best microphone you can get?

[Rocko]

what is pretty much the best microphone you can get?

[comefightme]

Those on the flimsy headphones you find in your school's computer lab

[KemoKa]

Those on the flimsy headphones you find in your school's computer lab

My brother uses a pair of Turtle Beach headphones. The microphone died, so what he ended up doing is putting his mouth up to the speakers and talking and the speakers actually worked as a makeshift microphone. They actually sent an audible signal to the line-in jack. So they're the best.

/s

[ThatCarlosGuy]

define "best"... 

[Rocko]

define "best"... 

like well over $1,000. best audio quality

[TheCatWithAPlanYT]

for me I use a rode NT-USB mic. it will set you back about 190 dollars aus.

 

also i use a headset that has the most perfect sounding mic ever ... RIG 500HD that also cost 120 dollars aus  

 

​you can also get a program called voice meeter that can improve the quality of you're mic  

[comefightme]

My brother uses a pair of Turtle Beach headphones. The microphone died, so what he ended up doing is putting his mouth up to the speakers and talking and the speakers actually worked as a makeshift microphone. They actually sent an audible signal to the line-in jack. So they're the best.

/s

Thanks for the "/s" at the end, if not for it I would thought that what you wrote was completely legit and go on using the webcam as a monitor

 

 

 

/s           <-- most useful and indispensable "/s" of the year

[KemoKa]

Thanks for the "/s" at the end, if not for it I would thought that what you wrote was completely legit and go on using the webcam as a monitor

 

 

 

/s           <-- most useful and indispensable "/s" of the year

No, the /s was actually just for the "it's the best ever". My brother literally cannot use his microphone as a microphone. It's dead. It's gone. But the speakers work fine, for whatever reason. Both as a microphone and as a speaker.

[comefightme]

No, the /s was actually just for the "it's the best ever". My brother literally cannot use his microphone as a microphone. It's dead. It's gone. But the speakers work fine, for whatever reason. Both as a microphone and as a speaker.

Wait, so the speakers actually worked as microphones? Holy hell cover your monitors the government can see!!!1!!!!1111!!11!!!!

[GlassBomb]

When you are getting into high-end microphones. Then there normally isn't one that's better than the other ones. They are just different from one another. They all deliver slightly different sounds.

 

And if you really want to get high-end recording audio, then I highly suggest going the XLR route, just keep in mind that you need a mix board and all of that stuff.

[Rocko]

When you are getting into high-end microphones. Then there normally isn't one that's better than the other ones. They are just different from one another. They all deliver slightly different sounds.

 

And if you really want to get high-end recording audio, then I highly suggest going the XLR route, just keep in mind that you need a mix board and all of that stuff.

how do I get an XLR port on my computer?

[GlassBomb]

how do I get an XLR port on my computer?

 

You get one of these, and hook it up to the computer. If you just want to go the easier USB route, then you can look at something like the Audio Technica AT-2020

 

[ALwin]

what is pretty much the best microphone you can get?

 

For what usage, what type and what sort of connection?  And of course, what's the maximum budget?

 

You're question is like asking "what's the best fruit you can buy?"

[jasonvp]

On 1/30/2016 at 8:21 AM, Rocko said:

how do I get an XLR port on my computer?

There's a lot for you to learn here.  I'm not trying to discourage you from your search, but you're getting into a different world WRT audio stuff when you start talking about XLR powered microphones.  These are the things guys in studios (or on stage) use.  It doesn't mean you can't use them at home (I do), but just understand there's a bit that goes into it.

First, decide on the mic.  Rode makes some phenomenal USB and XLR-connected microphones.  Some of the best out there.  The USB ones will obviously be a bit more limited in their range than the XLR ones will because they're picking up their power (mics need power, all of them do) from the USB port.  XLR mics, on the other hand, need to be juiced from a mixer board with an amp.

My gear looks like so:

• Rode Procaster mic
• Mackie 402VLZ4 mixer
• Sound Blaster ZxR card
• 1/4 inch to RCA cable (dual)

My Mackie mixer does not have a USB output, so I had to get those 1/4"-to-RCA cables to connect the mixer's "Main Out" to the sound card's RCA input.  I actually like that solution better because I'm not terribly keen on using USB for any sort of sound.  Either way, this solution works quite well and is somewhat affordable, depending on your definition of that word.

[Philosobyte]

4 hours ago, jasonvp said:

snip

Rode's presence in the higher end of audio is limited to shotgun/video microphones. On the studio side, they're not in the high-end space where DPA, Schoeps, Gefell, Neumann, etc. reside. 

Only condenser microphones need power. Ribbon and dynamic microphones don't use phantom power (ribbon microphones are actually damaged by it). A USB port actually provides far more than enough power for a microphone to function at maximum capacity. USB 2.0 provides 500mA while USB 3.0 provides 900mA at 5V, and condenser microphones tend to draw 4mA to 8mA at 48V. That's how there are such great interfaces such as the Babyface Pro which run off of bus power. But you are correct in that most USB microphones are limited by their internal A/D converters, which typically only convert to 16 bit instead of 24 bit because microphone manufacturers cheap out on the converters. Also, audio signals from microphones are juiced not by an amp, but rather a preamp. 

As for the OP's question, the Sony C-800G is one of the most sought-after vocal microphones, and it is prevalent in popular music recordings. The Neumann U87 is an extremely versatile and legendary microphone often used for vocal and orchestral recordings. The DPA 4006-A is one of the best omnidirectional microphones for use in instrumental/orchestral recordings (particularly piano). Pretty much all microphones by Neumann, DPA, Schoeps, Gefell, and Earthworks compete as the best for their use case scenarios. Sennheiser and AKG make some low-end microphones, but their higher-end stuff is also up there with the others I mentioned. I'm sure there are other top microphone manufacturers I haven't mentioned - I'm more of a low-end kind of guy, so my knowledge is limited in this area.