Using an external microphone gives your recording a richer sound than a computer's built-in microphone or a headphone's in-line mic. Some external mics frequently used by creators on Riverside are below:
Microphones that connect directly to a computer
- Audio Technica AT2020USB+ (USB)
- RODE NT-USB (USB)
- Blue Yeti (USB)
- NOTE: Plug headphones directly into the computer, rather than the microphone's monitoring output.
- Samson Q2U Microphone (USB)
- NOTE: Plug headphones directly into the computer, rather than the microphone's monitoring output.
- Shure MV7
- NOTE: Use USB with a computer. The Shure MV7 also supports XLR to connect an audio interface.
Microphones that connect to a computer through an Audio Interface
- Sennheiser e835 (XLR)
- Shure SM58 (XLR)
- Shure SM7B (XLR)
- Shure MV7
- NOTE: Use XLR with an audio interface. The Shure MV7 also supports USB to connect directly to a computer.
See also: Recommended Audio Interfaces
Microphones that connect to a mobile device
3.5mm Microphones:
- RODE Lavalier GO (TRS output)
- RODE VideoMic GO or RODE VideoMic GO II (TRS output)
- NOTE: Due to an iOS limitation about recognizing and selecting microphones, you must use a TRRS splitter/adapter to connect 3.5mm mics to an iOS device.
NOTE:
Many external microphones are not designed for applications like Riverside since they disable audio output of a mobile device while the microphone is in use. For example, if you plug a microphone with a Lightning connector directly into your iOS device, the mic can record your audio in a voice memo, but you cannot hear audio from apps like FaceTime while it is connected. In the same way, when using those mics in a Riverside studio, you are unable to hear other participants.
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Troubleshooting: Test if an external mic will work with the Riverside mobile app