Need a new podcasting microphone? Here are the best microphones for 2023 and possibly
beyond.
Thank you for joining me for The Audacity to Podcast! I'm Daniel J. Lewis.
"Which podcasting microphone should I buy?" That's one of the most common podcasting
questions I see from people starting their first podcast. It is a good question and while
there can be many answers, especially depending on your needs, and that's the key there,
your needs. Here are what I think are the best podcasting microphones as of March 2023,
and I really don't anticipate this list changing all that much. Unless a couple of
these microphones get upgraded, they will probably still maintain their places on this
list, but some of the things that I say might change. Follow along in the notes over at
theaudacitytopodcast.com/microphones23 or tap or swipe away inside of your app.
But I really think you're going to want to go to the website because on the website,
while this episode in the podcast feed will switch between microphones for each section
when I'm talking about that microphone, over on the website I will have the full episode
recording as recorded from each microphone.
So instead of hearing me switch between them, you can hear the exact same episode from those
separate microphones if you want to compare them with each other.
And speaking of comparing them with each other, this is not going to be a technical episode
where I get into the frequency response and cardioid patterns and polar patterns and all
of that kind of stuff.
I very rarely mention very technical things in here.
This is really about the benefits, the features, the pricing, why I recommend each of these
and how these microphones can work for you. I will get in depth in talking about some
of my thoughts on these, and it will be a longer episode, but I'm not going to bore
you with frequency response ranges and that kind of thing. So please follow along in the
notes a tap or swipe away or at theaudacitytopodcast.com/microphones23. And any of the microphone links that I mention,
probably other links as well, will be affiliate links, so I earn a commission from qualifying
purchases through those links, but I recommend things I truly believe in, regardless of earnings.
So go to theaudacitytopodcast.com/microphones23 to follow along and listen to the different
recordings.
Like any good top list, let's start from the bottom.
Number four.
You're probably already thinking of the Blue Yeti, and the Blue Yeti gets a lot of hate
from experienced and professional podcasters.
Why?
Well, just because it's only the most overpriced, overhyped, oversized, confused, misused, and
abused microphone in podcasting.
That's all.
But you can actually get great audio from a Blue Yeti.
Yeah.
You can also get good audio from earbuds, your smartphone's built-in microphone, and
even the internal microphone on your laptop.
Right now, if you're listening to the podcast version of this, you're hearing me from an
iPhone 12 Pro.
Now it's positioned like a studio microphone and I can't see the screen very well but it's
pointing at my voice.
It's a good distance away.
I'm in a good room with no background noise.
And I think the audio is usable.
It's not the best but it is usable because it's all about how you use the microphone
and what you expect from it.
I teach that the two most important things to getting good audio are environment and
technique.
Actually, more important than the microphone itself.
First environment.
Microphones aren't magical.
If you're in a noisy or reverb heavy environment, you will get noisy and reverb heavy audio.
A bad mic in a quiet and acoustically treated room will probably always be more listenable
than an expensive fancy mic in a noisy echo chamber.
And then second, technique.
You can actually mitigate some of the noise and reverb with proper mic technique.
This is usually about where you position and point the microphone.
Like moving it away from noisy sources, pointing it away from those noisy sources.
And where you position and point your voice.
Like talking into the microphone, not directly into it, but kind of across it so that your
plosive sounds, your popping P's and T's and that kind of thing, don't go directly into
the microphone.
And also making sure that you're close to the microphone.
That's what I'm doing with the iPhone 12 right now that I'm recording into, is that I've
positioned it on a stand.
It's pointing the microphone, the bottom of the iPhone, where the microphone is, is pointing
at my mouth as if it's a studio microphone.
It's in that sweet spot about four to six inches or 10 to 15 centimeters away.
It's pivoted away from me.
Now none of these microphones that I'm recording with have any pop filters, screen protections.
They're all being processed the same, all being recorded the same except for the iPhone
because it's recording internally.
So it is being used like any of these other studio microphones.
But it's the environment and technique that really makes the most difference.
Let's go back to the example of the Blue Yeti.
Point the front of the microphone, not the top, toward you.
See, the Blue Yeti is a very differently designed microphone.
