iRig Review, iRig Microphone for Podcasters

November 28, 2011 by WG_PodcasterMic · 1 Comment

iRig Mic Review

An important thing to consider with your podcaster microphone is how well it records your voice and I found that I am very pleased with the way that this iRig microphone picks up sounds. Of course one of the part of the equation is the fact that you need to have good software to use with a microphone. The iRig microphone has some software available on the iTunes App Store called Vokalive. There is a free version and there is a paid version. With the free version you get one single track to record in and you get a couple of effects. The effects that you get are the reverb effects and the double effect. There is a bar at the top of the application where you can apply the effects there is FX1 through to FX4. So if you want to, you can put the reverb effects into the FX1 and then you can put the double effect into the other channel FX2. Then all you have to do is to press the record button and it will start recording what you say into the microphone. There is a section in the top left-hand corner where it shows you the sound level of the recording and it tells you how long you are recording. Over on the right hand side there is an image which looks like where you would put in a tape. This seems a little strange in these days of digital recording, especially so because this image has no function, it is just a silly little image that doesn’t do anything.

iRig garageband iPad

A neat little trick that you can do with this software is to import a song and you can tell it to play, and remove the voice from that song. So if singing is your thing, then you can do some karaoke using Vocalive. With this application you have to pay extra if you want to get the effects and you also have to pay extra if you want to turn it into an eight track recorder. For podcasting you may not need to use any of the paid for extras.

Another application that you can use with the IK Multimedia iRig Mic Handheld Mic for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad is called the iRig recorder. This is available as a free application on iTunes although you can through the in App purchases add extra ways to export the sound files out. I would recommend that you do get the extra facilities, so that you can export out in the highest quality of sound file. This iRig recorder application is quite basic, it is an iPhone application, but for what it does it doesn’t really matter that you have to use the 2X view on the iPad. All you have to do is to hit the record button and you get a big red button in the screen to say that you are recording and a counter to say for how long. Tap the record button once more to end the recording. When you use the little disclosure marker to the right of your recording in the list, you can go to a simple editor that will allow you to either chop parts out from the middle of the recording or for you to be able to trim from the front and end of the recording. From the screen you can press play to listen to the recording and also to make it a loop.

SoundCloud iRig Mic review

The iRig microphone is an excellent piece of kit and well worth having if you are a podcaster, or a singer. Well made and will help you get a good quality recording of your voice for your podcast or your song. Not only can it be used in the applications that are mentioned in this iRig microphone review, but also other applications which let you record sound, including for iRig Garageband iPad version.

iRig iPhone or iRig iPod Touch recording

In terms of how useful this way of working is in comparison to using the Zoom H2 recorder, I would say that the iRig for iPad microphone and the variety of applications available to use with it is much better. You get a nice big screen that you can use to do all the setup that you need to do. In terms of price the IK Multimedia iRig Mic Handheld Mic for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad is brilliant value. If you have an iPad already or an iPhone or even an iPod Touch you can use this to do your podcasting out in the field. In all, I would say that the iRig microphone is good quality in terms of recorded sound and the build of the microphone and well worth having. Certainly you can’t go too far wrong if you buy iRig Mic to use for podcasting. Have a look at the irig reviews and I think you will agree with me.

Posted in iPad.

Podcasting Away From the Studio with a Zoom H2 Handy Recorder

August 23, 2011 by WG_PodcasterMic · Leave a comment

Zoom H2 Handy recorder

The Zoom H2 Handy recorder is an excellent and useful microphone to carry with you if you would like to do some recording away from the studio. It can be used for recording music or recording podcasts. I have used the Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder to make recordings of interviews in a park and achieved excellent results from the recording. In the box, apart from the actual unit itself, you get a half gigabyte SD card, a desktop stand, a microphone clip adapter, a windscreen, ear buds, a USB cable, a stereo Y cable and an A/C adapter.

You can use the Zoom H2 Handy recorder to record anything from seminars or conferences to electronic news gathering, interviews and podcasting, to musical performances, songwriting sessions and rehearsals. The Zoom is an excellent microphone and will record for up to 4 hours using the AA batteries. It has a number of features such as automatic recording function, a pre-record feature and also gain control and low-cut filter. With these features once you have set the settings correctly, you will get a good recording that you can further enhance in your digital audio workshop software such as Logic pro, Soundtrack pro, audacity or my favourite, Amadeus Pro.

