Whether you’re a teacher trying to teach online, in business meetings on Zoom or Microsoft Teams all day, or if you’re new to recording yourself with a device or your computer (maybe you’re a guest on a podcast?), there’s a few options to improve your sound quality for those trying to hear you. We’re all living our daily work lives online now, and there are some small changes you can make for a huge difference in the audio you’re sending out.
I’m going to cover a few ideas you can try, ranging from inexpensive or free, to where you should invest a few dollars if you’re in a place where you can afford to do some affordable upgrades to your audio.
Free-ish:
My first tip is straightforward. Just use plug-in headphones. Any pair of headphones you have lying around will make such a difference. Mainly it will cut down on the feedback or noise your computer’s microphone is picking up, which you may not even hear but it will be amplified for the people trying to listen to you.
Note that when you use plug-in headphones that don’t have a mic on them, you’ll be using your computer’s built-in microphone, which is like talking into a speakerphone. These built-in mics pick up everything around you. In particular, laptops tend to be more likely to pick up the sound from the computer’s speakers since they’re so close in proximity, causing echoes and feedback to the people trying to hear you.
Keep that computer microphone in mind, too, if you type while you’re at the meeting, or if you touch your laptop while recording a video. Each stroke of the laptop’s keyboard will come through. Papers or books set on top of or even near the laptop microphone can make it very difficult to hear you, either from rustling noises or the mic being covered up.
If you’ve ever had a device that’s ever come with a set of headphones with an attached mic, grab them and plug them into your computer when you’re in an online meeting.
Wired Earbuds w/ a Mic
Next, if you want to take that headphone game to the next level, consider wired headphones with a microphone built-in. Apple uses to include these with their iPhone purchase. The microphones are excellent, and having the earbuds and mic away from the computer makes a significant difference.
I also suggest just being aware of where the microphone is. If this mic is dangling in front of you, it can often rub against clothing or jewelry and result in loud noises. In some cases, I often find myself holding the mic away from me if the wire gets turned a bit. There are a lot of very affordable versions of what Apple originally shipped with iPhones. You can usually find 3rd party versions in most drugstores or online for less than $20.
Apple once created two versions of these because they moved from the audio port to the lightning connector. If you still have an Apple device, you can buy this $10 adaptor to connect the mini audio plug to the apple lightning port. This adaptor will come in handy later too.
Apple has the ear pods too. I’ll go over my concerns with the Ear Pods in the pricier options in a bit.
USB Mic
The USB-Microphone is my preferred option or the middle option. If you have a few dollars you’re willing to invest, I strongly advised a USB microphone. My favorite one is the Blue Snowball. They’re priced at $50, but many other USB-Microphones are out there for even less than $50. I’ve seen some good ones for $20-$30. These instantly up your game. They reduce background noise and are far more directional to your voice. I still suggest using headphones or earbuds while using the USB microphone because you still want to cut down on the noise or feedback coming from your online meeting or class. But the quality of the USB-microphone can’t be beaten.
While we’re on the USB microphone, sometimes in Zoom or whatever program you’re using, you might need to remind that program to use your USB-mic. To do that, look for the audio input options and click on it, then check to see what it’s pointing to. If it’s not on your USB-microphone, switch to it, and you should be all set.
Pricier options
Now we” ll start going up in price options. I mentioned Apple’s EarPods a little bit before. I love these when I walk around or take phone calls, but I don’t love these when on a Zoom call. These can retail for over $100, but that’s not my issue; my issue is Bluetooth doesn’t always connect in a clean way with Zoom or Skype or any meeting programs. Often there is a delay because you’re running wirelessly through to the Bluetooth, then the computer, then back to the program, like Zoom. All that processing takes a bit of a delay. It tends to reduce the sound quality too. People often sound like they’re on muffled telephone lines from the ’90s or too much ambient sound. They’re wildly inconsistent. They, too, work as a speakerphone. So the person you’re connecting with can likely hear everything happening in the background. I was using them on a typical phone call with my dad when my partner came home. As they went through the door, he could hear their bag, the keys, and all the noise they made from the other room. I’ve noticed that too when I’m on Zoom or Teams with colleagues. My other issue is you more frequently need to re-set them to be your source in Zoom or Teams. Sometimes it’s the program, and sometimes it’s the computer. While I’m picking on Apple’s earbuds, I find this applies to all Bluetooth mic options. I find Bluetooth delay sounds. Like it needs to make a couple of stops on its way to the main event.
Very pricey
OK, so you’ve heard all of this, and you’re someone who wants to invest in outstanding audio, and money isn’t an issue. In that cause, I suggest an audio interface. This one here is roughly $100, and it’s called a Scarlett Focusrite. It has one audio input and then connects to the computer via USB. The audio interface option allows you to purchase any range of expense or fancy microphone and use it for the highest possible audio quality. You could go further with an audio mixer, but I say save that extra money. Using an audio interface is ideal for anyone doing a presentation, a podcast, talk show, or recording something for publication or just perfect audio.
Bad audio can be so distracting, but it can also take away from people just hearing you clearly or understanding you. It’s both good for you to sound clear and respectful to your audience to listen to you, whoever your audience is.