Ultimate 5 Mic Collection, Annoying Podcast Trends (Q&A-003)

In Q&A episode 3 I discuss my ultimate 5 microphone collection, podcast habits/trends that I find incredibly annoying, what mic and interface I'd select if I was starting over, and what band/albums inspired me to pick up a microphone.
00:00 - Ultimate 5 Microphone Collection
07:31 - Annoying Podcast Trends
10:59 - Interface & Mic to Start Over With
13:57 - What Band/Albums Inspired me to Pick Up a Mic?
16:51 - Conclusion
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Company Relationship Disclosure: podcastage.com/disclosure
Personal: www.bandrewscott.com
My KZbin Setup: podcastage.com/studio
My Favorite XLR Mics: podcastage.com/rev/favxlr
My Favorite USB Mics: podcastage.com/rev/favusb

[@podsmacked]

Sorry the correct answer was: 1. SM57 with small windscreen 2. SM57 with large windscreen 3. SM 57 with no windscreen 4. (2) SM57s And wildcard… 5. SM58

[@MirlitronOne]

As long as they are all insane.

[@45KevinR]

Tom Buck did a live stream today, near the end he shared his screen, and who's top left on his KZbin screen: Podcastage. 🎉

[@homestudioacademy]

Bro, thank you so much for the shout out and for featuring my question on this episode! 😊 PS: Apollo Twin for the win!

[@ShawnThuris]

Podcasters who pound their desks for emphasis but don't use a high pass filter! Also very high compression. Or no compression.

[@nikolasnavarro4161]

I think my 5 mic locker would be: Dynamic: Shure SM7db Ribbon: AEA KU5A LDC: Austrian Audio OC818 SDC: Earthworks SR25 Wildcard: Neumann KMS105

[@mathew699]

Mine would be : Dynamic - SM7B Ribbon - AE KU5A LDC - U87 Ai SDC - Neumann KMS 184 Wildcard - SM58

[@mathew699]

Yesss I wass rightttt

[@JeremyLeech]

The thing I hate the most is everyone gets an SM7B and they all eq and compress it the same. Sounds horrible.

[@fredoverflow]

And whose fault is it? Joe Rogan!

[@Celsian]

Everyone thinks their voice needs a ton of bass to sound smooth and buttery. More people need to use the internet to learn how to properly EQ!

[@auroraflash]

What is your solution?

[@JeremyLeech]

@@auroraflash be your own person, and eq to the sound of YOUR voice.

[@JeremyLeech]

@@fredoverflow nah streamer KZbinrs telling people they need the SM7B and need to eq it a certain way.

[@markcalaway6249]

the AEA is a crucial piece of any mic locker. Love mine, bought it after your first review of it.

[@Man-of-Steel674]

Hey man, love your stuff.

[@meistudiony]

There it is!! Woohoo! What grinds my gears is casters holding a lav and speaking into it. I listen to a poscast that doesnt normalize. Its annoying but i love the content.

[@Podcastage]

Oh yeah the hand holding lav thing. I haven’t encountered that much either podcasts but see it a lot on KZbin. I too listen to podcasts that aren’t normalized, and I was that annoying guy who sent an I requested message telling the podcaster they should normalize because the ads were painful to listen to when they come in.

[@fredoverflow]

I've seen multiple people handholding the SM7B lately...

[@Okiyah]

It has now transitionned to holding SM7B in your hand 😅Less handling noise I guess...but if I was a host or guest, no way I'm holding 1kg in my hand for 1 hour. At that point, get a SM58, that's perfect for this, but I guess not glamourous enough.

[@meistudiony]

@@Okiyah id like to see them try that with the new warm wa44 mic its like almost 3kg. Lol

[@zeitakulobusta9708]

If you're Andrew Callaghan holding a lav you're ok by me.

[@pedroferreira4799]

new vid from podcastage LETS GOOOOOO

[@patrickchase5614]

I _love_ the Austrian OC818. I bought a pair several years ago and I look for excuses to use them. The fact that it even gets mentioned in your "backup five" is a testament to how much it punches above its weight.

