When selecting a podcast microphone, you’ll encounter choices like condenser or dynamic, cardioid or omnidirectional, and USB or XLR connectivity. Here’s a guide to help you navigate these options.
Acoustics and Room Environment
Room acoustics are crucial and often overlooked. Many people invest in large-diaphragm studio microphones expecting a drastic improvement, but this can actually worsen sound quality in a reverberant room. These sensitive microphones will capture all the room’s acoustics, resulting in a distant, washed-out voice.
For a well-treated, “dead” room with minimal reverberation, a studio vocal microphone can excel. Its high sensitivity, which makes it problematic in poor acoustic environments, becomes an advantage, offering a more even and polished sound, even with slight movements.
In a reverberant room, you need a microphone that primarily picks up sound close to the capsule, not from across the room. A dynamic microphone is preferable in this scenario. Large-diaphragm dynamic microphones, often specifically marketed for podcasts (e.g., “Pod mic”), are a safe bet due to their focused pickup characteristics.
Podcast-specific microphones often include built-in shock mounts and windscreens. A shock mount reduces low-frequency rumble from external sources and minimizes the pickup of footsteps or tapping. A windscreen prevents harsh “pops” from sudden air bursts when speaking directly into the microphone.
Pickup Patterns and Multiple Speakers
Unless you have specific needs, avoid omnidirectional microphones. For most podcasting, you want to point the microphone at the sound source and minimize pickup from other areas. A cardioid pickup pattern is generally recommended.
Omnidirectional or figure-eight microphones can be used to capture multiple people with a single microphone. However, this setup usually requires an acoustically excellent room and careful consideration of speaker distance and volume. For high-quality results, a multi-microphone setup is usually easier to manage. This requires an audio interface with enough inputs for each speaker (or at least one for every two speakers).
Connectivity Options
USB, XLR, TRS, TTRS, or Bluetooth connections can all work, provided your receiving device is compatible. The most professional signal path involves an XLR connection, though XLR microphones require a preamplifier. A budget-friendly audio interface (around 100 EUR) often includes a preamplifier and a USB connection for your computer, making it suitable for podcast recording.
For spoken words, a separate preamplifier isn’t always essential for high-quality results. A USB microphone can connect directly to your computer and function well. Preamplifiers are more critical for recording singing, where vocals can be extremely dynamic and might cause a USB microphone to clip. Spoken words, in contrast, tend to have more consistent volume levels.
Regarding smartphone connections: a traditional “mini jack” (TRS) is often thought to be for smartphones, but modern phones with a jack connection typically use a TTRS (four connection lanes) for stereo output and mono microphone input. It’s generally best to avoid mini-jack connections if possible. For connecting to a smartphone or tablet, opt for a Lightning or USB model. Alternatively, use a class-compliant USB audio interface with an XLR microphone. However, a separate audio interface for mobile setups can be inconvenient and introduces power management considerations. Therefore, a compatible Lightning or USB microphone is usually the most practical choice for mobile devices.
Summary
For a microphone, a cardioid, large-diaphragm dynamic model is a reliable choice, delivering decent quality in most environments. The connection type is less critical, as long as your devices are compatible.