It is a condenser microphone, but it's also a side address microphone.
So you talk into the front of it, not the end of it, like you would with a studio microphone
where it's the top or the end of the microphone.
Talk into the front of the microphone.
Switch it into cardioid mode so that it's capturing only what's in front of it, not
everything that's around it, as much at least.
And then keep it close to you, about 4 to 6 inches or 10 to 15 centimeters away.
that sweet spot and then pivot it about 45 degrees away from the front of your mouth
but still pointing at your mouth. That way it avoids the plosive sounds. Doing that with
even the Blue Yeti or the iPhone like I'm doing right now or other cheap microphones,
any microphone when you're using it properly and effectively will give you much better
results. But how do you normally see people use the Blue Yeti microphone? Normally I see
people talking into the top of the microphone instead of the side or the front where they're
supposed to be talking into it.
They often have the microphone a foot or two away from them so it's picking up so much
more room noise and reverb than if the microphone was closer.
See, you get closer to the microphone and it will pick up your voice more than any of
the surroundings.
This is why I say environment and technique are more important than the microphone itself.
I'm proving that by using the iPhone 12 in this section in the podcast version.
You can hear this whole episode as recorded through the iPhone 12 Pro if you really want
to.
Go to the notes at theaudacitytopodcast.com/microphones23 if you really want to hear the full iPhone
version.
I have a feeling what you might be thinking, especially after the last episode where I
talked about audio editing tools.
Definitely listen to that episode if you haven't already.
You might be thinking, "Well, these processing algorithms in Auphonic and Descript, Adobe Podcast
and other tools are getting so much better and smarter, I can give it garbage audio and
it gives me great audio back."
And while they can make much better audio, especially when they're using artificial intelligence
to do a much better job at processing the audio, you will always get better audio quality
if you start with better quality.
Could you imagine how much different this section would sound going into my iPhone if
I was holding my iPhone with my hand?
You might hear some handling noise.
Or if I was in my bathroom in a noisy environment, a reverb heavy environment with windows open,
cars going outside and all kinds of noise like that, it would sound so radically different
than here where I'm recording in my acoustically treated studio space and the iPhone is positioned
at an ideal length away from me.
It's on a stand.
I'm not touching it.
It's environment and technique that matters actually more, I think, than the microphone
itself.
That's why I say for number four, any mic when used properly and effectively.
You might not need to spend anything.
Moving on to number three, the Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB, which is about $80.
This is my new most recommended microphone for starting out because it produces great
quality, it's very affordable, while it retails now at $80, it's been as low as $59 at some
times.
podcastingdeals.com and follow it or sign up for the alerts so you get notified when there is a
deal on the 2100x as I like to abbreviate it. And the ATR2100x-USB offers both USB and XLR
connections. You can even connect the mic to a tablet or smartphone with the proper USB adapter.
So your podcasting gear could be as simple as the ATR2100x-USB, a pair of headphones,
and your computing device, whether that's a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet, or even a smartphone.
And the ATR2100x-USB is both USB and XLR. Why does that matter? Well, obviously you can plug
it directly into your device via USB, but having XLR means that if you ever need to upgrade to
something like a Focusrite Rodecaster 2, a Zoom PodTrak P4, or a Rodecaster Pro 2, you don't have
to throw away your microphone because you can simply switch to using the XLR cable instead.
You don't get this with USB only microphones like the Blue Yeti. They lack this ability to grow with
you and your podcast needs. But with a USB XLR mic combo like this with the ATR2100x-USB,
you can start with USB and later have XLR and keep the same microphone. Keep it for years and years.
In fact, I know of many successful, highly successful podcasters still using an ATR2100x-USB
or models like it, like the old ATR2100-USB (the non-X version), the AT2005USB, or
the Samsung Q2U.
