Headphones and mics

[Nicole285476060td9]

Which mics are best for recording podcasts in order to spend less time with editing? And, are headphones necessary? The mic I have now is decent, but there is a constant hum in the background that is difficult to get rid of. 

[Richard M Knight]

Is the hum acoustic or electrically induced?

[Nicole285476060td9]

it sounds electrical, but how would I know the difference? 

[Richard M Knight]

Acoustic hum you should be able to hear in the room, like a fridge. Electrical hum is induced in the cableing but this should not be a problem with a digital usb mic. I would look at how your system is powered, if it is a laptop try running on batteries.

[Nicole285476060td9]

It's electrical. I tried running the laptop on batteries but that didn't change much. 

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

What mic have you got? And how is it connected to your computer? Headphones are generally a good idea to use, especially if you haven't yet got too much mic experience - monitoring yourself whilst speaking can reveal a lot!

[Nicole285476060td9]

FDUCE PRO, which is connected through a USB in the laptop (Mac).

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

The FDUCE PRO is a dynamic mic, as far as I can tell. That gives you another possibility as far as hum is concerned, and that is that it's being induced into the mic capsule itself. Is there any chance that you could provide a sample of what your setup typically sounds like?

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

Your sample file appears to be empty!

[Nicole285476060td9]

try this!

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

That's an acoustic fan noise - you need to get the mic further from your computer, by the sound of it.

[Dean_Utian]

Are you using a shock mount? This is reccomended. If your mic is on the table and there are vibrations, they can impact recording.

[Nicole285476060td9]

No, not yet!