The All Purpose Advice Thread - Part 2

What are people's favorites webcams and USB microphones to use for remote video calls when WFH, etc. nowadays? I see some old discussions on here from a few years back, and it looks like the great hack destroyed a thread about podcast setups that would have been helpful.

I used to use my laptop's built-in stuff, but am now using a SFF desktop PC I built together with a Dell 38" ultrawide so need to add camera and mic functionality to the desktop. I don't have any mirrorless or similar DSLR cameras to repurpose as a webcam.

 

Not sure if there is a better place to ask this, but I have a headless Windows 11 box in my basement that is serving both Roon and Plex throughout my household. Lately, it seems like every time I want to play music (or use Plex), the device has dropped off the network and needs to be restarted.

At first I thought this was occurring after a windows 11 update (which does cause similar issues), but looking at the update history, that doesn't appear to be the case lately. The box is on a UPS, but there have been no power problems. I will readily admit that I'm much more comfortable with windows 10, but realize that the product is EOL and I had this windows 11 box sitting around doing nothing...

FWIW... no other machines on the network have this problem (but everything else is either Windows 10, Rpi, or an IOT device).

Appreciate any help!

 

What are your requirements and budget? Alot of the nicer setups were overkill for regular work calls. Some had nice setups for online lessons/lectures if I remember correctly. I have defaulted to using Logitech c920 variants for Teams meetings both at home and in my office. Usually just use the built in mic or my Sony noise cancellers. In the end, the step up in quality using real cameras and mics was wasted effort as most people I am on calls with were using laptops and couldn't tell a difference through Teams and Zoom.

 

Perhaps it’s a network (wired or wifi) driver issue when you upgraded. Not sure if you can find the drivers for these and maybe try reinstalling them. Alternative is maybe a cheap USB one that you can try. Anyway, it’s just a guess on my part.

 

I’ll second the Logitech 920 for basic WFH for easy compatibility and decent quality. During the pandemic times I think everybody including content makers were using these.

 

Yeah, just get whatever Logitech webcam is on sale because they are all crummy quality but at least it's more reliable than the noname amazon stuff, and no one needs to see your mug in 4k unless you've got some half decent lighting and filters on anyways.

I use an Audeze LCD-GX + Schiit Hel for my work calls. Failing that I have an old Sennheiser portable with the 4-pin plug and built-in mic going directly to my laptop headphone jack. At home I have a Shure SM7b but you can get the usb equivalent which I think is the MV7. It needs a good arm though because it's quite heavy.

 

There are much better cameras out there like the Razer Kiyo Pro 4k thing which looks like a GOOD smartphone camera, but the C920 is hard to beat for value. Can get very good results with a basic ring light firing off into a wall to bounce around your space for nice soft light, I've gotten surprised reactions that that was what I used to use (before I gave it to my one sister cuz I just didn't need to do video calls anymore lmao).

One caveat is that it's finicky about focus, sometimes losing focus and staying that way for minutes on end, so your best shot at getting usable results is just to manually set focus and lock it in there.

The Fifine AM8 is a commonly recommended USB/XLR mic, and while XLR mode sounds a fair bit better... as you said that'd be wasted on most. Cons is that it's a dynamic mic so you'll need even a cheapo boom arm to keep it within ~3in of your mouth. I do think that the sound of it is generally preferable to the MV7, but eh preferences (and you don't get the Shure name and presumably the same standard of support should anything go awry).

The modern Antlion Modmics are pretty not-bad sounding with some basic DSP, can just slap them onto whichever headphones you don't mind sticking stuff onto. The Behringer XM8500 used to be a common reco in the spaces I've seen because it was cheap, but it's never sounded *good*, and it seems prone to having random parts changed out resulting in a different sound. Not sure, haven't been keeping up with that one.

 

Oh, my workplace uses Adesso Cybertrack usb webcams. They work and the mics are ok-ish. No complaints for $25.

