I obsess over quality, especially when it comes to content creation. To me, it's not just some detail, but a game-changer. And so, rather than settle, I upped my game by investing in a solid microphone to ensure my sound quality sits right and also to make recording much smoother and more convenient. My experience so far has been exciting, to say the least.
The thing about phone audio is that it's just okay, and that's pretty much it, or perhaps a little for certain high-end phones. There's a bar, however, and it is even more apparent when working in uncontrolled environments. It can be difficult to record with my phone, work on the audio, and try to sync it in production with other sounds, like my guitar.
I had used a friend's USB microphone to work before, and that's how I realised how much better it would be to have one. Knowing just how it performs, I wanted to get the exact same microphone, but I couldn't find any local dealers that had it in stock. I did my research as usual and found the exact one I wanted.
Choosing this microphone was based on several factors. I considered build quality, look, functions and features, sound quality, versatility, aesthetics, and cost. It checked all of the boxes for me, and so it was either that or nothing—based on my budget anyway. However, it wasn't exactly cheap, even though it was within my budget.
I always try my best to get the most out of my money and not get ripped off. But it can be more challenging to make good bargains with products like this that I am not exactly familiar with. Surprisingly, though, it was very hard for me to find it to buy in the first place.
I eventually bought the microphone for $65. That's quite a lot of money here, sort of. Some people would have already opened their mouths in astonishment at the price by now. And that's okay, because the perception of value varies for different people based on what's important to us.
There are much cheaper microphones. But then again, many of them didn't check enough boxes for me when I assessed them. Even if I could manage with a much cheaper microphone, it may not last as long because it just wouldn't be as durable. I prefer to use things long-term and even be able to resell or give them out in near-perfect condition. Yet again, there's also the need to balance quality and cost. But I think I found the sweet spot with this microphone.
Not only do I use it to make videos like this Tango web extension tutorial, I also use it in my calls, especially over Discord and WhatsApp. And many people say that it indeed makes my voice sound clearer and richer.
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For a brand like Maono, one that is uncommonly heard of, it is really impressive the quality that they packed into this microphone, the Maono PD200X, for it's price. It has a mute button, a two-in-one control knob for mic gain and headphone volume, XLR and USB-C ports, a headphone jack port for live monitoring with zero latency, a customisable RGB light that you could actually turn off, and a long USB-C cable. And even more fascinating, it has a desktop app to adjust its settings, including the light intensity and colour.
