I'm glad the CB+ forum has this section because these questions have nothing to do with comics. But frankly, you guys are the only friends I can access right now whom I trust to offer authentic help.
I want to buy a microphone to use for voiceovers and the like. I want a good quality mike that will work with programs like Adobe Soundbooth / Audition and Audacity. I am not a professional musician and I have no pro audio equipment, but I want something better than a webcam mike or the one built into my laptop. My legacy microphone, a Sony ECM-959A, will not work with either my PC or my Mac--super low signal level, almost inaudible. Maybe I need a pre-amp. Maybe the mike is shot. I know that some of you have professional music experience. I hope that you can recommend a mid-priced microphone that will fit my modest needs. I prefer a corded mike with the 3.5mm plug. Despite "plug-and-play" claims, neither Windows nor Mac play well with unrecognized USB devices, which means a good 50% of what's out there.
I've searched online for something in the $100-150 US range. Instead all I find are super-cheap ($25 to $45) mikes promising professional results or truly professional units ranging from $400 to $700. Surely there's a middle ground. Most frustrating of all, how the *&%$# does one find reliable online reviews by real people who don't have a vested interest in selling you a product??!!
Forgive me a (hopefully) short rant. I can't express how frustrated I am after hours of trying to find usable information about the different microphones offered for sale. Every seller, be he on eBay and Amazon or in online stores, shows exactly the same stock photos of exactly the same products with exactly the same information. Sometimes the brand name changes but brand names are useless. Google them for reviews and you just get more sellers of the same unit or sites like "professionalmicrophonereviews.com" featuring vague, suspiciously similar reviews. These reviews do mention negative points at the end--some even say "poor sound quality!"--but the main review is always glowingly positive and there's always a "buy it on Amazon" link close by. Page after page after page of this stuff. You can skip to the 15th result page and it's still mostly this kind of "review." If not, it's the bot-generated reviews that go like, "This is a review of the Bozo Professional Microphone with full accessory kit and 15V power supply. The Bozo Professional Microphone with full accessory kit and 15V power supply are perfect for podcast, music, and the voice. The Bozo Professional Microphone with full accessory kit and 15V power supply is plug and play and will work with PC and phone. Just plug the Bozo Professional Microphone with full accessory kit and 15V power supply into the microphone connect. The device will immediately recognize the Bozo Professional Microphone with full accessory kit and 15V power supply and..." you get the idea. My favorites, though, come from sites like "crasmkrglblonlinegoodfact.com" and the entry titles are Artificial UNintelligence mash-ups like "Bozo professional microphone 5-speed manual transmission big breasts."
End of rant. Anyway, I'd welcome any input from the real (or nearly-so) humans who lurk around CB+. I realize that my being in the States and so many of you being in GB, Australia, etc. may make a difference. But maybe not. This cursed thing called Internet has definitely internationalized commerce. Especially cheap, shabby commerce.
Author
Topic: Microphones. Yes, Microphones. (Read 2166 times)