And speaking of the Samsung Q2U, while the ATR2100x-USB, which I'll just abbreviate it like
that a little bit here and there, this microphone might seem mostly the same as my previous
favorite, the Samsung Q2U. When I got to really try the new ATR2100x-USBcompared to the Q2U, I changed
my mind about recommending the Q2U. I now recommend the Q2U only if you have a really
tight budget because the Q2U is normally $59 now, but it's been as low as $35. Again, sign
up for alerts over at podcastingdeals.com. So while the ATR2100x-USB, specifically the
newer X model started at $100. Now it's closer to $80 and it has sometimes gone on sale for as low
as $59. I think it is worth the extra cost because of several seemingly small but greatly appreciated
improvements. And I was really surprised when I discovered some of these. I'm not sure if other
people have noticed this too and maybe that's why I was so surprised because I haven't heard anyone
else talking about this. If someone has, please forgive me, I just haven't heard it. But these
were some things, some unexpected things that stood out to me as benefits about the, what I'll
call for brevity, the ATR2100x-USB. First, zero latency headphone monitoring on the ATR2100x-USBthat is.
But on the Q2U, it has just enough latency to make yourself sound weird, like slightly robotic.
That might cause headaches after some long term recording.
And what I noticed for me is that it would cause my ears to stuff up.
As soon as I would start speaking, when I had my headphones plugged into the Q2U, my
ears would start to get stuffed up.
So I'd have to do that annoying thing you see people do on airplanes where they're
trying to yawn and get their ears to pop.
I talk for just a few more seconds and then my ears would stuff up again.
It was because of the latency inside the Q2U.
But exact same headphones, I was using the Sony MDR-7506 studio headphones, the exact
same headphones then plugged into the ATR2100x-USBand I didn't get that.
I didn't get the robotic Cylon sound as some people call it.
I didn't get headaches.
My ears didn't stuff up.
There was zero latency monitoring through the ATR2100x-USBheadphone port.
Second thing I noticed was consistent self-monitoring through the headphones on the ATR2100x-USB.
So you can hear yourself no matter how you adjust the input or output volume on whatever
device you're connected to the microphone through USB.
This is something that some people might not be aware of is that when you connect the USB
microphone to your computer it shows up as both an input and an output device.
And if you want to use the headphones plugged into the microphone then you have to set your
computer to use that microphone as the output and then when you control the volume either
through your computer or the little volume control on the microphone itself, it's turning
up the headphone volume.
On the Q2U, the headphone output of your own voice, your self-monitoring headphone output,
is affected by both the recording input volume level and the output volume level on whatever
that device is.
So on your computer, if you had the input gain all the way up for recording, but you
turn the output then you wouldn't hear your own voice while you're talking into the microphone.
If you turned the output volume all the way up but then turned down your input volume,
although this one makes more sense I think, yeah when you're recording into your computer it
wouldn't pick you up. And also in your headphones you wouldn't hear yourself anymore. So in order
to hear yourself you have to then adjust other parts of volume that might affect other things
you're listening to or recording as well. But on the ATR2100x-USB, your own voice stays at
the same volume level regardless of what other things you're changing. So if you wanted
to change what that monitoring volume level is, then you get a pair of headphones or some
kind of amplifier or something that sits in between that lets you adjust the volume of
the headphones. I think this is a good accessibility feature and it ensures that no matter what
you're doing on your computer, you can hear yourself.
You won't get headaches by hearing yourself through bone conduction or anything like that.
You will hear yourself very clearly and at a good volume too.
The other USB XLR microphones that I've talked about in the past were much quieter in the
headphones and in recording, so it would be really hard to hear yourself.
I'd often see people say, "I don't hear myself talk."
And I'd have to walk them through the thing of, well you have to set your computer output
volume to the microphone as well and then turn up your output volume and then you will
hear yourself better.
That's weird right?
Weird instructions.
Well that's not something you even have to think about with the ATR2100x-USB.
You will hear yourself regardless of what other volume settings you have on your USB
connected device.
And speaking of volume, the ATR2100x-USBwas roughly 10 decibels louder than the Q2U in my tests.
And the Q2U is already roughly 3 decibels louder than the old 2100, at least the last
time I tried it.
So that means that the ATR2100x-USBis probably around 13 decibels louder than the old 2100.
This is great.
This means your recordings are better, your live streams or zoom meetings or anything
like that will be better, and you will hear yourself better.
I think that's fantastic.
I was really surprised that it was so much louder than the Q2U in my tests.
