Beginner's Guide to Buying a Microphone

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XLR vs. USB

It's kind of like the DIY PC vs. prebuilt Walmart PC comparison.  With the XLR, you're going for more customizability, upgradability, versatility and long-term lifespan.  From a "buy it for life" perspective, XLR is a superior investment.  Although, USB may have the advantage of price and convenience.  For those who cannot spend more than $50-60, maybe getting a USB like the Behringer C1-U could be their best option.  However, spending $100+ on a USB mic makes less sense because at that point, an XLR setup is affordable.

 

Accessories

• For an XLR mic, an XLR cable and an audio interface is needed.  The Audio interfaces comes with the cable needed to attach to the computer. 
• A pop filter or wind screen is recommended to block plosives from "P"/"B" sounds.  A cheap pop filter is fine; they all do the same thing; with expensive ones, you're often just paying for a better quality neck and/or a brand name.  The wind screen is more portable and convenience, so it may be a more preferred option for more people.  Make sure it's wide enough to fit the head of the mic.  If you can't acquire either for whatever reason, maybe use a sock.
• For the mic stand, it's up to preference.  A desk mic stand may be preferable to a large one on the floor, if you don't plan on taking it to events or anything like that.  Tripods can fold easily and are more portable, though round-base metal plate may be more stable.  A boom arm that screws to the desk is an option.  
• A shock mount may be helpful if mic vibrations are a problem.  Make sure it's not too wide for skinny mics, or too small for big mics; pictures on Amazon reviews can help gauge the size. 
• Acoustic treatment is strongly recommended.  If you don't have it, use pillows and blankets.

Cost

Microphones are not like CPU's where the i7 is more powerful than the i5.  A $200 mic is not necessarily better than a $100 mic.  Going super cheap on a mic will sacrifice quality, but once we get into the $50-100+ price range, there starts to be a law of diminishing returns.  It's like wine or fashion.  Does a $1000 bottle of wine taste better than a $200 or $50 bottle of wine?  

 

The biggest mistake I see beginners to audio make is spend their whole budget on the mic and interface and none on improving their environment.  A Blue Snowball in a studio recording room is going to sound better than a Neumann U87 in a typical office or bedroom.  Expensive mics are fine for studios who already have the basic fundamentals down, but for a beginner, it's probably a better idea to buy a good $60 MXL V67G  w/ $140 of acoustic foam panels than to buy a $200 Rode NT1A. 

 

Audio Interface

Technology improved a lot in the past 20 years.  In the past, people needed to spend a lot of money to get a good interface.  But nowadays, budget options are fine and they all basically do the same thing.  Hence, it's a better idea to get a $40 Behringer UM2 than a $100-200+ Focusrite.

 

Polar Pattern

For most uses, Cardioid is the best.  If your mic has multi patterns, set it to Cardioid.  It captures audio mostly from the intended source the capsule is facing and rejects a lot of background noise.  Bidirectional and Omnidirectional will pick up more background noise.

 

Dynamic vs. Condenser

• The pros of Dynamics: More durable, resistant to physical damage and moisture, making them superior for live events.  More options (than Condenser) in the <$50 price range.
• The cons of a Dynamic: They generally require a lot more gain to get the same volume output as a Condenser.   (Buying an additional pre-amp just to get the same thing as a Condenser provides without needing one is an unnecessary cost).  Dynamics generally pick up a more limited range of frequencies compared to Condensers, often rolling off shortly after 10KHz 
• Neither Dynamics nor Condensers necessarily sound inherently better.  There are great mics for both Condenser and Dynamic.  Condenser's wider range of frequencies makes it a better option for home and studio environments in my option, but it's up to personal preference.

 

Background Noise

Beyond polar pattern, the differences in background noise rejection between different mics isn't significant.  Rather than searching for a mic that picks up less background noise, it's more constructive to work on recording environment and recording technique because those will make more a difference.  Buying a Dynamic microphone isn't a fix for background noise; it'll pick up less volume, but once the gain is boosted to an appropriate amount, the noise will be amplified too.  Mics are designed to pick up noise and have no way to distinguish what noise you intend vs. what noise you don't intend for it to capture. 

 

Online Reviews

There are Youtube videos of mic reviews, but make sure the reviewer is using proper mic technique.  There are a lot of Youtubers who do not understand proper mic technique.  They speak too close to the mic, or they're not facing the capsule properly, or they're not using a pop filter or they're recording next to a wall in an untreated bedroom.  Also, it can be misleading to judge background noise rejection from a Youtube review.  If their output volume is low, it may deceivingly appear like it's rejecting background noise.  If their output volume is high, or they're in a noisy environment or they have terrible mic placement/technique, a mic could deceivingly appear like it picks up more noise.  Also, when possible, listen to blind mic comparisons.  Brand names, prices, marketing and aesthetic qualities could influence pre-concieved biases.

 

Frequency Response

On websites like recording-hacks.com, there are graphs that show the tonality of the microphone (from left/low frequencies to right/high frequencies).  Horizontally are what frequencies you get, and vertically is how much of each frequency you get.  Using metrics like this to describe the tone is a lot more precise than using vague words like 'warm', 'soothing', 'luxurious'. 

 

TLDR

If you have a very tight budget, find a Behringer C-1U on ebay.

If you have $120 or so, MXL V67G + Behringer UM2 + Amazonbasics XLR cable + cheap wind screen + an affordable mic stand.

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Regarding frequency response, what frequencies you prefer is up to you preference.  Though, generally, to be versatile for all sorts of applications, it's good to have a mostly flat set of frequencies with a subtle boosts for color and flavor.

 

 

This is why I think the V67G (the graph in the picture), for example, is really an excellent microphone that compares to microphones several times its price.  It's mostly flat and captures just about all of the frequencies in human hearing; it has a bright top-end to add some clarity to the voice, but it doesn't sacrifice in the mid and bass.