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  1. I have an ASUS EEE 701, the original netbook, with the 4 GB ssd. I would like to buy an external microphone for it but I don't want to buy a microphone that has better fidelity than the netbook is capable of recording. I am using Audacity now as the recording software and as I become more proficient with it I may upgrade to a better program. What do I have to know about the computer/sound card and software to be able to buy a microphone for it? I will be recording a variety of things - interviewing people one by one, lectures and small groups or large groups of people singing.
    Last edited by Haopengyou; 25th Mar 2012 at 11:24.
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  2. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    While there is some variation in A-to-D converters (aka sound cards), even the most basic ones on the mobo are VERY good by consumer/prosumer standards. The main difference is in self-noise/hum, resistance to EMI/RFI, and stable & accurate sample clock.

    On the other hand, there is a WIDE range in the quality of available microphones, so much so that it would be a disservice to recommend anything yet without knowing further: your purpose, subject(s), environment, timeline, expectations & understanding of audio, and ultimately - your BUDGET.

    Know that in most cases, ANYTHING is better that what comes stock with your computer.

    Scott
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  3. Thanks! I am glad that we have left the "good old days" of proprietary drivers for multi media behind! I hope to spend around $100. I will use it for the following:
    a. interviewing 1-2 students: close up
    b. recording a class lecture, probably/possibly using a webcam to do the recording. I have noticed that the higher end webcams (HD that can do 1080 for recording) also claim to have high quality built in mic's. Is this true?
    c. recording my classroom for observation/improvement purposes.

    It would be handy...to have a wireless microphone as well. When I am recording lectures or my classes I need to set the camera back quite a ways to get the wide angle but then the audio suffers tremendously. It would be really helpful if I could plant the microphone close to the lecturer/performance, and then back the camera off and still get good audio. Most of the wifi use would be in rooms with fluorescent lighting, if that makes any difference. I would consider this wireless microphone to be a separate situation - another $100 set aside for it.

    I have a strong technical orientation but do not know much about audio/video YET. I am willing to invest the time to be able to prepare a very professional looking package.
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  4. Member edDV's Avatar
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    a. interviewing 1-2 students: close up
    b. recording a class lecture, probably/possibly using a webcam to do the recording. I have noticed that the higher end webcams (HD that can do 1080 for recording) also claim to have high quality built in mic's. Is this true?
    c. recording my classroom for observation/improvement purposes.
    $100 is low here but might be enough in China.

    Wireless is the way to go because the mic needs to be close. Camera mounted mics will pick up room noise and echos. Even an expensive shotgun mic needs to be inside 6 ft to work properly.

    Microphone products separate into three main kinds.

    1. Pro Mics are low impedance, balanced and optimized for long cable runs with low noise. These usually use XLR connectors.

    2. Consumer camcorder mics use higher impedance unbalanced short run cables to Miniplug connectors. Levels are usually too low for PC.

    3. PC mics generally are dynamic mics with higher output levels. These are lowest cost implementations and also the lowest quality. Usually you need a matching device between the first two types and the PC to get them to work.

    The exception to the analog types above would be a mic that outputs to USB (bypassing the analog inputs). For $100 you can get simple mics that are limited by USB max cable lengths. I don't know of a wireless solution at that price. Another option is a Bluetooth wireless mic.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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  5. Member budwzr's Avatar
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    Have you looked at the Zoom H1?
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