AUDIO TECHNICA BPHS1 - Best Headset for Musicians & Gamers?
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Recording a vocal commentary whilst demonstrating a synthesizer, keyboard or piano is always challenging, due to bleed of the clunking and clanking keyboard noises into the microphone which all needs to be edited and fixed in post processing. In today's video I'll demo, test and review the AUDIO TECHNICA BPHS1 Broadcast Stereo Headset which I hope will solve all these issues.
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#microphone #audiotechnica #headset
Hi Woody! This seems like a great solution and the audio quality sounds natural to me. Keep up your great work.
super, glad to hear that, thx
The boom mic sounds much better. The Shure sounded like the room was a bit echo like. Your voice has always sounded good, but now it sounds warmer. Good purchase.
that's awesome to read, i'm really happy with it too after editing the video and tweaking fx a bit more. appreciate the feedback.
The Shure is being used way too far away from his mouth with gain turned up way too high, that's why it picks up echo that it's not supposed to, not the right way to use an SM58. The SM58 is supercardioid in order to avoid echo, and most especially, sound from nearby loudspeakers in a live situation.
@@Jason75913 Ahh! Thanks for the explanation.
Great review! You sound much better now.
A lot of good sense there Woody.Hope you are all coping on your side of the planet, and keeping out of mischief. 👍
as much as usual, yes! all the best.
It sounds good! Personally, I'd have a problem with warm ears after a while, though. A version with in-ear headphones plus mic would be preferable for me.
thanks! for me, open back with mic would have been ultimate, but they don't make those. or in-ears unless you start combining headworn mics and phones, but then you have a whole bunch of wires hanging from your head!
@@WoodyPianoShack You could get something like a mod-mic which is a microphone which attaches to your headset. They sound really good when you have the right settings and come in 3 versions (wireless, 3.5mm, usb)
Since you ask: the least few videos were a bit too roomy, I noticed (but I understood the temporal living conditions you are in), but from the start of this video (with the Shure) it was much better. The headset, to be critical (but again, since you asked), makes it rather intimate, I'd prefer a little more room ;-). An issue of its own with some closed sets is the sweatiness/lack of ventilation/air flow/breathability, that with extensive use might lead to a visit to the doctor. You might end up with athlete's ear (that you can't discuss at parties, so hardly anyone knows this can happen).
The intimacy may of course also originate in certain frequencies/resonances.
all great feedback, u're right I've been seeing what I can get away with, but previous videos not acceptable audio. 58 is decent, but hard to position in this space. good feedback on the headset, but eliminating the room exactly what I wantewd to achieve, and the intimate sound also. yes, i dislike using closed back headphones and will limit my usage to video recording sessions only!
@@WoodyPianoShackThanks to this video I discovered a site with (rather scientific) breathability tests for dozens of headphones ;-) (I need new one)
I appreciate your efforts to ensure that the sound quality is as perfect as possible. That's dedication 😁👍
thanks, my viewers are worth it... :D
That sounds great! I think it's a great option. Plus it stays the same distance so the tone stays the same. Good idea.
that's exactly it, you can hear me at all times even when rocking around on the chair. great until I sneeze!
As usual, everything Woody has presented here is excellent and helpful. Proper placement and appropriate category of mic is critical. But there is one other major consideration which is the tone of your voice. For our band, after trying out several mics, we found that some of the vocalists sound best using a Shure mic while others sound better using an EV mic.
that's interesting jeff, i heard people say that too, that one mic can be more flattering on a voice, in particular with male/female vocalists.
It sounds good to me: perfectly suited for your usual videos. I'm not endorsing/recommending Wave Clarity Vx plug-in but I've used that to reduce noise on other UA-cam videos - recorded outside that suffer especially from wind. It's simple to use - it has to be for me - not a professional - but it helps me hear dialog. It might reduce keybed noise, but I suspect that's unnecessary overkill with your new setup. Well done. I'm looking forward to more radio voice!
yeah don, agree, don't think i'll need any noise removal with this setup, but thanks for the tips, was not aware of it.
I suspect you've already tried it, but just in case you haven't: have you tried a noise reducer plug-in on the audio to remove clacking keys? Find a bit of the audio with keys clacking and nothing else, use that as your template and then remove all instances of that. Obviously you have to jiggle the effect a bit so it doesn't make the audio sound false, but it works on many things. As I said, I suspect you've already tried this.
