recommended microphone

[Norm Mast]

I am looking for suggestions for a decent microphone to use with a laptop. I've played around a little here with a
Labtech AM-242 but discovered it hardly picks up speaking . One has to be litterally right next to it for it to pick up audio. I also tried a Radio Shack PZM cat.# 33-1090A which didn't do a thing . My wife will need to have something to record nurses as she does her final paper for her masters in nursing. Should I be looking at a simple desk top mic to use, or would I be better off with a head set unit of sorts? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[bgravato]

Norm, how are you connecting the mic to the laptop? Does the laptop have a mic input and/or line input? Could be that you're connecting it to a line level input, which won't work. Laptop's soundcards are usually not know for being the best thing around... specially when it comes to inputs (unless you have a Mac).

Anyways you're probably do better with an USB mic. What's your budget?

[Norm Mast]

Sound quality isn't all that important, but if I'm spending $$ to buy one I might as well invest in something worthwhile. I would drop up to $60 for a decent mic I suppose.( or slightly more if need be) As I mentioned it's for recording voice interviews . A good uni-directional would be most beneficial for sure.Her laptop is a MSI brand, with a mic input and headphone jack as well. Numerous USB ports are available for use. Thanks for the suggestions here.

[Norm Mast]

Just looked at Sweetwater Sound site, I've dealt with them in the past. $60 might not be realistic to pick somethign decent up, but the Samson Go Mic is pretty close in that range. Some specs I've copied here.
•Frequency Response: 20Hz - 18kHz

•Polar patterns: Cardioid and Omnidirectional

•Recording resolution: 16-bit/44.1kHz

Look like a suitable unit for what I need? If I remember tomorrow I might call my contact at Sweetwater and just see what they suggest. Always appreciate the feedback and knowledge that exists here. Thanks everyone!

[bgravato]

If it's only for voice you might do ok with a cheaper usb mic. There have been good reviews from some users on this model from logitech: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/webcam-co ... evices/221

[bgravato]

And when I say "only for voice" I mean it as in speech... not as in singing... just to be clear.

[Norm Mast]

Decided to go with the suggested Logitech unit mentioned here. Newegg will ship it out to me soon. And yes, this is only for recording voice....conversations...interviews. Thanks again for the advice here.

[general.failure]

I use a simple stereo mic: sony ECM DS70p to record my rock-band via a netbook. The sound is really good enough for draft recordings. Sure, for real demo's I use an 8-track Terratec and a mixer panel, but that's way too much timeconsuming for a simple draft.
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/pam-music/ecm-ds70p