Microphone Poll Results

15% of you ticked I like them all / any of them are fine

The microphones are (drumroll):

1 - is actually the two microphones below, one in each ear.

Chosen by 5% as the best

This is the mistake I made on the latest debunking video.  I recorded with a different microphone to L and R channel, intending to choose one.  But I accidentally left it as both (lockdown homeschooling makes editing so noisy that I didn't notice).  But there were lots of comments from people liking the sound.  This seemed strange to me and I thought it may have simply been because the mic was visible, but wanted to do a poll to check.

Your feedback on mic 1:

1 feels a bit too "brite"

1 seemed to be more in my right ear than the left

1 was the worst

I found 1 to lisp your s sounds and make them more prominent and noticeable

1 was worst by far.  It felt like my ears needed to pop

In any case, no number 1! It sounds mono (right ear mostly, from PC speakers)

1 was the worst

I listened to all 3 options on my phone, on my pc, with my headset and with air pods, and in all four ways I do not like 1.  It’s like an overstimulation and it’s uncomfortable for my brain to hear, it’s too “surround sound” if that makes sense.

1 seemed to be quite sharp.

I definitely prefer 1

1 picks up too much reflection off the table

1 just sounded off

1 sounded tinny

2 - Rode NTG-1 positioned on a boom pole mic stand above out of shot

Chosen by 35% as the best

Your feedback on 2:

2 was the best with my headset

2 definitely sounds best, the sound quality I felt, sounded better

Number 2 has kind of an echo...?

2 is better, the sound is clearer and no crackling

2 sounded like a good mix

2 is best of the three and tonally sounds better, but still has a lot of reflection (sound professional)

To me 2 and 3 sounded basically the same. I preferred 2 but only slightly.

2 sounded clearest to me and easiest to understand

2 was very toppy, no bass at all

2 sounded hollow

2 was the loudest treble

3- Rode NT1 positioned slightly to my right (you can see it behind the laptop)

Chosen by 38% as the best

Your feedback:

- 3 had a muffled affect about it that was unpleasing

- 3 had a muffled tunnel sound that bothered my ears

+ Liked the sound of number 3 the most

- 3 sounds a bit muffled (no echo or background sounds at all), so sounds less natural

+ With the normal ipad speakers 3 was the best

+ I work in radio. I think mic 3 has the best sound! It sounds like it has the least amount of echo/reflection

- There was a bit of crackling in the speech with no 3, so I would never choose that one

+ 3 sounds best to me on my computer's built-in speaker, my separate (and old) speakers hooked to my computer, and my AirPods. It's richer than 2, and the S's don't hiss as much

+ Initially I preferred 2, but after a couple more listens, I felt 3 placed you more in the same room, conversational type of feel

2 & 3 are similar with a slight preference for 3

- I didn't like mic 3 because your voice ended up too dull

- My husband actually works in sound professionally! He described 3 as "too bass heavy"

- 3 was fuzzy

- I found 3 less clear

+ 2 & 3 sound very similar to me but i think 3 is the fullest or more level of the two

- 3 picked up a lot of your movement noise

+ I prefer 3 it has a more rounded sound

+ 3 gets my vote.  1 & 2 sounded like I was hearing you in an auditorium, and 3 sounded like we were having a conversation

+ I felt 3 was best

+ 3 had the most full sound to me

In summary

* 2 and 3 are both OK depending on what you're listening on and personal preference.

* I need better headphones so I can hear during lockdown so I don't make the number 1 mistake again.  It's just been announced that kids will not be returning to school this term.

* I need to experiment a bit more with microphone and sound absorption panel positioning.