As for the new broadcast headset: it honestly sounds fantastic! Warm and pleasant and successfully reduces that echo we heard earlier. Very good indeed. Also, I think it looks fine.
Noise reduction is only really effective for either transients that are very brief (vinyl noise for example) or constant noise you can pattern on (fans, A/C, etc.) Otherwise its harder on a recording to break out the room noises - Noise cancelling software does it by recording effectively the room and playing it back to you out of phase - that would require more than one channel etc, and balance would be tricky and change all the time as you move around.
@@ChrisCebelenski I've found it effective for similar noises- but I haven't tried it on keyboard sounds specifically. You may well be right, but I've successfully removed a number of similar non-constant noises from audio. It only works post recording of course. And can easily ruin a recording if applied to heavily.
it's an interesting idea that appeals to me, but agree with the other replies, cancellation more suited to contsnt predictable noises, no way it's gonna work with random clunks and clicks, not even a simple noise gate works reliably.
Sillily thinking along: 1) headphone-lavalier issue: when your headphone-lead is long enough, lead it over your back, 2) rather elaborate challenge maybe: record the clunks of the keyboard separately and subtract them (partly reduced) from your audiotrack.
I dig the cancellation idea, appeals to the scientist in me! re routing headphone cord down your back, I do that, but it's just another step in the process that you will forget, and slightly uncomfortable, also no good way to capture lav direct into my daw toghether with synth, believe me I've tried....
Aww yes good audio tips that'll struggle to apply! Haha
I think i'm quite fine using a t.bone and a DT 770 even if I'm getting dizzy after 2 hours.
Thank you for sharing your suggestions !
I find you always tend to be practical and logical Woody so there is no doubt you eventually find good solutions to issues. The mic is very clear , strong volume, and tonally pleasing. This will certainly help you with the echoing rooms you do your videos in. The keyboard clanging will be drowned out once the music in played and is passed through the audio as you mentioned. I would do a 'plosives' test prior to the start of your recordings. So all-in-all, I would agree that you made a very wise choice as you also seem rather pleased with your purchases and of the current result from your efforts. Well done Woody.
The only other alternative would be to address the echo in the room with acoustic panels and use a large diaphragm overhead mic with a heavy duty extended boom arm. Not as cheap so I would just stick with your new set up for now. Your headset if purchased in Canada cost $424.00. Ouch.
thanks for the feedback! this is my family's living room, so probably not good to put up treatment, and a lot of it would be needed methinks! the headset a better solution, and yes, it is far exceeding my expectations, and I'm a picky guy... cheers
It sounds just totally great!
Sounding Good
Sounds good Woody and think I'll look into similar. The main problem I have is fan noise from the desktop PC. I tried a "modern" podcast mic that was supposed to eliminate background noise but it didn't and sonically the tone was quite a bit worse than my SM58, which truth be told is still hard to beat in the right conditions and outshines similarly priced newfangled podcast offerings.
yeah, I assume you got a condenser podcast mic, they are sensitive and pick up more background noise compared to 58, typically.
@@WoodyPianoShack It was a condenser PreSonus PD-70, but despite the claims picked up just as much noise and overall sounded worse
Wow, concrete. On B3, the key click is part of your sound. We can argue it part of the synth too.
Good sounding headset. Radio voice, yes - It gives your videos a touch of Alan Partridge!
that's nothing new then.... :)
thanks for the review
The new mic sounds great! & if it cuts down on editing work then that's a bonus. On a side note, just thought I'd let you know about the lavalier mic I have, it's a cardioid one with XLR that connects direct to my audio interface, It's called "Comica CVM-V02C" got it on Amazon for about £30.
hey there, checked it out that's a pretty cool alternative. how you liking it?
@@WoodyPianoShack Hi, yes it works well for my purposes, I mainly use it while gaming as I like to use my studio headphones (Sennheiser HD650) rather than a gaming headset, but I've also used it for vocoder input in music production.
I learned about the mic through a youtuber called Roberto Jorge, his video is here ua-cam.com/video/wi0JmdnHH98/v-deo.html. I think he was using the omnidirectional model though, hope that helps.
