Hi Canoer, I haven't been following the Hearme threads but here's some blind advice:

- Make sure that it is uni-directional (another word is cardioid) rather than omni-directional. In other words you need the mic to pick up the sound of your voice (coming from one direction) rather than some other source of noise in the room.

_ If you really only want Web quality I'd opt for one of the headset/mic combinations that only cost a few bucks. Before you spend more than about $20 see if you can borrow a better one and try it out. It may sound better when you play it back through your hi fi system, but remember that what you send down a phone line will only be a fraction of the overall quality.

- If you have a local pawn shop check out some brand names at second hand prices. What you buy at Tandy are likely to be imitations of Shure, Sennheiser or AKG etc anyway.

- I like to buy mics that don't require batteries and power supplies. Mics can and should be simple - don't fall for hi tech guff that really only provides something else to go wrong.

- Don't get suckered into paying for something you don't need. Bands that are on the road need gear that you can run a truck over and paying for a durable product under these circumstances makes a lot of sense. Look after whatever you buy and you shouldn't need that sort of robustness.

- Likewise specialist mics might be able to pick up the vibration of a bee's dick at 50 paces. For average use however don't be conned that a more expensive mic will make you sound better. A graphic equaliser or singing lessons probably will.

- When you finally find a mic that you like at the right price for use, don't be too phased by the type of plug on the end. Many mics won't plug into a sound card, but Tandy will have adaptors for a few bucks that will do the trick.

Best wishes, John