Headsets

When your video requires an added narrative, what kind of microphone should you use?  My own preference is a headset, which keeps the mic located in just the right position in relationship to my mouth, regardless of how I turn my head.  Headsets with the right characteristics are available cheaply, and are easy to hook up to a computer.

I use a headset routinely in the creation of screencasts, and I finally settled on a Plantronics 650 USB/Analog Multimedia headset.  I like this headset for a number of reasons:

• The mic is unidirectional and noise-cancelling.  I get excellent sound quality without background noise.
• The audio quality of the headphones is also quite good.  I like the ear enclosures, which allow me to focus on the recorded sound.
• An inline volume control allows me to adjust headphone volume and mic gain, and also has a mute switch.
• The headset is adjustable, and fits my large head and large ears comfortably, so I can wear it for a long time when necessary.
• It has both analog and USB connection capability.  USB sounds better when I'm recording on the computer, but the analog mic/headphone connectors can be plugged directly into my camcorder.
• The mic swings completely up and out of the way, so I can use the headphones alone, e.g., for monitoring sound while recording. 
• The headset is as great for Skype as it is for recording, for all the same reasons.

Plantronics makes a number of high-quality headsets with different features and styles.  Logitech, Sony, and Sennheiser all make quality headsets, as well.