Created by James Rule @allthemoney
Library
Everyday phones, laptops, AirPods, and webcams — then dynamics, condensers, ribbons, USB, lavs, shotguns. Tap a capsule and the desk loads a starting mix for it.
Apple
The mic in your pocket. Omni, already compressed, plenty of room.
Hold the phone 15–25 cm from your mouth, bottom edge clear. Headphones on. Voice Isolation off.
Google / Samsung
Built-in voice mic. Bright, omni, AGC-happy.
15–25 cm from the mouth. Disable extra noise removal in the phone's sound settings.
MacBook / Windows
Array mics in the lid. Fine for calls, honest about keyboard and fans.
Sit up, 30–40 cm from the lid mics. Mute the laptop speakers. Headphones on.
Apple
Beamforming earbud mics. Convenient, already squashed, Bluetooth-limited.
Speak at conversation level. Transparency / Isolation off for recording. Don't cup the stem.
Logitech / similar
Tiny omni above the lens. Built for faces, not radio.
Lean toward the camera. Disable Windows Audio Enhancements. Headphones, never speakers.
HyperX / SteelSeries
Boom mic on a headset. Close-talk, plastic, surprisingly usable.
Boom at the corner of the mouth, not in front. Vendor 'voice' EQ off.
Everyday USB
The Amazon desk mic. Bright condenser, gain knob, no mystery.
Gain at 9–10 o'clock. 12–18 cm off-axis. A boom arm beats any plugin.
Jabra / Poly
Call-center boom. Consistent, mid-forward, already gated in firmware.
Use the USB dongle, not Bluetooth. Boom at the mouth corner. Vendor EQ: off or Neutral.
Shure
Dark, dense broadcast chest. The podcast default.
Drive the preamp so loud speech peaks −12 dBFS in OBS before plugins.
Electro-Voice
Variable-D radio voice. Flat proximity, news-desk honest.
Work 15–25 cm off the capsule. Variable-D lets you stay closer than an SM7B without boom.
Rode
Forward, slightly bright desk mic. Built for close talk.
Sit 8–15 cm off axis, just above the mouth line.
Shure
SM7B voicing with auto-level. USB and XLR in one body.
MOTIV: Auto Level off, Mix at 100% USB while you listen back, 1–2 thumbs from the grille.
Heil
Wide cardioid, big low-mids, radio-friendly without a cloudlifter.
A touch more distance than an SM7B. Aim just off-axis to tame pops.
Shure
Live vocal workhorse. Tight, mid-forward, almost indestructible.
Hold it like a vocalist — 5–10 cm, slightly off-axis.
Blue
Side-address condenser. Easy, roomy, often too honest about the room.
Cardioid only. Gain at 10 o'clock. Sit 20–25 cm back, capsule aimed at your mouth.
Elgato
Streaming condenser with Clipguard. Clean, a little bright.
Wave Link: disable extra voice FX. Set analog gain so Clipguard is a safety net, not a crutch.
Elgato
XLR dynamic for streamers. SM58 family, tighter than a condenser.
Close-talk it. 8–15 cm, pop filter optional.
HyperX
USB condenser with a built-in shock mount. Neutral-bright.
Cardioid, gain until peaks sit −12 dBFS, 20 cm off the capsule.
Samson
The honest starter. Dynamic, USB or XLR, close-talk only.
Treat it like an SM58. Almost on the mouth, slightly off-axis.
Rode
Whisper-quiet large diaphragm. Studio sheen, no forgiveness for the room.
25 cm with a pop filter. Reflection filter or blankets behind you.
Audio-Technica
Entry large-diaphragm. A little hard on the top, solid midrange.
Pop filter, 20 cm, slightly above the mouth aiming down.
Neumann
Modern Neumann presence. Expensive-sounding without a U87 budget.
Classic 20–25 cm, pop filter, shock mount. Don't bury it in a reflection filter unless the room is bad.
Neumann
The reference. Cardioid for dialogue, omni if the room is a space worth hearing.
Cardioid, pad off, 25–35 cm. Let the capsule do the work.
Royer
Smooth figure-8 ribbon. Natural, dark, no sibilant edges.
Sit 20–30 cm, treat the wall behind the null. Phantom must be off.
AEA
Big RCA-family ribbon. Voice sits in a room, not on a stick.
Give it space. 25–40 cm. Treat the rear wall.
Rode
Omni lav for run-and-gun. Chest is the studio.
Clip 15–20 cm below the mouth, on the sternum, under a placket if you can.
DPA
The lav the broadcast world actually uses. Tiny, honest, expensive.
Rig at the sternum or at the hairline for on-camera. Keep the capsule in free air.
Rode
On-camera or boom shotgun. Tight, a little hollow if too far.
Boom it above the frame, aimed at the mouth — not mounted on a desk.
Sennheiser
Sports and news headset. Fixed geometry, consistent every hour.
Boom at the corner of the mouth, never in the airstream.
Rode
Clip-on wireless for video podcasts. Convenience first.
Pad the transmitter. Peak −12 at the receiver. Leave OBS near unity.
Sennheiser
Studio workhorse. Presence, punch, five-position bass roll-off.
Start with bass roll-off at M. Sit 12–20 cm.
Rode
Compact USB condenser. Clean, slightly small, very usable.
Use the stand, not the desk. 15–20 cm.