than even other broadcast microphones like the RE20, which is at minus 56 dBV.
(12:50):
Now I personally recommend pairing the SM7 B with an interface or recorder or mixer that has preamps with at least 60 dBV of gain.
And there's a lot of those on the market at this point, but there are interfaces on the market with less gain than that, more closer to the 50 dB range, in which case even at max gain, this is going to be quiet.
And if you pair the SM7 B with an interface or recorder that doesn't have enough gain to get a really strong signal out of it, that is where devices like the cloud lifter or the FET head come in.
(13:19):
Basically they're just line boosters that use Phantom power, but of course that does add additional expense, and this is already a $400 microphone.
So you have to make the decision as to whether this is a good choice for you based on the interface you have and what other gear you already have.
And how big of an investment it might be, especially if you're outfitting a podcast that needs multiple microphones.
(13:41):
Alright, if you're not a huge fan of the sound of the SM7 B, but you are comfortable with your budget right at that $400 price point, my alternative for you here is actually a condenser microphone.
This is the Earthworks ethos.
This is a broadcast condenser microphone, which means it is engineered for use in a broadcast environment such as radio and podcasts.
(14:02):
So even though it's a condenser microphone, it's not going to pick up as much of the ambient sound and background noise as a large diaphragm condenser.
Now Earthworks lowered the price of the ethos in 2022 right down to the $399 level, and that makes it directly compete with the SM7 B in a broadcast setting.
Now Earthworks did a fantastic job in tuning this microphone for a neutral response, really clearly representing the sound source, and also not being harsh in the high end.
(14:29):
It is very smooth in the top end, in my opinion, compared to some of these other microphones.
And that means you're going to have to rely less on EQ adjustments or a DSer plug into tame the sharpness of those S sounds.
I do think it needs just a little bit of tweaking in post in to my ear.
It sounds like it has a little bit of a veil over it almost.
Another really nice feature of the ethos and actually the icon pro also sold by Earthworks is this triad orbit mount.
(14:55):
It makes it so that you can very easily all kinds of adjustments and get it just right positioned exactly the way you need to.
And it also is much more compact than the SM7 B or the RE20.
It's just in a nice compact package.
So if your budget allows you to get up to that $400 price point, I think the Earthworks ethos is a fantastic alternative option if you're just not a fan of the sound of the SM7 B.
(15:21):
Alright, we're down to the last two microphones in my list of top podcasting microphones. And we've come to the great granddaddy of broadcast microphones, the Electro Voice RE20.
This microphone has been around since 1968 and thousands of broadcasters and recording artists have used it over the decades and for good reason.
(15:43):
The RE20 comes in at a retail price of $449 and it comes in a black or a
B.
I definitely prefer the black. To me, it has a little bit more of a full low end while also representing more of those higher frequencies.
The construction of this thing is like out of this world.
This thing you could probably run over with a cement truck four or five times and it would be fine. This is a heavy heavy duty microphone.
(16:10):
It also has what Electro Voice calls variable D technology, which basically just means that as you get closer to it and then as you get further away from it.
The response in the low frequencies doesn't change significantly. So it's not going to have quite as big of a difference in the proximity effect.
However, the RE20 in my opinion out of all of these microphones, this one is the absolute best at not picking up background noise or ambient tone of the room or anything like that.
(16:38):
So does a legendary microphone like the RE20 have any downsides other than the price?
Well, in my opinion, as far as home use for podcasting, it has one downside and then after that, it's pretty much just subjectivity at that point.
But as far as actual downsides, if you're a home podcaster, you know, you're recording in a small space, it's big.
It's a big and bulky and the stand, the special shock mount that's made for the RE20 is even bigger.
(17:04):
It is a huge thing. And if you don't have a permanent space to really keep it, you're probably going to get tired of taking it out.
Moving it around and all that stuff because it's just, it's kind of like this monstrosity that needs a permanent place to live because of the mounting style.
It doesn't have a threaded base. So that means that a lot of shock mounts on the market will not work with it.
(17:26):
But this one that higher makes called the PRSM shock mount has the same type of base attachment or mounting.
And it takes up a little bit less space. It still does a good job of isolating, you know, handling sounds and boom noises and things like that.
Alright, we've arrived at the last microphone on my list of recommended podcast microphones.
And this is something unique. This is the loud and audio LS208 and address condenser microphone.
(17:53):
This microphone was designed for use with vocals, guitar amplifiers and drums.
And it gives just that little extra something that I don't hear in a lot of other microphones.
However, this one here is not budget friendly.
It comes in at a retail price of $598 though it can be found for less on the secondary market if you look around.
As I mentioned, it's an end address condenser microphone that was engineered to be good at minimizing background noise.
(18:19):
So it actually is applicable to use this in a podcasting or spoken word scenario.
If you just love having something different than sort of the more commonplace microphones, I recommend checking out the 208 because I really enjoy the sound of it.
The build quality on it's very nice. It comes with this yolk mounted shock mount, which is pretty effective as well as a nice hard case.
(18:40):
It also has a usable analog high pass filter. It's a two position switch.
It's got a 50 hertz in a 120 hertz option.
The 50 hertz option is very usable for a spoken word application.
120 is going to be a little bit too high unless you have a very high pitched voice.
There are only two real downsides to it that I see and one is that it is pretty prone to plosives.
And so I do recommend if you're going to use it for close mic scenario for spoken word.
(19:06):
I recommend just putting a windscreen on the end of it to help with some of those plosives.
And of course try and speak past it instead of directly into it.
Well that's going to do it for my top picks for podcasting microphones.
Head over to semiprotechgear.com.
If you'd like to see the complete list with links to all of these microphones, I'll put a link to that article in the description as well.
(19:27):
Thanks everybody.
See you next time.
time.
[Music]
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