Microphones for Zoom & Teams Meetings for Beginners

In this episode, we cover the basics you need to know when choosing a USB microphone for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or any other online meetings. We teach you the difference between dynamic and condenser microphones and when you might want to choose each. We cover directionality, also referred to as polar patterns. And then we demo two different USB microphones — the Shure MV7 and the RODE NT-USB Mini.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

#Microphone #Zoom #Teams

Index:
00:00 Start
00:17 Summary
00:27 Introduction and secrets to better sound
03:24 Dynamic microphones
04:24 Condenser microphones
05:44 Directionality
06:07 Omni-directional polar patterns
07:36 Cardioid polar patterns
08:54 Condenser microphone sample RODE NT-USB Mini
09:22 NT-USB Mini male voice sample
09:29 NT-USB Mini female voice sample
09:39 Shure MV7
10:10 Shure MV7 male sample
10:18 Shure MV7 female sample
10:28 Which type of microphone should you choose?
11:04 Where to find more samples of other types of microphones?
11:24 Microphone stands - future episode
11:48 Please buy my courses

[tombuck]

This is an awesome guide! I’ve been recommending the MV7 more and more because it’s so easy to use and get to sound good. I also noticed that they’ve updated the included windscreen so it’s not as prone to plosives as it was originally. 👍

[alexeytheinterpreter]

Curtis talking right into the back side of a cardioid mic is still able to produce a better sounding video than 99, 99% of all Zoom speakers out there.

[wenjietang]

Professional, practical, comprehensive and succinct. Many thanks Curtis.

[HeadsetAdvisor]

Well done! I'm glad you touched on reduction of mic quality when noise suppression of any kind is added in the mix. there's a common misconception we need to get better at explaining on our videos. We regularly get comments wondering why headset microphones with noise cancellation don't sound as good as your microphone in this video. And as you mentioned with noise cancellation of any kind, comes reduction of mic quality, but it sure beats callers hearing you in a coffee shop, kids screaming, dogs barking, co-workers talking etc..

[robertfeliciano]

I'm liking the 2:1 ratio and new font.

[A]

I think those mics you showed are more suitable for pod casts, youtube videos, or regular day to day Teams calls where you may or may not have video showing. However what if you have to attend a job interview over Zoom or Teams? I think in that scenario you don't always want the microphone to show in the frame of the video. In the examples you showed you have to get pretty close to the microphone in order to have decent audio quality which means the mic will have to be in the frame of the video.

[Nesh-segc]

Great job clearly describing the different uses of microphones. You covered the main types such as dynamic, condenser, and ribbon microphones and their specific applications, such as live performances, podcasting and studio recordings. You also highlighted the importance of microphone placement and the role it plays in capturing sound. Your explanation was easy to follow and informative, making it clear that you have a deep understanding of the subject. Keep up the good work!

[martonattila]

You clearly you know your stuff and you have it all the way you speak and how you explain to someone who can't make a difference between a microphone and a rock says it all! Congratz, thank you! Subbed! "I shall tell my friends about this channel - in a Clint Eastwood voice"

[Jongraphs]

Even as a non-beginner, this was a really good refresher. Thank you!

[ThePerfectDuck]

very well explained. I am looking for a mic for my MS Teams meetings and I am pretty sure I've found what I was looking for. thank you for a very useful video!

[djwavepad]

I think most people are just going to go straight for a blues Yeti just because it's so highly used on YouTube. And I will always say it's a good microphone. But what people don't realize it picks up a lot of background noise. But using a mic of any kind will definitely improve your sound quality compared to your web camera. And a lot of people don't realize the room they're in might be super echoey when they're doing a podcast or Zoom meeting

[SoundSpeeds]

Why didn't the U67 make your list? That's what Bandrew swears by

[mcguirebrannon]

Curtis, the 2:1 is looking mighty cinematic!

[nickobergshow]

The topic I was hoping could be covered is. How to process the audio for a video chat. Like how to add compression or EQ type things.

[gillesmatheronpro]

Great content as always, Curtis. Thank you for getting us back to those basics, that should never be forgotten... if one wants to get somehow serious about voice

[christophernoble]

Curtis, we love these professional informative videos — thank you! Both of these
mics get the best sound at around 6 inches… however, what would you recommend for someone (like me) who spends hours every day on Zoom calls but wants to move around more, swing back in the chair, dive forward to make a point and wave my arms around? What’s a step up from my built-in MacBook mic, but without the physical proximity requirements? This is probably what 90% of individual workers need, I would guess. Many thanks!

[SunriseWaterMedia]

Fantastic tips, Curtis. Definitely going to share this video.

[GB-AK]

I had a headset mic stop working just before a important WebEx meeting and I used my zoom H1N connected via USB. That worked surprising well.

[GavinAtkin]

I have a question that's related but a bit off to one side... literally. My wife and I take part in regular singaround/tunearounds, for which we have used a series of different ldcs and sdcs, mostly cardioid. We both sing, often together, and both play instruments, so we have to be set a bit back from the mic. The room we're using is a medium sized attic bedroom, with a large foam bed in the middle, and (mostly) sloping ceilings. We're using various mic stands draped with blankets and duvets to try to control reverberations (I don't think we could fit any more soft stuff into the room).

But I'm still not happy with the sound quality results we're getting: what the mic is picking up still seems a bit too 'room live' for comfort. To be fair, no-one is complaining about this except me, but I'd like to get it as nearly right as we can. So... Do any thoughts come to mind that I might not have thought of please? Thanks, Gavin

[BeardedPilotNerd]

Hey Curtis! Could you add a link in the description for the in-ear monitors you used in the video?