Zoom H2 Microphone Recording Time

The 512 MB SD card may seem to be a little bit small for capturing audio, in these days of 8 or 16 GB SD cards, but with the Zoom H2 Handy recorder, you will find that you can record up to 50 hours of total recording time when you’re using the 16-bit/44.1 kHz .WAV format. If you use the MP3 format you can get an incredible 555 hours of stereo recording. Seeing as you get good quality in the .WAV format and plenty of recording time, there is no real need to use MP3 as the recording format.

USB Podcaster Microphone

The Zoom recorder has a USB connection that you can use to transfer recordings to your PC or Mac. Through the USB port you can also use the Zoom H2 Handy recorder as an external microphone for your computer. After using the recorder in both ways I can attest to the fact that you will get excellent recordings whichever way you decide to use the device.

With the Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder there are 4 microphones that are set in such a way so that you can have a number of different recording patterns. You can choose a recording pattern which will be good for recording ambient sound 360° from the device, or you can choose a front 90° cardioid pattern, or a rear 120° cardioid, depending on the type of recording you are making. You would use the front 90° cardioid if you are recording one person speaking directly to the front of the microphone. If you are recording more people so you need a wider sound collection area, then use the rear 120° cardioid pattern, so that you are able to record better the sounds that are coming from at a wider angle to the microphone.

A Small LCD Display

The unit does have a backlit, 128 x 64 pixel LCD display on the front of it, which I personally find ton be a little small, after being used to be able to make settings for recording on large PC display. It takes a little time to get used to the menu system to make all of the settings that you require to get a good recording. It would be nice if there was some way to save settings, so that with one press you could have a specific group of settings which would suit specific types of recording.

Good For Musicians

For musicians, it also has extra tools such as the tuner and a metronome. Very handy to be able to use the tuner to check on the pitch of a vocalist or to tune the strings on your guitar. Once you have the guitar tuned up correctly, you can then use the Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder to record your song.

There are ports on the side of the microphone that you can use to plug-in headphones, to listen to what you are recording as you record it, which I thoroughly recommend doing. There is also a port to plug-in an external microphone, perhaps you would like to plug in a tie clip lavalier microphone. There is a volume control and a microphone gain switch, the gain you can set so that the recording is not blown out by high volume sounds.

Outdoor Recordings Using the Zoom H2

The Zoom H2 Handy recorder is a very capable microphone that a podcaster should have in his or her arsenal of microphones, especially for outdoor recordings away from the studio. The Zoom H2 is lightweight, so it is easy to carry in your bag or your pocket and the batteries last for a long time so that you can record for a good number of hours, no problem at all.

The Zoom H2 Handy Microphone in Action

When using the microphone it is very sensitive, so it is better if you can put it in a place using the desktop stand and not touch it, so that sounds from the movement of your hands on the microphone do not end up on the recording. If you use the adapter which allows you to put the microphone into a normal microphone stand, but hold it in your hand instead, you are likely to get squeaky sounds if the microphone moves in your hand. It is certainly a good idea to listen to what you are recording and do a test, before you get started properly so that you can have the settings perfect for the situation. I can highly recommend the Zoom H2 Handy recorder as a podcaster microphone.

Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder

Posted in USB Mic.

Using a Microphone Shockmount to Ensure a Clean Recording

July 28, 2011 by WG_PodcasterMic · Leave a comment

Using A Microphone In A Shock Mount

Some microphones will come with a shockmount included and others you will have to by a shock mount separately to protect the sounds that you record from any incoming noise that’s produced by, for instance fans from computers that are running on your desk, if your microphone is also standing on the desk. Also any other sorts of movement that you might make with the microphone can affect the sound that is recorded and you should try to avoid that happening, if at all possible. It can be difficult to remove unwanted humming sounds after the recording is complete in your sound editing software. Even Amadeus Pro which is my favourite tool which has good audio editing features will find it a tough job, best to get a clean recording in the first place.

What Sort of Microphone Shock Mount To Buy

You should buy the shock mount that is applicable to the microphone that you have. There are simple shock amounts as used on the stage, with that one, basically you slide the Shure SM58 microphone into and they don’t really do much in terms of isolating the microphone from vibration, these are going to be used with the less sensitive dynamic microphones. Then on the other hand there are shock mounts that look a bit like a spider, they don’t necessarily have eight legs, but they do have the elastics that isolate the microphone from the boom pole mount, the table mount or the stand that you put on to the floor.

On Stage MY325 Dynamic Shock Mount Microphone Clip

There are other specialty type of shock amounts for example the Blue Snowball Microphone has a shock mount specific to that type of ball microphone. There are shock mounts which are suitable for the shotgun type microphones which tend to be used for filming work and there are other shock mounts which are for the ribbon type microphones.

