Michelle Caimotto

Students taking online lessons or hybrid lessons are required to have a decent microphone and WIRED headphones or earbuds WITHOUT a built-in mic. Some tablets and phones have good enough built-in mics, but it depends on the student. Young beginners don't play very strongly, so the built in equipment on their devices is sometimes ok. The sound of the flute is difficult to capture with good quality because of its high range, loud volume, and because of the limited power of devices (phones, tablets, computers) to process input and output audio signals, especially while simultaneously processing input and output video signals. This make it a little tricky to get good audio and for the video to run smoothly without freezing up. Headphones are necessary in order to avoid feedback. Wired head phones work. Wireless headphones are very glitchy, so not recommended. There are also headphones available for kids that limit decibels. At the beginning of the pandemic, I got a grant to explore audio options for online lessons in order to find good, inexpensive solutions for students. Here are some of the results: 

USB Microphone Tests

This video is a test of five USB mics: Samson GO, Fifine k670, JLAB Talk Pro, Apogee Mic+, Audio Technica AT 2020 USB. They all work, but I liked the JLAB Talk Pro the best. It was the easiest to use, has the most features, and I liked the sound of it best. It also works for piccolo (not included on the video here). I also was very impressed with the Samson GO, which is the least expensive. The mic pattern refers to the shape of the field that is capturing sound. A lot of USB mics have a Cardioid pattern since they are intended to capture one voice, up close, for podcasting. The Gain, is the input level. Headphones can be plugged directly into all of these mics which contributes to faster/better processing on platforms like Zoom or Skype.

Video Specifics:  

Samson GO: 0:01

Fifine K670: 1:26

JLAB Talk Pro: 2:44

Apogee Mic+: 4:21

Audio Technica AT2020 USB: 5:47

Recommendations:

Great news! In 2024, the price of some of these is LOWER than the 2020 prices I have listed here, so, do shop around! 

Samson Go Mic $45.00- $50.00

Fifine K670 $55.00+

JLab Talk Pro $149.00

Audio Technica AT 2020 USB $149.00

Headphones:

Wired headphones are very inexpensive. Wired headphones without a built in mic are even cheaper! 

Panasonic Clip Headphones Blue RP-HZ47-A. $12.00 (2024)

PHILIPS Headphones SHS3300BK 27mm Drivers/Open-Back Earhook 1  $18.99 (2024)

These are both on-ear, open back (sound goes through them and you can still hear the room) so very comfortable and easy on the ears. But because they are so small, there is little chance of feedback. An example of feedback in online lessons is when one person's signal goes through their microphone  and comes out of through the other person's speaker, and is picked up by that person's microphone, and fed back to the orginial person. This creates a very distroted sound and is why headphones are needed for online lessons.

Digital Recorders:

Another excellent option for online lessons is a digital recorder. These are small, lightweight, and have very good built in mics. They can be used as excellent stand alone audio recorders, storing files on SD cards, and they can also function as an audio interface to power both the audio input and output signals on platforms like Zoom, which enables students to utilize the best settings for online music lessons. 

Zoom H1n $119. 2 track digital recorder

Zoom H4n $200 4 track digital recorder

Tascam DR 05X $89.00

Tascam DR 40 $120+

Connection: 

 A stable internet connection is needed for online lessons. These days, wifi works pretty well, but it has to be a strong connection, and tethering does not work at all. Lessons need to be in a room where there is a strong wifi connection, OR, devices need to be connected via an ethernet cable. Really long, very fast ethernet cables are available for very low prices. Adapters are inexpensive as well. 

There are more test videos on my YouTube Channel: FluteStudioM.