The 2100 also still surprisingly offers a lifetime warranty.
The original 2100 offered a lifetime warranty but the Q2U and several other XLR/USB combo
microphones like it usually have only a one year warranty.
The ATR2100x-USBstill has a lifetime warranty.
That's really good.
Both microphones include some accessories with them like the XLR cables, the USB cables,
and those are pretty good.
The stands that come with the microphones, however, used to be a differentiating factor
to me because I liked the kit that came with the Q2U.
It included a simple 3-inch riser for the plastic stand so you could get the microphone
a little bit closer to your voice instead of being so far away depending on the height
of your desk or whatever surface you're recording at.
The ATR2100x-USBincludes a shorter stand, it doesn't include a little riser like that.
But here's the thing, both of them are plastic and both of them will wear out.
And I haven't used my Q2U's stand all that much.
So I was really surprised when I did my tests before this episode that the Q2U's stand
didn't hold its screw or its grip anymore.
It's gone.
And that's because it's cheap plastic.
They're both cheap plastic.
So don't judge them based on the stands that come with them.
You'll probably want to replace the stands or use something to get the microphone up
closer to your voice.
The ATR2100x-USBalso has a USB-C port which I think will last longer than the old USB port on
the original 2100, the non-X model.
And that USB port was the thing that I regularly see people say it failed on them, on the original
2100.
I think the new ATR2100x-USBmight be better if simply because it's USB-C, which is reversible.
So you can plug it upside down or right side up or whatever.
There is no upside down or right side up on USB-C. It goes either way.
But you know what it's like with the other USB micro and USB mini ports.
The first way you try to plug it in is always the wrong way.
No matter which way you do it, it's always the wrong way the first time.
It's like the universe just doesn't want you to plug it in the first time.
You don't have to worry about that with USB-C. So I think that alone will put less stress
on the USB plug, making it last longer.
I also think it's really nice that it's USB-C because even though it comes with a USB-C
to the traditional blocky USB-A on older computers that you'd have, more and more computers are
switching exclusively to the USB-C reversible plugs.
You wouldn't have to worry about having adapters.
newer Android devices have USB-C ports instead of micro USB-C or mini USB-C. And there are
even rumors that the iPhone 15, which maybe if you're listening to this after 2023 is
already out and you already know this, but there are plenty of rumors that the iPhone
15 will finally move from lightning to USB-C. So the big benefit there is it means all you
have to have is a USB-C to USB-C cable. That'll help you connect to hard drives, to your microphone,
phone to other equipment that you have, you don't have to carry around a bunch of adapters.
I really like that it's USB-C and I'm really surprised that my number two recommendation,
which I'll get to in a couple minutes, is not USB-C, but the ATR2100x-USBis.
So this, plus it's really affordable price, currently $80, sometimes as low as $59, I
think this makes it my most recommended microphone for starting out.
Is it the best?
No, it's not the best, but it is my most recommended because it's so accessible, it has such great
features and some of these features, like that headphone monitoring thing, are even
better than the more expensive XLR USB microphone I'll talk about next.
The main complication you might run into when recording over USB is, well, for one thing,
combining multiple USB microphones.
That's possible, but it is a little more complicated.
The other thing is if you need to, for whatever reason, record audio that's coming from that
device you're connected to over USB, like a guest, co-host, or any kind of sound effects
that you're playing, the microphone doesn't have any kind of loopback built into it.
So if you want to record both the microphone and the other audio, then you might need some
moderately complicated input mixing on your computer.
That can be done sometimes built in, like with macOS, or you need additional software
like loopback, audio hijack, voice meter banana or tools like that depending on your platform
and what you're trying to do.
But this is my number three recommendation and really my most recommended microphone.
Not the best but my most recommended.
The Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB for only about $80.
Number two, the Shure MV7 currently $249.
