So I am recently new I wanted to ask what kind of mics are useful for audacity?
The choice of microphone has nothing to do with Audacity. The best choice of microphone depends on what you want to record, and what microphone you have access to. The choice of microphone is the same whatever application you are recording with.
Unfortunately, this is the type of question that attracts a lot of spam, so…
As the forum administrator: Please note that advertising is not permitted on the forum. This forum has zero tolerance for spam. Spammers are permanently banned without notice.
I do apologize for asking that kind of question I did not know that attracts a lot of spam. That was not my attention of bringing in spam like that. again I do apologize.
No problem, you’re not expected to know.
My comment in the second paragraph was to deter others from jumping in on this topic with adverts / spam.
What kind of recording are you doing?
For “serious good quality” recording you’ll either need a stage or [u]studio[/u] microphone. The most common type of microphone used in pro studios for vocals and almost everything else is a “Directional Large Diaphragm Condenser”.
Dynamic “handheld” mics are popular for live vocals. The Shure SM58 (or SM57) at about $100 USD is the most popular mic of all time. It and they have a reputation of being rugged and lasting forever. It’s probably not the “best” for studio work, but it will do the job.
You’ll usually spend at least $100 for a good mic and they go a lot higher, but I think you’re nuts to spend more than $1000 for “home studio” recording unless you’ve got the money to burn. For $300 - $500 (or more) you can start looking for “features” like multiple patterns, a low-frequency roll-off switch, a “pad” switch, shock mount, etc. If you ever want to record in stereo, you’ll need two matched-mics so keep that in mind when budgeting. (There are stereo mics, but they are rare specialty items.)
Unfortunately, stage & studio microphones are not compatible with regular soundcards or laptops, so you need an [u]Audio Interface[/u]. Again, that’s $100 or more.
An alternative is a “studio style” USB microphone (AKA [u]podcast microphone[/u]. A lot of people use podcast mics for home-studio recording of audiobooks or home-studio voice over work (often with Audacity). They are super convenient and the built-in USB interface is essentially free, but there can be tradeoffs.