like to have recommendation-home audio recording set up

LenRivers wrote:

Hi all.

While 99% of what I do is still photography, I have a project that needs video and audio editing and recording.

I plan to shoot B roll and do a Voice over later.

I am using a new camcorder. The Sony AX-700.

Can you recommend a home studio type microphone that will work with Apple Mac. It is not for professional use. Just a personal family project. Cost does not matter at the moment as much as quality for archival purposes.

Can you recommend software or apps to edit. I need to get the audio recorded and sync'd to the video I will assume after the video is edited to get the timing right.

If you have any links to a "how to" you really like that would also be great!

Oh and while the rooms are not soundproof the project will be done when no one is home and no chance of a telephone ringing etc...

For Macs in general, the best option is USB microphone. It is possible to use good mikes with XLR, but you will still have to purchase a USB sound card for XLR (3.5 mm) to Mac. So why to have more hassle if you can record straight into Mac with USB mike? Among USB mikes, I can recommend Shure MV5 USB mike which has both USBA and lightning cables for Macs and iOS devices, and delivers exceptionally good recording quality.

If you have Mac notebook, they have USB option and you can use headphones+mike system in 3.5mm jack in notebooks. Be aware, that 3.5mm mikes only do not work usually in 3.5mm jacks in macs which jacks are for mike+headphones. The cheapest option is wired Apple earbuds or something like that you can use for relatively good sound (meaning it will become a plain lavalier mike in that case). To use USB mike/soundcard on Mac notebooks you have to find either USB-C input on mikes or use a cheap USBA-USBC dongle as Mac notebooks since 2016 have mostly USBC inputs.

In addition you can use wireless Airpods for recording as well (16000HZ sound quality on Airpods if you ok with that).

Apple notebooks have relatively good inbuilt mikes too. The recent ones have studio quality mikes (whatever it means). So you can use inbuilt mikes too. Some people even record music on those mikes.

The 2021 Apple notebooks have SDcard slots inbuilt so you can use a voice recorder (like Sony), then move sound files on the card to Mac's SDslot or just connect your voice recorder by USB to Mac as well (may require USBC dongle).

Apple desktops are best suited for USB sound cards (with XRL inputs) and USB mikes.