3. The appropriate USB cable for your microphone of choice, preferably one that is six
feet in length to accommodate appropriate positioning.
4. A microphone stand (if purchasing the AT2500x or AT2020USB, no adapter is
needed). If using the Zoom H1N, you will need the CM01 adapter to fit on a stand.
5. For vocalists: it is advised if you are using a USB condenser microphone that you also
get a Pop filter, to prevent air from hitting the microphone (called “plosives”).
Note that if you plan on using a smartphone for video recording, it’s advised to get an adapter
and stand for proper positioning of your phone for recording, such as the Oben ASPTA-20
smartphone adapter (needs a separate stand to use with it).
ZOOM SETTINGS
For a video guide showing step by step instructions on Zoom audio settings, click here:
https://youtu.be/NprsZF_YUm8
Once Zoom has been successfully installed on your computer, there are a number of audio
settings that should be configured in order to improve the sound quality. By default, Zoom is
optimized for speech audio. This means there is built-in processing to the application such as
noise reduction and echo cancellation. This processing must be disabled for music.
To adjust Zoom audio settings on a computer, we need to go to the Preferences window in
Zoom. You can get to that window on a Mac by selecting “Zoom” in the top left corner of your
screen and then finding “Preferences” in the dropdown.
The following settings may need to be adjusted:
1. Check that your microphone and output devices are correct.
2. Disable (uncheck) “Automatically adjust microphone volume”.
3. Ensure that “Enable Stereo” is checked.
4. In the Advanced tab, enable (check) “Enable Original Sound from microphone”.
5. In the Advanced tab, set both noise reduction settings to DISABLED.
See below for screenshots of proper audio settings, using a Zoom H1N as the input microphone
and the built-in output of a Mac (with headphones).