 

Thanks for the responses everyone. More info about requirements and budget:

• Desk setup is Dell ultrawide 38" and Vanatoo T0 speakers. I have a few inches between the bottom monitor corners and the speakers, but could potentially put a low profile arm that comes under the monitor or an arm that puts a mic above the monitor.
• Use case will be 100% for Zoom and Teams calls for work. From what I've read, those services are max 720p/1080p. I do not care about a 4K webcam because of the resolution, but care more about reliability and image quality / sensor size.
• From my chair to the top center of my monitor is about arms' length.
• Desk faces a window with blinds that I adjust during the day as needed, mostly just until I don't see sunlight lines on the desk. At night when blinds are closed I have a floorstanding lamp in the corner, next to the window.
• I do not really want a microphone arm or microphone in the video frame for calls, if I can avoid it. I'm not a podcaster or streamer. Just working a desk job. Most people are on laptops it seems, and some use a headset. I don't really want to use headphones or a headset.
• Room is decently long behind me and I keep the office door closed when working. No acoustic treatment, but dressers and stuff on top on one side of the room, and bookshelves behind me and on the other side of the room. I could potentially put a couple acoustic panels from GiK directly to my left and right to hit first reflection points of the speakers, but only if needed. Those would be maybe 18" wide and 36" tall if I did that.
• I don't get up during calls really so don't need advanced AI tracking like I see on the Insta360 Link 2 and similar. I almost bought a Link 2C earlier this week, but reports on Reddit of unreliability and pings of Chinese DNS servers made me pause for now. I'll probably blur the background or use a company-generated background most of the time.

Looks like I can pick up the Logitech C920S at Microcenter for $55, but I've read the microphone sucks. I'm open to booming something as I mentioned above, or maybe using a desk stand to put a mic in between my keyboard and monitor but still out of frame. I'd prefer a desk stand or a mic boomed above the monitor so I can set it and forget it, rather than swing something out to be over my keyboard and then have to move it back.

For budget, maybe $300-500 max for everything. Would prefer a USB microphone if possible so I don't have to have another box on the desk with an XLR mic + interface.

 

That's a bit more niche but maybe a shotgun mic just abovehead and aimed at your mouth could work? Ought be well out of the way and be fairly decent at isolating your voice even in a less than ideal space.

Something like the Rode VideoMic NTG comes to mind, that one's a USB mic. I think the stubby Rode shotguns sound pretty good, much nicer than their more popular podcasting mics which are VERY questionably voiced IMO (not to mention the whole weirdness with various generations of their NT1 mic...)

Sound sample here. I like this guy's mic reviews, I'm in his Discord server and it's been a pretty educational place in some respects. Lots of "fun" conversations when it comes to playback gear though, namely the audibility of different DACs and how important amplification is LMAO.

 

@Lyander, thanks for that. I've seen that mic recommended in another thread by Vansen and in another YouTuber's video. I saw my local MicroCenter has the Videomic Go II, which seems similar and $150 cheaper. Maybe the way to go is a pencil condenser / shotgun mic and use a desk stand or tripod, pointed up toward my face. I could get it closer to my mouth that way than using an arm and going above the monitor.

 

Best of luck finding something that fits your need! But be wary if it's a different model, Rode is a weird company and their gear runs the gamut from really good to WTF terrible.

The Go II doesn't sound great to me in this sample (timestamped link), not familiar with their reviews unlike the Podcastage guy but seems like a properly fair comparison. Can get a lot more mileage out of it with some basic EQing and such though, plus I think it's just me nitpicking too much since I imagine the Go II is already a massive step up compared to what most will be using.

EDIT: timestamp doesn't seem to work so skip to 3:40 for Go II sample and just wait until switch to NTG. Does seem like it's a good $150 to save though, on a second listen, think I'm just being picky

 

The Rode is good, but blows a good chunk of the budget. You can probably find a Blue Yeti usb mic at a good price. Not shotgun style, but their pickup is reasonably good so you can keep it out of camera frame.

