Hey all! I'm a complete audio noob :) Looking for some advice!

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Hello all, complete audio noob here! :)

I'm planning on starting up a podcast/livestream kind of thing later this year (mainly regarding PC gaming), and would like to sound good when I'm speaking live or recording voice for videos.

I currently have a good gaming headset with a decent mic (for a headset, anyways). However, without a pre-amp it gets white noisy when cranking up the gain on the sound card and that would be annoying to listen to. So, I figure if I'm going to be needing a pre-amp anyways, might as well get a "real" microphone and do it right.

Now, I've done some very basic research on this stuff and am still a bit lost.. The main thing I've been hearing is that SM58's are a great all-around mic for voice (for the money).. Would that mic be good for my needs?

As far as gear recommendations I need:

- Sound Card?
- Mic?
- Pre-amp?
- Accessories? (pop filter, stand)

Are there any other things I'm missing that I would need to do this?

Also, is it possible to get a mic that stands on the desk maybe 1-2 feet from my mouth and still pick up my vocals clearly? I've seen other livestream/casters with desk mics that seem to do a pretty good job with sound quality.

I'd like to keep this to a "best bang for the buck" kind of thing because this is more or less a hobby, not a business or something I do professionally. I don't plan on making money from this so I can't go nuts :)

Thanks guys!
 
What kind of budget?

Maybe something like a USB mic would be a better solution for you.
 
TetraFish said:
What kind of budget?

Maybe something like a USB mic would be a better solution for you.
Click to expand...

Oh... Hmm... USB Mic I had never really thought of that.. Are there USB mics that are good? I apologize for my ignorance, I have no idea what the best way is to go about this. Like I said I'm a total noob when it comes to this stuff..

As far as budget, I'm not sure about the price of things, but I mean $100 for a decent mic seems reasonable to me.
 
USB mics would probably be the easiest and most cost effective way to get what your looking for. For $150 you can a "blue yeti" usb mic and they are good quality for the price. That mic is for a desk use, place it on your desk next to your computer, hook up the usb, record into your software. So you won't need a stand, pop filter if you want one is like $15 for one that will work for your needs.

You do have some sort of software to record to correct? If not you'll need something. Reaper recording software has a free trial and is really cheap if you want to get the whole package.
 
Capt Hair said:
USB mics would probably be the easiest and most cost effective way to get what your looking for. For $150 you can a "blue yeti" usb mic and they are good quality for the price. That mic is for a desk use, place it on your desk next to your computer, hook up the usb, record into your software. So you won't need a stand, pop filter if you want one is like $15 for one that will work for your needs.

You do have some sort of software to record to correct? If not you'll need something. Reaper recording software has a free trial and is really cheap if you want to get the whole package.
Click to expand...

Oh!! Thanks so much for the suggestion :) I will definitely look up that mic!

So.. Why do USB mics not need a pre-amp, whereas ones that use normal audio jacks do? Just curious, trying to soak up some knowledge :)

As far as recording software, I have Adobe Audition CS5.5 (It's part of the suite I have. I'm a graphic/web designer by profession).. Would that work alright?
 
There's a preamp built into the mic along with an A/D "audio to digital" converter. You have to when ever your recording using a mic, as far as I'm aware of, have a amplifier of some sort. The electrical signal, when sound waves are converted to an electrical signal, is very very weak. Which is why it has to be amplified to a usable level. Now whether it's built in like USB mics, you have a preamp built an interface, or you have a stand alone preamp, they all boost the electrical signal to a usable level.

And that software should work fine, i just looked up some info on it.
 
Capt Hair said:
There's a preamp built into the mic along with an A/D "audio to digital" converter. You have to when ever your recording using a mic, as far as I'm aware of, have a amplifier of some sort. The electrical signal, when sound waves are converted to an electrical signal, is very very weak. Which is why it has to be amplified to a usable level. Now whether it's built in like USB mics, you have a preamp built an interface, or you have a stand alone preamp, they all boost the electrical signal to a usable level.

And that software should work fine, i just looked up some info on it.
Click to expand...

Really appreciate the info! Thanks!

How would you compare the Blue Yeti vs. the Audio-Technica AT2020?? It seems like there's a rivalry between these two on Amazon.. Any thoughts?
 
Well the AT2020 is cardiod microphone meaning it picks up sound in one direction and from the sides...

The blue has switchable options as far as polarity goes.
You have gain knob on the mic which allows you to get your input signal to the right level
has a microphone output so you can monitor the sound when your recording.

Either one would be fine for what your doing. I'd go with the blue personally, AT's cheaper mics seem to be just that...cheap. But again if all your doing is voice overs for podcasts either one will serve you fine.
 
You could also go with the blue Icicle which allows you to use any mic as a usb mic. I think they cost about 60$. It also has a built in preamp.
 
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