RØDE - Procaster

I recommend a dynamic mic like the Rode Procaster or the PodMic. I feel that those produce the crispest sounds.

Not having the mics in shot is the wrong choice. These multi millionaire podcasters don't put the mic in the shot because they like the way it looks, they do it because that's what's required to get quality audio for this type of shoot. Since you seem to be working with pretty cheap gear I'd get you or the client to invest in 2 Rode Procaster mics for $150 each on eBay. Plug them into the zoom and keep the mics close to their mouths. Night and day difference. The viewer is very used to this and the sound is more important than the video. You could lose this client or future work by creating problems that don't exist. Save yourself this trouble and do what thousands of successful video podcasts do.

In my home studio, I have treated walls, a Rode Procaster or NTG1 or Lav+ mic, and a Streamer X mixer. When I record outside, I use the built-in mic on my Google Pixel 8 phone. I can make the audio recorded in both locations sound similar using Descript's Studio Sound feature (set at 75%). You could achieve similar results with Auphonic or Adobe Podcast. Audio engineers will roll their eyes. And I'll admit that their professional outcomes sound 10x better than mine. But if I can make my own sound 5x better with one simple tool that costs me next to nothing in time or effort, I'll take it.

Depends on where I am. If I’m sitting at the dining room table then I usually go for the rode procaster (plugged into a UA Apollo) or the beta 58. If I’m in the treated area studio (the walk in closet upstairs), then the NT1. If I’m out and about, I have a different array of mics for that. I have podmics also but I like the procaster more

Room treatment and mic placement are underrated elements when mic discussions arise. I remember a friend doing voice over under a blanket. Never tested Lark M2, but I've recorded with the DJI Mic 2, and it was fine. Sure, it's not like my Rode Procaster (Shure is overpriced), but sound was perfectly acceptable. IMO finding your "perfect" mic is a journey. Sound can't be crap, but good enough is fine.

I’m surprised an audio engineer is so clear cut about gear recommendations. I’m only a guy podcasting since 2010, but my tiny experience suggests one must find the right microphone for his/her voice. It’s a journey. Good news is the right mic will last a lifetime. It’s great to take advice over here or buy Joe Rogan’s mic, but that’s not how you find your mic. It took 15 years to find mine (Rode Procaster). The hardest part of podcasting is starting. By putting barriers like this, it’s not helping. The first 10 to 20 episodes will be crap. Maybe the sound of MacBook mic sounds terrible for an audio engineer, but if it’s good enough, it will bring momentum in the journey.

I'd steer clear of stuff with LED strips on it that's branded and marketed towards gaming. Generally speaking this is always rebranded stuff that slaps on some LEDs, call's it a "gaming" thing and then doubles the price. There are two mics that you see EVERYWHERE when you start looking at professional creators doing livestreams, lets play, and reaction content: [Shure SM7B](https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/sm7b?variant=SM7B) (or SM7dB) [Rode ProCaster](https://rode.com/en-us/products/procaster?srsltid=AfmBOoqbDBqgCTk8jiqVmo0VI9sTE7sj9zHTYlBbhTP29rJbuBMfc3oR) Also occasionally the Electrovoice re20. I own both a Rode ProCaster and a Shure SM7B. Before those, I had a cheap $50 blue snowball ICE. I fought for about a year with the Blue Snowball Ice. Too sensitive, picks up too much room noise/cars outside, etc. If you want to hear how bad that mic sounds, you can look at my channel and sort by the oldest videos (that are like 7-8 years old now). I spent hours per video trying to tweak the audio and it still always sounded bad. When I got the Rode ProCaster, everything changed. Suddenly there was a big enough difference between the room noise and my voice, that I could use an expander effect to make the audio silent when I wasn't speaking, and it didn't cut into my voice. I no longer had to agonize over the audio. It also just makes my voice sound so much better, especially with a little bit of post recording effects added correctly. I got the Shure SM7B last year, and honestly... it's a great mic, but IDK, for double the price of the Rode ProCaster, I expected more. I like my ProCaster better. Gives more warmth to the low end of my voice and makes it shine. The SM7B also picks up more room noise than the ProCaster. Don't get me wrong, it's acceptable, but I prefer the Rode. If you decide to get the ProCaster, you will need to pair it with an audio interface, and you might need a cloudlifter to give it enough clean gain, depending on the audio interface. If you want my exact setup, here's what I use: Rode ProCaster Cloudlifter CL-1 Focusrite Scarlett Solo (gen3, but get whatever is latest gen) Been using this for 7+ years and I've had so many compliments on my voice. Never did I think I had a "good" voice, but I guess a good mic will do that.

My current mic setup for stream would be nice, but the work flow would take you in the opposite direction of what TE has mapped out. You would need an interface and extra cables. I’m running Rode Procaster with a Rode Procaster.

I've tried all of those. SM7B is obviously the king, but not worth the extra money. I wasn't impressed with MV7. Procaster was easily the best when it comes to money and sound, but the thing is huge. Nowadays I use Podmic. It's small, has good sound and is cheap, but obviously not the best sound quality. With good EQ and compressor you can make it sound really good.

I like the Rode Procaster.

It also picks up background noise in an untreated room.

When I was putting together my xlr setup I wanted something solid but not break my bank like the SM7B would, so I went with the Rode Procaster. Its still pricey, but much less than the SM7B. keep in mind, no matter which XLR mic you go wtih, you HAVE to spend some time dialing it in. You can plug and play, but it probably won't sound as good as if you spend time getting all the settings just right.