Podcasting & Recording - First experience

[M_Rebux]

Hi everyone,
first message and I ask you for advice immediately.

I immediately apologize because I'm not native English and I could make some mistakes.

My request is perhaps a little particular, indeed let's say it is twofold. I will soon find myself having to create a podcast, which however will live on two distinct needs:

- In the first one there will be the "classic" podcasting with home recording. Microphone, pc, headphones (I already have headphones);
- In the second one, however, I'll need to record some sort of audio-interviews, probably from a bar counter and basically 1 to 1, therefore interlocutor + person who answers. It could also happen on a "normal" table. I can register in a non-open place, so without the confusion of the various people.

The advice I ask is inherent in both things: I need a microphone for home podcasting + a microphone that makes me recorded at a good quality in a situation as described in point 2.
Asking around, for the podcasting microphone I'm leaning towards the SHURE MV7 - https://www.shure.com/it-IT/prodotti/mi ... iant=MV7-K. I really like the possibility of having both USB and XLR connections (at the moment I don't think I will add a mixer, but in the future maybe I will).
I specify that I have no possibility of treating the room at the audio level. I know very well that it would be a starting point, but at this stage I won't be able to deal with this aspect, if not with the basic precautions.
The Shure looks cool but it certainly comes with a hefty price tag. Something else? Audiotechnica? rode? Of course it should only record voice.

For point 2, they recommended tools like the Zoom H1 - https://zoomcorp.com/it/it/handheld-rec ... -recorder/ or the Tascam DR-05X - https://www.tascam.eu/en/dr-05x
They should be able to "catch" 2 voices, say facing each other, maybe not too far apart. If so, do you recommend a stand to place it on the table? Or does it still need to be hand held? Again, they should only record voices.

Thanks

[Drew Stephenson]

Hi and welcome,

The advice I ask is inherent in both things: I need a microphone for home podcasting + a microphone that makes me recorded at a good quality in a situation as described in point 2.
Asking around, for the podcasting microphone I'm leaning towards the SHURE MV7 - https://www.shure.com/it-IT/prodotti/mi ... iant=MV7-K. I really like the possibility of having both USB and XLR connections (at the moment I don't think I will add a mixer, but in the future maybe I will).
I specify that I have no possibility of treating the room at the audio level. I know very well that it would be a starting point, but at this stage I won't be able to deal with this aspect, if not with the basic precautions.
The Shure looks cool but it certainly comes with a hefty price tag. Something else? Audiotechnica? rode? Of course it should only record voice.

The Shure is a nice mic and having the USB output means you don't need an audio interface (AI) to plug it into.

For point 2, they recommended tools like the Zoom H1 - https://zoomcorp.com/it/it/handheld-rec ... -recorder/ or the Tascam DR-05X - https://www.tascam.eu/en/dr-05x
They should be able to "catch" 2 voices, say facing each other, maybe not too far apart. If so, do you recommend a stand to place it on the table? Or does it still need to be hand held? Again, they should only record voices.

I would buy a small tripod to mount it off the table to one side so that each microphone is pointing at one of you. I.e. you, your guest and the recorder are three corners of a triangle.
If you put it on the table it's too easy for people to get excited and bang the table when they make a point - or for it to be knocked accidentally.

[M_Rebux]

Hi and welcome,

The advice I ask is inherent in both things: I need a microphone for home podcasting + a microphone that makes me recorded at a good quality in a situation as described in point 2.
Asking around, for the podcasting microphone I'm leaning towards the SHURE MV7 - https://www.shure.com/it-IT/prodotti/mi ... iant=MV7-K. I really like the possibility of having both USB and XLR connections (at the moment I don't think I will add a mixer, but in the future maybe I will).
I specify that I have no possibility of treating the room at the audio level. I know very well that it would be a starting point, but at this stage I won't be able to deal with this aspect, if not with the basic precautions.
The Shure looks cool but it certainly comes with a hefty price tag. Something else? Audiotechnica? rode? Of course it should only record voice.

