In this episode, we delve into microphone techniques inspired by Danny Brown's video, offering practical tips for achieving high-quality audio without a professional studio.

We also share key differences between condenser and dynamic microphones, as well as effective strategies to help you achieve a consistent mic technique to make every episode sound great!

Products Used for Be a Better Podcaster

Note: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.

Equipment:

• Google NotebookLM
• Hindenburg Pro
• Auphonic

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Substack
• Boomcaster remote interviewing

Be a Better Podcaster is a tips and growth podcast brought to you by Jamie and Jaayne. These are AI hosts - their voices are auto-generated, reading content created by Danny Brown, host of One Minute Podcast Tips and 5 Random Questions.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!

Please let your friends know they can listen for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, as well as their preferred podcast app, or online at Be a Better Podcaster.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Speaker: 00:00:01

Jaayne: All right, so ready for this deep dive. You sent in this Danny Brown video,

Speaker: 00:00:05

Jaayne: the two quick tips for better mic technique.

Speaker: 00:00:08

Jaayne: And honestly, who doesn't want like super clear audio? Am I right? So let's jump right in.

Speaker: 00:00:13

Jamie: And you picked a great one. Honestly, Danny Brown, his channel is like mic technique 101.

Speaker: 00:00:18

Jaayne: Yeah.

Speaker: 00:00:18

Jamie: But, you know, actually fun to watch.

Speaker: 00:00:20

Jaayne: Totally. Yeah. And I love how he doesn't like assume you've got this crazy pro studio happening.

Speaker: 00:00:25

Jaayne: Like, yeah, he's got the cool acoustic panels and all that. Yeah.

Speaker: 00:00:29

Jamie: Yeah. Which, I mean, they do make a difference.

Speaker: 00:00:31

Jaayne: Oh, for sure, for sure.

Speaker: 00:00:32

Jamie: Don't get me wrong.

Speaker: 00:00:33

Jaayne: Oh, absolutely not. But he really emphasizes that, like, mic technique by itself.

Speaker: 00:00:38

Jaayne: Even if you're recording, like, in your closet right now, like, no judgment.

Speaker: 00:00:43

Jamie: None at all. You know, I once heard this recording, and it was made in a professionally,

Speaker: 00:00:47

Jamie: like, treated vocal booth, you know, the whole nine yards.

Speaker: 00:00:50

Jamie: And the mic technique was so bad, it sounded like they were speaking from inside a fishbowl.

Speaker: 00:00:55

Jaayne: No way. See, that's what I'm talking about. So you're telling me you even I

Speaker: 00:00:59

Jaayne: with my like very basic setup can improve things just by What was his things

Speaker: 00:01:04

Jaayne: speaking across the mic not into it? Have you tried that?

Speaker: 00:01:08

Jamie: Oh, yeah, absolutely Felt

Speaker: 00:01:10

Jaayne: Kind of it.

Speaker: 00:01:11

Jamie: Feels a little unnatural effort natural, but there's a method to the madness Yeah,

Speaker: 00:01:16

Jamie: especially when it comes to what we call plosives plosives, you know There's

Speaker: 00:01:20

Jamie: little bursts of air like when we say words with P or B They create this like

Speaker: 00:01:24

Jamie: popping sound and it can really mess with your audio.

Speaker: 00:01:29

Jamie: It's like imagine someone like shoving a mini air cannon at your mic every time

Speaker: 00:01:35

Jamie: they said Peter Piper picked.

Speaker: 00:01:37

Jaayne: Okay, now I'm both grossed out. And D, I understand what you mean. Right. Okay.

Speaker: 00:01:40

Jamie: So speaking across the mic is almost like creating a little sound barrier, right?

Speaker: 00:01:45

Jamie: So those plosives, those little air bursts, they're not hitting your microphone

Speaker: 00:01:49

Jamie: diaphragm directly. correctly, so you get a much smoother sound,

Speaker: 00:01:52

Jamie: right? Much more pleasant to listen to.

Speaker: 00:01:55

Jamie: It's the difference between like someone slamming a door versus gently closing it.

Speaker: 00:01:59

Jaayne: I'm going with gently closing for sure. Yes.

Speaker: 00:02:02

Jamie: Which one would you rather listen to? Exactly. Yeah. The one that doesn't make

Speaker: 00:02:05

Jamie: me jump out of my skin. So this works for any type of mic, right?

Speaker: 00:02:09

Jamie: Because he also talks about like condenser versus dynamic mics.

Speaker: 00:02:12

Jaayne: Right. And that's where things get even more interesting, especially for,

Speaker: 00:02:16

Jaayne: you know, if you're working with a condenser mic at home.

