Podcast Transcript
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to pod Mahal. My name is Misbah Haque and I have something really fun for you today. Uh, you know, if you are looking for a low budget microphone, that doesn’t really sacrifice quality, I went ahead and ordered this for myself because I’m going to be using it on one of my shows. Um, and personally, I like having this handheld option. So of course I love my Shure SM seven B. Um, this thing is amazing and it doesn’t get much higher quality than this. Right. But I do like the ability to be able to hold it in your hand, because it reminds me of, you know, uh, being up on stage.
It gives you a little bit more of a intimate feel, I think, to some degree. So anyways, I wanted to go ahead and unbox this with you in case you’re in the market for this.
So you can, uh, see me break it down, but let’s see. So comes in this thing right here. You’ve got your warranty thingy, a little sure. Sticker. If you want to represent it comes with a little microphone clip. Uh, so this is something that on different mic stands, you can put this on and the mic is made to slip into this pretty well. So if you want to check out the threading here, okay, you’ve got a little strap here. That’s sometimes nice, basically for, uh, the cord that you’re going to be using. You’re going to be needing an XLR cable for this instruction manual. If you ever want to dive into that, I do like that they do this.
They give you nice little leather pouch. So this is cool because it’s a nice storage space that keeps you microphone, uh, clean. Yeah. If you look at the inside crisp, right?
The last thing to take out of this box, here it is. Wow, this is beautiful. This is shorter than I expected. But I noticed that, uh, when I was looking at the SM four, a and the a hundred dollar version, which is the SM five eight. If you pay a little bit more, you are going to get a higher quality. It might cancel out more background noise and things of that nature. Um, but a lot of people said they didn’t really notice the difference. And this is really the next best one. Um, you know, after that, uh, in the shore category that is super affordable. So this costs me like 39 99. Um, it does not come with a cord, so you need to get an XLR cable.
Let me show you what that looks like, basically this right? So you that, and then, and that end really quick tip if you’re ever, uh, doing this on stage or something, and you’re struggling to do a live podcast or, uh, doing on camera.
When you line up this little button with the opening, that’s a quick way for you to get, you know, get it in there. Um, this is something that, especially during COVID Lauren performing, and doing live up. You would have mikes that were switched out in between, and it could be very awkward and eat up a lot of time. If you’re finagling trying to get it in there, something to keep in mind if you do take this life. Or if you’re ever on camera and need to mess around with it. Now this one has no on and off switched. If you pay a little more, you can get that option. I didn’t really want it. If I need to turn on and off a little bit, all I do is mute. Through my computer or through the recording device that I’m going to be using.
So the construction of this is beautiful. I love this kind of matte finish to it. It does seem like I’m going to have to keep this in the bag or make sure to keep it clean. Um, you know, to, to keep kinda this, this look here, but really what I like about this is that there’s a handheld feature here, right? You can put this in a stand, of course. Um, but this really gives it a conversational feel. Especially if you’re working with more than one guest, the style microphone is coming back a lot. You know, for years with microphones, I feel it’s such a personal choice because there’s of course the quality side of things that you want to preserve and you want the right fit technologically, but it’s also a style thing, right?
So some people love having the boom arm and, uh, you know, the Shure SM seven B looking microphone.
Some people like the handheld, some people like the are don’t really care. And maybe you’ll like the blue Yeti, that’s a little bit, you know, thicker, um, and built a little differently. There’s, there are so many options out there, but for those of you who are looking for something that’s handheld. Or that easily goes into like a tabletop stand or something like that, uh, I think this is solid. The reason I like sure is that it’s a trusted brand, there are so many microphones available, especially budget-friendly ones. Both are USBs that connects directly to your computer, which you’ll be needing if you’re doing remote interviews and things like that. Or recording directly into like garage band or Adobe or something like that. But if you’re looking for a microphone, that’s going to be very versatile. Um, and it’ll last you a long time.
