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Protip: Don't use Bluetooth headphones as your microphone input source. The audio gets massively compressed. https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/10dit8y/low

Protip: Don't use Bluetooth headphones as your microphone input source. The audio gets massively compressed. https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/10dit8y/lowquality_bluetooth_audio_when_entering_a_call/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/10dit8y/lowquality_b... Use the laptop microphone as the input instead, or if no microphone is present just buy an external microphone. You probably don't need a $300 podcast-class microphone since the audio still gets compressed in transit, though.

cosmic_cheese 2y ago
These days, most premium and/or business laptops (MacBooks, ThinkPads), etc have mic arrays that are far superior to those on earbuds anyway, being capable of eliminating background noise without negatively impacting audio quality.
- j45 2y ago
  Laptop mics huge upgrade from the past, and very convenient when I don't have something handy, they are not the best or even close. A decent mic will still outperform.
- bravetraveler 2y ago
  The array isn't enough to mask your mitts smashing/sliding on the device while typing and talking. For the love of everything, use something standalone. Ideally not a desk mic. Vibration works against those... just like what's built into any given laptop. It's a form-factor/usability thing. Decent audio isn't a price problem, it's entirely about selection. What you suggest is my last choice. A backup. Headsets and forgive me, wires I can replace, are hard to beat. I like to type, talk, and be heard. Sometimes all at once.
  - cosmic_cheese 2y ago
    I wasn’t meaning to say to use laptop mics at the exclusion of a standalone mic, just that if you already have a nicer laptop then the parent comment’s recommendation to switch inputs for a “free” instant quality boost is particularly pertinent. It’s also applicable to situations where one is away from their desk. The degree to which vibration of is a problem depends on your setup. If your laptop is mounted on a VESA arm bolted to your desk and you’re typing on an external keyboard for example, it’s not going to come through too easily, especially if you have the keyboard placed on a desk pad. This is true of a standalone mic on an arm too.
    - bravetraveler 2y ago
      Pardon me for not picturing accessories in your mention of a specific class of device. Mine can be taken at face value
neogodless 2y ago
Anecdotally, my friend and I were prepping me for an interview, and my Bluetooth Bose Q35 microphone was crystal clear, while my JLAB Talk Go via USB was having issues with echo. Now the former is a $350 MSRP device while the latter is a $50 MSRP device, but the latter is also much bigger, has much more bandwidth for the wired connection, and has exactly one purpose. So I expect it do better than the tiny pinhole microphone on my headphones!!
- unchar1 2y ago
  USB microphones usually have audio converters built into them. So if you're going for a cheap wired headphones, it's usually better to go with one with a 3.5mm jack.
hammock 2y ago
>You probably don't need a $300 podcast-class microphone since the audio still gets compressed in transit, though. Misunderstands the value of a good mic. That's like saying DSLRs and flip phones take the same quality photos if you are compressing them down to 400x400 JPEGs
- bubblethink 2y ago
  A good mic setup is actually quite finicky. The interface/a2d, channels, amplification, clipping, drivers, etc. all need to work well through your OS and app stack, which is often not the case because these things aren't tested a whole lot. At least that has been my experience on linux. I have an RE320 and a Motu interface, but I have weird dropouts in all software (teams, zoom, obs). I haven't debugged it. I can totally understand the recommendation of sticking to the laptop mic or a basic headset.
  - scns 2y ago
    Native Instruments interfaces have great Linux support since they did the drivers themselves.
to11mtm 2y ago
> Use the laptop microphone as the input instead, or if no microphone is present just buy an external microphone You'd be surprised at how many companies/etc issue laptops that don't handle background noise for anything, even the fan on the laptop itself. That said I've been using one or two variants of a gaming headset with dedicated receiver for the last 5-ish years. (Before that I used Logitech H800s with the dedicated receiver, alas the earpieces disintegrated after a decade or so.) Better audio quality and at the time were only 100$ on sale. Especially if you are in an open office or pit style setting, bluetooth just has too many issues to be reliable/good for wireless audio.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
lvncelot 2y ago
Also, when using your laptop microphone, for the love of god don't wipe invisible crumbs from your keyboard every 5 seconds. I don't know why this is such a common tick, but the amount of times I had to repeatedly ask people to stop fidgeting with their device mere centimeters away from the microphone is just way too high. It's honestly a pet peeve of mine when people consistently lack audio etiquette. Communication is a huge part of our job, remote work is a godsend for work-life balance, it should be the bare minimum to just mute yourself when you're not talking and in general being mindful how much sound interruptions you're repeatedly causing in group meetings.