[@pedroferreira4799]

Plz do videos about fav albuns and music in general, it would be really nice

[@Howesenberg]

Another highly valuable video. I honestly thank you for all your hard work over the years I've learnt a lot and I still have a long way to go I think. I have a question if you see this, do you ever have problems with controlling the power going into your mic? I've been having problems with static build up in my Rode Procaster (boosted by cloud lifter) and I'm able to remove this static noise by placing my hand on the microphone which essentially means the electricity is passing through into me. I feel like this isn't a very common problem but maybe it would make an interesting topic for a video if it's something you come across often?

[@Podcastage]

I have not encountered that issue before. That sounds like something is wrong if there’s static build up in the mic. I would contact Rode, Cloud, and whoever makes your interface to see if they have any suggestions or have received complaints about this. It doubly doesn’t make sense because you’re using a cloudlifter which blocks all voltage passing through to the microphone.

[@Howesenberg]

@@Podcastage Interesting, thank you for the reply! I recently upgraded to a Focusrite 4i4 and that's when the issues began, so perhaps it is related to that. I'll look into it.

[@devalirzayev]

Hi there. It is probably because your house does not have grounding. That's why it causes static electric in microphone and stop when you hold it. If it is hard to fix this problem (you need electrician and restructuring your house electric system), then you should somehow connect microphone with ground.

[@testing.microphones]

great video

[@zeitakulobusta9708]

Andrew, dude, you look so healthy! Whatever you're doing....keep doing it :)

[@Celsian]

I'd love to see some RME reviews, I have the Fireface UCX II and it's been an incredible audio interface. Bulletproof drivers and Totalmix FX is a fantastic software mixing program.

[@claudioagmfilho]

🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷👏🏻, Great selection, great video as always!

[@djtoman6875]

For voiceover/podcasting, the Earthworks Ethos is a SDC and people (including me) love its character. It seems like the gorgeous Earthworks SR314 may use the same capsule in a handheld body. Both are wonderful mics.

[@ArtVandelay592]

Mine based solely on what I personally own and have experience with Dynamic: RE20 (because of course) Ribbon: Beyerdynamic M160 (sadly the only ribbon I own or have experience with but it’s a damn good one) LDC: Very tough choice as I have a lot of great ones, but right now I gotta say I really love the tone of the Gefell MT71S. SDC: Again a bit of a winner by default because it’s my only SDC mic if you don’t count shotgun mics, but I love the sE8. The KM184 and Soyuz 013 (tube or FET) would probably win out if I had either of those but for the money, the sE8 is THE bang for your buck SDC that gets very close to those mics for a lot less. Wildcard: Uhhh… Aston Element. Just because I like annoying people with it in Discord calls and it’s a fun conversation starter whenever people come over. Other than that, total garbage mic.

[@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt]

Brill episode! Sadly I only deal with condensers.

[@daveparkin5174]

1. SM57 2. Rode NTR (pair) 3. AA OC818 (pair) 4. Schoeps CMC6 MK21 (pair) 5. Schoeps CMC6 MK2H (trio) For classical and opera recording purposes.

[@stefanweilhartner4415]

did you had the chance to test the austrian audio OC707 so far? we bought it in our culture club last year and i am very impressed. it is very detailed and it is quite forgiving when you don't have it at the perfect spot in front of the audio source. especially for people who are not trained in handling a microphone, it is quite forgiving.

[@krischie230ce]

Hi, easy Sm57,Royer R122,U87,Km84 and Wildcard Oc818

[@fredoverflow]

Can you make a short video on the ideal position of the pop filter between mouth and microphone? It always triggers me when KZbinrs buy super expensive microphones and then shove the pop filter right on top of the microphone where it is borderline useless because there is very little room for the plosives to dispense before they inevitably hit the capsule. Simply repeating "pizza pronto" while moving the pop filter back and forth should make for a very linkable clip!

