Most audio producers and reporters heading into the field will have the basics: a handheld recorder of some kind, a pair of headphones, and one or two microphones. But which mic should you use?

Creators in this space use their gear choices and production techniques to create an audio fingerprint that can form a huge part of their brand and identity. While any quality vocal microphone can ...

The one that has caught our eye is a microphone made from parts of an old hard drive. The drive’s arm and magnet were set aside while the aluminum base was diagonally cut into two pieces.

OK, maybe not that last one, but the following question still stands: which of these would’ve made the list were it not for that most humble of workhorses: the live vocal microphone? The best live ...