How to choose a microphone for your computer

When choosing a microphone for your computer, it is important to determine the purpose of its use. So, studio rooms designed for sound recording are of little use if you just need to communicate in voice chats. Conversely, low-level microphones provide too poor audio quality to be used for anything other than conversations.

How to choose a microphone for your computer: what to look for

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We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the experts' ratings of the best microphones for your computer.

When choosing a microphone, you need to pay attention to the following parameters:

1. Constructive performance;

2. Connection type;

3. Specifications (sound pressure, directivity, sensitivity level, operating frequency range);

4. Sound transmission mechanism.

And, of course, the scope is important. If you plan to use the microphone exclusively for communication in voice conferences and chats, it will be enough to pay attention only to the type of connection and design. The rest of the parameters are important when it comes to devices designed for sound recording.

Types of microphones for a computer

The design of the microphone largely determines its usability. These devices are available in the following configurations:

1. Buttonholes;

2. Desktop;

3. Headset (headphones with microphone).

The lavalier microphone is compact. It is placed directly on clothes and allows you to record sounds while actively moving or even being on the street. However, due to their small size, they do not provide very high quality sound – 'clean', 'deep' audio can only be achieved in very expensive models.

Table microphones can provide very high quality sound, especially top-end microphones. The design of such devices includes a special stand, thanks to which they can be placed on the surface. However, they have a drawback – when recording sound, you have to keep your head still, since changing the distance between the mouth and the microphone leads to jumps in the audio volume.

Headsets do not have this drawback, but, like buttonholes, they provide not very high-quality sound due to their compact size. However, some microphones of this type are equipped with hardware amplifiers and DACs, which increase the volume, clarity and density of the audio.

Headsets combine a microphone and headphone into one device, making them perfect for phone calls, voice conferences and chats.

Connection type

The microphone can connect to a computer in one of two ways:

1. 3.5mm audio jack;

2. Via USB.

The overwhelming majority of microphones imply connection through the 'jack'. This provides a number of advantages, including versatility and the ability to chain additional devices such as a preamp. However, the computer's sound card is responsible for converting the analog signal from the microphone to digital audio, and therefore the quality of the finished recording may not be high – even if the device itself is “ top-end ''.

Microphones that connect to a computer via USB already have a DAC and other devices in their design. Therefore, they can provide high-quality sound even on computers with a 'weak' audio converter installed. But it's worth remembering that cheap USB microphones may have nothing but a sensor and a simple DAC.

Again, if you need a microphone only for communication, you can ignore the computer sound card, preamplifier, built-in DAC and other parameters.

Specifications

The following parameters affect the sound quality from the microphone:

1. Sound pressure;

2. Directivity;

3. Sensitivity;

4. Working frequency range.

Sound pressure refers to the maximum volume (in dB) that the microphone can record without distortion. The optimal value for this parameter is from 70-75 dB. If you plan to record loud sounds, then the sound pressure should be higher.

Directionality is a characteristic indicating the direction of the sound absorbing membrane. Microphones are omnidirectional and directional. The first ones pick up sounds from all sides of themselves, the second ones only come from a certain point. It is clear that directional microphones are better if you want to record speech. However, they cost significantly more than non-directional ones. And the result of the recording may ultimately seem unpleasant to listen to, due to the person's auditory habits.

The sensitivity level indicates the minimum volume of sound that the microphone can 'pick up'. It is very important to choose this parameter wisely. So, a microphone with a sensitivity level of 10-15 dB will easily pick up and record a person's whisper. However, it will capture ambient noise just as well. Therefore, you should not buy microphones with too high sensitivity.

The operating frequency range indicates how much of the audio frequency spectrum the microphone is able to pick up. The wider this parameter, the better. However, it is worth remembering that audible sound is in the range of 10-15000 Hz, and human speech is in the range of 100-10000 Hz.

Sound transmission mechanism

From the point of view of the mechanism of sound transmission, microphones can be condenser and dynamic. The former are distinguished by the highest quality recording and are used in studios – but at the same time they are very expensive. Therefore, buying a condenser microphone is advisable only if the audio received on it is subsequently published.

For communication, a cheap dynamic microphone will do. Moreover, modern models provide a very acceptable sound quality.

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In the following articles, our experts will tell you how to choose the right computer desk, the secrets of choosing a motherboard and a complete guide to choosing speakers for your computer.

Attention! This material is the subjective opinion of the authors of the project and is not a purchase guide.