I’m not an engineer, so creating my DVD, “Depression What You Must Know,” and my Podcast, “Psychiatric Secrets Revealed with Dr. Mike” involved a lot a research and learning.  The information listed below is a compilation of that work.  I hope you find it helpful.  Mike Kuna

Computer microphones are really not designed with high –fidelity sound in mind.  Even quality computer mics are designed more for intelligibility in applications like voice recognition rather than hi-fidelity.  These microphones can be used with success in recording Podcasts, but most Podcasters eventually tire of their limitations and convert to using a regular microphone for their Podcasts.  

You may recall that earlier I told you that in most instances you can only use computer microphones with a sound card’s mic jack.  So how do you record using a non-computer microphone?  Simply by avoiding the mic jack and going directly to the much quieter line-in jack on the card.  According to the Shure Microphone web site a typical dynamic microphone provides typically only 1/10 of the signal needed for a sound card mic jack.  The line-in jack needs 100 to 200 times that input (a 1000-2000 increase) so how can you plug in a microphone into one of these jacks?  By amplifying the microphones signal before it is plugged into the computer. Microphone pre-amps can be purchased as a separate device or incorporated into another device like a mixer.  Pre-amps often offer other advantages beyond amplifying.  They may allow you to connect a microphone that uses professional XLR connectors and many provide “Phantom Power” which is +48 volts of power needed for condenser type microphones.

Expect to pay about $50 for a single channel microphone preamplifier.  For about the same price you can get an inexpensive mixer like the Behringer Eurorack UB802.  This little mixer has pre-amps for two microphones as well as 6 other connectors for other things (CD deck, cassette deck, etc.).  In addition it includes controls to adjust the volume of the mics connected, as well as bass, treble and panning.  More expensive mixers like the Mackie Onyx give you even more controls and also add boutique quality internal electronics that provide high signal gain at the lowest possible noise levels. These refinements come at a much higher price tag. Using a pre-amp and a decent microphone can make a cheap sound card sound good and a good sound card sound great!  

If you decide to upgrade your sound card you need to decide if you want to “pop” the case.  If the answer is “no” a quality USB card is the answer. The addition of a quality USB sound card can make this upgrade as easy as “plug-and-play.”  In addition, a USB sound card may be the only practical solution for laptops (although there are a few cards that use the PCMCIA connector). Good quality USB sound cards can be found from Creative (Audigy), Edirol and M-Audio and Griffin.  The deceptively simple looking (and inexpensive) Griffin iMic does a great job and even made my very cheap Labtech computer mic sound good on my computer. When purchasing any type of sound card take a look at the big picture.  For instance, the wonderful iMic provides only 2.1 sound, not the 7.1 surround sound that some people like for their computer games. There also seems to be endless debate over which is better; internal cards, USB cards or Firewire cards.  Technically, internal cards offer some advantages. However, in the real world, all types will work perfectly well for Podcasting.  The quality of the card is what is really important.

Another trend is the hybridization of devices. This typically involves marrying a device with a quality sound card (or its analog to digital converter) and then adding either a USB or a Firewire interface.  Sometimes the computer connection also supplies the power to the device making set-up as simple as plugging in a single cable. Some examples (there are many more) of this include:

1. The Alesis Multimix 8 USB mixer (requires separate AC power)

2. The Blue Snowball condenser microphone

3. The M-Audio Mobilepre USB microphone preamplifier

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