Imagine all that versatility and future-proofing that I just talked about in the Audio-Technica
ATR2100x-USB but add in some built-in processing and effects and package it in a more professional
even higher quality microphone. That's the Shure MV7. The MV7 is also USB and XLR so you get all
of those benefits and the MV7 works best when paired with the Shure Plus Motive app so you can
control the microphone's built-in equalization, it's built-in limiter, and it's built-in
compressor. Yes, those are all built-in to the microphone so that it can do that stuff
automatically. You can also use the app to adjust how the headphone monitoring is mixed
between how much of the microphone you hear versus how much of whatever device you're
connected to over USB that you hear. But unfortunately, it doesn't solve the headphone monitoring
issue that I mentioned with the other microphones that the ATR2100x-USBhas solved. If you turn down
your PC's output volume when connected to the MV7, you will hear your own voice less.
But, the MV7 supports firmware upgrades. And there have been some firmware upgrades already.
So maybe this is something they can fix with the firmware. And that gives me hope that
it is fixable so the headphone volume for your own voice would remain a constant level
instead of going up and down depending on your input and output volumes on your PC.
The only thing you'd have to worry about is whether it's mixed more so you hear more of the
PC or more of your voice. And when I say PC that could be a tablet, a smartphone, a Windows PC,
or a macOS PC, any kind of computing device. But that ATR2100x-USB does maintain your self-monitoring
level no matter the input or output volume levels of your USB connected device. Not so
much with the MV7. Also, while the MV7 has a somewhat similar physical design to the Shure
SM7B, and I really like that physical design, the MV7 has the XLR plug on the back of the microphone
instead of vertically from the top. So cable management could be a little bit of an issue,
just like it would be really with any dynamic microphone. But the MV7 isn't as long as several
other dynamic microphones are, so it might not be as much of a problem as with other microphones.
Like the ATR2100x-USB, the main complications you'll run into with the MV7 is if you're trying
to record multiple USB devices, then again you have to use software little hacks to do that,
Or you're trying to record sound coming from your USB device and your USB microphone.
Then you need something like Loopback, Audio Hijack, VoiceMeeter Banana or something like
that.
So that's my number two recommendation, the Shure MV7.
And before I cover the number one best microphone for podcasting, I have two honorable mentions.
First honorable mention, the Shure SM7B for currently $399.
I love the quality, the sound, and the physical design of the Shure SMB.
I love how it has built-in shock protection and the beautiful little detail that the XLR
plug is vertical from the microphone instead of horizontal out the back of the microphone.
So that helps with cable management and concealing that cable.
You don't have this thing sticking out of the back of the microphone that then hangs
down from your microphone boom arm or anything like that or that you could possibly bump
as you're moving your hands around.
It goes up, out of the way, nicely hidden.
I think that is beautiful.
I wish more microphones would do that.
I don't know, maybe that's a patent that Shure has to do that kind of thing.
But I really like that design and I'm really surprised that the MV7 doesn't do that.
I thought when I first saw the MV7, I thought it was the new version of the SM7B.
But no, it's a different kind of microphone.
Still good.
That's why it's my number two recommendation.
But the SM7B sounds great.
However, the main thing I don't like about the SM7B is how much gain it needs in order
to avoid background hiss in your recordings.
You need a really good preamp with a lot of gain for the SM7B.
It's the quietest microphone I've ever tested.
So that means that you need either additional hardware like an additional preamp, a cloud
lifter or something like that, or you need to upgrade your gear so the built in preamps
are good enough to handle the SM7B.
The good news is that the latest generation of interfaces and recorders like the Focusrite
Vocaster, the Zoom Podtrack P4, and the Rodecaster Pro 2 do finally provide enough gain without
needing an additional preamp.
But if you're on anything older, you might have to deal with background hiss until you
upgrade.
Like I, for example, am using the original Rodecaster Pro.
So there could be some background hiss with the Shure SM7B.
But it's probably so little that you haven't even noticed, or it's even been removed super
easily with a tool like Auphonic.
I do really hope that they someday update the SM7B to maybe the SM7C.
The MV7 wasn't that, but it borrowed from the SM7B.
The only thing I'd like to see them update is maybe some stronger magnets or whatever
it takes on the inside so it doesn't need such a powerful preamp.
If they did that and let's say reduce the price $50 or $100, then the SM7B might
be my number one most recommended best microphone for podcasting.
Second honorable mention, the microphone that suits your unique needs.
