The most important thing in video is audio. The equipment you use to capture the sound of your voice should not be overlooked. But which microphone should you choose? Answer: it depends. Yes but from what? Well, you'll see, eager as you are.
In summary:
- What microphone should I choose if I want to spend a minimum?
- What microphone should I choose if I have a small budget?
- What microphone should I choose if I want to please myself?
But before we start, we can ask ourselves why. Take Care of the Audio More than video In a webinar?
You just need to put yourself in a situation to understand that a speaker with poor video quality but a suitable sound will get their messages across better than the other way around.
Now let's move on to our subject.
What microphone should I choose for my webinar if I want to spend a minimum?
The first step is to look at what's already available to you: wireless headphones like Airpods? Are wired earbuds in good condition with a built-in mic? It is possible not to go any further than that as most will do.
To make sure you have the right sound, Avoid Rooms with a Lot of Echo or noisy environments.
So of course, you're going to lose out on the look.
Getting into the codes of live requires a bit of investment but in exchange you will gain a lot in image. In shorts, you'll look more professional.
The good news is that it's possible on a low budget. That is what the next paragraph is about.
What microphone should I choose for my webinar if I have a small budget?
One day, an engineer created the USB port. Since then, we have been walking around with cables and it is not always easy. But the advantage is that we can connect everything on our computers, tablets, and smartphones. Even microphones.
USB microphones offer excellent sound quality and bring that more professional look that we like at Voilà.
So which reference should you choose? There are a plethora of microphones on the market. So rather than advising you on a specific reference, we are going to tell you which ones we tested:
The Blue Range: microphones with a classic style:
- Blue Ice: Very Small and Available for Around Fifty Euros
- The Blue Yeti: It's the iconic microphone for podcasters. It's beautiful, sturdy, and available in multiple colors. Count 120 euros. It exists in a Nano version, smaller at the same price.
The only complaint that can be made to these microphones is the absence of a USB-C port, which will require an adapter if your PC or Mac is recent.
The Logitech Range: microphones with a gaming look.
They are the cousins of the Blue Range because Logitech bought Blue a few years ago. You will therefore find an equivalent of the Yeti and the Ice with The advantage of offering a wider USB-C connection in the long term.
After that, you have to stick to the gamer look with multi-colored LED etc...
It also exists Other brands or Elgato who specialized in USB microphones.
What microphone should I choose if I want to please myself?
Here, we fall into the heavyweight category. So, you have to think big!
We Don't Talk About Microphones Anymore But About Audio setup To go all the way to the end of the process.
Here We Are Going to Talk About Microphone with an XLR connection. These microphones require At the very least To Have An external sound card with XLR ports.
Here's a combo to get you started:
- The Sound Card M-Audio Mtrack Solo + a Beringher XM8500 microphone that is both solid and has the look of a legendary microphone, the Shure SM58
- To refine your look, opt for studio headphones like the AKG K92.
The whole thing will cost you less than 150 euros.
To go further, here is the setup we use for Voilà L'ÉMISSION:
- A sound card Universal Audio Volt 176 : for its inimitable grain, its ergonomics and its manufacturing quality
- A Shure SH55 mic (black version): for the sound of course but also for the look; (to be completed with A spacer In order to make it compatible with... The ultra-practical microphone holder: the Rode PSA1
- A helmet Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80ohm For Monitoring
Here is the result:
You are now ready for long hours of Webinar or podcasting At a contained price!
Of course, all of this is compatible with the Voilà Web Studio.
It's up to you to play now! And for that, we invite you to test Voilà, our all-in-one tool for your internal and external webinars of course:
📬 Management of participants, mailing campaigns, automation of reminders.
🛜 A website to broadcast your webinar, highly customizable to adapt to your brand.
🎬 A web studio to produce and broadcast your own show without having to use a control room.
🕹️ Live activities such as quizzes, polls, word clouds etc. to keep the attention of your participants.
🧰 Call to action to be activated live to suggest making an appointment during, downloading a white paper, organizing a competition etc.
📺 Broadcast of the replay just after the live.
📊 Ultra-advanced balance, with super stylish graphs
See you soon on Voilà!