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Why don't more people use throat mics?

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Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#101

Post by lstodd »

ARandumGuy wrote: post #38
rr888 wrote: post #7

I'm open to this. I can't believe after 2 years of work from home zoom calls are so bad. Headsets really arent as good as they should be. I'm experimenting with regular shotgun mics but they aren't ideal either. How come if you sit in a room its easy to talk to someone but online people are muffled or too loud or just hard to understand.

Part of the issue is bandwidth. Most online call software limits the bandwidth based on the user with the slowest internet. So if one person on the call is on crappy wifi, the quality goes down for everyone.

Seriously? Voice requires 1-1.5Kb/s to be perfectly legible with ancient codecs.

It's when everyone insists on video that it all breaks down.

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#102

Post by dawnerd »

digitallyfree wrote: post #32

If you care about aesthetics and sound go with the gear that broadcast professionals use - a headset/earset. There are carotid models that work pretty well in noisy conditions, though they don't isolate as well as a dynamic handheld. You can get ones with a shorter boom that match your skin tone, and those aren't that noticeable on camera. That's what they use in musicals and concerts and they certainly sound much be…

I agree, if you want to go pro and not have much of a visible mic, headworm mics are a great option.

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#103

Post by newaccount74 »

philliphaydon wrote: post #79

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rk79-Y6Nag Found this video which demonstrates the usage of a throat mic in an operating room. It's not perfect but it works quite well. I had never heard of this thing before but it's rather cool!

But the sound quality is really really bad! Every phone/laptop built-in mic or headset boom mic sounds better.

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#105

Post by eropple »

jaywalk wrote: post #98
eropple wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tend to agree with you in the main - I use MDR-7506's and a sE Dynacaster as my normal setup - but you absolutely can get comfortable IEMs. But they really aren't cheap. If I need to do something that looks "cans free" at my desk I keep a set of Shure SE215s, which aren't super comfortable but they're tolerable for an hour or two. To me, reasonably affordable throat mics sound terrible, which is a big factor.

I've worn Shure SE215s for 4+ hours at a time countless times for professional broadcasts. I found them to be very comfortable, and actually do use them at home for conferencing. It's definitely a personal preference thing, although I'm sure the more expensive ones are even more comfortable.

Yeah I'm sure SE215s are comfortable for some people. None of the canal plugs are comfortable for me past like an hour. The only canalphones I've ever had that I enjoy wearing are AirPod Pros, though - every other set of in-ear phones I've ever had has been of the "rest in the outer ear" variety like the PMX 684i's.

I've thought about getting some Ultimate Ears custom-fits, but it's a lot of money for something I probably won't like wearing.

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#106

Post by hardwaresofton »

sometimez wrote: post #5

I think the bad outweighs the good here. I'd also add aesthetic, comfort, price, and availability to his "bad" list.

Do want to note that the price was pretty good on the ones I bought! So 1/4 of those legitimate concerns is handled at least.

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#107

Post by jgrahamc »

hardwaresofton wrote: post #76
jgrahamc wrote: post #15

I went down this path once. For normal life everything about throat mikes is awful: the sound quality, discomfort, difficult to get positioned correctly, and get to transmit your swallowing sounds to the world.

But what if it had bluetooth though? There's a kickstarter in here, I know it! I just need someone on HN that is crazy about hardware to see this post.

You want to make it even worse?

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#108

Post by hardwaresofton »

lelo_tp wrote: post #53

Imagine the reaction of your teammates after you join a Zoom call wearing this.

I've actually done it! People mostly don't care, but it's a somewhat small team...

Most people just see a wire protruding from below the chin, as my camera is positioned above my face/head and pointing downwards at me

Re: Why don't more people use throat mics?

#109

Post by javajosh »

jhanschoo wrote: post #86
javajosh wrote: post #25

I should write up my solution using a parabolic dish that focuses sound from a relatively small zone where my head (usually) is, into a good cheap mic. You get good isolation (even from keyboard sounds) requires nothing on your head or throat, and ... physics! (You just need to accept a big dish in your field of view, and you also can't pace, walk around, as with bluetooth solutions.)

How does this compare against the more mainstream shotgun mic?

Mine is more physics-y.
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