A Microphone For Camtasia????

16 years ago

Originally Posted by TmSmith

Hello everyone,

I want to start making presentation style videos with Camtasia but I need a microphone. Does any one have any preferences or suggestions on a microphone to use that sounds good and is easy to set up??

Thanks for all your help,
Tommy

I use a logitech usb headset and it works great. I think it is only like 50 bucks at BestBuy.

Shannon

Thanks

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Rob Summers

16 years ago

Go to staples, get one of their plantronics models for about $25, they are fantastic and a great price. Make sure you get one with both earpieces, not just one.

Thanks
2 replies

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Sean Donahoe

16 years ago

I also use a Logitech USB headset. It has pretty good noise reduction and the mic is pretty sensitive. When recording your Camtasia presentation it also helps to keep the mic below your mouth and more at your chin level to stop the breathing overpowering the recording.

Let us know how it goes!

Thanks
2 replies

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JasonKing

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Sean Donahoe

I also use a Logitech USB headset. It has pretty good noise reduction and the mic is pretty sensitive. When recording your Camtasia presentation it also helps to keep the mic below your mouth and more at your chin level to stop the breathing overpowering the recording.

Let us know how it goes!

I use the same one ... work's great.

I've also bought a Microsoft Lifechat headset which works well.

-JasonKing

Thanks
1 reply

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gmichaelh

16 years ago

Hiya Tommy,

Just a quick mention here, I was listening to an mp3 a while back. I think it was Willie Crawford interviewing somebody and they were talking about this. The main point of discussion was that most any microphone will do, (obviously you don't want some $5 one from Wal-Mart), but the main thing was how you use the microphone.

The guy Willie was interviewing was talking about the effect on the microphone when saying words that start with a "B" or "P". He had you do a test where you hold your hand about an inch in front of your mouth and say "boy" or "pull".

That blast of air you feel on your hand is a major problem with many recordings. The microphone measures the amount of air pressure to create the sounds. The "blast" from letters like "B" or "P" can wreak havoc on your recordings if you have the microphone right in front of your mouth.

He recommended speaking "over" the microphone instead of into it. This helps to keep the pressure down and as a result helps the sound quality of your recording.

I know I have heard quite a few recordings where they must be just about eating the microphone when they are talking, and it sounds horrible when they mention a word that starts with a "B" or "P", or any other letter that has that small blast of air. Just a bit of information for you.

Good Luck!
Mike

Thanks
2 replies

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thomasukm

16 years ago

Originally Posted by gmichaelh

Hiya Tommy,

Just a quick mention here, I was listening to an mp3 a while back. I think it was Willie Crawford interviewing somebody and they were talking about this. The main point of discussion was that most any microphone will do, (obviously you don't want some $5 one from Wal-Mart), but the main thing was how you use the microphone.

The guy Willie was interviewing was talking about the effect on the microphone when saying words that start with a "B" or "P". He had you do a test where you hold your hand about an inch in front of your mouth and say "boy" or "pull".

That blast of air you feel on your hand is a major problem with many recordings. The microphone measures the amount of air pressure to create the sounds. The "blast" from letters like "B" or "P" can wreak havoc on your recordings if you have the microphone right in front of your mouth.

He recommended speaking "over" the microphone instead of into it. This helps to keep the pressure down and as a result helps the sound quality of your recording.

I know I have heard quite a few recordings where they must be just about eating the microphone when they are talking, and it sounds horrible when they mention a word that starts with a "B" or "P", or any other letter that has that small blast of air. Just a bit of information for you.

Good Luck!
Mike

Hi Mike,

When you say speaking "over" the microphone, does it mean that the microphone is placed just below the mouth level and at the chin level?

Thanks for the great info, i totally agree with you, even if you have a good mic, the way you speak do count a lot.

Thomas

Thanks

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LonNaylor

16 years ago

Originally Posted by gmichaelh

Hiya Tommy,

Just a quick mention here, I was listening to an mp3 a while back. I think it was Willie Crawford interviewing somebody and they were talking about this. The main point of discussion was that most any microphone will do, (obviously you don't want some $5 one from Wal-Mart), but the main thing was how you use the microphone.

