As someone who has been doing screencasts with voice, I can tell you the mic is really important. If you use a headset, even a good one, you can generally hear

As someone who has been doing screencasts with voice, I can tell you the mic is really important. If you use a headset, even a good one, you can generally hear the spit swishing around in your mouth. It's awful. A buddy runs a pro recording studio and recommended Aphex Microphone X. I haven't looked back. Aphex makes amazing pro microphone preamps that are pricey. They launched something called Microphone X which has a compressor and a "big bottom" feature that were previously only in their high end pro gear. It's quite affordable - about $200 compared to an EV RE20 broadcaster mic for $600. It's a USB mic, so you don't need a preamp or digi interface. You just plug it into your computer and you're all set. I use it with a boom stand and pop filter. I love them so much I use them for everything including skype calls. What this does is negate the changes in volume as you get closer or further from the mic (compressor). Add some nice radio bass to your voice with the big bottom effect. And generally give you a pro quality mic with a USB interface. Here are all three: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B73OJT2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B73OJT2?psc=1&redirect=t... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DY1F2CS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DY1F2CS?psc=1&redirect=t... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008AOH1O6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008AOH1O6?psc=1&redirect=t... Sure, purists will argue the EV20 is worth every penny. But pre's like the aphex have gotten so good that they've made the gains from a high-end source mic worth a lot less, if anything.