The How-To Geek Guide to Computer Microphones

Which of these matter and which are just hype?

Form FactorThe biggest difference between microphones is their form factor.

This should be the first thing that you decide on.

If youre a gamer or just prefer all-in-one devices, aheadsetis a good choice.

Headsets are headphones that have a microphone attached to them.

If youre considering doing some podcasting or other audio recordings, you should look into aprofessional microphone.

The most common professional mics are either dynamic or condenser.

Dynamic mics can take a beating, so if youre rough on your electronics, theyll hold up better.

Condenser mics are more fragile, but in general do a better job reproducing sounds.

A 3.5mm connector is the same as the plug from most headphones.

USB connectors are becoming increasingly common.

Professional microphones tend to use theXLR connector.

There are also wireless options, if you prefer not to deal with cables.

If youre in a noisy room, a unidirectional mic is a better choice.

Human voices typically fall in the 85-255Hz range, well within the capabilities of even the cheapest computer microphone.

The Sound Recorder program should be the first option.

You should see your microphone listed.

If you speak into it, the bar at the right should fill depending on how loudly you speak.

Right-tap on your microphone and select properties.

Go to the Levels tab and change the microphone volume to an appropriate level.

Record yourself again to confirm that the volume level is good.

Right-press the volume control indicator in the system tray and select Adjust Audio Properties.

Switch to the Voice tab and nudge the Test hardware button.

Ubuntu LinuxOpen a terminal window (Applications > Accessories > Terminal) and punch in in the command alsamixer.

Check to see if the Mic entry has a reasonable volume.

If not, use your arrow keys to highlight the Mic entry and raise the volume to around 50.

To test your microphone, select Applications > Sound & Video > Sound Recorder.

Record yourself speaking for a few seconds, then stop the recording a play it back.

Mac OS XNote: we did not have a Mac OS X test machine available.

But managing the basic sound options is similar to that in Windows using the Sound preferences.

Play it back to ensure that it works as intended.

If you do not have iLife, try the Audacity program, described in theRecording Audiosection below.

Using Your Microphone

Here are some tips to get the most out of your microphone.

When the program starts up, you have a blank slate.

To record some audio from your microphone, choose the red record button.

hit the stop button when youre done, and you have your first audio track!

you’re free to record more tracks, or add onto the current track.