Episode 80
The best little podcasting microphone for travel
If you're planning on heading overseas, or doing a bit of travel generally but you still want to bring a microphone with you to record your podcasts, let me present a great option.
The Rode NT USB Mini packs a serious punch for such a small microphone, and in this episode I take you through a few little things that will help you get the best result from a travel microphone like this.
Chapter Markers:
00:07 Introduction to the Rode NT USB Mini Microphone
00:53 Understanding the Sound Quality and Plosive Issue
01:56 Techniques to Minimise Plosives and Improve Sound Quality
03:21 The Importance of Microphone Positioning
03:30 The Impact of Desk Placement on Sound Quality
05:30 The Benefits of Holding the Microphone
05:58 Tips for Traveling with the Microphone
06:36 Understanding How Voice Sounds Differ Based on Mouth Position
07:58 Using the Microphone's Headphone Feature for Monitoring
08:12 Conclusion and Recommendations for the Rode NT USB Mini
BAMBY MEDIA LINKS:
Transcript
Today, I'm going to run you through a
Speaker:little microphone that I have here in
Speaker:front of me called the rode NT USB.
Speaker:Mini.
Speaker:And I wanted to talk to you
Speaker:specifically about this microphone
Speaker:because it's getting close to the
Speaker:holidays and you may be wanting to
Speaker:do some recording, not at your house.
Speaker:Not at your normal home studio
Speaker:setup and perhaps the setup that
Speaker:you have there at home, you have
Speaker:quite a significant microphone.
Speaker:Maybe you have a boom arm.
Speaker:, maybe you have just all the bells
Speaker:and whistles for that location.
Speaker:I have a really nice option here
Speaker:with the road, anti USB mini.
Speaker:because I can take this little thing
Speaker:basically anywhere and I thought it
Speaker:might be something useful for you too.
Speaker:Be aware of that, this microphone
Speaker:I'm talking into it right now.
Speaker:When I have it nice and close to
Speaker:my mouth that you can hear here.
Speaker:It's actually quite a beautiful sound.
Speaker:Isn't it?
Speaker:Like, if you just really listen
Speaker:to how my voice sounds here.
Speaker:It's quite nice.
Speaker:Now, it's not.
Speaker:Perfect.
Speaker:You've just heard there
Speaker:when I said perfect.
Speaker:Can you hear that there
Speaker:is a plosive happening.
Speaker:So the road NT, USB mini does have.
Speaker:What they call an inbuilt pop filter
Speaker:To means that it helps reduce some of
Speaker:those plosives that I just mentioned
Speaker:there, but it doesn't do an awesome job
Speaker:and it is a, quite a small microphone.
Speaker:They can't really pack a whole
Speaker:bunch of extra pop filtering
Speaker:goodness into it, based on the sort
Speaker:of cage then house that it's in.
Speaker:So I'm not surprised that even
Speaker:though they say it has an in-built
Speaker:pop filter and you don't need one.
Speaker:I'm not surprised that you actually
Speaker:still really do, but in saying
Speaker:that you can kind of get around it.
Speaker:So in this situation, what you need
Speaker:to do right now, when I'm talking
Speaker:into the microphone, I'm talking
Speaker:into it in what you would call on
Speaker:axis, meaning I'm straight in front.
Speaker:My mouth is straight in
Speaker:front of the microphone.
Speaker:And when I do my big heavy sounds.
Speaker:that's on axis.
Speaker:it's going to be picking up
Speaker:everything because it's right
Speaker:there in the front, straight on.
Speaker:Now, if I move the microphone
Speaker:slightly to the left or the right.
Speaker:So I've just moved it off
Speaker:to the right a little bit.
Speaker:It's now off access.
Speaker:So the breath isn't hitting straight
Speaker:into the microphone because the
Speaker:microphones now have access.
Speaker:So if I now go per.
Speaker:For.
Speaker:See how it's A lot less per.
Speaker:So that's the way that you can get
Speaker:around that plosive issue that this
Speaker:particular microphone does still have
Speaker:is if you can move it to the side and
Speaker:have it in an off axis time for format.
Speaker:Then you won't have anywhere near the
Speaker:issues that you have with it straight on.
Speaker:So that's why I say that you can still
Speaker:use this as a good travel microphone with
Speaker:no extra pop filter, no extra anything,
Speaker:because if you position it properly, if
Speaker:you do a little bit of good microphone,
Speaker:technique, Then you can absolutely
Speaker:just use this, take it anywhere.
Speaker:The other thing I'll mention about
Speaker:this is that it does come with its own.
Speaker:Uh, stand like a magnetic stand giving
Speaker:you the option of putting it on a desk.
Speaker:But I'm going to show you now,
Speaker:and I want you to listen to what
Speaker:happens is if I put this microphone
Speaker:down, I'm currently holding it.
Speaker:If I put this microphone down on my desk,
Speaker:Now it's down on my desk.
Speaker:Can you hear the difference?
Speaker:If it's down on my desk, where
Speaker:is it in relation to my mouth?
Speaker:Is it close?
Speaker:No.
Speaker:It is not.
Speaker:It is very far away.
Speaker:Now I have to position myself.
Speaker:I have to hunch over.
Speaker:Crawl right in.
Speaker:And get to where I would want
Speaker:to be with this microphone.