In the podcast version of this episode, I'm recording this now back on the iPhone 12 just
to illustrate this point again and also so you get to hear it in the context of really
expensive high quality microphones.
I usually recommend what are generally called studio microphones, especially dynamic studio
microphones, because the best place to record a microphone is usually in some kind of "studio"
setting, whether that's a closet in your basement or a fancy recording studio.
And just like you can be the CEO of your cubicle, any dedicated space where you record your
podcast can be your studio.
And it can be your professional studio, even if it's your closet next to that thing that
your spouse really hates it when you wear.
Many microphones serve the unconventional needs of being away from a studio.
And that might be exactly what you need for your style of podcasting.
For example, a handheld microphone that reduces handling noise and has a longer handle and
is generally more comfortable and easier to handle for things like man on the street style
interviews where you are holding the mic pointing it back and forth between you and whoever
you're talking to.
Or maybe you need a small headset mic like tiny headset not with headphones and all that
but like you see for public speakers to use because maybe you are a public speaker and
you want to turn your public presentations into podcast episodes.
So you probably shouldn't sit on the stage behind a desk with a studio microphone.
While there is a certain place for that, it's probably not the kind of thing you want to
do regularly that makes it a little more difficult to connect with your audience.
So you might need a micro headset microphone that's very hidden, very small, lightweight,
but it's right there and you don't even have to worry about which direction you turn your
head like you sometimes do with a lav mic because it stays right there on your face
recording your voice really well.
Or maybe you have something far more active.
Like there's a podcaster I helped one time who told me that he wanted to record his podcast
while playing Airsoft.
I know that some people enjoy recording podcasts like for Dungeons and Dragons where it's their
actual play podcast where you get to hear them tell the stories, make the decisions
and all of that.
And that's certainly got its market.
There are a lot of podcasts out there like that.
But I have to wonder, how do you podcast while playing Airsoft?
And now let's take a break for our sponsor.
Oh, I got shot in the eye.
Oh, this is, this is actually perfect because our sponsor for this episode is
I replace eyeballs and they're offering a special 10% off one eyeball replacement.
Oh, oh no.
I think I just lost an eyeball, but I'm so grateful for our sponsor because guys,
I hold on guys, I need to stop playing because seriously, I just got shot in
the eyeball, but I'm grateful for our sponsor because they can replace my
eyeball and with my special promo code you get 10% off. I don't know what that
was like for their podcast but they needed something that they could move
around a lot more. So instead of that kind of headset microphone that you see
public speakers often wear, I recommended a microphone that was similar initially
but it connected to both ears so it would stay on the head a lot better and
thus be far more stable for much more active movement without being this big
headset with big headphones and a big microphone in front of their face which would probably
fall off at their first shot or anything like that.
Again, that's a very specific and unique need.
Maybe you need one of those big kind of headset microphones where it's a big microphone and
big headphones as a combo for really noisy environments like at a sports game or covering
a conference like I've done that before when I went to CES with Todd Cochrane's team.
We wore these big headsets that had headphones and a microphone attached to it.
So we could easily hear each other in this very noisy environment and the microphone
was right there.
So as these people who would come and talk with us on the live stream had no microphone
experience they didn't have to worry about staying on the microphone or pivoting around
a microphone or anything like that.
Their microphone technique didn't matter because we were able to put the microphone right where
it needed to be and it stayed there relative to their head as they turned their head.
And they could hear us really well.
Again, a unique need, a unique kind of microphone for that need.
Or maybe you need a wireless microphone for videos or crowded spaces.
Or you need to be able to have a hidden or unobtrusive microphone for really natural
looking videos and more.
Each of these are unique needs.
And your unique needs might be better served by something that is not a studio dynamic
microphone.
So that's why I say that's an honorable mention.
And I've been recording this section with the iPhone 12 Pro because maybe that's good
enough for when you are out and about, like at a conference or something like that.
I've recorded man on the street style interviews with a Zoom H1 in my hands instead of an actual
interview mic.
And it worked because of the technique that I used with that microphone.
You can make certain things work.
You can make the iPhone work.
You can make other things work.
It depends on your unique needs.
It doesn't always have to be a studio microphone, but if you're in a studio, that's what I recommend.