A mic shock mount is simple to use and will have a screw connection which will allow you to connect the microphone to the desk stand or the boom. Then there will be the interior part that is isolated by the elastics. You will have some sort of a clip that you squeeze to open up to be able to allow you to insert the microphone. There are some shock mounts that will be specific to a brand of microphone due to the shape or size of a microphone, so they require something that is non-standard. You would have to buy the microphone shockmount as provided by the same manufacturer of the microphone.

The Samson SP01 Spider Shock Mount

The spider shock mount is able to isolate your Samson condenser microphone and also other microphones will fit in this model. It stops the vibration and floor and stand noise from getting onto the recording, this will help you to avoid any unwanted noises in your recorded signal. When you buy this shock mount it will fit on standard type microphone stand and there is also a thread adapter for the smaller euro threaded microphone mounts.

Samson SP01 Shockmount Spider Mount for Condenser Mics

This microphone shockmount is an attractive looking item in a silver colour and looks pretty good with a microphone inserted into it. This also works with my Behringer B-2 pro microphone as well as with my Sampson C03U.

Blue Microphones Ringer Universal Shock Mount For Ball Microphones

This shock mount has a vintage style suspension mount, the inner part of it is isolated as with most shock mounts by elasticated material. It is a stylish looking shock mount and certainly complements the style of the spherical Blue Snowball Microphone.

This shock mounting is designed to isolate the body of the microphone from the low frequency vibrations which can ruin a recording and it accommodates other microphones, if they fit within the space that is available in the inner ring.

Blue Microphones Ringer Universal Shockmount for Ball Microphones

The ringer is composed of brass and it is individually hand built and well crafted with the same attention to detail that you generally find with Blue Microphones products.

There is a thumb screw on the side which you do need to be careful that you do not over tighten, but otherwise the Ringer shock mount is well made and you will be able to get many years of use from this shock mount.

The MXL 90 Microphone Shock Mount

A standard sort of universal shock mount with the wires around the outside holding an inner section and this will hold microphones with a 60 mm diameter. The MXL 90 will stop ambience and low frequency noise that can travel up they mic stand and will give you excellent sound results in your recordings. This shock mount used with the correct microphone will help you you to be able to record sounds from drums, pianos, vocals and so on without having any external noises ruining your recording. You can also purchase a clamp on microphone pop filter to help you improve the sound of your vocal recordings.

MXL MXL90 Microphone Shockmount

Video Podcasting and Shotgun Microphones

If you are creating a video podcasts then it is likely that you might use a shotgun microphone that is either on the end of a boom or fitted within a pistol grip shock mount. Your need to use a specific shock mount due to the shape of the shotgun microphones being a long and thin and you may even buy a dead cat to go with this. We will be discussing shotgun microphones in a different article. It is also possible to make a mic shock mounting yourself with just a few cheap items and some simple tools.

Posted in Mic Extras.

The Samson C03U USB Studio Condenser Microphone

July 2, 2011 by WG_PodcasterMic · Leave a comment

Samson C03U

Samson C03U USB microphone is based on the very popular C01 studio microphone from Samson you get good quality audio sound, advanced capabilities and a highly efficient audio digital converter that works great to convert sound waves to digital form.

The Samson C03U will work on just about all computers running Mac or windows. I have had no problems with using this microphone with Garageband and also Amadeus Pro my favourite audio editing software. It is not necessary to install any extra software or drivers. Samson condenser mics do offer extra drivers, but the reports that have come back from users that have tried these drivers, is that you are better off leaving them alone as they crash and do not work very well. If you do try the extra software the Samson SoftPre, this gives you an input level meter, volume control, high pass filter and a phase switch and Samson says it works on a Mac or on Windows. If you have good digital audio workshop (DAW) facilities you probably won’t need this software.

Samson C03U USB Condenser Microphone

It has switchable patterns so you can select it to record close up or set to record the ambient room sounds, or maybe if you want to record a group of people talking around a conference table it would work well for that too. The recording patterns available are polar pattern, super cardioid, omni, and bidirectional. It is a condenser type microphone and the diaphragms within the microphone are shock mounted so that’s touching the microphone will not affect the sound recorded. The Samson C03U is extremely durable and also portable. The durability is because it has a solid die-cast construction so carrying it around with your laptop is not going to be a problem.

Certainly you can use this microphone for podcasting or training screen casts for work purposes such as for clients and colleagues. It is easy to mount this Samson C03U with a good table stand and a shock mount or use a shock absorbing pad or you can put this microphone on the end of a mic boom, floor mounted stand. USB mics are so easy to connect up and use.

I would suggest that if you were to buy the Samson C03U USB Condenser Microphone you are likely to be very pleased with it because it is a work horse of a microphone and will certainly last a long time, You will have happy podcast listeners due to having used the Samson rather than using the in built mic of the laptop computer.

