Best Microphone for audiobooks.

E

Ezio

New member
Hi guys. I'm a student and i have a task at hand that is to make audio version of our college notes. I'm not aware of all the microphones or equipment so could you please recommend me a microphone plz. and im just going to narrate things wont use for instruments or singing. I already looked at acx and neumann tlm 102 was pretty impressive but how much better is it from rode nt2a or other microphone my maximum budget is like 700$ and i was thinking about getting rode nt2a with focusrite scarlet mono 2nd gen. any help is highly appreciated. thanks :)
 
For simply reciting books to audio, you're already hitting a mosquito with a sledgehammer. Get yourself a Blue Yeti USB (about $125 I think) and be done with it. Don't fall into the tragically common and ridiculous trap of being mesmerized by pricey equipment which is far (far) more than you need. You don't need a pricey mic and you don't need an AI. Hell even the Yeti might be overkill.

Unless of course you have so much money that it doesn't matter and you want to impress others (or maybe yourself) with oooooh, look at this fancy pricey mic I bought. Then go for it. ;)
 
What Joey2000 said^^^, unless there are future plans of doing much more than just creating audio college notes.

Spend the extra bucks for 'room treatment'. Most condenser mics will be able to hear that mosquito you're intending to hit with that sledgehammer.
 
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I'd go for a Focusrite ISA-One preamp and a Shure SM7b with that kinda budget.
Both of these will hold better value on the used market when you come to sell at the end of the project than the other suggestions as well.
However, if your just doing one project... Just book a few hours in a local studio.
 
Dave Holmes said:
I'd go for a Focusrite ISA-One preamp and a Shure SM7b with that kinda budget.
Both of these will hold better value on the used market when you come to sell at the end of the project than the other suggestions as well.
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But he'll still lose hundreds. With the Yeti or comparable, he can keep it and lose less. Or sell it and lose even less.

However, if your just doing one project... Just book a few hours in a local studio.
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To record college notes? I'm sorry but that's pretty ridiculous advice...and would also likely cost more than the Yeti.

Again unless he's that rare student with tons of money to fritter away, he's far better off buying a respectable mic which does what he needs it for and saving the money for books or beer or women or beer or beer.
 
Thanks guys for your suggestions :) ... but these notes wont be just for me rather these will be distributed to the entire class and other classes with same subjects and future classes too and this is a big project.. thats why i want good quality... and i'll he using it in future too like podcast kind of stuff for my university and that should be of good quality too. and its not just my budget, my friends are also paying for it. I intend to use just one mic and i already have adobe audition.
 
I cannot believe people on HR are telling someone WITH the resources to do a worse job than they could!

Remember, these notes will more than likely be listened to on headphones/buds. Every squeak and rattle will be painfully obvious and even a fairly low hiss level very distracting.

My suggestion would be for a really low self noise microphone such as the Rode NT1a and a good, clean AI. Steinberg UR22, F'rite 2i4 2nd generation.

The room (NOT a 'booth'!) needs to be very well 'lagged' and very quiet (might need to record in the wee smalls!). Even so there will be a LOT of editing and re-takes for coughs, fluffs, noises off etc.

Maybe I have been spoiled for 60 years by the BBC but I expect my broadcast speech proggs' to be immaculate!

Dave.
 
With Ezio's added info on the foreseeable usage of a mic, it could likely warrant a better setup.

Aside from the need for a pop filter on the Yeti........ :)

 
Ezio said:
Thanks guys for your suggestions :) ... but these notes wont be just for me rather these will be distributed to the entire class and other classes with same subjects and future classes too and this is a big project.. thats why i want good quality... and i'll he using it in future too like podcast kind of stuff for my university and that should be of good quality too.
Click to expand...
My posts still apply IMO. But if you/your friends are dying to spend extra money for (IMO) little if any noticeable diff, that's up to you...


ecc83 said:
I cannot believe people on HR are telling someone WITH the resources to do a worse job than they could!
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I can't believe you think it would be worse! Honestly assuming at least a reasonably well-prepared area (as you mentioned), IMO it's unlikely he will see much if any benefit from pricier mics, an AI etc etc. Just my .02
 
joey2000 said:
My posts still apply IMO. But if you/your friends are dying to spend extra money for (IMO) little if any noticeable diff, that's up to you...


I can't believe you think it would be worse! Honestly assuming at least a reasonably well-prepared area (as you mentioned), IMO it's unlikely he will see much if any benefit from pricier mics, an AI etc etc. Just my .02
Click to expand...

As with virtually all USB microphones I see the Yeti is 16bits (and 48kHz) and yet they quote a S/N figure of -100dB?

Dave.
 
If it's going to be a tossup between a USB mic and a mic+interface, consider what kind of functionality you'll need, because that's where the most obvious differences lie.

You mentioned podcasts. If you're ever likely two need to microphones (for stereo or for two voices), or a real-time source of music/jingles/effects via line in or anything like that, AI is the way forward.
If it's more complicated than that and you want real time control over a few sources, a USB mixer would trump an interface.

If you literally just need one voice and that's that, USB mic is fine.

If the room sounds bad (hollow/echoey/bright) consider dynamic instead of condenser, then make a point of staying very close to it.
Either that or investigate room treatment first.

Hope that's useful. :)
 
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