Looking for a dedicated microphone for YouTube / Twitch / General Podcast.

[Kaidesa]

Hey guys!

 

As mentioned in my previous posts, I mostly do the whole YouTube and Twitch thing as my primary source of income, so audio quality is a constant concern for me.

 

At the moment, I'm looking for a single microphone solution with a budget of $150.

 

Things to keep in mind:

1. My apartment, while nice, and soundproofed as best as possible with my limited budgeting issues, is VERY loud.
2. I do not have the money to dish out for pre-amps and all that noise, so XLR mics are out of the question.

I'd like to find a microphone within my budget that works with a cardioid pattern, that also does a decent job in ignoring as much background noise as possible.  I don't mind buying used equipment, either.  Again, I have a $150 budget, so I'm definitely not afraid to cut costs whenever possible.

 

I basically just want something that sounds nice, that won't pick up the constantly slamming doors in my apartment complex.  It happens way too often, and lately has been so bad that people have been complaining about it while watching my stream.  MOST of the noise comes from in front of me, but occasionally from behind, so I figured the cardioid pattern would take care of most of the noise by its very nature.

 

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be grateful.

[Fictionvl]

Get a blue yeti, w/ pop filter and a suspension boom, all should cost around 130-140 depending on where you get it

Edit : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VA464S?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Scroll down a bit

[Kaidesa]

I was kind of hoping to stay away from the Blue Yeti.  As much as I believe the sound of the microphone is pretty darn good, I've also heard from many people that it excels in picking up background noise, even when the gain and volume elsewhere is relatively low.

 

Were this to be the case, I think considering my apartment situation, it wouldn't exactly be the best fit for me.

[Samfisher]

Get the AT2020, much lighter, doesn't need a custom shock mount and almost any boom arm can support it's weight properly and sounds marginally better than the Blue Yeti anyway.  Any low cost mic would almost always be a condenser mic, which the BY and AT2020 are.  If you don't want background noise, you want to get a dynamic mic and those cost a lot for decent ones.

[Minzo]

I was kind of hoping to stay away from the Blue Yeti.  As much as I believe the sound of the microphone is pretty darn good, I've also heard from many people that it excels in picking up background noise

 

 

This is the case with Blue Snowball too. Just so you know.

[ThatOneRussian]

at2020 would be the best

[CierroMierdo]

A dynamic mic is what you need if you are suffering from background noise. Get an Audio Technica 2100 since it is like a Rode Podcaster (both are dynamic mics), though both just styled differently. Functionality-wise, both are similar anyways. If you can get a used Rode Podcaster, get that one instead. Both are USB mics.

Anyone who recommends a condenser mic for guys who are in a place thats loud needs to be more considerate. Trust me, I help a friend from time to time when he's making his own covers, and his room is as soundproofed as what alot of pros would do for recording. Guess what? He lives in a really noisy place and the soundproofing doesn't cut it. Do you guys know how much time it takes to meticulously get noise-reduction correct in audio post-production? So, thats why I had him switch to the 2100 since it essentially cuts off the need to apply noise reduction.

[CierroMierdo]

Seriously, though... posts #2-6 remind me of a smart-ass in another section here in LTT who says he's a consultant in his signature when his reply is based on skimmed reading that HAPPENS TO MISS OUT ON IMPORTANT DETAILS! Alot of you guys should atleast be patient on reading everything. If you guys think OP's thread is too long to bother reading and just base it on key words too much, its better that you guys don't bother recommending at all.


Sorry, I'm on my man-period. I've seen too many posts, my posts included, that are based on lazy reading and excessive skimming, and for goodness sakes I've read a thread thats as long as Rockstar's EULA on GTA V and even bothered to cook an answer for that. But since I lost my patience on reading the entire thing, I just didn't answer. Seriously, the important points in OP's thread are already in numbers 1 and 2... HOW COULD YOU GUYS MISS THAT?