[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

Terry Pinnell wrote:

In view of your comments I'll probably not now try to use the F-99B,
But that leaves me looking for some other simple solution, and I
wonder if I can get some advice here please?

For the narrative in my family DVDs I've been using cheapish PC
microphones. These include the long stalk type that are supposed to
sit on the desk but which I hold closer to my mouth, and the
headphone type slung around my neck. (I don't use the earphones,
which I find uncomfortable.) Ever now and then I hand over another
£5-£10 for yet another. The last, bought at the weekend, is a
'tie-pin' type. Clipped to my shirt below the open collar it seems
quieter and not so bright as I'd expected, so that's probably another
one that will gather dust.

So make the sum and figure out how much you wasted by not getting something
that is designed with audio in mind rather than pc's. .... O;-)

In fact quality isn't very good with any of these. It's either muddy
and too quiet or loud enough but spoiled by distortion at the start
of some words. So I just want to move up a bit in quality. My
googling so far has left me confused, as there seem to be so many
types, and a *huge* range in cost.

My opinion: you need a Sennheiser MD21 and some usb preamp-soundcard
thingie. Note: there are many other routes to salvation.

My ideal would simply be a better quality PC mic, for plugging
straight into the mic socket as at present. Do such devices exist, or
is there some inherent limitation in the technology? I'd be happy to
pay £20-£40 or so to get significant improvement.

They have been making MD21's for 40 years and it is a very sturdy microfone,
one has survived dangling in its lead after a car for a considerable stretch
of city road.

What about these 'USB microphones'? If I bought one of those at the
budget end if their range (£30-£70?) would I be able to use it
without any special software or setup?

I'd check two brands, MXL and sE. I have no experience with their usb-mics,
but my recollection is that both have some. A possible issue could be that
such tend to do "44.1 kHz 16 bit" audio and your video application may
prefer 48 kHz sample rate, but it may be a non-issue due to some "we know
best brand" audio driver doing sample rate conversion.

Could I continue to work in my
applications without change?

No, you would need to select the actually used sound source, a USB mic "is a
sound card". Some applications disliked them some years ago because of only
providing sound input and not output.

It "should work", if it doesn't you need to have shopped somewhere that will
accept a return for a full refund.

For example, the drop down box in all
the audio programs I've used, and my video editor, looks like this:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4019461/RecordingSources.jpg
(I use the Realtek option, as this PC came with that built into its
ASUS motherboard.) With the addition of a USB mic, would that become
an additional entry in the list, or what?

Any practical advice (pitched to my very low level of technical savvy
in this area) would be much appreciated please.

Plug and pray and select input source, it may actually work out of the
shrink wrap.

Note2: your mileage may vary, consider yourself inspired regarding what to
look into, do not consider yourself guided by the hand to the eternally best
choice.

Kind regards

Peter Larsen