This is definitely one now, because it has this end, traditionally, what you would use this mic with is some sort of external recording device, like the zoom H six.
So this is made so that you can record up to four channels. You hook it right into any one of these, and you’re good to go, right? I can start recording from there. Now the difference is after this, I would have to upload it to my computer, right? Uh, versus if you are doing a remote interview. Or you’re recording directly into your computer and you want to also use this for, let’s say zoom meetings and calls and things like that. You’re going to need to get ashore XLR to X, to your converter. This thing is a hundred bucks. So it is a little bit pricey, but it’s well worth it, especially if you are going to be consistently putting it into your computer. And you want kind of the option to be able to do that. There are cheaper converters out there.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had clients who use those and have opted out for that. And I will say that you can tell the difference. So there is a difference in the transmission, uh, and the quality sometimes, sometimes how long the cable will last as well. So if you go ahead and you invest into the shore, uh, converter, it’s something that will, again, it’s a sure brand it’s trusted. It’s a high quality compatible with really any microphone you decide to go with in the future.
So even if you have a different kind, uh, that you add to your arsenal, you can avoid this. Obviously, if you’re trying to hook into your computer by getting just a USB microphone, I have done that before. And to be honest, I didn’t really like it. I feel like the highest quality I can get when I get, you know, hooked into a zoom H six or a recorder like that.
But the next step is having a high-quality converter that allows me to get it into my computer. I also wanted the option because I do live performance and stuff to be able to take this. And if I’m putting on a show or, or something like that, I can hook this directly into an amp and you’re good to go as well. So I’ve had something like the blue Yeti before, for example, where that only goes into your laptop or your desktop or whatever. So when I wanted to hook it into my zoom, H six, it annoyed me that that option wasn’t there. So anyway, if you’re looking for a low budget microphone. This is a really solid choice because this plus the cable you can probably get for under 50 bucks.
Now, if you are adding obviously the cost of a converter, that’s another hundred. If you decided to go with a more inexpensive option, you can definitely test that out and that would bring your costs down. And again, there are USB mics that are out there that you can look into, but I personally love the co you know, just the pure aesthetic of this, the look, the feel. And I don’t doubt for one second that the quality of recording here is going to be awesome. Maybe I’ll come back and do, uh, another follow-up video when I’ve done a couple of recordings through this
What’s up, guys. My name is Misbah welcome to pod mahal. What’s really crazy while I’m recording this, there’s actually a jackhammer going on outside on my windows open. So the allow the noise is coming in very loudly, but I think, the mic in and of itself is doing a great job, actually. You know, keeping it out, Hey, everyone, this is a really quick test of the mic actually connected. And, in use, I just recorded a couple of podcast episodes with it. I wanted to show you what it sounds like, in the case of the last one I didn’t come through what I’m noticing when I had headphones on. And I was listening was that if you move your hand position on the microphone itself. Even like that little bit, it will show, or you can, it’s a little bit noticeable.
But when you’re moving around and your hand position is fixed on this microphone, it there, it sounds pretty awesome. And I do see now, and this is only because I think I’m used to kind of listening for this a little bit. But I think that the next, the mic, is the more expensive version of this. I can see why people probably go after that is because it probably completely eliminates any of that popping that could happen from, you know, use slightly changing your hand position and stuff. So, uh, I’m sure there’s other stuff you can attach to this to make that happen.
But I like a bear. I like how it looks and I like how it feels. So you know what I’m going to keep rocking it, but I hope this test was informed, and help you with your decision if you’re considering, snagging this.
So let me know if you have any questions at all on this if you need help selecting a microphone that kind of best fits your personality. Your budget, your goals for podcasting, I can definitely help you narrow it down. There are tons of choices out there. This is not the only thing by any means, but it’s something that I’m super excited to try out and I just want to document it. So hopefully that was super helpful. If you have any questions at all, make sure to hit me in the comments. My name is Misbah and I’ll see you soon.