The guy Willie was interviewing was talking about the effect on the microphone when saying words that start with a "B" or "P". He had you do a test where you hold your hand about an inch in front of your mouth and say "boy" or "pull".

That blast of air you feel on your hand is a major problem with many recordings. The microphone measures the amount of air pressure to create the sounds. The "blast" from letters like "B" or "P" can wreak havoc on your recordings if you have the microphone right in front of your mouth.

He recommended speaking "over" the microphone instead of into it. This helps to keep the pressure down and as a result helps the sound quality of your recording.

I know I have heard quite a few recordings where they must be just about eating the microphone when they are talking, and it sounds horrible when they mention a word that starts with a "B" or "P", or any other letter that has that small blast of air. Just a bit of information for you.

Good Luck!
Mike

Hey Mike!

Thanks for the "almost" shoutout! LOL...

The Willie Crawford interview you are referring to was one he did with me as his guest expert.

You can catch the replay here:

ScreenCastProfits - Willie Crawford Interviews Lon Naylor

The info mentioned above comes in at the 33 minute mark.

Note: there is a short gap just before the 20 min. mark...

Willie does a great job interviewing and I think it was a good call with lots of good info.

And lastly, I have a free 94 minute video tutorial called "Ace the Audio" you can get from my first sig link...enjoy!

Thanks

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Learn Camtasia FAST
Create Killer PowerPoint Videos
Screencast Profits: Make MORE money with your Camtasia videos.

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biz_online

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Sean Donahoe

I also use a Logitech USB headset. It has pretty good noise reduction and the mic is pretty sensitive. When recording your Camtasia presentation it also helps to keep the mic below your mouth and more at your chin level to stop the breathing overpowering the recording.

Let us know how it goes!

I tried Logitech but a simple one-piece headphone set with a microphone that I bought at Radio Shack about three years ago is the absolute best that I have ever found. There is zero background noise and the voice replay is the same as hearing yourself speak in a room. ... Radio Shack! :rolleyes:

Thanks

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Alex Sol

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Rob Summers

Go to staples, get one of their plantronics models for about $25, they are fantastic and a great price. Make sure you get one with both earpieces, not just one.

The same here. I spent 200$ on different microphones and they never did a good job, then I got the headphones/microphone from Best Buy for $25 - great quality.

The brand is Cyber Acoustics:

Thanks

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The Extra Paycheck Blog | Extra Paycheck Podcast

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nemock

16 years ago

I have an MXL USB.006 from Marshal Electronics. It's on a stand with a popscreen and I love it. The arm from the stand hangs over my desk and the pickup range is very good.

I also like the Snowball from Blue. Either match the quality of my "real" mic which runs through a mixing panel.

Dave

Thanks
1 reply

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TmSmith 16 years ago

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions, I really appreciate it.

Tommy
- Thanks
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Li Weng

16 years ago

Originally Posted by TmSmith

Hello everyone,

I want to start making presentation style videos with Camtasia but I need a microphone. Does any one have any preferences or suggestions on a microphone to use that sounds good and is easy to set up??

Thanks for all your help,
Tommy

I use a Logitech USB microphone. I got it for about $30 and it works
well. You don't need software to set it up, just connect it to the USB
drive and speak into it. But you do need some software to record it,
eg. Audacity.

The mic sits right on your desk and captures sound from a distance so
you don't have to put your mouth right next to it.

If you want to hear how it sounds, visit my youtube channel by clicking
on the youtube icon on the left.

Thanks

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derrickp

16 years ago

I use a logitech microphone that I bought for around $40, it works well and produces a quality sound for the price obviously you can get a more advanced one that may sound a little better but is it worth the extra money for streaming content that usually does not need to be top of the line quality?

Derrick

Thanks

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Slime England

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David Cavanagh

16 years ago

Tommy,

I've got some of the most expensive mics you can purchase.. seriously!

