It is always said that you “get what you pay for,” and that is usually the case especially with things like technology. Almost a year ago, I purchased my microphone for cooking videos and travel vlogging, and for the most part, it’s held up pretty well. But today, while going over footage shot in a windy outdoor market in Amsterdam, I started realizing the limits of this $50 microphone. It picked up more of the wind than my voice, and I’m hesitant to even use this specific footage because.. what’s the point if you cannot hear what I am saying? I might as well put music over it and add in subtitles, and I’m not totally sure I want to do that.

So I started researching other higher quality microphones that other vloggers use. Some are clip-on; the majority of higher end mics allow you to test and see what the sound is like while you are recording; that way, no time is wasted and no waiting period to see whether your sound quality is passable or good. But the one that really won, hands down, was a lapel mic that could capture your voice, crystal-clear with nothing else, no interference, even in the loudest wind tunnel on the top of a mountain. How much does this microphone cost? $700!!!

I’m not vlogging at a level where I’ve worked hard enough to deserve a mic that costs that much money. Maybe when I have hundreds of thousands of subscribers or am getting sponsored posts, I can do that, but until then, this $50 mic is going to have to do its thing. I need to start setting goals for subscribers, and once I reach those, I can “reward” myself with new or upgraded equipment.