Audio Technica is a match better option for the sound quality when the room is untreated. It is more comfortable to your ears, you don't get tired. Thanks for your video.
thanks for the feedback, cheers
Sounds great to me!
I don't mind the "headphone look" in a synth/keyboard demo or review personally. And if it works, hey, just go for it!
Maybe, if possible, you could tuck the cable away in your shirt to make it look a nicer.
hi xav, yes, the appearance of the cord did bother me slightly in the video, will look into doing that. glad the audio got the seal of approval.... :D
It looks quite practical. It rejects the key noise quite well when playing softly. I guess some keybeds are quiter then others. My Emu X-board 49 has very clacky noisy keys in comparison to my Yamaha reface DX and GEM WX2. Those are very quite. The headphone looks like it’s based on the ATH-M50x.
you're right about the headphones, that what I've read. they are actually really good, very happy with the sound and I use them now for mixing. totally agree, some keybeds are louder than others. also depends on which stand/surface you put it on.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sounds great!
cool, love it !
If this is your direction (which I think it might be OK, especially for demos), I'd apply a de-esser also, since this mic sounds a bit sibilant. It does effectively take the room out, and might suit your voice a bit better than the SM58. Maybe roll off a little more on the top-end as it seems pretty bright. I use all kinds of mics in live situations, and there's no one answer, so aside from the looks this is probably a good solution. And you can call the plays between videos too!
thanks for the comment chris, I noticed the sibilance too, the de-esser is now added to the chain and is much better. might consider rolling off the highs too for a less airy but perhaps easier-to-listen-to sound.
I've got a set of these sitting on my desktop right now. Other than the look, I really have no complaints. They pick up my voice really well, and the headphones are totally adequate for short-term use. I would prefer something wireless for everyday use, but most wireless headsets I've tried have just *terrible* microphones.
good to know! probably issue with latency as well with wireless, if playing synths, that might be bad.
Great!
I wonder if you can get the noise profile of the key clunks using ReaFIR and null them out in post that way
interesting idea, thanks, but the character of the clunks and clacks is too random in nature for any algo!
@@WoodyPianoShack Yea I tried it, works surprisingly well but isn't perfect and prone to random errors, I feel like it can be perfected but it just isn't really worth it. The headset is a much more complete solution
It sounds very good. Don 't worry about looking odd, because a lot gamers use something similar in their videos. Since gamers are usually younger, it makes you look hip. :)
excellent point, yes, you're right, although need a lot more help than that to look hip.
focus!
I like your videos!
sweet of you to say so! thanks.
Yeah Woody , it's wayyyy too close to your mouth as I can still hear you talking :) , but seriously, the audio is first class, and ONLY your voice can be heard, and it's a very balanced and quality audio. Definite improvment!
got me there, thanks for the feedback very encouraging!
I would of gone with a headset microphone the kind with the wireframe that hold usually a small condenser mic. The wireframe is very small and lightweight so not that visible it usually resting on your cheek. Many companies make them, then you could use any kind of headphones you want with them. The wireframe headsets are used a lot on Broadway for musicals, If you room has some sound treatment you could do like shooting movies and TV shows. They hide microphones in plants or other decorations to get coverage over different areas of a set as well as using shotgun microphones.
Also on subject headphones why don't you just flip the cord so instead of running down in front of you it runs down your back. That way it isn't a distraction to you or the viewer. I was a guitar player most my life and when recording hated the headphone cord dangling in front of me that when I got into putting the cord down my back.
those discrete wireframe headsets are great, and very expensive if you buy a good one, the issue is connecting to audio interface for capturing in DAW, they are designed for wireless body packs only, and using a wireless system when 1 meter from interface is a bit stupid... :)
the cord flip is a good suggestion thanks, but I know from experience it's just an extra step and feels always a bit tight and uncomfortable when moving head, when you're making so many vids, eventually you'll forget to do it.... :)
I've got the same problems, that you describe, too. But I don't understand why you use a combination of a headphone and microphone. Why don't you use just a headwotnn microphone like e.g. the AKG c520 or even smaller the sennheiser HSP ? As I see it you don't need the headphone. Or did I miss something?
Do you use your device because you can hold a greater/better/more constant distance or is there another reason?
headworn mic would have also been good, but then you have two sets of cables hanging from your head and wearing phones together may not work or be uncomfortable! i always need to wear phones to hear the sound of the synth. thx for the question!
