Each year, around late-September/ early-October, I get a message from Greg asking if I would like to write a gift guide. The next two months will be for hardware news and reviews. The benefit of putting together a bunch of things like that is that you can forget about the whole thing.
I used to give travelers the best gifts I could. At that point, I decided to give the best gifts for working from home. It is fitting that this year I have committed myself to both.
My process for putting together these is to get in as many products as possible. It is more difficult to recommend products than it is to try them. You would be surprised by it.
Over the past few years, there has been a bit of a revolution in telepresence. For simplicity or price, some people are perfectly content with using their cameras and microphones on their computers. It is fine for 99% of the people. I had to use my hand on both of them. The first thing I do is review gadgets. The Pandemic required a shift from in-person to remote as I have been hosting a podcasts for 10 years.
I haven't returned for a variety of reasons.
In the past, I have written about my in-person mobile podcasting setup. It was the result of many years of work. I have been putting together my at- home setup for a long time. A number of different mics have been used.
I would probably have a more professional auto interface with a proper mic if I had more money. My level of commitment has been looking for the perfect microphone. I have always been a fan of the Audio Technica. I used it for face-to-face interviews and it sounded great.
I think that directional microphones should be the industry standard for beginners. The interface is almost intentionally hard to use, but you can get good sound from most mics over $100.
There are many microphones that have three, four or five different settings. Beginners will end up sounding worse than they would with a pair of earbuds or a default microphone if they pick the wrong one. Out of the box setup is what fixed that problem. The ShureMV7 takes things to a whole new level.
The design looks similar to the SM78 studio. I don't think most people would be able to distinguish the difference between a studio mic and a studio interface. The sound of theMV7 is rich, full and warm. It has the same output as the ATR2100-usb. I don't think I need to switch to the latter.
It works the same way as the Audio Technica system. Plug it in and make sure your software is able to access it. You can adjust the volume on the fly with the touch panel. If you want to use the mic to monitor your voice in real time, you need a headphones input.
There are a few things that aren't good. Price is the first thing that comes to mind. You can get a mic for less than $250. This is a good mic. If you care about sound, you should spend a bit. The direction of the design has more to do with second. This may not be the mic for you if you shift a lot in your seat. I try to be more aware of those movements when I do that occasionally.
It is quite heavy. No problem if it is going to live on your desk. It can be mounted on a mic stand or an arm. The company will provide a mini tripod. It is not a dealbreaker if you plan to take it on the road, even if it is a bit more of an issue.
I haven't looked back since I started recording episodes on theMV7
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