Speaker: 00:02:18

Jamie: They're great. They're amazing at capturing detail. They're like the high-definition

Speaker: 00:02:23

Jamie: cameras of the microphone world.

Speaker: 00:02:25

Jaayne: Ooh, tell me more. I'm suddenly very self-conscious about my pores.

Speaker: 00:02:30

Jaayne: But okay, so condenser mics, very sensitive.

Speaker: 00:02:34

Jamie: Very sensitive.

Speaker: 00:02:35

Jaayne: So they're like the super, super HD cameras of the microphone world,

Speaker: 00:02:40

Jaayne: which sounds amazing, but maybe a little high maintenance.

Speaker: 00:02:42

Jamie: A little bit, yeah. They can be. They're very sensitive. Okay.

Speaker: 00:02:45

Jamie: Which is great because it means you can capture all those subtle details,

Speaker: 00:02:49

Jamie: the nuances of your voice. Okay.

Speaker: 00:02:51

Jamie: But it also means that it picks up everything else.

Speaker: 00:02:54

Jaayne: Oh, okay.

Speaker: 00:02:55

Jamie: So that whole thing that Danny Brown does in the video. Yeah. With the hang loose.

Speaker: 00:02:58

Jaayne: Oh, when he's all like hang loose, like he's about to like catch a wave.

Speaker: 00:03:02

Jamie: Yeah, exactly.

Speaker: 00:03:03

Jaayne: I thought he was just like messing around.

Speaker: 00:03:05

Jamie: No, no, no. He's actually, he's really onto something there. What?

Speaker: 00:03:09

Jamie: Because that distance, like from your thumb to your pinky. Yeah.

Speaker: 00:03:12

Jamie: When you make that hang loose sign. Yeah.

Speaker: 00:03:14

Jamie: That's actually like a pretty solid rule of thumb.

Speaker: 00:03:17

Jaayne: I see what you did there.

Speaker: 00:03:18

Jamie: For how far you want to be from a condenser mic.

Speaker: 00:03:20

Jaayne: OK, so not like breathing down its neck.

Speaker: 00:03:23

Jamie: Less breathing down the neck and more like, you know, having a respectful conversation.

Speaker: 00:03:28

Jaayne: OK, OK.

Speaker: 00:03:29

Jamie: From a comfortable distance.

Speaker: 00:03:30

Jaayne: I like it. So it can like do its thing.

Speaker: 00:03:32

Jamie: Exactly. Let it breathe. Yeah. Capture the richness of your voice without being overwhelmed.

Speaker: 00:03:37

Jaayne: It can breathe. I love that. OK, so condenser mics, the sensitive friend that

Speaker: 00:03:41

Jaayne: you don't want to blast with an air horn. Got it. But what about dynamic mics?

Speaker: 00:03:46

Jaayne: Because those seem to be like all the rage, you know, for podcasts and like

Speaker: 00:03:50

Jaayne: live stuff and all that. Are those as high maintenance?

Speaker: 00:03:54

Jamie: So dynamic mics, they're a little bit more like think about your trusty old landline phone.

Speaker: 00:04:00

Jamie: Okay. You know, it can handle a little bit more volume. Yeah.

Speaker: 00:04:03

Jamie: They're not as sensitive to every little bump or breath.

Speaker: 00:04:06

Jaayne: So I could like whisper sweet nothings or like belt out a power ballad and it will be fine.

Speaker: 00:04:12

Jamie: Maybe not whisper.

Speaker: 00:04:13

Jaayne: Okay.

Speaker: 00:04:14

Jamie: But, you know, they are designed for those higher sound pressure levels.

Speaker: 00:04:17

Jaayne: Right, right.

Speaker: 00:04:18

Jamie: Think about it. They're used a lot on stage where things can get really loud.

Speaker: 00:04:22

Jaayne: Yeah, yeah.

Speaker: 00:04:23

Jamie: They're built to handle that.

Speaker: 00:04:24

Jaayne: Makes sense. Okay, so with a dynamic mic, I don't have to worry about the whole

Speaker: 00:04:28

Jaayne: hang loose thing. I can get all up in there.

Speaker: 00:04:31

Jamie: You want to be mindful of your distance. Okay. But you can definitely get a little bit closer.

Speaker: 00:04:35

Jaayne: Okay, okay. But I'm sensing a butt.

Speaker: 00:04:37

Jamie: Butt, butt.

Speaker: 00:04:39

Jamie: Speaking across the mic still matters.

Speaker: 00:04:41

Jaayne: Even if I can practically like kiss it.

Speaker: 00:04:44

Jamie: Even then. Yeah. Because remember, it's not just about volume.

Speaker: 00:04:47

Jamie: It's about directionality. Right.

Speaker: 00:04:48

Jamie: You're still aiming those plosives away from that diaphragm.

