Please do not use your computer’s built in microphone
Other options include using one of the following:
- An external microphone (use with headphones)
- A headset
- Wired earbuds
- A telephone
Listen to these extracts from recordings using different microphones to see what we mean:
Cathy recording using a computer’s in-built microphone
Cathy recording using her podcast microphone
Jo being recorded during a telephone conversation
Jo using the Advent ADM16 microphoneUse an external microphone if you have one. A dynamic mic will capture less room noise.
If you want to buy one, the Advent ADM16 desktop microphone (which plugs into the 3.5mm socket on your computer) costs about £9.
A starter microphone for podcasters, which plugs into the USB socket on a computer would be the Samson Q2U which costs about £90. We can make other suggestions as well depending on your budget and requirements.
If buying or borrowing a microphone is not a possibility then you could use a headset which would mean that you wouldn’t need separate headphones. Other options include wired earbuds that you use with a smartphone (but ideally not bluetooth ones as sometimes the connection can be tricky).