And now moving on to my number one, in my opinion, best microphone for podcasting in
2023 and probably beyond.
The Electrovoice RE320, which sells for $299.
It's sometimes been cheaper too.
I've used this microphone and recommended this microphone for years.
I like this microphone because in my experience it's the most natural sounding and complementary
for all voices. Plus, it's strong neodymium magnets, and I might have mispronounced that,
make this microphone need less gain than all the other dynamic microphones I've ever tested for
podcasting. So the RE320 is much friendlier for whatever recorder or interface you're using.
You don't have to worry so much about the preamps because the RE320 puts out a really nice strong signal.
So you can use it on older gear.
I originally bought into the hype of the Hi-Al PR-40 when I bought my first good podcasting microphone.
And it is indeed still a very good microphone.
But I started hearing it too much in all the podcasts I listened to at that time and
I started noticing all those podcasters emphasized the same frequencies that sounded more radio
booming instead of natural and relatable.
And the more I heard my own voice on the PR-40, even though I didn't use the same multiband
compression settings many other PR-40 podcasters used, I was regularly annoyed with some audio
artifacts I was hearing in my own voice.
I just didn't like it.
And it wasn't that whole "I don't like the sound of my voice" kind of thing.
It was something about the microphone.
So when I heard Dave Jackson from School of Podcasting switch to an RE320 and I noticed
that his voice suddenly sounded so much clearer and more natural, I knew I wanted that microphone.
And several years ago, Electro-Voice was so kind to send me the RE320, RE20 and RE-27N/D
for testing and review.
But I didn't get to keep those microphones back then.
And even though when I did those videos, and I'll have a link to them in the notes for
this episode at theaudacitytopodcast.com/microphones23, even though I had more highly praised the
RE320 in my original reviews, the more I watched my own videos again later and listened
to myself on the RE320, the more I loved its natural sound.
The RE320 is a more smoothing kind of mic, kind of closer to a PR-40, but the RE320
was much more natural.
Then I had the opportunity to meet and interview Rick Belt, the creator of the RE320 at NAB
Show 2015.
He had already seen the review videos that I had done and he loved how I did them and
how I compared the RE320 and the other microphones and such.
He loved everything I had to say about them.
So when I told him that I was coveting the RE320, and that was my word, I said something
about coveting it because I was still using a PR40 and I told him that I planned to someday
switch he said hold on a minute he turned around he pulled one from a cabinet and gave
it to me.
So in full disclosure I have not paid for the RE320 that I use and have been using for
the past several years but I would have switched anyway and I was going to as soon as I could
afford to switch microphones.
And I wish I was always using the RE320 instead of the Heil PR-40 because I think the RE320
is a better microphone, it sounds better for most voices, and there is a market for every
voice.
I don't think in your podcast you should try to have the voice of God sound enhanced a
little bit.
Yes, just like if you're a public speaker on stage, you have to be a little bit bigger
than life, your gestures are a little bit bigger, but that doesn't mean you have to
be a fake person on stage.
You're just emphasizing things a little bit better to communicate a little better.
Same thing in podcasting.
You just enhance it a little bit.
You don't have to be the voice of God.
There is a market for every voice.
And I think in podcasting, it will sound best when your podcast voice sounds so much like
your normal voice or very close to it.
I think you get that with the Electro-Voice RE320.
So it's quality, it's design, it's loudness level, it's fairly affordable price for the
professional quality that you're getting, $299 and it's occasionally gone on sale, not
as frequently as some of the other microphones.
So all of that together is why I think the Electro-Voice RE320 is the best podcasting
microphone for 2023 and beyond.
Unlike the SM7B, I can't think of anything I would change about the RE320.
Sure you could add USB to it, but you could also just get a separate accessory for that.
I think the RE320 is fantastic just the way it is.
Maybe some of the physical design could be changed to do some of those SM7B things or
maybe that's a patent for sure.
I don't know.
But I love the RE320.
That's my number one recommendation.
So again, to go back over this list and so you can hear each of these microphones again
very briefly in the podcast version of this audio, I'll tell you again the microphones
that I recommend.
Number four, any microphone when used properly and effectively.