Speaker:So to have it on the desk,
Speaker:actually, isn't that helpful?
Speaker:Unless you're putting it on some shoe
Speaker:boxes or something else to prop it
Speaker:up to the level where your mouth is
Speaker:actually positioned, it makes zero sense.
Speaker:And I advise you to never just put
Speaker:this microphone or any microphone.
Speaker:On the desk, even if it has a desk stand.
Speaker:Without you propping it up to get it to
Speaker:the position that is close to your mouth.
Speaker:The further away I get.
Speaker:Here.
Speaker:I am just sitting where
Speaker:I would at my desk.
Speaker:And seal it extra sounds
Speaker:that you can hear.
Speaker:Now there's a flight, a plane
Speaker:flying overhead as well.
Speaker:But the desk is also making,
Speaker:it's got its own little rumble.
Speaker:Because the computer's on and there's
Speaker:a little fan noise with the computer.
Speaker:I think my hard drives
Speaker:backing up at the same time.
Speaker:If you position it on your desk.
Speaker:It's picking up everything,
Speaker:picking up all those little sounds.
Speaker:And if I tap.
Speaker:My desk.
Speaker:I hit it by mistake.
Speaker:See how you can hear that because
Speaker:The fact that the microphone is
Speaker:on a stand that's on the desk.
Speaker:You will pick up all of those sounds.
Speaker:Now I'm going to take this microphone
Speaker:back up and I'm going to pick it up.
Speaker:So here it is in front of me now at the
Speaker:position that I would want to have it.
Speaker:I'm holding it currently.
Speaker:Can you hear that?
Speaker:The sounds that were potentially there
Speaker:before, like the noise from the computer,
Speaker:things like that have really minimized.
Speaker:Because I'm now close to the microphone.
Speaker:Very close.
Speaker:So if you're going to be using this
Speaker:microphone, traveling around, which
Speaker:I do, I take it with me basically
Speaker:anywhere if I'm going somewhere
Speaker:and I'm not at my home, I will
Speaker:bring this microphone with me.
Speaker:Then no that you're either
Speaker:going to want to hold it.
Speaker:All you're going to want to position it.
Speaker:On some shoe boxes, even maybe on a bed
Speaker:and then you're sitting off the bed.
Speaker:So it's kind of close enough to you.
Speaker:Just really think about it for a minute.
Speaker:Think about where your microphone is
Speaker:best placed and just get used to doing
Speaker:some better microphone technique.
Speaker:Taking it off axis is going to be a
Speaker:really huge help for your plosives.
Speaker:and did, you know, as well that voices
Speaker:actually sound different based on
Speaker:the side of the mouth that a person.
Speaker:Talks out of most regularly.
Speaker:It's something that I learned
Speaker:when I was doing my audio
Speaker:production, a university degree.
Speaker:Where you would actually listen
Speaker:to a person talking and singing.
Speaker:And you would walk around them
Speaker:as they were singing or talking.
Speaker:And listened to where
Speaker:they sounded the best.
Speaker:So it seems quite silly maybe
Speaker:to think about now, but.
Speaker:Then you would position the microphone
Speaker:where they sounded the best, So if
Speaker:I move this microphone now okay.
Speaker:Around my mouth.
Speaker:This is me moving the microphone.
Speaker:This is me moving the microphone.
Speaker:This is me moving the microphone.
Speaker:Now I'm completely on the
Speaker:other side of my face.
Speaker:Can you hear a difference between
Speaker:one side and the other side?
Speaker:And I'm going to go back now.
Speaker:So starting from the left side of my
Speaker:face, and now I'm moving into the center.
Speaker:And now I'm moving over to the right.
Speaker:Can you hear that?
Speaker:I sound different based on
Speaker:where I actually talk out of.
Speaker:And so that's something that
Speaker:you could think about too.
Speaker:If you wanted to just try and
Speaker:get the best possible location.
Speaker:Is where do you actually sound the best?
Speaker:And the cool thing with the Verdun to
Speaker:USB mini as well is that you can plug
Speaker:headphones into the back of the mic.
Speaker:And that means that you'll be able
Speaker:to monitor yourself so you can hear
Speaker:what you sound like as you recording.
Speaker:So that's my little tiny masterclass
Speaker:on using a tiny little microphone.
Speaker:For your travels.
Speaker:If you're planning on doing any
Speaker:sort of digital nomadism over the
Speaker:holidays, and you really want to
Speaker:still take some gear with you.
Speaker:Just pick yourself up something like this
Speaker:rode NT, USB mini, and I will link it.
Speaker:They are out affiliate, Amazon links.
Speaker:Just know that if you do purchase
Speaker:something through our link,
Speaker:we get a little percentage.
Speaker:Uh, kickback there, which is always nice.
Speaker:I am going to be reviewing some new
Speaker:products from a different microphone
Speaker:brand that I absolutely adore
Speaker:over the next couple of months.
Speaker:And so my opinion may change after I
Speaker:review and test these new microphones.
Speaker:But as of right now, Uh, for
Speaker:this price point, which is
Speaker:around 120 something dollars.
Speaker:This is a perfect little travel
Speaker:microphone for you to take with you.
Speaker:On location.
Speaker:And just remember to do a little
Speaker:bit of extra microphone technique.
Speaker:to make you sound as amazing as possible.
Speaker:Have a great day.
