Need a mic

[crappyjones123]

Need something to use with my surface pro 4 (usb or something wireless). I also have a cheap 1 square inch usb dac that I can plug in a 1/8" Jack for headphones and mics. Purpose is to record talks, presentations, lectures etc while I present/write on the surface pro. I currently have a zalman zm1 mic from my gaming days that I am currently using but I have to hold it to my face the whole time which is unprofessional and well, after holding the mic there for ~2 to 3 hours, my arm cramps pretty bad (it doesn't have a clip that I could use to clip it to my shirt/lapel). Google search has led me to mics and receivers and Wi-Fi extenders and god knows what else. Budget is $300. I need something reliable and good. Some lecture/talks might be published so don't want microphonic cables - the zalman Mic is absolutely horrible when it comes to this. 

@Knuckledragger, Brent said to check with you, but if anyone else has suggestions, please share them. I was recently gifted a blue yeti microphone and it is great for desktop use. It's a fantastic mic overall but not exactly portable. 

 

Thoughts/suggestions?

[Dusty Chalk]

Sounds like you need a lapel mic, like they give the guests on talk shows.  Or one of those hands-free microphones, like they have on TedTalks.

[grawk]

neumann rsm-191

[ironbut]

If you don't have to record the audio to the Surface, it would open a lot of budget alternatives (wireless mics aren't cheap since they need a mic, transmitter and reciever).

If you use a smartphone, you could record the audio on it and run a mic with a short cable from your lapel to your pocket. I think Rode makes a free recording app.

You could also buy a small flash recorder like the ones from Olympus. They have several models under $100 and they also sell lavalier mic that goes with them. 

Check Amazon for the Olympus stuff.

Sound Pros is a good place for portable mics/court reporting/field recording/interviewing stuff

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category/119/mics

Edited May 26, 2017 by ironbut

[crappyjones123]

I use snagit from techsmith to get record a screencapture from the surface pro with audio from the source I select (currently the zalman mic). I have tried using the built in mic in the surface but a few seconds after the recording starts the surface fan starts spinning at max rpm and that noise gets into the video. I would like to avoid adding another step to the whole process of adding the audio from the iPhone to the screen capture and then have to sync it. So looking for something I can plug in directly into the surface or something that Snagit will recognize even if it is a wireless device. Those tend to be outside my budget anyways so looking for wired solutions I guess. 

 

I'll check out that website. Thank you. 

[CarlSeibert]

Last time I looked at the microphone page in the B&H catalog, there seemed to be a lot of the sort of mics that hang on a boom off your ear. The sort of thing that priests and infomercial salesmen seem to favour. Wired, though. Not too spendy.

 

I have an Audio Technica lav that works fine with my Mac laptop. Not the most wonderful mic, but it was about $30 on Amazon. It has about 15 feet of skinny cable.

 

Don't know of any wireless setups in your price range. I have the spread spectrum Rode lav and I like it ok. But it's a few hundred dollars.

 

 

[ironbut]

Never used Snagit but it looks like a great tool for doing lectures.

If you ever need an easy to use solution for marrying audio and screencast/video, I use ScreenFlow. It is awesome. The majority of the DIY Youtube instructional videos you see are made with it. 

 

[CarlSeibert]

On 5/27/2017 at 11:42 PM, ironbut said:

ScreenFlow

Thanks.

I Use ISHowYou, which is OK, but occasionally the audio drifts in time.

I'll keep ScreenFlow in mind if I ever get annoyed enough to look for a new solution.

[crappyjones123]

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/smartLavPls

Would this be a reasonable choice? 

[ironbut]

Looks good.

I have a couple of Rode mics and they're awesome for the money.

Small mics like that punch way above their weight. 

Their achilles heel is usually sound pressure handling. Unless you're singing on Broadway, I think 110db should be fine (great ones can handle upwards to 140db!).

[crappyjones123]

Last night I used an oversized paper clip (the clamp type) to affix the Mic to my shirt. Seemed to work well in the 5 second test I did. Will try it with an hour long talk to see if the paperclip adds noise to the recording when it moves or keeps the Mic in a steady position. 

[ironbut]

It didn't come with a clip?

 

[crappyjones123]

Check out the zalman zm 1 mic. It's the mic I used when I used to play counter strike. It has a little clip thing that attaches to the headphone cable as that was the intended use. It wasn't designed to be used clipped to a shirt perhaps.