The Shure is a nice mic and having the USB output means you don't need an audio interface (AI) to plug it into.

For point 2, they recommended tools like the Zoom H1 - https://zoomcorp.com/it/it/handheld-rec ... -recorder/ or the Tascam DR-05X - https://www.tascam.eu/en/dr-05x
They should be able to "catch" 2 voices, say facing each other, maybe not too far apart. If so, do you recommend a stand to place it on the table? Or does it still need to be hand held? Again, they should only record voices.

I would buy a small tripod to mount it off the table to one side so that each microphone is pointing at one of you. I.e. you, your guest and the recorder are three corners of a triangle.
If you put it on the table it's too easy for people to get excited and bang the table when they make a point - or for it to be knocked accidentally.

Thanks for the reply.
Ok, the concept about the tripod is clear. But as instruments Zoom or Tascam are ok for what I would like to do? Or are there other solutions?
Thank you

[Mike Stranks]

Picking up on the 'recorded interview' aspect, how you achieve this will depend on the physical arrangements of how you arrange things.

I never like to have table - or any flat surfaces between me and the person being interviewed. There are various reasons; from an audio perspective such a surface - unless covered with a fairly heavy material will reflect sound into the microphones, usually producing unpleasant/unhelpful artefacts.

I almost always recorded interviews in mono. Hold the recorder microphone between you with the capsule(s) at about chest height. Sit at right-angles to the person you're talking to with your knees not quite touching. That way, the interview is not head-to-head and can help the interviewee feel more relaxed. You can adjust the relative position of the mic(s) by relatively small hand movements according to volume/who is speaking. Avoid thrusting the mic into their face as this will cause them instinctively to 'back off' and will increase any tension/nervousness they may have.

Your aim is to seek to get them almost to forget about the 'apparatus' and just talk to you. To that end, keep eye contact at all times and nod and smile a lot to let them know you're listening.

If it must be a stereo recording then I'd use clip-on mics - one each...

Good luck!

[M_Rebux]

Picking up on the 'recorded interview' aspect, how you achieve this will depend on the physical arrangements of how you arrange things.

I never like to have table - or any flat surfaces between me and the person being interviewed. There are various reasons; from an audio perspective such a surface - unless covered with a fairly heavy material will reflect sound into the microphones, usually producing unpleasant/unhelpful artefacts.

I almost always recorded interviews in mono. Hold the recorder microphone between you with the capsule(s) at about chest height. Sit at right-angles to the person you're talking to with your knees not quite touching. That way, the interview is not head-to-head and can help the interviewee feel more relaxed. You can adjust the relative position of the mic(s) by relatively small hand movements according to volume/who is speaking. Avoid thrusting the mic into their face as this will cause them instinctively to 'back off' and will increase any tension/nervousness they may have.

Your aim is to seek to get them almost to forget about the 'apparatus' and just talk to you. To that end, keep eye contact at all times and nod and smile a lot to let them know you're listening.

If it must be a stereo recording then I'd use clip-on mics - one each...

Good luck!

Thank you. a bit difficult to put into practice

[Drew Stephenson]

But as instruments Zoom or Tascam are ok for what I would like to do? Or are there other solutions?
Thank you

The Zoom and Tascam are both competent devices, there are other manufacturers that do similar things but I'd probably start with one of these two.

Other folks might have different opinions.

[Mike Stranks]

Picking up on the 'recorded interview' aspect, how you achieve this will depend on the physical arrangements of how you arrange things.

I never like to have table - or any flat surfaces between me and the person being interviewed. There are various reasons; from an audio perspective such a surface - unless covered with a fairly heavy material will reflect sound into the microphones, usually producing unpleasant/unhelpful artefacts.