[@JoshColletta]

My Ultimate 5: -- Dynamic: ElectroVoice RE 20 (relatively flat response for a dynamic, thus easy to EQ; sounds great on my voice even without EQ or processing) -- Ribbon: RCA 77-DX (because I'm a broadcast geek through and through) -- LDC: Audio-Technica AT2020 (same reasons as the RE 20, just in a condenser... and it's relatively inexpensive) -- SDC: I don't really have enough experience with any SDCs to make a call on this... unless we're counting shotgun mics, in which case I'll go with the Sennheiser MKH416. If only I had reason enough to save up for one 😄 -- Wildcard: Sennheiser e835-S handheld dynamic for public address announcing at sports events. I'm not a huge fan of its response curve -- it bumps around 5k instead of 2.5k or 3k, which is where it really should be peaking for speech -- but it still sounds plenty clear when you bring down the low end. It is GREAT, however, in terms of balance between pattern and sensitivity. I don't have to close-talk it (which is good, because I'm LOUD when I announce), and I can go off-axis with it, but it still does a FANTASTIC job of suppressing feedback. I've been able to sit about 10 feet away under and in front of a loudspeaker and **juuuuuuuust** push it to the brink of a very **faint** squeak, and it still gave me plenty of amplitude to work with. Why a handheld for sports announcing? Because, like I said, I get LOUD. I need to be able to pull the mic away so I don't clip. And while footswitches or handheld switches are a solution for mics without a switch... why not just use a mic with a switch to begin with? I can keep all my paperwork and my laptop in front of me, a pen in one hand, and the mic in the other, and I'm good to go. The switch on the e835-S is in the perfect position for my thumb, too. I can just flip it on as I'm bringing the mic up to my mouth in one smooth motion. And believe me, with the fast pace of basketball and even football, the less I have to move around, the better.

[@LEWITT-audio]

As usual, really cool video, and nice microphone choices IMO. 😉

[@travis.napier]

Wait, is this a biased comment? 👀😂

[@graysonpeddie]

My ultimate headphone microphone is Audio Technica ATH-m50x-STS, but I want to see a market for more XLR headphone microphones with no low-end roll-off.

[@jrgroberts]

Did you check out Schoeps SDM? As for podcasters, if I never hear the phrase "deep dive into..." again, that will be much too soon.

[@MustafaShaheen]

This is such a fun game for those of us that have the good ol flavor of ~microphone autism~ 1. AKG C414XLS for the versatility 2. Beyerdynamic M180 is a fave to use two on drum overheads due to the hypercardioid pattern in my untreated space. Also love pairing one with a condenser on acoustic guitars 3. Telefunken M80 because I love how it captures my snare 4. Electro-Voice 635A. Sounds lovely on classical guitar paired with a condenser, and also wonderful as a drum kit knee mic blasted with saturation, with its omnidirectional pattern 5. Electro-Voice RE-20. Use it on kick and sometimes for singing! Really want to get the SM7B because I have a similar voice to yours and it's so sibilant on the RE-20, as much as I love that mic. I don't need it, but I sure do want it. Thanks for the geeky prompt!

[@tdata545]

That is one thing that grinds my gears with podcasters, since I listen to horror stories to go to sleep, and man, take the time to look things up in regards to pronunciation. Some of them are terrible for it. ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE CELEBRITY NAMES. You have them saying it, the internet has clips of them saying the name, etc. There was one podcaster who would pronounce mannequin as mannekwen, and one podcaster was reading a story about a haunted Armoires as ALLMAIRA (almost like that character from Tiny Toons). The word was in that short 3 minute story like 20 times, and each time he mispronounced which ruined the story until I realized what he was talking about after listening to it like 3 times and listening to context clues. Also, you're the VERY VERY VERY FEW PEOPLE who pronounces my lastname correctly, I'm a BEYER as well. THANK YOU.

[@Celsian]

I'm not even surprised at the price of the Lewitt, it sounds amazing.

