Good video can grab someone’s attention, but bad audio can make them leave almost immediately.
That’s especially true for interviews.
Whether you’re interviewing someone for YouTube, recording a podcast, covering an event, or creating a documentary, voices need to sound clear and easy to understand. Unfortunately, the microphone built into your camera or phone may be several feet away from the person speaking. That distance can introduce room echo, traffic, wind, and other background noise.
A dedicated interview microphone solves much of this problem by getting the microphone closer to the speaker.
There isn’t one type that’s perfect for every interview. A handheld dynamic microphone is great for street interviews. A wireless lavalier system gives people freedom to move. A shotgun microphone can stay outside the camera frame, while a broadcast microphone makes more sense for a studio podcast. For most interviewers, the best choice depends on where and how you record.
What is the Best Interview Microphones?
Here are seven of the best interview microphones to consider.
1. RØDE Interview PRO – Best Interview Microphone Overall
The RØDE Interview PRO is an excellent choice for journalists, creators, and anyone who wants a traditional handheld interview microphone with modern wireless features.
At first glance, it looks like a normal handheld microphone. The difference is that it’s designed to integrate with RØDE’s Series IV wireless ecosystem.
This means the interviewer can hold the microphone close to whoever is speaking without running a cable back to the camera.
That’s extremely convenient for event coverage and street interviews.
The microphone uses an omnidirectional condenser capsule. This makes it relatively forgiving when people don’t speak perfectly into one small part of the microphone.
Another major advantage is onboard recording. Having audio recorded inside the microphone gives you an additional layer of protection. If your wireless connection experiences a problem, you may still have the locally recorded audio.
For creators who frequently conduct interviews away from a studio, that combination of handheld operation, wireless convenience, and internal recording is extremely useful.
2. Shure SM58 – Best Wired Handheld Interview Microphone
The Shure SM58 is usually associated with singers, but it’s also a very capable interview microphone. It’s a dynamic cardioid microphone designed around vocals and speech.
The cardioid pickup pattern focuses primarily on the sound directly in front of the microphone while reducing sound arriving from other directions. That can be useful in noisy environments.
Keeping a microphone close to the person’s mouth helps make their voice stronger relative to everything happening around them. The SM58 is also extremely rugged.
For journalists and creators who travel regularly, durability matters. Equipment gets thrown into bags, carried through airports, used outdoors, and occasionally dropped.
The downside is that the SM58 uses XLR. You’ll need a compatible camera adapter, recorder, audio interface, or mixer.
3. RØDE Wireless PRO – Best Wireless Interview Microphone
Handheld microphones aren’t always ideal. For a seated interview, you probably don’t want the guest holding a microphone for an hour.
That’s where a wireless clip-on system makes more sense. The RØDE Wireless PRO is particularly useful because it provides two transmitters.
You can put one on the interviewer and one on the guest. Both people can then speak naturally without passing a microphone back and forth.
Wireless also gives you freedom with camera placement. Your camera might be 10 or 20 feet away while the microphone remains close to each person’s mouth.
The Wireless PRO also includes onboard recording and 32-bit float recording capabilities. That backup can be valuable during professional interviews where you may only have one opportunity to capture the conversation.
It’s more expensive than a basic wireless microphone, but for creators who regularly conduct two-person interviews, the flexibility can justify the price.
4. DJI Mic 2 – Best Compact Wireless Interview Microphone
The DJI Mic 2 is another strong option for wireless interviews. Like other compact wireless systems, the basic idea is simple.
Attach a transmitter microphone to the person speaking. Connect the receiver to your camera or compatible device. Then record without a microphone cable running between the subject and camera.
The small transmitters are useful for video because they don’t dominate the frame. You can also use external lavalier microphones in situations where you want an even more discreet appearance.
The DJI Mic 2 offers internal recording and 32-bit float recording, giving creators additional protection against recording-level problems.
This type of system works particularly well for travel interviews. Everything is small enough to carry in a compact camera bag, and setup is much faster than building a traditional audio rig.
5. Sennheiser MKE 600 – Best Shotgun Microphone for Interviews
Sometimes you don’t want any microphone visible in the shot. A shotgun microphone is one solution. The Sennheiser MKE 600 is a directional shotgun microphone designed for video production.
Instead of attaching the microphone to your guest, you can position it on a boom pole just outside the camera frame.
The closer you can get it to the person’s mouth, the better. This is important because shotgun microphones aren’t magical.
Putting an expensive shotgun microphone 15 feet away on top of your camera won’t necessarily produce better speech than a cheaper microphone positioned two feet above the subject.
For seated interviews, position the MKE 600 above the person’s head and point it toward their mouth or upper chest.
This can give you clear audio while keeping the microphone completely invisible. It’s particularly useful for documentary and professional video work.
6. Shure SM7B – Best Interview Microphone for Podcasts
Video isn’t the only place people conduct interviews. If you’re recording a studio podcast, your priorities change. You don’t care if the microphone is visible. In fact, a large broadcast microphone can become part of the podcast’s visual style.
The Shure SM7B is one of the most popular dynamic microphones for spoken-word recording. It’s designed for close microphone placement and has a cardioid pickup pattern.
The SM7B also includes internal shock isolation and effective pop filtering, which are useful when recording long conversations.
Because it’s a relatively low-output dynamic microphone, you’ll need an audio interface or mixer with enough clean microphone gain.
If you’re building a two-person podcast, remember that you’ll need two microphones plus an interface with at least two microphone inputs. It’s a more expensive setup, but it makes sense for a permanent interview studio.
7. Zoom H1essential – Best Portable Interview Recorder
Sometimes carrying a microphone and separate audio equipment is unnecessary. A portable recorder can handle both jobs.
The Zoom H1essential contains built-in stereo microphones and records directly to a memory card.
It’s particularly useful for journalists, students, and researchers who want something they can take out of a bag and start using quickly.
You can place it between two people during a quiet indoor conversation or hold it closer to the person speaking. Portable recorders are also excellent backups.
If you’re recording an important video interview, having a separate recorder running can save you if the main camera audio fails. The H1essential supports 32-bit float recording, which makes recording levels more forgiving.
Final Thoughts
For street interviews and journalism, the RØDE Interview PRO is one of the strongest choices because it combines handheld operation with wireless connectivity and onboard recording.
For a cheaper wired solution, choose the Shure SM58.
For two-person video interviews, the RØDE Wireless PRO or DJI Mic 2 provides much more freedom. Both are designed around compact wireless recording and can keep microphones close to each speaker.
For cinematic interviews, use a shotgun microphone such as the Sennheiser MKE 600 on a boom.
And for studio podcast interviews, consider the Shure SM7B or another close-talking dynamic broadcast microphone.