Best buy for microphone

[Snarky]

I'm conducting a group discussion over skype for a podcast. A couple of guys don't have microphones and want advice about what kind of microphone to buy.
I'm not sure these people have a future in podcasting, but may do one or two in the next few months. I don't want them to waste their money on a total piece of junk, but I don't want them to buy something that may beyond their needs.
Do any of you have suggestions?
If not models, how about specs requirements so we get a decent dynamic range.

[Reaching for Lucidity]

Looking at the situation you stated, I would really look at the Mic that I used when I did my first show upgrade from the PC mic. I used a dynamic mic made by the company Stagg. I tried some of their knockoff Strat guitars and was so impressed that I tried their mics. Stagg makes their equipment based on leading equipment but charge bargain prices. I used the MD 4000, it is a good mic and did me well.

I have since moved on to a better condenser mic along with better software and M-audio USB equipment. The thing is that the Stagg was my first good sounding mic and it was also very affordable. Check it out if you can. It is not the be all and end all, but it is a high quality product for the price, which is cheaper than some karaoke mics, which is sweet.

Here are the specs, it has a tighter sound pattern (Directivity) than most cardioids, giving a more directed area of sound capture which helps with noise reduction for the cheaper mic.

Quality Dynamic Microphone, "Retro" design, for vocalists and musicians - Polar Pattern: Cardioid - Output Impedance: 500 Ohm ± 30% @ 1 Khz - Sensitivity : -71 dB ± 3 dB (0 dB = 1V/µbar @ 1 Khz) - Freq. Response: 80 Hz to 15 Khz: Directivity > -30 dB @180°(average) - Body material: Metal - Net Weight: 303g - supplied in protection box including 6 m XLR/Phone plug cable - Colour: Champagne

http://www.musiccorner.co.uk/images/md-4000s.jpg

It also comes in black

[X Pat Radio]

I'm conducting a group discussion over skype for a podcast. A couple of guys don't have microphones and want advice about what kind of microphone to buy.
I'm not sure these people have a future in podcasting, but may do one or two in the next few months. I don't want them to waste their money on a total piece of junk, but I don't want them to buy something that may beyond their needs.
Do any of you have suggestions?
If not models, how about specs requirements so we get a decent dynamic range.

I use a Sure SM57 with a windscreen, less than $100

[pwfenton]

I'm conducting a group discussion over skype for a podcast. A couple of guys don't have microphones and want advice about what kind of microphone to buy.
I'm not sure these people have a future in podcasting, but may do one or two in the next few months. I don't want them to waste their money on a total piece of junk, but I don't want them to buy something that may beyond their needs.
Do any of you have suggestions?
If not models, how about specs requirements so we get a decent dynamic range.

I gather from your question that these folks will be using these mics mainly to talk on Skype. They would probably do best with a headset with mini-plugs for the earphones and the microphone that can plug directly into a computer sound card like the ones made by Plantronics. If you use a more "professional" mic that has XLR connectors, then you are going to need either a mixer, or some sort of adapter in order to connect them to their PCs. In this case... and for this purpose... simpler is better.

[Snarky]

Thanks.
Yes, I think the headset types will probalby be the best bet for these guys. Although, I may be looking to spend a little more on a mic for myself.
As for the cheap mic/phones combos, what specs should I look for get the largest dynamic range? Would this be the fequency response? If so, is the standard 100Hz - 8kHz response sufficent? Ie- would someone be able to talk i n a normal voice and then laugh without redlining everything?
thanks!

[Snarky]

Allright, another related question. Which do you suggest for mic/headset combo used with skype, USB or analog?

[pwfenton]

Thanks.
Yes, I think the headset types will probalby be the best bet for these guys. Although, I may be looking to spend a little more on a mic for myself.
As for the cheap mic/phones combos, what specs should I look for get the largest dynamic range? Would this be the fequency response? If so, is the standard 100Hz - 8kHz response sufficent? Ie- would someone be able to talk i n a normal voice and then laugh without redlining everything?
thanks!