Speaker: 00:04:51

Jamie: Okay. And that's what's going to make your audio sound so much clearer and more professional.

Speaker: 00:04:56

Jaayne: So no matter what, speaking across the mic is where it's at?

Speaker: 00:05:00

Jamie: Always.

Speaker: 00:05:01

Jaayne: Okay. I'm picking up what you're putting down. Anything else I need to know

Speaker: 00:05:04

Jaayne: about that before I move on? Right. Okay. So speaking across, not into.

Speaker: 00:05:07

Jaayne: Got it. But then Danny Brown, he also talks about like being consistent with your mic technique.

Speaker: 00:05:13

Jaayne: It's like finding that perfect parking spot. You know, you don't want to just

Speaker: 00:05:16

Jaayne: like admire it from afar. You got to pull in and hold it.

Speaker: 00:05:19

Jamie: That's a great analogy because, yeah, it's one thing to find that sweet spot

Speaker: 00:05:23

Jamie: where your voice sounds amazing. Right.

Speaker: 00:05:24

Jamie: But the real magic happens when you can actually stay there.

Speaker: 00:05:27

Jaayne: Yeah. Easier said than done, though, right? I will fully admit I've been guilty

Speaker: 00:05:31

Jaayne: of like leaning in when I'm like super fired up about something where i back

Speaker: 00:05:36

Jaayne: away when i'm thinking it's like my voice has its own gravitational pull to

Speaker: 00:05:39

Jaayne: and from the microphone how do i stop that.

Speaker: 00:05:42

Jamie: Well and even those tiny little movements you might

Speaker: 00:05:45

Jamie: not even realize you're doing them yeah but they

Speaker: 00:05:48

Jamie: can really really impact how your audio is perceived you know yeah think about

Speaker: 00:05:53

Jamie: it how many times you've been listening to someone speak and you just you kind

Speaker: 00:05:57

Jamie: of zone out oh all the time and it might not even be like the content itself

Speaker: 00:06:01

Jamie: right it's those subtle There are subtle variations in the volume, the tone.

Speaker: 00:06:06

Jamie: Our brains, they just pick up on that stuff.

Speaker: 00:06:08

Jaayne: It's so true. Like when you're watching something, like a movie or whatever,

Speaker: 00:06:11

Jaayne: and the audio is just all over the place, and you're so busy like messing with

Speaker: 00:06:15

Jaayne: the volume, that you completely miss what's going on.

Speaker: 00:06:19

Jamie: Exactly. Wow.

Speaker: 00:06:20

Jaayne: Okay, so consistency is key. How do we get better at that?

Speaker: 00:06:24

Jamie: Well, I mean, honestly, practice, you know, just start by recording yourself speaking.

Speaker: 00:06:31

Jamie: Okay. And then really listen back and listen for those little things.

Speaker: 00:06:34

Jamie: Do you lean in when you get excited? Do you back away when you pause?

Speaker: 00:06:38

Jamie: And once you identify what your kind of like bad habits are,

Speaker: 00:06:42

Jamie: you can start to break them.

Speaker: 00:06:44

Jaayne: It's like becoming aware of your like nervous six. You know,

Speaker: 00:06:47

Jaayne: once you see it, you can't unsee it. So you just got to work with it.

Speaker: 00:06:50

Jamie: I love that. Exactly. The more you practice, the more it'll become second nature.

Speaker: 00:06:54

Jaayne: Yeah. You know what I love about all this is that it's not about like having

Speaker: 00:06:58

Jaayne: the most expensive microphone or this like fancy studio setup.

Speaker: 00:07:03

Jaayne: It's really just about like understanding how to use what you've got to the best of its ability.

Speaker: 00:07:09

Jaayne: Totally. It's like Danny Brown is giving us all the cheat codes.

Speaker: 00:07:12

Jamie: Exactly. And you can use those cheat codes, whether you're recording a podcast,

Speaker: 00:07:16

Jamie: giving up a presentation, even just leaving a voicemail message.

Speaker: 00:07:19

Jaayne: It's true so good it's like a superpower but like for your voice yeah makes

Speaker: 00:07:24

Jaayne: you wonder if something as simple as how we use our microphones can have that

Speaker: 00:07:28

Jaayne: much of an impact what other areas of our lives could use a little optimization you know it's.

Speaker: 00:07:33

Jamie: Something to think about right

Speaker: 00:07:34

Jaayne: It really is well that is it for this deep dive huge thanks to danny brown for

Speaker: 00:07:38

Jaayne: the amazing advice and remember speak across the mic not into it find that sweet

Speaker: 00:07:43

Jaayne: spot and hold it until next time.

Speaker: 00:07:45

Music: Music