Most people now spend part of every week on calls, and many record a little too: a voice note, a presentation, a lesson, a podcast. The laptop's own microphone works, but it sits next to a noisy keyboard and a fan, picks up the whole room, and often makes a voice sound thin and far away. A headset or a small desk microphone usually makes more difference to how you come across on a call than a better camera does. This guide explains the choices in order: what kind of microphone suits you, how each kind connects, wired or wireless, and how to get good sound in an ordinary room without turning it into a studio.
Built-in, headset or desk microphone
There are three places the microphone can be, and each one changes what you hear on the other end.
The laptop's own microphone
Built-in microphones are usually small holes near the keyboard, beside the camera or along the edge of the screen. Most modern laptops process the sound to cut down background noise, and on a quiet day in a quiet room they are fine for a quick call. Their weaknesses come from where they are. They sit an arm's length from your mouth, so they hear the room almost as loudly as they hear you. They sit next to the keys, so typing during a call comes through clearly. They sit next to the fan, which gets louder when the laptop works hard. And if you use the laptop on a stand with a separate keyboard, the microphone moves even further from your mouth.
A headset
A headset puts a microphone close to your mouth and speakers over or in your ears. Because the microphone is close, your voice is loud compared with everything else in the room, which is exactly what a call needs. Because the sound comes through your ears rather than the laptop's speakers, the microphone does not pick up the other person's voice and send it back to them as an echo. For anyone who spends hours a week on calls, in a shared house, an open-plan office or a busy kitchen, a headset is usually the most reliable choice.
A desk microphone
A desk microphone stands on the desk or on an arm in front of you. It can sound fuller and more natural than a headset microphone, and you do not have to wear anything on your head, which matters on long days and for anyone who does not like headsets with glasses. It is the usual choice for recording voice, for presenting, and for people who want to sound their best on calls. Its weakness is distance: it hears more of the room than a headset does, so it works best in a reasonably quiet space and when you stay in front of it. You also need something to listen with, either headphones or speakers. With speakers, the call software has to cancel out the echo, which most of it does well but not perfectly.
Which suits you
- Calls in a noisy or shared space: a headset, ideally one whose microphone is on a boom that sits near your mouth.
- Long calls in a quiet room, with no wish to wear anything: a desk microphone with headphones or speakers.
- Recording your voice: a desk microphone, set up as described further down.
- Travel and the odd call on the move: a light headset or earphones with a microphone, which fold into a bag.
USB headsets and 3.5mm headsets
A wired headset connects in one of two ways: by a USB plug or by the small round 3.5mm audio plug. Both work well; the difference is in where the sound is turned into a signal the laptop can use, and what sockets your laptop has.
USB headsets
A USB headset has its own small sound card inside its plug or cable. The laptop sees it as a separate sound device and does not use its own headphone socket at all. That has a few advantages. The sound does not pick up hiss or hum from inside the laptop. The headset often has controls on the cable: volume, a mute button and sometimes a light that shows when you are muted. And a headset with a USB-C plug works with laptops that have no headphone socket. Headsets with a microphone come with either a USB-A plug, the older rectangular one, or a USB-C plug. If your laptop has only USB-C sockets and the headset has a USB-A plug, a small USB-C to USB-A adapter joins them.
The one thing to watch with a mute button on the cable is that it mutes the headset itself, separately from the mute button in your call software. Microsoft's own advice for when others cannot hear you starts with checking that the headset's mute button is not on.
3.5mm headsets
The 3.5mm plug is the same round plug used on most wired headphones. Most laptops that still have a headphone socket have a single combined socket that carries both the sound to your ears and the microphone back to the laptop. A headset made for it has one plug with an extra ring on it, so that one plug does both jobs.
Older headsets, and many made for desktop computers, have two separate plugs: one for the headphones and one for the microphone, often coloured green and pink. A laptop with one combined socket needs a small splitter adapter to take both plugs. Without it, the headphones may work but the microphone will not, which is one of the most common reasons a headset "does not work" on a laptop.
The quality of a 3.5mm headset depends partly on the laptop's own sound circuits. Most are perfectly good for calls. If you hear a faint hiss or buzz, or the laptop's socket has stopped working, a USB sound card gives you fresh headphone and microphone sockets from a USB port, and moves the sound away from the laptop's insides.
