Many computer users purchase a professional microphone to improve upon the performance of the microphone included with their computer. But because interconnection procedures in the consumer world differ from those used in professional audio, it is not always easy to make a professional microphone work with the audio input of the computer.

First we must establish that a professional microphone, just like a consumer level one, will not pick up sound from 100 feet away (despite what happens in the movies) and will not completely isolate a talkers voice from nearby noises such as computer fans, hard drives, or background music. The main benefits gained by upgrading to a professional microphone are:

- More natural sound provided by their wide frequency response;
- Better sound tonality (quality) due to specialized frequency shaping;
- Better isolation from vibration and handling thanks to excellent cartridge shock mounting;
- Better ambient noise rejection due to a tight, consistent polar pattern;
- Greater durability under demanding conditions thanks to robust construction, high quality components, and rigorous testing;
- More physical design choices, i.e. lavalier, handheld, head-worn, gooseneck, boundary, wireless, etc.

There are three main applications driving computer users to look for an upgraded microphone for their desktop or laptop computers: desktop conferencing and telemedicine, voice recognition, and music recording. If your application is the latter, and you are looking to turn your computer into a decent digital recording and editing suite, purchase a good microphone and an outboard audio interface.

These devices already include audio inputs with the proper characteristics for interfacing with professional microphones. They typically connect to the computer via a dedicated PCI card, but several Firewire and USB interfaces offer easier installation. For the rest of you, just looking to improve the quality of your microphone to record some tunes, talk to a friend, or consult with a group of colleagues, read on.

To be successful in connecting a professional microphone to your computer, you must know some things about both the microphone and the audio input of the computer. The following three pieces of information are important to know about each product, and can be found by consulting the product literature or by contacting the manufacturer’s technical support department:

- signal level
- electrical impedance
- connector type and wiring scheme

As is the case in most other aspects of computing, there are significant differences between the audio input used by Apple and IBM-compatible computers. Additional information for users of Apple Macintosh computers is contained at the end of this document.