Currently, the internet is filled with videos which have millions of views on it, these videos are very simple, as it might have a woman whispering, someone eating something or any other random noise. Yet these videos are super popular. So, the questions arise, what are these videos? Well, these videos are called ASMR videos. And now if one knows what ASMR is and is planning to make a few of them, then there is an immediate need to buy the right kind of gear for it. And in gear, choosing one among many asmr microphones is the first step.
What is ASMR?
Before jumping into knowing how to buy a good ASMR microphone and what things to look for, let’s, understand a bit about ASMR in short.
ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) is a type of sensation. In this, the sensation is related to personal attention and stimulating sound and activities. Many people tend to find such sounds and activities heavily relaxing and deeply stimulating peacefully. This helps them sleep and relax. Usually, people tend to find that the ASMR videos tend to cause in them a certain sense fo tingle that covers their spine and neck area.
Features to consider
When planning to buy an ASMR microphone, one needs to be careful about the quality and the overall features. The reason is the fact that ASMR videos are different from normal videos as they are sounder oriented and should catch everything clearly. Few things that need to be kept in mind are:
- Polar pattern: one of the very first thing that one needs to take into consideration is the polar pattern. The polar pattern decides what will be a sound pattern and how it will be projected. Different mics have polar patterns, and ASMR video makers tend to choose according to their goals of how clear they want their sound to be.
- Susceptibility: mics tend to get affected by the overall surroundings. Therefore one must choose a microphone, which is durable and resilient to the external environmental factors. Too many factors affecting the microphone will lead to a dampening of the sound quality and lesser immersion as well. One can choose between condenser or dynamic mics.
- Immersion: One of the major features of ASMR videos is that they provide immersion to the listener or viewer. To choose more immersion, binaural recordings are required and for that omnidirectional mics are chosen.
- Noise: every mic tends to have a certain amount of self-noise, and that ranges from mic to mic. Make sure to pick a mic with the least self-noise. The best mic should not have self-noise more than 15dB.
Types of ASMR mics
Common types of ASMR microphones for recording to choose from:
- Lobar microphones: the lobar polar pattern is highly directional, with a narrow acceptance field. It also helps in reducing the noise pickups, thus making the voice more clear.
- Cardioid microphones: Cardioid polar pattern is common when it comes to any type of recordings. It catches the sound from the front and cancels the noise of the back and sides.
- Omnidirectional microphones: for a very quiet set up with no external noises, these mics work just fine. In this, the sound is picked up from all sides and thus,it is an easy pickup noise too. It is perfect if there are multiple sound sources.
Final words
A good mic for making ASMR videos is all about choosing the objective and set upright. Try to keep the sound in a single direction and avoid external noises to the best to get a high-quality ASMR. There are plenty of choices for asmr microphones, but choosing the right one requires some research and time.
