[jerb]

alright, I have this mic (Newegg.com - Logitech 980240-0403 Black 3.5mm Connector Desktop Microphone) from newegg:

Logitec, -67dB/ubar, -47dBV/Pascal +/-4dB, 100Hz - 16,000Hz

I bought it in hopes of recording lectures but I find its unable to pick up the professor at the front of the room, after some googling I've found a battery box or another form of preamp may be the answer.

Can I use a battery box without toasting the mic?

 

[dcheming]

How far away are you sitting from the professor? It seems like the mic you have is designed more for close up use. A fairly cheap mic is mentioned here for lecture recording use, but it needs a recorder that'll supply it some power.

 

[jerb]

Usually I'm maybe 15 to 20 feet away.

You said the recorder needs to supply the power for your mic, can I use a battery box for it?

 

[dcheming]

All it's needs is between 1.5 and 10 volts DC so pretty much any kind of battery setup would work. What kind of recorder are you using for this BTW? Considering that a decent mic by itself is about $30 it might be more worthwhile to just get a better recorder which would have a nicer built in mic.