[@maxhammer4067]

Please do complete guides on recording vocal and acoustic guitar, with all types of mics, only you can do this, 😊

[@borisgrigull7772]

Dynamic : Re320 (I have all the usual suspects in my kit) Ribbon : RCA 44b (the clear winner in my kit, but about 5 other ribbon mics would come in as 2nd..) LDC : Lauten Audio Clarion SDC : Shure Beta 181 (I get the impression not enough folk know these) Wildcard : Neumann TLM 107 Sounds great on everything thus far, and versatile...

[@LBJedi]

I personally like your voice most on the 1040 however you had it set when we first heard you on it.

[@dikao.9900]

I make a lot of live stuff, so my choice must also Work live. Dynamik: Sennheiser MD441 Ribon: Beyerdynamic M160 LDC: Sennheiser e965 SDC: pair of Schoeps CCM41

[@Vertshark]

A decent first mic/interface combo might be a Fifine 669D and a Arturia Minifuse

[@emergingloki]

I'd love to see the top 5 again, this time with a $200 cap on each one.

[@AdrianVenturaMusic]

Guesses for Bandrew: Dynamic - SM7B (I can see it on screen, so duh) Ribbon - Beyerdynamic M160 (It's the only one I know so assume everyone else is as ignorant as me) LDC - Neumann U87AI (Bandrew's baseline mic for comparisons) SDC - Neumann KM185 (I have it, so you better like it) Wild Card: Prince's gun shaped Sennheiser MD431 My locker: Dynamic - Neumann BCM705 Ribbon - Neumann don't make ribbon mics LDC - Neumann BCM105 SDC - see above Wildcard - Neumann KMS105 for my shows (Yes. I have a problem.)

[@ReetinEntertainment]

I ended up getting a Shure Super 55 from a thrift store for $100 and I love it. If I had to pay $250 for it then I would understand it not being the best. Getting it for cheap was amazing and it looks great.

[@djtoman6875]

Great mic. And best looks of any current production microphone.

[@step_losev]

Hello! Are you planning to do any new mic revievs?

[@fredoverflow]

Yes, he's gonna do the Shure Nexadyne next. At least I hope so :D

[@frankbrock]

Why not the M201 TG?

[@Ted_Swayinghill]

Woah Andrew! Almost didnt recognize you! congrats on the weight loss!

[@djmidnightwolf]

Dynamic: sE V7 Large Condenser: Electro-voice RE2000 Small Condenser: Electro-voice RE200 Ribbon:(DNC)(have not used one)(I did test a sE Rupert Nerve at Sweetwater once) Wildcard: Electro-Voice RE20

[@djmidnightwolf]

I must ask for the next Q&A: when normalizing, should I just let the DAC do it automatically or what value should I shoot for?

[@Podcastage]

There’s no truly adopted “standard” for podcasting. But many normalize to -16lufs for stereo or -19lufs for mono.

[@Spetsnazty]

I’m a bit scared. I thought to myself. I havnt seen podcastage in a while, was going to search you when I got home. Guess what , top of my feed. They are reading my minds, where’s the foil.

[@thejasontlewis]

The correct answer was UA Sphere DLX. And maybe a Sphere DX as a second mic. 😀

[@Podcastage]

That would certainly simplify things a LOT.

[@wraith2k4]

Bandrew! Two questions: 1. Did you ever hear back from Shure regarding the MV7+ performance via USB? 2. Is Beacn Mic on your review list since they support MacOS now?

[@VGScreens]

Hadn't got to the segment yet but was already preparing to make a "passionate" comment about dynamic ads, haha. I get that they are meant to be annoying and get your attention but it just makes me have negative associations with the product and podcast.

[@streetracingmiscreant8589]

I only have four microphones. Neumann BCM104 Shure SM7b Sennhieser 935 Shure Beta 58 wireless. I know, I definitely need more.

[@DWHarper62]

My locker... Warm Audio WA-47Jr, GAP R1 Active MkIII Ribbon, 2- sE SE7 sdc, sE V7, 2- Shure SM-57, Shure Beta 52A, Presonus PD-70... I lust after the AEA KU5A...

[@techmed-rainer]

Danke!

