Blue Microphones - Spark Digital

You’ve got a couple of good budget options for that kind of sound. The scratchy pen noises are really subtle and high-frequency, so you’ll want either a sensitive small diaphragm condenser *or* a contact mic that can grab surface vibrations directly. A couple of cheap picks that would work well: Zoom H5/H6 with XY capsule – not the cheapest but very flexible, and you can get it right up close to the tablet. [https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/handheld-recorders](https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/handheld-recorders) HyperX SoloCast or Blue Spark Digital (USB condensers, \~$50–60) – surprisingly sensitive for the price. Contact mics / piezo pickups (you can find them on Etsy for $15–25) – you literally stick them on the back/edge of your tablet, and they’ll pick up the little vibrations directly. That can sound really cool if you’re after the “scratch” detail more than the room sound. [https://www.etsy.com/listing/1095357705/water-proof-stereo-contact-microphone?ls=s&ga\_order=most\_relevant&ga\_search\_type=all&ga\_view\_type=gallery&ga\_search\_query=contact+mic&ref=sr\_gallery-1-1&frs=1&loc=1&local\_signal\_search=1&content\_source=467830a4-dc5c-4308-81c7-757f38782e09%253A915b8abc4f30ef341e49769433b80faf4c508c48&organic\_search\_click=1&logging\_key=467830a4-dc5c-4308-81c7-757f38782e09%3A915b8abc4f30ef341e49769433b80faf4c508c48](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1095357705/water-proof-stereo-contact-microphone?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=contact+mic&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&frs=1&loc=1&local_signal_search=1&content_source=467830a4-dc5c-4308-81c7-757f38782e09%253A915b8abc4f30ef341e49769433b80faf4c508c48&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=467830a4-dc5c-4308-81c7-757f38782e09%3A915b8abc4f30ef341e49769433b80faf4c508c48) this one works great and its water proof!

Yeah, Sweetwater has them for $99. I've been buying my music stuff from them for a long time. They are reliable with great customer support. I bought a Blue Sparc condenser mic from them a couple of years ago that had a broken switch and they sent me another one before I shipped the first one back.