Microphone Comparison Tests for Podcast / Voice recording

I have produced these microphone comparison tests to illustrate the difference in quality between various microphones types. If you have read my previous posts on this you will know that I recommend using a professional condenser mic for podcast and vocal recordings. Here you can hear why.

All tests have been recorded using audacity and a professional mic pre-amp. There has been no processing other than normalisation to increase the recorded signal.

The first test effectively shows the superior sensitivity of a condenser mic over a dynamic mic. With a decent condenser mic you should be able to capture two people in conversation using the one mic, This is not possible with a dynamic mic without introducing unacceptable amounts of hiss.

AKG C1000S – Condenser mic – close mic’d

Sennheiser – Dynamic mic – close mic’d

Not much difference, close mic’d however is a recording method prone to pops from plosives.

AKG C1000s – Condenser mic – at 6 inches from the source

Sennheiser – Dynamic mic – at 6 inches fron the source

Micing at about six inches is a much easier recording technique and introduces less popping problems due to plosives. (P’s & b’s)

For me, the condenser wins every time for voice-over work due to its increased clarity over the dynamic mic and its ability to record sound sources from a distance without introducing hiss. However, I will let you decide for yourself! You can hear from the test so far, both microphone types are usable depending on the microphone placement.

The final two microphones are probably the most common I hear on screencasts / podcasts and are the ones I least recommend.

Basic Multimedia PC mic

Packard Bell headset

Hopefully, this along with other posts on this subject gives you a good idea about the best microphone type to use on your podcasts and screencasts in order to get the most professional results.

Feel free to comment 🙂

Links where you can buy these microphones at really good prices on Amazon

Condenser mic – AKG C1000S

sennheiser dynamic microphone

Multi-media PC mic

Various PC headsets