SOUND TIPS
A good microphone adds another level of sound quality.
The sound from the built-in microphone of your computer is usually limited. It has a narrow frequency range that affects the sound quality negatively. But you can easily improve the sound experience by adding an, preferably Teams certified, external microphone. Some microphones you connect directly to your computer; otherwise, you might need an external sound interface.
DIFFERENT MICROPHONES HAVE DIFFERENT PURPOSES
There is an almost endless variance when it comes to microphones. Some are intended to be used close to the mouth, others work on distance. There are big microphones and small, almost invisible lavalier microphones you attach to the collar.
There are three main groups of microphones that cover most when it comes to making a presentation or a broadcast. Here is a short explanation of the differences.
FOR INTIMATE TALKING
If you want to achieve the closeness of the voice, nothing beats a studio microphone. It gives the typical feel of a voice on the radio. The cons are that they are visible. If you are in the picture, you usually don’t want a big microphone in front of you.
SMOOTH AND INVISIBLE
What is commonly used on TV hosts is a so-called lavalin microphone, where you attach the tiny microphone to your collar and have a cord to the microphone unit that you hide in a pocket or clip on a belt.
They give a good sound quality but don’t recognize much outside of the user – a good choice for a presenter.
CAPTURE THE SUND IN THE ROOM
If you can’t have individual microphones for all attendees in, for instance, a talk show, a so-called shotgun microphone is a good solution. It can be placed on the table, above the participants outside the picture on a stand, or on the video camera. Many video cameras have a shotgun microphone included when you buy them.
It is a very good solution, but it can be hard to get different voices or sounds to sound even.
FOR THE ADVANCED – COMBINE
If you want to take it to another level, you add a sound mixer. Then you can mix individual lavalier microphones for clear voices with shotgun microphones to catch the studio ambiance. You connect the mixer to the computer via a sound interface.