What to expect in this course: Welcome to our Microphones & Audio course! Here we’ll go over some basics, comparisons of a variety of microphone types (and everything that distinguishes them from each other), as well as an overview of acoustics and some EQ essentials. This course will get expanded over time to include more modules on things like soundproofing and fine-tuning your settings!
We’ve also got some free resources for you! Your first stop should definitely be our Streaming Equipment Basics with some coverage of microphones, as well as the following StreamerSquare articles:
Would you rather watch than read? Here’s a clip from The Stream Scene, featuring Soaryn and dasMEHDI, on audio compression and filters:
VIDEO
Another clip from an episode of The Stream Scene with professional voice actors Lindsey Vega (FhaeLin) and Elspeth Eastman (Elspeth) discussing room acoustics, soundproofing, and some of their hardware:
VIDEO
Course Goals:
Basic breakdown of headset mics
Let’s cover the differences between USB mics and XLR mics
Learn the about condenser and dynamic mics
Discuss gating, compression and acoustics
Microphone Equipment
Whether you’re here to dip your toes into the world of audio, scope out what equipment setups look like, or deep dive into the technical aspects of microphones, we’ve got you covered! Remember that learning, exploring, and playing with audio is an interesting and complicated hobby, so don’t be discouraged if it seems like there’s a lot of information out there. Basic Breakdown The basics are a good place to start for both surface level information and deep dive technical aspects of audio. Your setup could be a budget-friendly headset with a built-in mic, the ease of a USB microphone, or the more advanced and ever-expanding XLR mic setup. However simple or complex you decide to go, audio can be an aspect of technology that is fascinating and fun to play with. But before you commit to something heavy duty, make sure you’re into this whole ‘streaming’ thing in the first place! skinnedteenShe/HerSkinnedteen is a procedurally generated streamer, audio mirage, comedy scientist, Twitch Ambassador, voice actor, horror enthusiast, and okayish person. “I DO NOT recommend sinking a ton of money into audio equipment before knowing if this is something you like, and I think that’s a mistake a lot of people make.” Headset Mics First, don’t discount headsets as a viable option! Lots of folks out there will tell you to steer clear of headset microphones, but it’s important to remember that the mic input from gaming headsets can be modified via software plugins to achieve a passable sound quality. Headsets have actually come a long way over the years. Take note that any processing done on your PC this way will take up CPU cycles and may add latency or delay. Let’s say you’re looking for an upgrade from headset microphones, though, which means it’s time to talk USB...
The rest of this course is available to Premium Members.
