I’ve been doing remote meetings for roughly fifteen years now. Here’s what I’ve found works for me and why.

Audio Setup

I find that my ears get tired using headphones all day so I’ve switched over the past few years to not using a headset. To avoid background noise and feedback when not fully isolating the sound, there are a few tricks.

The Gear

Shure BETA 58A

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Beta58a--shure-beta-58a-supercardioid-dynamic-vocal-microphone

The standard vocal microphone that lots of bands use. Great for voices, but also fairly tightly focused. If you’re out of the sweet spot, it just doesn’t pick up sound well.

Scarlet 2i2

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlet2i2G3--focusrite-scarlett-2i2-3rd-gen-usb-audio-interface

A small mixer for the microphone that also allows me to add a second mic for family zoom calls so we can all be heard. There’s a cheaper, smaller version for folks that just need one mic.

AudioQuest Dragonfly Black

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1244851-REG/audioquest_dragonflyblk_dragonfly_black_usb.html

Back when I did use headphones a lot, I hooked my Audio-Technica AH-M50 headphones up to this nice little headphone amp. Now, it provides the interface for my speakers. I’m suspicious that I don’t actually need this anymore. The scarlet 2i2 should serve the same purpose, but I’m too lazy to give it a side by side test.

Creative CR3 Speakers

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CR3--mackie-cr3-3-inch-multimedia-monitors

I love these speakers. They get a lot of use for my zoom calls, but also near constant music. I keep them at head level where they sound so much better than the built-in speakers in my laptop. They’re flexible enough to be loud when I want, but they’re also very clear at low volumes for when the kids play in the room next to my office. They also have a heaphone port for when the kids are asleep.

Krisp.ai

https://ref.krisp.ai/u/ub148afb36

I also have been using krisp this year. It’s a software product for noise canceling and has definitely been worth the $40. My unicomp keyboard is not quiet. Without krisp, people can definitely hear in the background of my calls. Once I switch it on, people can’t believe I’m still typing the notes. It also cuts out the background hum of the AC when it kicks on or the sounds of the family in the next rooom.