What is the best microphone/headset for under $150, that blocks out the keyboard and mouse?

[Vanotex]

Hey everyone I am thinking about starting a youtube channel and i am wanting a good microphone before i start recording. I am looking for a microphone that will block out my keyboard and mouse.

No cheap $2 mics please!!! thx

 

[ssddx]

you might want to take a look at the WIP headphones&microphones guide i started. its far from done but has some information regarding microphones you might want to read.

a cardioid microphone is directional so will help to block out the noise from your keyboard and mouse provided you do not have it next to them.

if you have the budget for it the at2020usb or at2020usb+ (+ version allows you to listen to your voice while you record, non + does not) are really great clear sounding mics.

the blue yeti is compareable but offers a few more options but is rather bulky in size and takes special mounts.

a monitor mount and pop filter are also suggested.

you may also want to read some of my other posts on the matter by googling (or using forum search) on "ssddx microphone" since i listed a bunch of pro/cons on a few models (i think some of that may be in the guide as a placeholder but its not finalized yet).

 

[thee_prisoner]

Link for ssddx's info on microphones. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2155695/guide-headphones-headsets-microphones.html#13361362

My only suggestions after watching many youtube videos and twitch.tv, I don't like a big mic sitting in front of your face. Maybe a decent clip on mic might be the answer.

Happy recording, the Prisoner...

 

[ssddx]

specifically the "What You Need To Know About Microphones" section is what i was referring to (2nd post) as well as "Desk Microphones (Professional)" section (2nd to last post). there is some decent information to be had there.

while its not anywhere near complete (i'm working on it still... and its alot of information to compile)

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the microphone doesnt have to be right in front of your face (or at least it doesnt have to be right in front of the camera. typically i also do not like seeing the microphone on screen but some people just do not have everything adjusted to hide the mic properly.

having a boom arm with shock mount means that you can place the microphone in different positions to perhaps avoid it being both in your way and the cameras way as well as away from noise generators enough to not have any issues.

you might have to reposition the camera though to get the best shot.

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generally clip on mics (such as zalman clip on) are complete junk and are useless. there are some clip on mics which are used for commercials and the like which might be higher quality however they also tend to be omnidirectional and not cardioid (since because they are clip on they need to pull sound from all directions or they might not capture your voice well). this means they would pick up on other sounds like your keyboard or mouse.

a decent desk mic with a cardioid pattern is going to pick up less background noise and offer better quality sound.

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the blue yeti is very large. if you do not like large mics then this isnt for you.

a little more expensive is the at2020usb+ which has excellent sound quality and much smaller size. if that is too expensive then the atr2500 is about 75-80% of the voice quality and perhaps about 50-70% the build quality. its a bit fragile (or so i've heard) but certainly isnt a bad choice if you are on a budget.

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if you already have a pair of gaming headphones (note: headphones NOT headset) then the antlion modmic offers pretty decent quality for the price. its not going to be as good as desk mics but will convert any pair of headphones into a headset with fairly decent quality sound.