Hi, my name is Chris and this is my first post. I have to give a little backstory about myself to ensure anyone who reads/reply’s this topic understands. I have a physical disability which prevents from moving my arms in a reasonable range. At the end of 2016 I became ill which has resulted with me getting a passive ventilator (it helps me breathe) however it has an ‘exhalation port’ which makes a lot of noise when using a microphone.
I want to use a shotgun microphone Like This because it only records audio in a specific area i.e. only around my mouth (I think it works like that) thus removing unwanted noise.
The only problem is that it uses a “XLR” connection and all the interfaces I have seen control the microphone volume and other things on the physical hardware because of my disability I would not be able to use such controls so I would need some interface that is software controlled from my PC.
Hopefully that is understood by everyone else because I suck at writing.
Well any mic with a cardioid pattern will only record audio directly in front of it, they are used in radio and there are many usb mics with cardioid mic patterns. Also depending on the context you could cancel out the noise with software. If its voice chat you can set a noise threshold. If it's recorded audio you can use a program like Audacity to develop a profile for and then eliminate background noise in seconds.
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turns out that the mic i have is a cardioid one it works but picks up clicks and key presses i can fix it with audacity. I still would like to use a shotgun microphone with xlr but manage it with software if possible. what I have currently works but would like to get best quality i can.
You can get USB interfaces with XLR inputs, set them up once the way you want them physically then simply control the volume recorded with your OS's sound configurations or included software if the interface has it. (The one I linked comes with Cakewalk and Ableton.)
Be sure you have the proper power supply for the microphone you want to use. Shotgun mics require phantom power and some USB units will need a wall adapter to provide that to a microphone, alternatively some mics can be run from batteries. (The requirements for the microphone you linked: Note that the NTG-1 is the same as the NTG-2 except it can only be 48v phantom powered whereas the RNTG2 can be AA battery or phantom powered.)
Additionally a cheaper option to connect XLR to your PC that you can setup to be accessible (i.e. held in the hand or mounted close by) that is an all-in-one unit including physical volume dial. My reservation on this is the rather large number of complaints about the quality of the product itself.
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I have shotgun mic with XLR myself. I'll just share what it is like for me and you can use this information to inform your buying decision.
Its current setup is directed at my forehead (above my mouth) to reduce typing sounds etc. My keyboard is still too loud and the mic picks it up quite well. The quality is superior, but that's just because its an expensive mic and you generally get what you pay for.
Putting the mic right up in front of my mouth works in eliminating most key press sounds, but reduces freedom of movement in for how I reach the mouse/other things on the desk. In close range of the sound source, the microphone's nature is to create off character sounds and shift audio to a lower quality bass when it is closer to its target. A shotgun microphone uses a series of holes in the side of the actually housing of the mic to cancel out background noise; this same structure causes very close subjects to have a less natural and deeper voice.
In my honest opinion a microphone that has a directional pickup pattern with a really short range is what I would shoot for. Something like what Fouqin mentioned - cardiod or even hypercardiod. They tend to have a shorter range than shotguns meaning if you put the mic right up in your face, turn down the gain and speak into it it should be lovely. That being said sometimes you have to rotate the microphone in odd positions, sometimes even mount them upside down to get the pickup pattern you want, because they have pickup patterns all by themselves.
Are there any music shops in your local area? It might pay to get a few tried out, I know where I live they let me see 2 or three out of the box to help me decide, sometimes they have display models even. Just phone them ahead of time instead of driving all the way out there.
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tried to look up specs for the mic but some group decided to "hack" the microphone store leaving "Hacked By Mister Spy && Souheyel && TayebJaaba." anyway I think the mic is Cardioid – unidirectional according to Maplin but my mic is branded with "ProSound" whereas the one I linked is called "yoga". I have no idea if it's the same just re-branded or whatever. if you know of a site that displays range/patterns of microphones please send it along.
I know of at lest one music store not sure if they do any microphone equipment but they should, your experience with shotgun mic is very close to the scenario I have and is very useful to me because I thought that sound was record from just the very front. I don't want to have a less natural and deeper voice like you mentioned so a shotgun mic will probably not be my solution. Your reply has really helped me understand shotgun mics more thanks for the highly descriptive post.