This microphone receives good reviews generally and the people that have bought it are using it to make songs and quality podcasts. You might need to set your gain down a little bit and possibly have it switched on the microphone down 10 decimals and it will still be able to record really clearly. In any case whichever mic you are using it is a good idea to test a number of settings. It depends on the system that you’re using Certainly works well with Amadeus Pro on a MacBook Pro and has been found to be really easy to use. At least unlike the Shure SM58 microphone you can plug it straight in, no need for a mixer or any XLR cables. The USB cable is about three metres long with the Samson.

Samson C03U USB Condenser Microphone

This is the best condenser microphone that I often use for podcasting and it is supersensitive also. I also use this microphone for talking on Skype and certainly works well for that too although maybe it is a little bit too sensitive. The Samson USB microphone is very good for a podcaster microphone, other users have also used it to work with speech recognition software such as a Dragon Dictate or Dragon Naturally Speaking and have found that it works pretty well for speech recognition. The Samson C03U is of a similar quality to the Blue Microphones Snowball Mic. Of the microphones by Samson microphones this is perhaps the best USB microphone. For podcasting I would say that a Samson mic is a good choice.

There are other microphones out there but for me this is the best condenser mic of the usb studio microphone type. Microphones usb and in particular the Samson mics are really sensitive and pic up levels of sound you wouldn’t expect of even the best condenser microphones. Which is the best studio microphone to get, or should I say which is the best usb condenser mic on the market? When you are looking for the best usb microphones then Samson would have to be on your list for a good usb studio mic to get.
Using a mic condenser type is best in a studio setting.

Posted in Condenser Mic, USB Mic.

The Shure SM58 – Great Microphone for Singers and Podcasters Alike

July 1, 2011 by WG_PodcasterMic · 3 Comments

ShureSM58

The Shure SM58 is without a doubt the industry standard of microphones used singers all over the world, an excellent microphone for on stage for live performances and also it will be used in studios for voice-overs.

The Shure microphone SM58 is tailored for vocal work but will also be used it to record guitars and other instruments, although it will most likely will be used by singers, podcasters and voice-over artists.

It is a very strong a microphone it has some weight to it, it feels well built. If you drop it is unlikely to break and I imagine that singers over the years that the Shure SM58 has been available have dropped microphone from time to time and this microphone will have made a good name for itself by just surviving.

The Shure SM58 is available with or without an on and off switch on the microphone, some people prefer to have the extra control although some people think that having a switch is something else that could go wrong and is better without. With the Shure SM58S Vocal Microphone there is really nothing bad you can say about it and the recording you will get will be as clear as a bell.

The top part of the microphone, the bit that receives the sound has a spherical metal grill which is a pop filter which works very well. It has to work well as a pop filter because you do need to get your voice very close to the microphone to get a good recording. Inside the microphone there is a shock mount system for the pick up coils that helps to cut down on the handling noise. This is important because obviously if you are holding the microphone in your hand when you are singing you don’t want to have it pick up the sound of the microphone moving in your hand.

The Shure SM58 unidirectional cardioid dynamic vocal microphone which is tailored for a vocal response is certainly the world standard for singing or speech and will also be used for studio work although it is more likely to be used on stage. In the studio you’re more likely to use a condenser type microphone like the Behringer B2 Pro.

When you buy the Shure SM 58 it comes with a standard adapter that fits with standard microphone stands. It is a XLR type of connector and you will need an XLR type of cable to be able to connect it to a mixer. When you are buying a microphone and you are just starting off you could buy cheaper microphones or you could spend a lot of money on expensive brands but this microphone is right in the middle and is good value for money and at the same time as being blessed with good overall quality.

Users of this microphone have said things such as – Gold standard for every day microphone use – Brilliant performance microphone – Excellent vocal performing microphone – Solid quality standard! – Best vocal mic.

So the Shure SM58S Vocal Microphonehas an unmistakable sound quality and is reliable to the highest degree and has been a standard on stages throughout the world for a lot of years. I can certainly recommend this microphone for podcasting use and also for anybody that wants to be a singer in a rock and roll band.

Shure mics are great microphones for singing on a stage, because they are so sturdy.

Posted in Dynamic Mic.