 

The Yetis were the only good option a long while back I think, but nowadays are up against very stiff competition and are known to spontaneously die or othewise develop issues after a few months/couple years on a stretch-- I know a few people who've run into dead Yetis lmao. They also have DSP you cannot bypass which might be annoying to some (the aggressive noise gating being the most egregious of the lot, IMO), so that's a bit cruddy if you're wanting to refine the sound the way you specifically want.

I'm cringing recommending a gamer brand but if a regular USB condenser mic that doesn't necessarily have a tighter polar pickup pattern works then the Razer Seiren Mini specifically (cuz there are a lot of different Seirens) is really good for the price-- it's under USD40 right now from what I can see.

If the budget can be stretched to about $150 then the Elgato Wave:3 seems pretty grand even from a modest distance. The original Neat King Bee (OOP but old stock can sometimes pop up) is really nice sounding for what it costs, but the King Bee 2 is fine too despite it having that weird sort of broadcast-y shaping to its low end and a slightly rougher treble.

 

I suggest trying the built in Logitech mic to see if that suits your work needs. If this is just for WFH, and you’re usually not presenting/talking, I think not having additional equipment would be better for your work space. Also, a lot of colleagues I know just use their Airpods or the like, and they come across fine.

 

I use a Logitech Brio Ultra, not for the 4K but because it has better algorithms. It handles a wide variety of lighting situations while maintaining a good, clear image. It has a serviceable on-board mic.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1362093-REG/logitech_960_001105_brio_webcam_90.html
$200

However in rooms with higher levels of reverberation, such as our kitchen counter, I will opt for a short shotgun to minimize room reverb, reduce off axis sounds such as the laptop speakers and able to be out of camera view:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ica_AT875R_AT875_Short_Condenser_Shotgun.html
$169

This USB to XLR mic interface allows me to avoid being stuck with USB only mic solutions.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1774817-REG/shure_mvx2u_motiv_streaming_adapter.html
$129
It has 60 dB of clean gain which is good for even a Shure SM7b, which I have used when wishing to go full on podcast mode.

Here is a tabletop stand that will work with the AT 875R (not the heavy SM7b though)
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1580424-REG/zoom_ztps_4_tps_4_tripod_mic_stand.html
$16

If you want to see and hear these in operation we could set up a zoom call and also demonstrate some other cams and mics.

 

As much as I like my SM7b, it's a heavy sucker that cheap boom arms cannot support at all so I would not recommend for the casual user.

 

Agreed, the SM7b is HEAVY. If in the lab I have an Ergotron LX with a swing boom arm and a Vivo universal VESA to 5/8 stud adapter for the SM7b. Elsewhere I use a C-Stand with boom and appropriate adapter hardware.

The AT875R recommended is relatively light, working well with many desktop tripods. I prefer a Manfrotto 209.

 

I'm trying to figure out places I could put the mic and still have it out of frame and be able to adjust my monitor height when I raise up the standing desk. If I had the mic on a desk stand or tripod between the keyboard and monitor, it would be maybe 18-24" from my mouth, depending on how high I could get it. (I'm pretty tall.) If the mic was boomed above the monitor where the webcam is, it's probably more like 30-36".

How far does the AT875R need to be from your mouth to be usable for virtual meetings?

With a desk stand or tripod, does typing or writing on the desk make a meaningful difference given the supercardiod / hypercardiod polar pattern of something like the AT875R or Rode Videomic Go II? I see the Rode mics we've been discussing come with shock mounts, but assume I could get one for the AT as well.

 

@zonto i have the AT mic in storage and can dig it out this weekend to do some test files for you vs the built in of the Logitech webcam. I got the AT on Atomicbob's recommendation during covid, though I used the Motu M2 as an interface. Like I mentioned before, I stopped using it because I didn't think it really did anything for the people on the other end of my video meetings and I started working from my office more (and wanted to keep things simple).

I was going to keep it and use it for some videos my wife wanted to make for youtube but it has been well over a year and I basically forgot I still had the AT. I have since picked up more camera attached mics, so may not need a boom mic anymore.

PM me if you think recordings would help and what you'd like me to try.