Microphone shock mounts?

[Extrememining]

do shock mount actually help with mic quality. i have just bought my first stand up mic and i was wondering if i should get a shock mount and what it does.

[LancerBG]

if you dont move your mic or bump shit around you really dont need one. they do not help with voice quality at all. 

[Extrememining]

if you dont move your mic or bump shit around you really dont need one. they do not help with voice quality at all. 

thanks defiantly going to get one then! i have 2 dogs and a cat running around my office a lot. 

[ALwin]

A shock mount is mainly to reduce the camera's vibrations (shutter, zoom, AF) or any vibrations from where the mic is mounted.  To improve voice quality, such as when you are holding the mic close to the speaker's mouth and their breathing gets recorded, you need a wind cover/screen to reduce the noise.

 

What kind of mic do you have?

[ALwin]

Foam screens

 

 

Dead cats

Blockers

[Extrememining]

A shock mount is mainly to reduce the camera's vibrations (shutter, zoom, AF) or any vibrations from where the mic is mounted.  To improve voice quality, such as when you are holding the mic close to the speaker's mouth and their breathing gets recorded, you need a wind cover/screen to reduce the noise.

 

What kind of mic do you have?

i an getting a cheap condenser mic about £20

[ALwin]

i an getting a cheap condenser mic

 

Make sure you get a good one, that will also determine quality.  And the shape of the microphone will determine what sort of shock mounts and wind screens/blockers can be attached.

[Extrememining]

Make sure you get a good one, that will also determine quality.  And the shape of the microphone will determine what sort of shock mounts and wind screens/blockers can be attached.

thanks might get a dead cat to put on it

[Vivilacqua1]

thanks might get a dead cat to put on it

just kill the one in your office.

[Guest Ranterbach]

The point of a shock mount in your use-case is to prevent vibrations on the desk from being transferred up the stand and being picked up by the microphone itself. Common examples of unwanted vibrations would include: you setting things on your desk, tapping your fingers on the desk, sliding things across the desk, and (big one) hammering away on your keyboard. Without a shock mount, every time you type something the people on the other end of your Skype call will hear a noise like someone is thumping their skull. 

In essence, the shock mount isolates the microphone from external vibrations. 

As a general tip for condenser mics (and mics in general), I strongly suggest you purchase a boom arm. The best way to combat background noises being picked up by the mic is to turn it down. This means that your face needs to be about 3 inches from the mic. I use a standard round pop filter with my AT2020, and the tip of my nose is in contact with the upper rim of the pop filter when I'm speaking. I keep the mic volume in my VoIP clients low enough that my voice is transmitted at an appropriate volume when my nose is touching the pop filter, but background noises are not picked up.