[@Podcastage]

Thank you so much Rainer, I really appreciate the support! You are so kind.

[@fredoverflow]

@@Podcastage "Rainer Richter" loosely translates to "pure judge", btw

[@techmed-rainer]

​@fredoverflow Well, yes, if you ignore the "wrong" spelling of Rainer. For this purpose, meaning pure, it should reiner with an e. Nice idea though, thank you! 😁

[@mycosys]

I think for 5 mics i'd want a pair of LDC, a pair of SDC and a dynamic, probably a pair of C12 capsule multipattern (C414/Elam251), A pair of Schoeps Colette (can i have multiple capsules? otherwise MK41), probably an MD421

[@adriandurac5864]

Hi can you do the sony C80 mic next

[@stephendverner]

I’d say the 5 mics for live production are similar but with some changes: SM57/58 as the dynamic SM 81 - my fav sdc AKG c414/Se Electronics 4400 for ldc multi-pattern Don’t really use ribbons on stage So my 2 other favs are the Senn mke 600 - crowd/ambient mic and Sennheiser e901 and e902 for inner and outer kick drum combo

[@WolfsHaven]

Ill swear by the SM57 and 58 all day long. Give me 2 of each and the MKE-600 to top it off. The 57 and 58 are not the perfect mic for every voice but they are perfectly adequate for the vast majority. Better still they are reliable and sturdy. Every stage and studio keeps multiples on hand for that reason alone.

[@PocketWatchTime]

Watch talk won’t scare me away 😁😂

[@KaczkenSsAnimations]

can you please try to review the BEACN MIC?

[@fredoverflow]

EposVox hates it

[@Fl4ppers]

Coles for ribbon for me. Followed by the 160.

[@DataMind-xd7xm]

My 5 mic collection would be (Although the categories would be different) 1. AKG P420 2. AKG P820 Tube 3. Warm Audio WA87r2 4. Lewitt Pure Tube and maybe one day, a 5. Lauten Audio Atlantis

[@daverwob]

I hope you can review the MKH416, add to the one million reviews of this mic already on KZbin

[@Podcastage]

I did a review 5 years ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnqWioptec-CoZosi=HeQNt5FiilY90Fy7 It’s not the same quality as my videos today, but it should still be relevant and hopefully helpful.

[@daverwob]

@@Podcastage oh wild, I searched your channel videos, must have left out the dash in the model name. Thanks!

[@lschen1111]

My 5 mic: Dynamic: Shure KSM8n Ribbon: Beyerdynamic TG V90r (only owned this ribbon) LDC: Neumann TLM103 SDC: Neumann KMS105 Wildcard: DPA D:Facto II

[@sean9736]

review circle audio evo 251 plzzz!!!

[@7171jay]

Ultimate five mic locker for what uses exactly??? A Podcaster really only needs one decent appropriate mic that fits sound and budget and then additional mics if guests are involved which would probably be more of whatever the first mic is that you had chosen. I just don't see why a Podcaster would need five mics besides extras for guests. Now if you are recording music then a few mics and some diverse ones might actually be useful or even necessary. A different mic for vocals than say acoustic guitar might be nice. Or maybe two different mics on guitar cab, say a close up dynamic with condenser further away or two different close mics. Or maybe you are mic'ing an actual drum kit and then you might want a specialty bass drum mic or a particular snare mic.

[@MrNicknayme]

My top 5: Sennheiser MD421-U5 DPA 2011C Beyerdynamic M160 Earthworks Ethos AudioTechnica AE5400

[@MPoe56]

So I have to ask what would you recommend for someone who knows absolutely nothing about microphones with a budget of about $200ish. What's the best plug-in play for my budget?

[@Podcastage]

Plug and play…Samson Go Mic is like $40 and sounds pretty darn good. Audio Technica AT2020XUSB is decent. FiFine K688 (dynamic version - i think i got the model right) is decent sounding but has a few drawbacks. Rode NT-USB+ or Rode Podmic USB are both good options - but they have software which would give you processing ability as well.

