Post-Episode Notes #2

The second episode is live and with a significant improvement in sound quality. I didn’t want to commit until I was sure we were serious about the project. But after listening to the draft cut of the pilot episode and noticing how much sound quality affects the listening experience, I had to get a proper mic.

As a rule, I don’t buy any tech or gear without first doing extensive research. And I find YouTube to be quite helpful in providing a precursory understanding of gear I have no prior experience with.

Of the many channels I scoured through, I found this guy who delivers comprehensive and in-depth mic reviews, recommendations, and tests for a wide variety of mics specifically to improve youtube and podcast audio or video quality.

With his help, I decided on the Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB. The retail price is a little higher than what my budget would allow but I managed to find a secondhand one from Amazon.

Right out the box, the mic looks expensive. The metallic grilled mesh and the sleek handle looked like what someone who knows what they are doing might use. I appreciate the desktop stand it comes with while I wait to upgrade to a better, more professional rig. It’s easy to use, no special configuration or installation needed, just plug and play. It also comes with both USB and XLR output in the off chance I go pro one day who knows.

Now the downside of this mic – and I knew what I was going to have to give up in exchange for better sound quality and accessories – is that there is no way to control the volume of the monitor coming from the mic. It is something I can live without although I do generally prefer being able to hear what I sound like through the mic. The current setup is way too loud and unchangeable.

I also found that using noise-cancelling headphones while recording isn’t helpful because then I would have trouble hearing myself speak and that distracts my train of thought. The only way around it right now is to use the wired Apple earphones so I can both hear myself and my collaborator as clearly as possible.

The other slightly annoying thing is where the mute button is located. It really is just an on/off switch slide on the handle of the mic. Having this is convenient for conference calls except the noise from sliding the button almost definitely gets picked up while recording. It wouldn’t matter for general use but any minor interference is surely noticeable in post.

These misgivings are nonetheless negligible when compared with the price for the quality. All in all, I am largely satisfied with my first mic purchase.