Laptops with no headphone socket
Some thin laptops have dropped the headphone socket. For those, the choice is a USB-C headset, a USB-A headset with an adapter, a 3.5mm headset with a USB sound card, or a wireless headset. If you use a USB-C hub at your desk, a USB headset can plug into that and stay connected when you take the laptop away.
Comfort matters more than you think
A headset worn for an hour-long call needs to be comfortable for that hour. Over-ear cups that sit round the ear are usually more comfortable for long periods than on-ear pads that press on it. A headset with one ear cup lets you hear the room with the other ear, which some people prefer in an office. A light headband with soft padding matters for anyone who wears glasses, because the cups press the arms of the glasses into the side of the head. Headsets made for games, in the gaming headsets range, are built for long sessions and usually have a good microphone on a boom, so they suit calls as well, if their look suits you.
Desk microphones for calls and recording
A desk microphone is the step up for anyone who wants to sound noticeably better on calls, or who records their voice. Most USB microphones plug straight into a USB port and need no extra software: the laptop sees them as a sound device, just as it sees a USB headset.
Condenser and dynamic microphones
There are two kinds of microphone inside, and they behave differently.
- Condenser microphones are sensitive. They pick up fine detail in a voice and sound clear and bright, which is why they are popular for recording. The same sensitivity means they hear the room too: the echo off bare walls, the traffic outside, the dog downstairs.
- Dynamic microphones are less sensitive. You need to speak closer to them, but they hear much less of the room, so they often work better in an ordinary home with hard walls and some background noise.
Neither is better in every room. A quiet, soft-furnished room flatters a condenser microphone; a bare, echoing one is kinder to a dynamic microphone.
Which way the microphone listens
Microphones are built to listen in a particular pattern, and a good product page says which.
- Cardioid means the microphone listens mostly to the front and ignores the back. It is the right pattern for one person speaking at a desk, and the most common on USB microphones.
- Omnidirectional means it listens all round equally, which suits a group round a table but picks up the most room noise.
- Figure of eight listens front and back, for two people facing each other.
Some microphones have a switch for more than one pattern. For calls and recording on your own, cardioid is the one to use.
Useful features on a USB microphone
- A headphone socket on the microphone. You plug headphones into the microphone and hear yourself without delay, which helps when recording.
- A gain or level control. This sets how sensitive the microphone is. Too high and your voice distorts when you speak up; too low and you sound distant.
- A mute button or touch pad on the microphone, often with a light, so you can see at a glance whether you are muted.
- A stand that holds it at mouth height, or a thread to fit a desk arm. A microphone standing low on the desk points at your chest and hears every tap on the desk.
Microphones that clip on
Small clip-on microphones, sometimes called lavalier microphones, fix to a collar or lapel. They suit presenting, teaching on camera and recording while moving about, because the microphone stays the same distance from your mouth however you turn. Some plug into USB or USB-C, others are wireless with a small receiver.
Wired or wireless
Wireless headsets free you from the desk: you can stand up, walk to the window or make a drink while listening. They connect in one of two ways, and the difference matters more for calls than it does for music.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth headsets and earphones connect to the laptop's own Bluetooth, so there is nothing to plug in, and the same headset can switch between the laptop and a phone. The catch is in how older Bluetooth audio handles the microphone. When an app opens the headset's microphone, the laptop usually switches the headset from its good-quality stereo mode into a hands-free mode made for phone calls. In that mode the sound in your ears becomes mono and noticeably duller, and the microphone sounds narrow. This is a limit of the way the headset and laptop talk to each other, not a fault in either. Many people notice it the first time they join a call and the music they were listening to suddenly sounds as if it is coming down a telephone line.
Newer Bluetooth audio, called LE Audio, uses a more efficient codec that the Bluetooth standards body says gives better sound for the same amount of data, including clearer voice on calls. It only helps when the headset, the laptop and the software all support it, so for now treat it as a bonus rather than a reason to buy.
If your laptop has no Bluetooth, or an old, unreliable one, a small Bluetooth adapter in a USB port adds it.
Headsets with their own receiver
Many wireless headsets made for calls and games come with their own small USB receiver. To the laptop, the headset then looks like a USB headset, so the Bluetooth hands-free switch described above does not apply, and the link is usually steady and quick. The cost is a receiver that takes up a USB port and has to come with you. Some headsets offer both: the receiver for the laptop and Bluetooth for the phone.