The ability to clearly record soft speech followed by a loud burst of laughter without "redlining" or distorting is not a product of the microphone as much as it is a product of the recording equipment. A limiter is a piece of equipment (also available as software) that can instantly adjust the gain of a microphone to allow for such changes in volume.

[pwfenton]

Allright, another related question. Which do you suggest for mic/headset combo used with skype, USB or analog?

If it is only for use with skype then the simplest is a USB headset. However if you ever planned on connecting it to a mixer, then you must go with analog.

A USB microphone is like a combination microphone and computer sound card that can only be connected to that one microphone.

[BrianGentry]

With respect to analog versus digital headsets:

What PW says is true, but most mixers won't work with an analog headset of the type that you usually buy for computers. It's more than just the fact that they use and 1/8" connector. The main problem is that most of these (like my $40 plantronics) use electrolet mics, which require a small (in the realm of 3 Volts) bias voltage to operate. As such, I don't know of any mixer that can use those mics. The +48 Volts of phantom power won't work with them (and probably will destroy them).

You can build or buy a battery box, plus use convertors, but that's really going to a lot of trouble.

I know that Leo Laporte and the TWIT guys use Senheiser headsets for their podcast, but they spent serious dollars on theirs. I think in the $450 range per headset. Plus they had to solder on their own connectors, as that's how some "pro" headsets come.

My overall point is simple: Only a "real" headset mic can be used with a mixer, where real means "not an electrolet".

Brian.

[WildeGeek]

...most mixers won't work with an analog headset of the type that you usually buy for computers. It's more than just the fact that they use and 1/8" connector. The main problem is that most of these (like my $40 plantronics) use electrolet mics,
You mean ELECTRET condenser (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphone#Electret_capacitor_microphones) microphones. (Note that while the term condenser is widely used, the more correct term is capacitor.)

which require a small (in the realm of 3 Volts) bias voltage to operate.
They require that voltage to power an on-board amplifier, not to bias the diaphragm capsule.

Unlike a high-end DC polarized condenser mic, an electret capsule doesn't require a polarizing or bias voltage. Instead an electrostatic charge is permanently applied across a pair of metal plates, which are separated by a very good insulator (such as ceramic or plastic). That's good, because that polarizing voltage has to be in the 30V - 200V range for the mic to be at all effective. It's expensive and inefficient to provide that polarizing voltage in small, battery-powered devices.

However, every condenser microphone does require an amplifier physically close to the diaphragm. That's because the signal output of the capsule itself is such extremely low power that some amplification is required before the signal can be sent down any length of wire, and expect to get there without accumulating an unacceptable amount of noise.

As such, I don't know of any mixer that can use those mics. The +48 Volts of phantom power won't work with them (and probably will destroy them).
True.

You can build or buy a battery box, plus use convertors, but that's really going to a lot of trouble.
For someone who doesn't have an hands-on electronics experience, this is probably true.

My overall point is simple: Only a "real" headset mic can be used with a mixer, where real means "not an electrolet".
This is plain wrong. There are some very good microphones out there that are electret condensers. For example, among mics I use, the Audio Technica ST825 (http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/f43693e797dfbe09/index.html) stereo mic or the Shure SM-81 (http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/WiredMicrophones/us_pro_SM81-LC_content) studio microphone. Both of those mics have XLR connectors, and are even designed to work on 12V-48V phantom power.

If the microphone specs say electret polarized, permanently polarized, or fixed-charge, then it IS an electret condenser.

The difference you're concerned with is really about the electronics following the microphone capsule: How they've been designed to be powered, and what kind of connector interfaces the mic to downstream equipment.

So the problem with using your $40 plantronics headset is not it's microphone capsule type, but rather the design of its amplifier and connector. But you're right that it probably is too much trouble to make that headset work with a mixer that has XLR mic inputs.