I almost always recorded interviews in mono. Hold the recorder microphone between you with the capsule(s) at about chest height. Sit at right-angles to the person you're talking to with your knees not quite touching. That way, the interview is not head-to-head and can help the interviewee feel more relaxed. You can adjust the relative position of the mic(s) by relatively small hand movements according to volume/who is speaking. Avoid thrusting the mic into their face as this will cause them instinctively to 'back off' and will increase any tension/nervousness they may have.

Your aim is to seek to get them almost to forget about the 'apparatus' and just talk to you. To that end, keep eye contact at all times and nod and smile a lot to let them know you're listening.

If it must be a stereo recording then I'd use clip-on mics - one each...

Good luck!

Thank you. a bit difficult to put into practice

Really? Why? It's a technique that I was trained in and used for over 30 years when recording interviews for broadcast and podcast.

First rule of interviewing: Put the person being interviewed at their ease. That means making it as much like a normal conversation as possible and keeping the technology as unobtrusive as possible.

[Drew Stephenson]

Really? Why?

Might be stretching the budget. Two lavaliers, even wired ones, and a suitable recorder takes you quite a way from an H1.

[Mike Stranks]

Really? Why?

Might be stretching the budget. Two lavaliers, even wired ones, and a suitable recorder takes you quite a way from an H1.

Read what I said in my original post again... the 'lavalier' comment was one line at the end.

I've been using one of these to record interviews as I described above for many years - some of which could be recorded as 'high-profile'...



Dimensions: 12.5 cm x 4 cm x 1.5 cm (including mics)

Whether the interviews were any good or not is for others to judge, but a common response from interviewees was, "I quite enjoyed that; I completely forgot about the recorder."

[M_Rebux]

It's probably easier to do than say. I have to deepen more the part of the positions you were talking about.
However, my interviews will have to be informal, so the approach you propose is the right one.

[Mike Stranks]

It's probably easier to do than say. I have to deepen more the part of the positions you were talking about.
However, my interviews will have to be informal, so the approach you propose is the right one.

Thanks for your response...

In fact, your question and my response has now got me thinking seriously about doing a series of short videos on preparing for, conducting, editing and finalising audio interviews...

Thanks for the stimulus!



... and one of the small Zooms or Tascams or Olympuses or.... would be fine for what you want to do... I also have a Tascam DR22-WL which I use less often for interviews, but is OK for them.

[sonics]

I'll echo some of what has been said WRT mic choice. The trend (thanks again, YouTube!) for radio-style dynamic mics that need to be used close to the mouth has led some to believe that they are "best" for everything. In an informal interview scenario they are your worst choice, especially with talent that is unused to being recorded.

You should be looking at using a small portable recorder, sdc or short shotgun mics, or lavalier mics.

[M_Rebux]

I'll echo some of what has been said WRT mic choice. The trend (thanks again, YouTube!) for radio-style dynamic mics that need to be used close to the mouth has led some to believe that they are "best" for everything. In an informal interview scenario they are your worst choice, especially with talent that is unused to being recorded.

You should be looking at using a small portable recorder, sdc or short shotgun mics, or lavalier mics.

For portable recorder, maybe you mean the ones I mentioned above, Tascam and Zoom?

[sonics]

For portable recorder, maybe you mean the ones I mentioned above, Tascam and Zoom?

Yes, but personally I favour other microphones if quality is important. For example, you might use such a recorder with lavalier mics.

[M_Rebux]

For portable recorder, maybe you mean the ones I mentioned above, Tascam and Zoom?

Yes, but personally I favour other microphones if quality is important. For example, you might use such a recorder with lavalier mics.

Can you link some examples, please?

[sonics]

Here's a link showing an example of using two lav mics. You can replace the recorder with an H1n or DR-05X and the lav mics with something like the Rode Lavalier Go, for example, as they mention. You could also consider using a cheap lav with a spare cellphone. That can work well for very little cost.

[Mike Stranks]

The link mentions the Audio-Technica 3350 with approval; a sentiment with which I concur.

BUT the 3350 is battery-powered; the Rode mic isn't, and requires 'plug-in power'.

sonics: Do you have personal experience of running two of the Rode mics into a recorder such as the H1? Was the recorder able to supply sufficient current to enable each mic to perform according to spec?

