Microphone for webinars. Equipment for the webinar

Anyone who seeks to conduct various online events, provide advisory services via the Internet and engage in educational activities is faced with the need to choose a high-quality and reliable headset for webinars. Today there are a huge variety of products on the market that differ in technical characteristics, capabilities and cost.

We bring to your attention a list of the main criteria that you should focus on when choosing suitable headphones for webinars. By carefully studying all the requirements stated below, you will be able to choose the best headset option that will serve you for a long time and ensure quality broadcasts for your listeners.

  • The presence of a noise reduction system with automatic muting of the microphone immediately after the end of the call.

    • Microphones equipped with a noise suppression function during the broadcast recording process provide clean, clear and high-quality sound, uncontaminated by extraneous sounds. Very useful is the automatic mute, which allows you to avoid additional pressing of various keys.

  • Digitization of the signal coming to the computer from the headset.

    • The presence of its own microprocessor at the microphone ensures digitization of sound and the ability of the headset to work with various computers and laptops equipped with different types of sound cards. This guarantees high quality sound, which is very important for online broadcasts.

  • Attaching the microphone and headphones together.

    • Some presenters consider a desktop type of microphone to be the most suitable, however, experienced organizers and speakers, through practical learning, agreed on a different opinion. Attaching the microphone to the headset ensures that the optimal distance between the mouth and the membrane is maintained. In this case, webinar participants will always hear the speaker’s voice at the same audio frequency. When using desktop microphones, this can be quite difficult to achieve, since the speaker is constantly moving, the distance between his mouth and the microphone membrane changes, which affects the volume of speech. For some participants, fluctuations in the frequency and volume of the presenter's voice are simply annoying. It’s the same for the presenter - using desktop or built-in speakers to listen to messages from participants is not very convenient, and at the end of the event it’s simply exhausting. In addition, you may miss an important question or comment from participants.

  • Convenience, ease of connection to any PC.

Ideally, a webinar headset is connected to a computer using a USB connector. The use of additional software and various adapters significantly complicates the user's life, because for most of us, convenience lies in the simplest things possible.

When choosing suitable headphones for webinars, you should give preference to models that perfectly combine cost and quality. You can contact specialized stores, whose consultants will help you choose the best options taking into account all your requirements!

Today I want to talk about which microphone can be successfully used to capture high-quality sound on your computer. I spent quite a lot of time to choose the best option and today you will learn about it.

Microphone SAMSON C01UPRO

In the near future I plan to do screencasts on setting up software and hardware, so a while ago I was puzzled about which microphone would be best for me for this.

First, I tried to make a test recording using the laptop's built-in microphone, but the recording quality was far from ideal. After which I started looking at various recommendations on the Internet. As a result, my choice settled on a professional, popular and relatively inexpensive option, namely a microphone SAMSON C01UPRO .

Next, I ordered it on Amazon for 70 euros. You can also buy it in Russian stores. The microphone has a USB cable and connects directly to the computer. After connecting the microphone to the computer, automatic driver installation took some time.

Below, in the picture you can see what it looks like, I have exactly this one - PRO, there is a cheaper option, without the PRO designation, but as I understand it, it is better to take this one, since it is a newer model.

  • Conducting webinars.
  • Communications on Skype.
  • Screencast recordings.
  • Streaming on YouTube, VKontakte and other video broadcasting platforms.

If you know any other good microphones, be sure to write the models in the comments.

Best wishes!

If you have any questions about media servers, contact us. If you need to set up something or get advice on media servers and video broadcasting systems, you can also contact me and our team. You can find various useful information on this topic in ours.

Webinars are increasingly becoming an integral part of a variety of business areas - from distance learning to marketing. This is due to the advantages that online seminar technology provides. But when there is a desire to use this tool, the question arises - what is needed for this?

Technical aspects

Any event requires an appropriate base. In our case, this is equipment for conducting a webinar and software with which you can organize and successfully conduct an online seminar. But let's go in order.

Webcam for conferences

The first thing you need is a webcam for webinars, of course, if you plan to broadcast video, and not just audio. Here you can choose between the camera built into the laptop and connecting an external camera. It should be noted that the picture quality is higher in the second option. However, the built-in camera is easier and faster to use. You just have to decide what is more important to you.

Microphone for webinars

The webinar involves communication between the tutor and his listeners, which means a microphone will be required. The choice is quite wide. You can use either a separate microphone or a headset that includes headphones. There is also an option to use a microphone built into the webcam, however, the sound quality will be slightly lower. A headset for webinars is the best option for sound quality and convenience for the presenter.


