The 5 Best Interview Microphones for Radio and Podcasts
Great interviews make radio shows and podcasts shine. Ensure your gear is up to the job with these 5 best interview microphones.
Some of the most successful radio shows and podcasts have interviews at the heart. From The Howard Stern Show to the Joe Rogan Experience, listeners have an insatiable appetite for this classic format. So interviews are a part of your broadcasting, you want the right gear that won't let you down. That starts with a good interview microphone.
Here are 5 of the best interview microphones for the main radio and podcasting scenarios. And while there are definitely 2 or 3 great mics fit for each purpose, we've kept it snappy with just one mic for each.
5 Best Interview Microphones for Radio and Podcasts
5. Best for Hands-Free Interviewing on Location: DJI Mic 2
When recording an interview on location, you don’t always have enough hands free to hold a mic. In these cases, a Lavelier (lav) mic is your best option. Lavelier mics are designed to be at optimal distance when clipped onto your neckline. So providing you stick to this area, you won’t have to worry about how strong your audio signal is.
The DJI Mic 2 is a cut above the rest of other lav mics, thanks to the in-built noise cancellation. Don’t be fooled by the name though. The noise-cancellation minimizes background but doesn't eradicate it. Nonetheless, this is still something most lav mics don’t manage well. Interviewing on location often needs to sound just like that. That is without the background noise completely deadened. So theDJI Mic 2 is a fantastic option for ensuring speech is crystal clear. All while keeping an appropriate amount of the atmosphere coming through.
4. Best Microphone for Outside Video Interviews: Audio-Technica AT897
There are some situations where you’ll want to be filming your interviews, as well as recording the audio. And when you’re doing that outside, a shotgun mic is a great option. Their long cylindrical shape and polar pattern means they excel at picking up audio from a highly directional distance. So they’re fantastic for hovering above a person, without blocking their face. You can’t go wrong with the Audio Technica AT897 for this.
As well as its general shotgun mic qualities, it captures the nuances in speech and handles quiet voices very well. On top of that, it doesn’t pick up much background noise. Making the speech clear and easy to understand. For a final bonus, this mic can even run on AA batteries, making it very transportable.
3. Best Interview Microphone for Live Entertainment: SHURE SM78
Want to feature an interview and a live performance from a band? Then you’ll need a mic to handle both the situations. The SHURE SM78 is a rock-solid option. It's a great interview mic as it offers a tailored frequency response. This brings the nice warmth to voices we expect in an entertainment setting. Crucially though, this mic handles the softest tones or the loudest screams. So you can let the rock stars really do their thing.
Other important features are the the in-built shock mount and windshield. As well as the cardioid pick-up pattern. The former brings a nice clarity to voices. While the latter is good for rejecting background noise. And that's useful for when you switch to interview and someone's dropping a drumstick.
2. Best Microphone for a Virtual Interview: RODE Podcaster
It's unlikely every guest you want for your radio show or podcast can make it to your studio. So a virtual interview on the likes of Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype is how you can get around that. And if you don't have an audio interface, then you'll need a great USB microphone. For these situations, we recommend the RODE Podcaster as an ideal interview mic.
The Rode Podcaster is a plug and play USB microphone, so you won't bogged down in setting up. It has an internal pop filter which filters out the accidental bumps and knocks. And it has zero-latency monitoring, meaning you can hear exactly what its picking up as it happens. These features help quell any concerns with audio quality. Leaving you to focus on your screen, your guest and the interview.
1. Best Microphone for a Studio Interview: Logitech Blue Sona
Good studio microphone are attuned for voices, making them good interview mics. This is pretty much the bread and butter of radio equipment. It's the first bit of gear worth investing in as it instantly enhances your audio. Your radio studio may simply be a corner in your room. Or a top-of-the-range soundproofed space. Either way, the Logitech Blue Sona is a great interview microphone for any studio.
It gives the ever-popular Shure SM7B a run for its money thanks to its exceptional audio quality. And better yet, it's at a reasonable price which belies its quality.
Its superb noise cancellation helps hone in on your guests voice to give a crystal clear signal. But what really marks it as unique is its in-built pre-amp. The pre-amp ultimately makes the Blue Sona not as gain-hungry as the Shure SM7B. So you have more control in getting your guests' levels just right, without the need for a mic-booster.
To find out more, check out Phil's review below.