I've used two lavaliers/clip-ons frequently - though not as much as the single mic/handheld recorder option. However, I only use them into a machine where I can adjust gain individually for each mic before starting the recording. (XLR and phantom-powered mics). Hand-holding one mic/recorder and discreetly moving it to compensate for differences in interviewer and interviewee volume saves a lot of work in post trying to rebalance (or even rescue!) widely disparaging tracks when independent gain control has not been possible. And it's less intimidating for the interviewee... even clipping a mic on some people gives them the heebie-jeebies!

M_Rebux: Yes; the Zoom and little Tascam are fine for what you want to do, but also check out the Olympus LS-P1.

[sonics]

sonics: Do you have personal experience of running two of the Rode mics into a recorder such as the H1? Was the recorder able to supply sufficient current to enable each mic to perform according to spec?

Only a single mic. All of my twin-lav work has been with powered mics or more expensive gear. I would hope that information might be available somewhere.

As for the least-intrusive method, that takes some experience to know, and will always be dependent on the interviewee and the situation, as I'm sure you know.

[Drew Stephenson]

sonics: Do you have personal experience of running two of the Rode mics into a recorder such as the H1? Was the recorder able to supply sufficient current to enable each mic to perform according to spec?

Closest I've come to this is running a shotgun and a lav (both needing phantom) from a Zoom H4n and it's handled it fine. It does absolutely eat batteries when doing this though so a power-supply is definitely recommended.

[Mike Stranks]

sonics: Do you have personal experience of running two of the Rode mics into a recorder such as the H1? Was the recorder able to supply sufficient current to enable each mic to perform according to spec?

Closest I've come to this is running a shotgun and a lav (both needing phantom) from a Zoom H4n and it's handled it fine. It does absolutely eat batteries when doing this though so a power-supply is definitely recommended.

With phantom power, one should be on much firmer footing. Multi-mic inputs should be able to provide Phantom at the required current to each of those inputs.

Plug-in Power (PiP)on a single input, but with two mics connected, is a different ball-game. The theory is fine, but, personally, I'd like to be sure that such a setup is capable of delivering the required current to both mics before it's recommended as a solution to the OP.

(I've had a thought about PiP, but shall go do some digging before pronouncing - or not! )

[James Perrett]

Plug-in Power (PiP)on a single input, but with two mics connected, is a different ball-game. The theory is fine, but, personally, I'd like to be sure that such a setup is capable of delivering the required current to both mics before it's recommended as a solution to the OP.

The plug-in power mics that I've used have had much lower power requirements than phantom powered mics - usually just a few microamps.

[Drew Stephenson]

Ah, my bad (again). Misunderstood what the requirements were.

[sonics]

I recommended investigating two PiP mics as a possible solution. As James says, due to the usually low power requirements, I think it may be a workable option. The OP seems to have a limited budget, too. A recorder with XLR input and suitable mics would blow that, I think.

[Mike Stranks]

(I've had a thought about PiP, but shall go do some digging before pronouncing - or not! )

My query was just how PiP is delivered to the mic from the electronics...

Not unexpectedly, Dr Robjohns provides the answer in this site's Glossary:

Plug-in (or Bias) Power is a method of providing power to the internal electronics of electret microphones, and is commonly used on consumer equipment. Plug-in Power is only ever provided on 3.5mm mini-jack input sockets as found on domestic sound recorders, 'phones, laptops etc. The format provides a low DC voltage of typically between 3 and 5V, with the positive side of the power supply connected to the unbalanced signal connection(s) in the mini-jack socket. So the tip connection for a mono input, or tip and ring connections for a stereo input. The negative return is via the sleeve connection.


So that's alright then...

I had a query as to whether PiP was delivered via tip and sleeve. If so, the two mics via splitter wouldn't have worked. But, current-provision permitting, Hugh's explanation shows that it would.