Comparison of Audio Recording Methods for Teaching Yoga
Good audio may be the most important and most complicated part of teaching quality classes online. Professional audio gear is out of the price and knowledge range for most yoga teachers, on TV shows there is a multi-person department whose only job is creating and recording good sound, so that makes sense. As yoga teachers, we do have somewhat affordable tools available to us, but not all of then are good at everything. As the saying goes "Fast, Cheap, Good - Pick One" I decided to use all my recording devices at once to do a quick exploration. I teach live classes on Zoom and record classes for my website, I found myself using different tools for each. Only the RODE Wireless Go (about $200) mic worked best for both live and video, but not great if you were playing a musical instrument (bowls, gongs, etc..) I have been using a RODE iPhone Lav Mic (about $80) for my recordings (no music) and have been happy with the quality, but I to need to merge the video and audio in my editing software, which is sometimes easier than others and cannot be used for live classes. . I have a Tascam DR-40 digital audio recorder (about $150) that has a built in mic and records to a SD card and has a line out I can connect to my laptop for live classes, I like to use this when I do not want a mic on my body. The Tascam is also a better option if you are using instruments. The easiest and cheapest iare bluetooth earbuds, I used one Anker Soundcore Life P2 earbud (about $50 for the pair) I only like to wear one when I teach. I use these when I have been teaching outside, but the voice quality is not great, I think I sound like a robot (I never use these for recordings). I am not endorsing any one of these, it is what I had on hand, there are better tools available for sure. Take a look and listen to the video so you can decide for yourself what you like.