Batteries
A wireless headset needs charging, and a flat battery in the middle of a call is the one problem a wired headset never has. Look for the battery life the maker states, whether the headset can be used while it charges, and how it charges: a USB-C socket means the same cable as the laptop. If you are on calls all day, a wired headset or a desk microphone may simply be less trouble.
Delay
All wireless audio adds a small delay. On a call it does not matter. For recording, where you want to hear yourself as you speak, a wired connection is better.
Getting good sound in an ordinary room
A good microphone in a bad position sounds worse than an ordinary one used well. Most of what makes a voice sound clear costs nothing.
Get close and stay close
The single biggest improvement is distance. A desk microphone a hand's width or so from your mouth hears your voice much louder than the room. At arm's length it hears the room almost as loudly as you. Put the microphone on a stand or arm at mouth height, pointing at your mouth, and keep it there. A headset boom should sit just to the side of your mouth, not directly in front of it, so your breath does not pop into it.
Soften the room
Hard, bare surfaces bounce sound back and make a voice sound hollow. Soft things soak it up. Curtains, a rug, a sofa, a bookcase full of books and a bed all help. A small spare room full of furniture often sounds better than a large, empty kitchen. If you record, try a few places in the house and listen back: the difference is often surprising.
Cut the noise at the source
- Close the window and the door.
- Move the microphone away from the laptop's fan, and do not rest it on the same desk as a keyboard you type on during calls. Every key press travels through the desk.
- Turn off notification sounds, which a desk microphone will pick up from the speakers.
- Use headphones rather than speakers when you can, so the microphone does not hear the other person.
Set the level
Speak at your normal call voice and set the microphone's level so that your voice fills most of the meter in the sound settings without reaching the very top when you laugh or speak up. On Windows, open Start, then Settings, then System, then Sound. Under Input, choose your microphone, open its properties, and use Start test and the Input volume slider. On a Mac, open System Settings, then Sound, and under Input choose your microphone and set the input volume slider. Apple notes that the Mac's built-in microphone has an option to use ambient noise reduction, which helps in a noisy room.
Choose the right microphone in each app
Most call apps have their own audio settings, and they do not always follow the laptop's choice. If people cannot hear you, check that the app is using the microphone you think it is. On Windows, check too that apps are allowed to use the microphone, under Settings, then Privacy and security, then Microphone. On a Mac, the same switches are in System Settings, under Privacy and Security, then Microphone, one for each app.
Look after your ears
Long days in a headset are easier with the volume low. NHS hearing services advise keeping headphones at no more than 60% of the device's maximum volume for longer listening, and taking breaks. A headset that seals well round the ear, or one with noise cancelling for your ears, lets you hear clearly without turning the volume up.
Light and camera too
Sound and picture go together on a call. The guide to webcams for video calls explains the camera side, and a small video call light on the screen often does more for how you look than a new camera.
Questions people ask
Why does my Bluetooth headset sound terrible on calls?
When the microphone is in use, most Bluetooth headsets switch to a hands-free mode made for phone calls, which carries less sound. Using a separate microphone, such as the laptop's own or a USB one, while listening on the headset usually brings the good sound back.
My headset has two plugs and my laptop has one socket. What do I need?
A splitter adapter that joins the headphone and microphone plugs into one combined plug. Or use a USB sound card, which has a socket for each.
Do I need software for a USB microphone?
Usually not. Most USB microphones work as soon as they are plugged in. Some come with optional software for extra settings, but choose the microphone in your sound settings and your call app either way.
Is a desk microphone better than a headset for calls?
In a quiet room, a desk microphone often sounds fuller. In a noisy or shared space, a headset is more reliable, because its microphone sits close to your mouth.
Why can people hear my typing?
Because the microphone is near the keyboard or on the same desk. A headset, or a desk microphone on an arm away from the desk surface, cuts it down. So does muting when you are not speaking.
Can I use gaming headsets for work calls?
Yes. They are made for long sessions and most have a good boom microphone. They connect the same way as any other headset.
Where to go next
Everything for sound is in headsets with a microphone, USB microphones, USB sound cards and USB speakers, with webcams beside them, and the home workers and creators ranges gather what a home office or a recording set-up needs. For the other parts of the set-up:
- Webcams for video calls: picture, light and sound
- Setting up a laptop desk that is kind to your back: where the microphone and screen go
- How to choose a USB-C hub or docking station: more ports for headsets and microphones
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters: when a laptop needs one