Internet connection

Of course, to conduct an online seminar you will need Internet access. Everyone chooses a provider at their own discretion, but please note that the minimum recommended speed for participating in a webinar is 256 kbps. If you want to broadcast in high quality (for example, HD) or show your computer desktop, you will need a wider channel.

Webinar Software

You only need three things from the software - a browser to access the Internet, the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player plug-in installed, and a platform for webinars. If everything is clear with the browser, and Flash Player is installed on the PC by default in most cases, then you need to choose the platform for webinars very carefully. A service that would fully meet all the wishes of users in its functionality is the portal -. It is characterized by high communication quality, useful functionality and ease of use.

After installing all the necessary hardware and software, you need to test it. How to test the equipment before the webinar is shown in this video:


Of course, webinars are an innovative technology that requires a competent technical approach. However, there is no need to be afraid. In the digital era, the entire range of technical equipment is easily accessible and present in almost every home or office. This means that if you decide to use the webinar service, preparing and setting up the equipment will not take you much time.

Today, for my training course, I conducted a webinar on creating video presentations. It talked about equipment. I decided to summarize!

1. Webcam for a webinar: Any one, even built-in, is better than none.

The best webcams for June 2012:

  • logitech C920 (I have a C910, I usually run it from it, I also record part of the video from it). Who watched the online broadcast of Gennady Khvostov’s seminar in April - it was broadcast from the C920 - both sound and video. The microphone reproduces the surrounding environment very well (this is good for broadcasting events, but bad for webinars - we use a camera + external microphone in them)
  • Microsoft LifeCam Studio - good reviews, and there are definitely no problems with drivers for Windows

2. Microphone for communication, recording audio and conducting a webinar: any external one (even the 100-ruble Genius) is better than the one built into a laptop or an inexpensive webcam.

The built-in “spot” microphone has three unpleasant features:

  • low sound quality (metallicity, boominess, self-noise)
  • recording the noise of a computer cooling fan (cooler). If, however, you use the built-in microphone, see in which mode your laptop is quieter - on battery or mains power. If your computer is constantly buzzing, then perhaps it’s time to clean it of dust.
  • The third problem is the echo caused by the feedback effect. Partially solved by reducing the sensitivity of the microphone in the settings, reducing the volume in the speakers, separating the speakers and microphone in space (for example, tilting the laptop screen up), software echo suppression (a characteristic “gurgling” of the voice will appear) . By the way, the environment also affects the echo. For example, if you sit with your back in the corner of the room and point the laptop screen towards you, an echo will be guaranteed to occur due to the geometric features of the reflection of waves from a right angle. In principle, echo can be eliminated only by using headphones or a headset (more on this below).

If you're looking for the best microphone, here it is: Audio-Technica AT2020 USB.

3. For audio podcasts on the go A high-quality stereo voice recorder, for example Sony ICD-SX712 2GB, is optimal. He writes in amazing quality, you close your eyes, and it’s as if you’re standing next to yourself... All the nuances and even the direction of the sound can be discerned. But, in principle, you can do without it.

4. Headsets: Recently I’ve been using Koss CS100 - a wired “budget” one, I conduct 80% of webinars from it.
The “best” wireless Logitech Wireless, in my case, did not justify itself - it starts to “wheeze” at low frequencies (although I may have received a defective one)
Any headset, even a 60-ruble “thin” no-name headset, is better than speakers for two-way communication (since there is no echo in principle).

5. Video cameras: The simplest video camera is better than a webcam.
Shooting 1280x720 is optimal in terms of quality/processing and loading speed.
I use a Sony A65 with a fast lens,
but the Samsung HMX-U20BP for 3500r with sufficient external lighting is also perfect at the initial stage (remember).

6. Plain background for a webinar- better than wallpaper, wallpaper is better than a furniture set with a Madonna set or a sagging Soviet-era sofa behind your back. Optimally, a specially equipped workspace (flip chart, background, business interior).

7. I almost forgot about the monitor!
And considering that you will have to look at it often, intently and for a long time, the larger and better the monitor is, the easier it will be for your eyes. By quality I mean: frame rate, contrast, viewing angles.

Write down which of the following you have adopted and what do you recommend? What are your experiences and observations on these issues?

P.S. One of these days I will be holding a webinar about mobility and work while traveling, in one of the upcoming posts I will tell you about what I take with me on the road.

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