But when I do quick recordings, travel to and from events, do 1 on 1 coaching with students over Skype etc, I stick to 1 mic only:

Logitech USB Headset mic (350 I think this one is)

They're brilliant mics, can get knocked around and still keep working, and are very inexpensive in comparison to the money you'll make back!

Hope this helps you,

David Cavanagh

Thanks

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David Cavanagh

16 years ago

Saiful,

Thanks for the info on the new mic you found. I had a look and it does look good, although you're comparing a headset mic with a standalone mic with cardoid etc.

You cannot compare the two when it comes to that!

I'd like to try the mic you're talking about... would be more than happy to... if it works well, then I'd be happy to recommend it to my students.

Thanks,

David Cavanagh

PS... Just listened back to

YouTube - Frontpage Tutorial with David Cavanagh

(the one you said sounded scratchy)... a bit of popping and "s" sounds, but doesn't sound scratchy to me... anyone else give me comments on the sound of this for a quick job done in a hotel room in Malaysia?

Thanks
1 reply

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LonNaylor

16 years ago

Originally Posted by David Cavanagh

Saiful,

Thanks for the info on the new mic you found. I had a look and it does look good, although you're comparing a headset mic with a standalone mic with cardoid etc.

You cannot compare the two when it comes to that!

I'd like to try the mic you're talking about... would be more than happy to... if it works well, then I'd be happy to recommend it to my students.

Thanks,

David Cavanagh

PS... Just listened back to (the one you said sounded scratchy)... a bit of popping and "s" sounds, but doesn't sound scratchy to me... anyone else give me comments on the sound of this for a quick job done in a hotel room in Malaysia?

David,

The audio sounds quite good to me...not at all "scratchy".

The slight popping and "S" sounds have little to do with the mic and everything to do with it's placement.

You will find that by playing with even very small adjustments in how you position the mic in relation to your mouth that these will disappear completely.

Rule of Thumb:

Never speak directly into the mic...always "past" it...either above it or to the side of it.

A little experimenting with a critical ear and it won't matter if you were recording in a Malaysia hotel bathroom...it will sound even better.

Thanks
1 reply

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Lon Naylor
Learn Camtasia FAST
Create Killer PowerPoint Videos
Screencast Profits: Make MORE money with your Camtasia videos.

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Tom B Banned 16 years ago

Be careful of the Logitech USB ClearChat Pro. They had a lot of problems with that model. I had to take mine back and ended up purchasing a Microsoft brand which is pretty sweet.
- Thanks
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akg12

13 years ago

This post is over 4 years old, I know.

But, I came across it when searching for a similar issue so it is still relevant. I have a microphone but couldn't get it from XLR to 1/8th inch headphone input. So, I bought a USB headset but it didn't work!

So, I used my high quality HEADPHONES and plugged them into the LINE IN of my computer. VIOLA! Most people have a pair of headphones that you listen to lying around and yes, they can be used as a mic. FREE SOLUTION! Good luck.

Thanks

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WebPen

13 years ago

Well not everyone's headphones have a mic on them...

But to buy a cheap headset with a mic isn't much at all- don't even have to spend $50 these days.

Thanks

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Patrick Batty

13 years ago

I use a microsoft lifechat...seems flawless and only about 19 bucks or so.

Thanks

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RomeWashington

13 years ago

How is USB better than just a regular headshet that plugs into the earphone and mic jack?

Thanks

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biz_online

13 years ago

If live near a Radio Shack I would recommend the "GigaWare" headphone & mike. I've used this for years with no trouble.

Thanks

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Ben Gordon

13 years ago

I use this the Logitech USB Desktop Microphone. It's great and records crystal clear sound. Almost as professional as done in a studio! The background noise is practically cancelled and can be easily fully cancelled with an audio editing software and the sound of clear. You ca check it out here.

Thanks

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Des Lau

13 years ago

woah, thread revive

I've got this cheapy but a goody, which has a bendable snake stand, so I can manipulate it into almost any position on the table. It also clips off and has a clip to put it on the collar.

Thanks

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creditbuilder

13 years ago

I use the cheapest type.. the kind you get when you buy a cellphone and it works GREAT!

Thanks

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A Microphone For Camtasia????

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