The Blue Snowball – A good choice for a New Podcaster

June 21, 2011 by WG_PodcasterMic · 1 Comment

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone

One of the favourite microphones for podcasting is the microphone from Blue called a Snowball. It’s got a retro sort of look about it and it has a small tripod so you can put it on to a desk, and it just works quite nicely. With the tripod it is adjustable so that you can move it to a position where the sound is close so that you get a better sound quality in your recording. The same as with other microphones you should have the Snowball microphone close to the mouth or other sound source and that helps to eliminate echo and get a deeper richer sounding voice that sounds professional. If you use the microphone in this way you will get a good clear sound without it being tinny and also without sacrificing on the low end of the range so it will not sound to boomy or hollow. This good microphone is affordable and very good for voice-over projects and podcasting and connected to your laptop you can do quick and easy live recordings.

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (White)

The top of the microphone where the actual internals of a microphone are, is actually spherical and if you buy the white one it looks like a snowball. You can also buy the same microphone in brushed aluminium and in black version. It is a good looking microphone and the metal grill in the white frame of the globe of the top of microphone has a look of the old time retro microphones.

Because it is a USB microphone and comes with its own USB cable it is very easy to calibrate the microphone so that it will work with your operating system whether that is Windows or Mac or maybe also Linux. You can plug it into your USB port and it will simply just work.

The microphone has three different pattern modes which allow you to record in different situations. The cardioid mode is well suited to podcasts, sung vocals and it suits the sound sources that are directly in front of the microphone. The sound it produces is a rich full-blooded sound. It will make you sound good, even sexy.

Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone (White)

There is a second cardioid mode with a -10 decibel padding which is the same as the other mode but this allows you to capture sounds which are louder but the same higher fidelity. There there is an omnidirectional mode to allow you to capture the ambience of a live recording of a rock band, perhaps you are at a concert of some sort and it picks up the sound equally in all directions. This will be good for meetings too.

When you plug in the Blue Snowball microphone you don’t have to do any settings, it will work straight away out of the box, without you having to fiddle with any drivers or other messing about. A blue snowball microphone should cost you in the region of around $60 so it is very good value for such a good quality microphone. Blue mics are good microphones for sure.

Posted in Condenser Mic, USB Mic.

Behringer B2 Studio Condenser Microphone

June 20, 2011 by WG_PodcasterMic · 3 Comments

When you have been podcasting for some time, you may well decide that you would like to get a studio quality microphone such as the Behringer B2 Pro which is a high performance dual diaphragm studio condenser microphone. It is very good for singers and other vocalisation work and I find to be a very good microphone for podcasting.
With a Behringer microphone like this you will get very high quality recordings as it is very sensitive, and you need to have a quiet audio space in which to record your audio. The Behringer B2 microphone is an XLR type of microphone which you do need to connect up by using a mixer. I use a Behringer mixer with four audio inputs, so I can have up to four mics connected if I wish, which I then can route into the computer. I do that with a lead into the audio line in on the MacBook. I would like to upgrade to a mixer that works via Firewire or USB or Thunderbolt when it is available. That will let me send audio from each audio input into separate tracks in the multitrack recorder and audio editor.

Behringer B2 Pro dual diaphragm studio condenser microphone

When you buy the Behringer B2 Pro dual diaphragm studio condenser microphone, it comes in a good quality hard case and inside with the microphone there is a pop filter and a shock mount. You can use the shock mount to attach the microphone to a good mic boom stand or a table microphone stand. The shock mount will stop any vibrations such as from a fan in a computer having any effect on the sound recorded.

With the B2 microphone being so sensitive, I found that the best way to use it, is to speak over the top of it with my mouth close to the microphone, but not with my breath from speaking being directed straight at the microphone. I find that when I use the microphone like this I have a good signal to noise ratio which gives a good rich sound to my voice when I’m speaking in a podcast.
I can happily recommend the Behringer B2 Pro microphone as a good microphone for podcasting or for a singer to use in the studio. There are a lot of possible uses for it, it really depends on what you want to do creatively. I use this microphone with Amadeus Pro a multi track audio editing software, or you could use the microphone with Garageband.

Do you need a Dynamic Mic or Condenser Mic

When you are podcasting you will get a better sound using a condenser microphone, rather than a dynamic mic like the Shure SM58, but you do need to have a quiet room to record in. I also can recommend the USB type microphone and the manufacturer blue has a number of different USB microphones especially suited for podcasting. I like to have a Behringer B-2 PRO Dual-Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone
for working in my audio studio and then I have a Samson USB microphone for recording podcasts out on the road.

The best microphones for the studio. The microphone condenser type would be a good choice for microphone studio usage. This is because microphones studio based should be more sensitive to really pick up hi fidelity sound. A podcast microphone is a different story when compared to a studio microphone. A podcasting microphone will have to take rougher handling that the studio microphones do and are more often the dynamic type.

Posted in Condenser Mic, Mac.

Podcaster Microphone