Like the iPhone 12 or some other microphone that you use well.
Number three, the Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB for about $80.
Number two, the Shure MV7 for about $249.
Honorable mention, the Shure SM7B $399, especially if they someday release a Shure SM7C.
Second honorable mention, the mic that suits your unique needs.
Could be the iPhone, could be something else.
And number one, the Electro-Voice RE320 for $299.
Now as you're hearing these things, you also might be coveting a different microphone like
guy was at one point. But I encourage you to consider whether you really need a better
microphone. Even if you're using a Blue Yeti. Now if you are using a Blue Yeti or a similar
microphone that's cumbersome, difficult to work with or requires you to balance like
trying to make a TV antenna from the old days work just to get some good audio for your
podcast maybe you should upgrade. I remember that it was such a wonderful upgrade for me
when I bought my first lav mic for recording videos because then I didn't have to use a big
studio mic and have it in the shot or try to frame my shot so close to my face, awkwardly close to my
face, so that you wouldn't see the microphone. Yes, I've done that before. Maybe you noticed
in the past. And then when I upgraded to a wireless system, wow, I saved a lot of time
and frustration from trying to align my separately recorded audio and video when I record videos.
Because back then, I used a Zoom H1 with a lav mic plugged into it and then recording
video separately on my DSLR, I'd have to synchronize those things later.
Now with a wireless system, it's all recorded into the same place.
I don't have to synchronize it at all.
So I did need to switch in that case because something was difficult to work with and switching
gave me features, benefits, and relieved some stress and problems that I was having.
If you're already using one of the specific mics I recommended in this episode and it's
meeting your needs, then you have to consider whether the maybe 5-10% (unless you're using
a really bad mic) boost in quality is really worth spending the additional money, whether
that's $80 or $300 or more if you're connecting additional gear to your podcast for the XLR
interface and everything like that.
In other words, your podcast might have 99 problems, but your microphone might not be
one of them.
You might actually do better to take that money that you would have invested in a better
microphone and invest it somewhere else in your podcast to fix other audio issues like
acoustic treatment, a better interface, better software, some training to get better at podcasting,
a tool to help you better engage with your audience like mypodcastreviews.com or something
else, a plugin for your WordPress website, consulting to help you with a problem or just
hosting a giveaway for your audience like that story show did in 2023.
So in the grand scheme of things, your microphone might be the last place you should spend more
money on if you already have a pretty good microphone.
But if you're struggling, or maybe your iPhone microphone won't cut it, you really want something
better, then maybe you should consider upgrading.
I'd love to hear what you think of the different microphones and examples I recorded in this
episode, especially the iPhone example.
And I didn't tell you that at the beginning of this episode I used a different microphone.
And I'll give you this hint, it wasn't the Electro-Voice RE320 at the beginning of this
episode before I got into the number 4 recommendation.
So comment on the notes at theaudacitytopodcast.com/microphones23 or tweet me @TheDanielJLewis or comment wherever
you see this episode shared to let me know what you think that first microphone was that
I was talking into at the beginning of the episode.
Also go to the notes at theaudacitytopodcast.com/microphones23 to listen to the other example recordings
where it's the exact same episode but you get to hear the whole episode if you want
to listen to the whole thing again in that other microphone.
So you can easily bounce between the different recordings to hear the exact same section
recorded with the different microphones.
All the microphones being about the same distance, 4 to 6 inches or 10 to 15 centimeters away,
all pointing at me off axis.
So I'm trying to avoid plosives into them.
I have no wind filters or pop screens in front of these microphones.
All of them recorded into the same interface, except for the iPhone, of course.
All of them recorded at the same level, process the same.
The only difference being they're all normalized to the same loudness level because each of
them record at different loudness levels.
So you can bounce between them and hear how each one of them sounds.
Check that out and share the episode please from theaudacitytopodcast.com/microphones23
as well as get the links for any of these microphones or services that I mentioned.
Now that I've given you some of the guts and taught you some of the tools, it's time for
you to go start and grow your own podcast for sharing your passions and finding success.
I'm Daniel J. Lewis from theaudacitytopodcast.com and tweet me @theDanielJLewis.
And thanks for listening!
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