Microphone for Conference

[qxxx]

Hi folks!

I need a microphone for "conference like" situations.
A Microphone + Laptop will be installed in the back of the room and should record everything nice and clear (if possible). The size of the room is something like that:

It should be cheap (max 50-80 usd) and good, but no high end.
I have no Idea of all the microphones, I think I need a directional Microphone..
thanks.

 

[mattr]

Don't know about having a mic at the back of the room, if people are sat round all 4 sides of the table like that. If you only have the budget for one mic, an omni pattern mic placed in the middle of the table would probably be your best bet.

If you can stretch the budget a bit more, some boundary mics placed at intervals around the table would do the job nicely

 

[Richard Monroe]

I agree with most of what Mattr said. First, the back of the room is the wrong place to put the mic. Then 1/4 of the voices are pointed at it, 1/2 of them are 90 degrees off axis, and 1/4 of them are 180 degrees off axis. Secondly, except for USB mics, mics don't plug into laptops. They require a computer interface. The simplest solution I see is this:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/H2/

You can buy it for about $150 at www.8thstreet.com, but their web site is down right now.
It's got a 4 microphone array that can record pretty much in a 360 degree radius, so it would go right in the middle of the table. It will record in WAV. files or MP3, runs on batteries, and will download its files by USB right to your laptop, which is a 3 minute or so deal. Then you can put it in your pocket and walk away. What's not to love?-Richie