Fortunately, I have been working in the microphone industry for many years, and I have studied and tested different types of microphones.
From the perspective of the main question, the questions are broad and vague, and the specific needs are not clear.
To choose a microphone that suits you, you need to understand the following key points:
1. What type of microphone do you need? Different equipment and entertainment needs, the focus of microphone type selection will be different. Currently, there are many types of microphones with built-in sound cards on the market, such as small diaphragm condenser microphones, USB condenser microphones, and so on.
Small-diaphragm condenser microphones usually have built-in sound card functions and DSP audio chips. The diaphragm capsules are small, generally hand-held, support ear-back real-time monitoring, and have a 3.5mm or Type-C interface. The USB microphone uses a digital-to-analog conversion circuit with a large diaphragm sound head. It is mainly used for desktop stand, built-in sound card effect, and some support ear-back monitoring function, with USB interface or Apple Lighting interface.
For example, small-diaphragm condenser microphones are usually used for singing and live broadcasting on mobile phones; USB microphones are generally used for recording, dubbing or live broadcasting on computers and notebook devices. Of course, some USB microphones can also be connected to mobile phones, Ipads and other devices through OTG adapter cables, depending on the actual situation. Therefore, only by clarifying the specific needs and the type of equipment used, can you further choose the microphone that suits you.
2. What is your specific budget?
Everyone knows that everything gets what you pay for, and the same is true for microphones. Currently, there are many types of microphones on the market, ranging from a thousand yuan flagship to a hundred yuan entry, and the price level varies greatly. Generally speaking, the more expensive the microphone, the better in terms of performance configuration, sound quality experience and quality workmanship.
From my experience, the entry-level budget standard of a microphone with a built-in sound card, whether it is a small-diaphragm condenser microphone or a USB microphone, is usually no less than 200RMB, which is determined by its performance configuration and industry manufacturing costs. At the same time, built-in sound cards are also divided into different quality standards. Entry-level microphones are usually built-in ordinary sound cards, which can only meet the basic recording requirements; while mid-to-high-end microphone sound cards are usually of higher quality and can better avoid noise interference. Therefore, you need to consider your actual budget here, and the budget determines your final purchase result.
3. What do you buy a microphone for? The subject mentioned the term "cost-effective" in the question. The so-called "cost-effective", the core is not the price, but falls on your actual needs. Only according to specific needs and usage scenarios can we refer to the meaning of "cost-effectiveness". If we depart from specific usage requirements scenarios, "cost-effectiveness" cannot be discussed. Generally speaking, if you are singing and recording, you have higher requirements on microphone sensitivity, frequency response range, and sampling rate, especially frequency response and sampling rate. Because when the sound is music, the frequency response range it spans is relatively wide, usually 44.1KHZ frequency is taken as the music sampling rate standard. If speaking (dubbing, narration, live broadcast) is the main method, since the frequency of human speech is around 10KHZ, the sampling frequency is 22KHZ. At the same time, you must also consider the problem of your use of equipment. We have already mentioned in detail that different equipment, the focus of microphone selection will be different. Therefore, different entertainment needs and equipment used will have different requirements on the type of microphone, sampling rate, and frequency response range, and they will be screened according to their actual conditions.
4. How to understand the detailed parameters of the microphone? When purchasing any electronic product, you need to fully understand its parameters, because the parameters determine the performance configuration of the product. When buying a microphone, you also need to have a basic understanding of its parameters, so that we can choose a satisfactory microphone. Generally speaking, the core parameters of a microphone mainly include the following indicators: sensitivity, frequency response range, sampling rate, signal-to-noise ratio, sound pressure level, directivity. Simply put, the higher the microphone sensitivity, the better the sound quality; the wider the frequency response range , The high and middle bass are more delicate and fuller; the higher the sampling rate, the clearer and lossless sound recording; the higher the signal-to-noise ratio, the better the vocal reproduction effect; the greater the sound pressure level, the smaller the vocal distortion. Heart-shaped pointing mode, precise focus of the radio month.
USB Microphone:
https://www.zeshuiplatform.com/Computer Microphone:
https://www.zeshuiplatform.com/