Minimalist Mics for Digital Nomads: Podcast or Zoom

I saw a question about the best microphone to create podcasts when you are a digital nomad on a forum. Implied: good sound, not too big, not too expensive, not too heavy.

Having produced podcasts with bad sound quality (oops), I’ve been looking into this as well. I asked my sister who is over-equipped in this field because she is an amateur singer/YouTuber so she needs good sound.

Rode VideoMic GO Compact Microphone

She highly recommended the Rode VideoMic GO Compact Microphone. The Australian brand Rode is very well known for its affordable and high-quality microphones.

This model is a bit big but not expensive (63€ or 96.99$ on Amazon), and for those who want to do ASMR, it is sensitive enough to pick up these sounds, but it’s a unidirectional microphone so point the mic at the source of the sound each time.

• Weight: 72.6 g
• Dimensions: 24.9 x 13.5 x 7.6 cm
• Usage: podcast, ASMR, music recording, microphone for large cameras
• Possibility to connect to an iPhone/iPad by purchasing the Rode SC7 cable besides
• Possibility to buy an extra Deadcat to protect yourself from the wind

Rode VideoMic Me

Another model I recommend and use is Rode VideoMic Me (50€ or 54$ on Amazon), an ultra-light unidirectional microphone designed specifically for smartphones. There are two models, with a 3.5mm jack or a lightning jack. The choice is yours. Personally, I chose the 3.5mm jack because I have an old iPhone.

This microphone comes with a deadcat, a silicone piece to help the microphone be well attached to the phone. And that’s it.

There is a “headphone” output so that you can listen to your own voice while recording (depends on the recording software) – and listen to others during a call.

• Item weight: 31.8 g
• Dimensions: 8 x 2.1 x 3.8 cm
• Use: podcast, call, camera microphone, or Osmo Pocket (provided you buy some accessories)

To record my voice-overs and podcasts (I promise, the next podcasts recorded with this microphone will be online soon), here is my configuration:

The deadcat is not necessary, but the sound will be even better. On the other hand, the foldable metal stand (13€ on Amazon) is convenient. I also use it to put my iPhone/iPad when I watch YouTube videos while doing other things.

And you, which microphone do you use for your podcasts?