I just purchased an entry level microphone for podcasting, voice-overs and scrap audio for filmmaking. I did perform a test to compare it to the MacBook Pro internal mic and clipped both the MacBook mic and the Boya BY MM1. I assumed the MacBook mic would sound horrible but it sounded surprisingly good compared to the dedicated shotgun mic.
I thought I would post it here and hear some opinions. I know the Boya mic is not class leading in any way but it is still a device with a construction that is supposed to considerably increase sound quality compared to integrated microphones. Maybe apple adds some algorithm to boost the perceived clarity and surround characteristics of the MacBooks mic?
The setup:
There is a fan running in the background to test how much of that sound comes through
The levels are automatically set as I recorded the quick clips with QuickTime
The boya mic is connected through a 3.5mm jack and is fixed on the right hand side of the laptop screen.
I would appreciate any thorough analysis of the differences between these mics. And maybe the Macbook mic sounds too artificial compared to the dedicated mic
There is a fan running in the background to test how much of that sound comes through
The fan comes through just fine. That particular fan is going to be difficult to remove in post production. For a lot of reasons you should be recording in a quiet, echo-free room. There is just nothing like fighting your refrigerator compressor for good sound quality, and there is no easy, graceful way to remove echoes.
I assumed the MacBook mic would sound horrible
They do very well and you can also get a reasonable voice track from your iPhone.
I’m not a performer and I make a lot of mouth noises. It sounds exactly like me.
Parking the phone flat on the desk is intentional. That’s pressure zone configuration. It doubles the sound volume and keeps the same voice quality. The phone’s sensor is on the bottom. Aim that to you.
Of course, you can’t hit the desk or make any other noises. But then, you wouldn’t be able to make noises with other microphones, either.
Boya BY MM1 is an end-fire microphone designed to be used up on a camera. I would use it hanging or from a boom rather than a short stand. Keep it away from reflective surfaces, or put it directly on reflective surfaces. If you do hang it, put a furniture moving pad or heavy blanket on the desk.
Forget all the rest of the stuff in that shot. Note there’s a doubled-over moving blanket on the desk. That broadcast shoot went into a production with little or no corrections or processing (the conference room is soundproofed).
My Spidey Sense tells me you’re trying to buy a microphone so you don’t have to soundproof your room. You can do that, but maybe not at the price point.
That’s a field interview in a noisy environment. He’s probably going to walk away with a usable voice track, but he’s doing it with a super-directional $1,000 shotgun microphone plugged into his field sound mixer and recorder.
I expect the Boya to work a lot better at interference rejection than the laptop. It’s a gentle shotgun. It’s job is to record stuff in front of it, like you, and everything behind you, like that wall reflecting fan noises. Reflecting surfaces just kill you for sound recording. This, for one example, would be one of the worst studios on earth.
There there are two microphones on my Macbook Air with a goal, it is said, to make it easier to reject environment noises. I haven’t tested it.