@@WoodyPianoShack Thank you for the clarification. I didn't realize, why you need a headphone. With this requirement given it would be of course silly to use a headworn mic - and it would become uncomfortable very soon too.
Any thoughts on using this for singing? Considering this for use with an elk live bridge for vocals (and monitoring) while playing bass.
not sure about that, a good vocalist will work the mic, not possible with it stuck on your head, also not cool to perform wearing headphones...?
The difference is very district, a headset mic sounds so much better!
i think so too, glad you thought so!
Sounds great except that it can be a tad poppy at times and is picking up quite a bit bit of breath sounds, both when speaking and when not speaking.
I agree, not much you can do about that I suppose, nature of the headset mic. placement of the boom mic is critical, and probably some adjustment of vocal technique too!
Hopefully you see this. How do you rate this setup now after 2 years? Do you still use it?
yeah, i regularly use it for videos still. the only issue is it is quite loose on my head, and heavy, so wobbles around quite a bit. i think there are a few newer alternatives these days.
@@WoodyPianoShack Thanks a lot i appreciate it! Well now i ordered BPHS1 and Scarlet 2i2 4th gen. I did watch some reviews about BPHS2 but i didnt really like the mic quality that much and its not avaliable on Amazon where i live. How would you rate headphones for listening to music and such? Do they have good bass with your Scarlet 3rd gen? Thanks again 🙂
sonds good, if you utilize ReaGate in Reaper While Recording , it should be perfect.
i would never gate while recording, as it is then non-reversible,. but good idea to apply it when rendering out eh mix.
would this work also on a PSR vocal Harmonizer? getting a adaptor for XLR to Jack and so on?
totally would work well for that, with an adapter as you say.
Would this work on PC using a Zoom F3 as an audio interface?
yeah, i think the zoom has usb audio, and if it has an xlr input then sure!
Great video. Do you know if they do one with a 1/4 inch rather than xlr connection? I have been looking for something like this for ages for vocoding.
no, didn't see one in my research. adapters are available though to do the plug conversion.
Sadly, RX has no de-clunk plugin 😪
yeah, that would be something!
The headaet is good.
Sounds great Woody. 👍
FYI, there are cardioid Lav mics out there.
yep, few and far between! but still the placement close to the synth would cause a problem I suspect.
What happened to your cookie-jar monitor stand?
don't worrym in storage, although my work monitor has adjustable height so biscuit tin redundant.
It's not the best solution for console gamers though you will need to find xlr converters and sound card that will work with your console and microphone
this is also grear for remote workers
i imagine it would be, will surprise my colleagues in the next sprint standup!
It's not really rocket Science. As you've found out, you don't want booms, cables, or stands (a la Yeti) attached to the mic. Least of all braided cables which will make noise at the slightest rub against clothing. Teens know nothing. So. The solution is what pros use: a headset. Any mixing issues are solved with an actual mixer. I would dump the 2014 audio interface, which is for guitar+mic noobs who know nothing. I speak strongly because I see all these subpar products selling and that risks making good products obsolete.
The trick is getting a headset that is non-USB, real audio. Another way in which know-nothings have ruined the market. If it has its own USB or wireless sound card it's not real audio and so cannot be mixed without compatible computer hardware that will stay compatible for years. And on this last point, hardware and software developer are leveraging know-nothing noobness to apparently deprecate their own product quicker so they can push another digital product that will be incompatible in 3 years.
When you have a headset, the way to avoid huffing and puffing into the mic is to get one with an adjustable small mic arm.
This means that there are still very few solutions available for "just" recording a synth video, unless you pay pro money, which can be 400+ EUR just for the headset. Other solutions include ghettoing a Lavalier mic onto such a bendable piece of arm material and somehow attaching it to an audiophile pair of headphones.
Some voice effect unit companies provide directional mics, but this is again not desired as the more directional it is, the less you can move your head or look at sliders and knobs. The ideal would be a small product with attachment options for headphones that has a directional mic on a bendable arm already. Such a product should be too expensive to make... you'd think. But consumers drive the market from their knowledge and therefore their bad purchases.
Do I need a cloud lifter to get decent sound with this microphone?
Sounds great!