[@fredoverflow]

Sennheiser Profile Shure MV7 Rode Podmic USB

[@nobodyhaslogin]

Oh hey! You started wanting to play bass too. Nice! But you can now play songs about pizza ;)

[@Podcastage]

Yeah. I played bass in orchestra for 5 years too. First song I learned there was the Jaws theme. Ha

[@nobodyhaslogin]

@@Podcastage great choice!

[@TheGudlove]

SM58 Mojave 301fet AEA KU5A WARM - CX12 Lewitt Pure Tube That's my price conscious but capable top 5

[@thejasontlewis]

OMG!!! KZbinrs need to learn the loudness normalization even worse than podcasters.

[@bajagewg6879]

Why in your 8 years old videos all microphones sound different than recently in the last few years? Now it's more bassy, detailed and full, even comparing old vs recent at2020 review video, it's the same microphone, but different sound. What changed?

[@Podcastage]

Pretty much everything has changed. 1) I stopped screaming and straining my voice which allows me to have more bass, and also my voice had changed a bit over the years. 2) I have better and more consistent mic placement. 3) I have more & more effective sound treatment. 4) I am stricter with verification of recording settings (24/48 into the same software every time). 5) different interface. 6) I have updated export settings to ensure higher video and audio quality. Don’t know if KZbin changed anything on their compression side, but those are factors I have adjusted over the years that have impacted the sound.

[@45KevinR]

Hmm, i feel like the five mic question came from someone living with Bandrew who wants some space back. Cue: Bandrew comes home to an echo, and only five mics. 😱😱😱 Your starter kit would be a huge investment for a newbie. Psst: Soundspeeds. Next time you sneak in get us an unprocessed recording of Bandrew. I'm guessing Mickey Mouse with a sore throat... 😂

[@supermolo100]

15:34 Lol Lol Lol

[@koenignero]

I am -> shocked!!!

[@Oddzey]

WE WANT WRIST WATCHES, WATCHES DONT SCARE US

[@Tepnomusic]

Once you get a c800g you'll sell all your other mics.

[@JackHaveman]

Shure ksm 313 Ribbon Telefunken tf51 LCond Se Gemini II Tube Telefunken M81 Dynamic Wildcard: Blue bottle

[@RudeCanine]

Can’t believe you didn’t put the RE20 on here…

[@ArtVandelay592]

I know right? The audacity of this man. Unsubscribing 😡

[@MikeNovelli]

sound recorder is no shame

[@michaelj.4187]

good ole Radio Shack aka Realistic at times...yikes!

[@lizardpeter]

SM7B has wayyyyyyy too much hiss. Unusable, in my opinion, for speaking without noise reduction post processing. On a side note, what about the Rode NT1 5th Gen?

[@williamrpetrie]

What grinds my gears are KZbinrs going with the podcast aesthetic of wearing headphones and putting a SM7b in front of them when they’re not filming a podcast. (Obviously, this channel excluded as you’re geared towards podcasters). But unless you’re actually filming a podcast so you can show your episodes on KZbin, get that mic out of your face. It’s a different medium entirely and you look like a Joe Rogan wannabe.

[@seedmole]

Dookie and Weird Al explain a lot, 10/10, no notes

[@citizenstrife]

I don't listen to Joe Rogan at all. I wonder if I'm ahead of the curve.

[@fluphybunny930]

TBF rogan isn't entertaining either

[@Podcastage]

A lot of people seem to find him very entertaining.

[@jamesmhebert]

I hate Hate HATE unnecessary cutaway camera angles! Talk to me, not to my left, not to the wall, but to the viewer. If you’re handling some gear, look at the camera and/or the gear, but please STOP cutting to a side view “just because you can.” I’ve unsubbed several channels who overuse this distraction.

[@Podcastage]

Whatever you do, don't look at my video podcast KZbin.com/@bsp because I have an overhead angle. HA!

[@lyianx]

Remember.. this is for PODCAST.. not STREAMER! SM7B is NOT WORTH IT for streaming. Get over it.