cosmic_cheese 2y ago

These days, most premium and/or business laptops (MacBooks, ThinkPads), etc have mic arrays that are far superior to those on earbuds anyway, being capable of eliminating background noise without negatively impacting audio quality.

j45 2y ago
Laptop mics huge upgrade from the past, and very convenient when I don't have something handy, they are not the best or even close. A decent mic will still outperform.
bravetraveler 2y ago
The array isn't enough to mask your mitts smashing/sliding on the device while typing and talking. For the love of everything, use something standalone. Ideally not a desk mic. Vibration works against those... just like what's built into any given laptop. It's a form-factor/usability thing. Decent audio isn't a price problem, it's entirely about selection. What you suggest is my last choice. A backup. Headsets and forgive me, wires I can replace, are hard to beat. I like to type, talk, and be heard. Sometimes all at once.
- cosmic_cheese 2y ago
  I wasn’t meaning to say to use laptop mics at the exclusion of a standalone mic, just that if you already have a nicer laptop then the parent comment’s recommendation to switch inputs for a “free” instant quality boost is particularly pertinent. It’s also applicable to situations where one is away from their desk. The degree to which vibration of is a problem depends on your setup. If your laptop is mounted on a VESA arm bolted to your desk and you’re typing on an external keyboard for example, it’s not going to come through too easily, especially if you have the keyboard placed on a desk pad. This is true of a standalone mic on an arm too.
  - bravetraveler 2y ago
    Pardon me for not picturing accessories in your mention of a specific class of device. Mine can be taken at face value

neogodless 2y ago

Anecdotally, my friend and I were prepping me for an interview, and my Bluetooth Bose Q35 microphone was crystal clear, while my JLAB Talk Go via USB was having issues with echo. Now the former is a $350 MSRP device while the latter is a $50 MSRP device, but the latter is also much bigger, has much more bandwidth for the wired connection, and has exactly one purpose. So I expect it do better than the tiny pinhole microphone on my headphones!!

unchar1 2y ago
USB microphones usually have audio converters built into them. So if you're going for a cheap wired headphones, it's usually better to go with one with a 3.5mm jack.

hammock 2y ago

>You probably don't need a $300 podcast-class microphone since the audio still gets compressed in transit, though. Misunderstands the value of a good mic. That's like saying DSLRs and flip phones take the same quality photos if you are compressing them down to 400x400 JPEGs

bubblethink 2y ago
A good mic setup is actually quite finicky. The interface/a2d, channels, amplification, clipping, drivers, etc. all need to work well through your OS and app stack, which is often not the case because these things aren't tested a whole lot. At least that has been my experience on linux. I have an RE320 and a Motu interface, but I have weird dropouts in all software (teams, zoom, obs). I haven't debugged it. I can totally understand the recommendation of sticking to the laptop mic or a basic headset.
- scns 2y ago
  Native Instruments interfaces have great Linux support since they did the drivers themselves.

to11mtm 2y ago

> Use the laptop microphone as the input instead, or if no microphone is present just buy an external microphone You'd be surprised at how many companies/etc issue laptops that don't handle background noise for anything, even the fan on the laptop itself. That said I've been using one or two variants of a gaming headset with dedicated receiver for the last 5-ish years. (Before that I used Logitech H800s with the dedicated receiver, alas the earpieces disintegrated after a decade or so.) Better audio quality and at the time were only 100$ on sale. Especially if you are in an open office or pit style setting, bluetooth just has too many issues to be reliable/good for wireless audio.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

lvncelot 2y ago

Also, when using your laptop microphone, for the love of god don't wipe invisible crumbs from your keyboard every 5 seconds. I don't know why this is such a common tick, but the amount of times I had to repeatedly ask people to stop fidgeting with their device mere centimeters away from the microphone is just way too high. It's honestly a pet peeve of mine when people consistently lack audio etiquette. Communication is a huge part of our job, remote work is a godsend for work-life balance, it should be the bare minimum to just mute yourself when you're not talking and in general being mindful how much sound interruptions you're repeatedly causing in group meetings.