What actually matters, in order
- The room. Echo and background noise end up in the clone and in every take made from it. A soft, quiet room beats an expensive mic in a kitchen.
- The distance. Close and steady, about 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches), so your voice is loud compared with the room.
- The performance. The clone copies your tone and pace, so speak the way every line should sound.
- The microphone. Only after the first three are right does the mic make an audible difference.
Types of microphone
| Type | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| USB microphone | Most people. Plug it in and it works in the browser, with no extra gear. | Cheap ones can hiss when the gain is turned up high. |
| XLR microphone with an audio interface | People who already own one, or record a lot. | More to set up, and not needed for a 10-second sample. |
| Dynamic (either connection) | Untreated rooms: it hears what's close and ignores much of the room. | Needs to be close, and often needs more gain. |
| Condenser (either connection) | Detail and a natural sound in a quiet, soft room. | Picks up echo, traffic and the computer fan just as faithfully. |
| Headset | Keeping the distance the same throughout. | Can sound thin; keep the mic off to the side of your mouth to avoid breath noise. |
| Phone | A surprisingly good fallback, held close. | Handling noise and notifications. See recording on a phone. |
| Laptop's built-in mic | A last resort. | It's far from your mouth and right next to the fan, so takes sound distant and noisy. |
Bluetooth earbuds and headsets are the one thing to avoid. When their microphone is in use, most switch to a low-quality call mode that sounds muffled, and a clone copies that.
Settings that matter
- Gain (input level): set it so your loudest words peak well below the top of the meter, around -12 to -6 dB. A recording that hits the top clips, a harsh crackle that can't be repaired.
- Format: if you record in another app, export WAV at 44.1 or 48 kHz, 16 or 24 bit. Mono is fine. If your app only saves MP3 or M4A, convert it to WAV.
- "Enhancements" off: some computers add noise suppression or voice effects to the microphone. Turn them off in the sound settings if your recording sounds watery or warbly.
- Recording in the browser: abcVoiceover's Record in browser button uses your browser's standard microphone settings, which may include its own noise suppression and automatic level control. That's fine for most people. If the result sounds pumping or processed, record in an audio app instead and upload the WAV file.
Placing the microphone
- Put it on a stand or a stack of books rather than holding it, so the distance doesn't change.
- Point it at your mouth from slightly to one side. Speaking past it rather than straight into it stops the puffs of air on p and b sounds (plosives).
- A pop filter or a foam windscreen helps if you can't avoid speaking straight at it.
- Keep it away from the computer, and from hard surfaces right behind you.
Do you need to buy one?
Probably not. Record a sample with what you have, generate a few test lines, and listen on headphones. If the takes sound clean and close, you're done. Only if they sound distant or noisy, and a better room hasn't fixed it, is a new microphone worth it, and a modest USB dynamic mic is usually all it takes.