How to Mic a Painting and a Keyboard

I've just uploaded another ASMR Painting video to Youtube, but this one is using Pastels and I think it's possibly a closer fit to my idea. There's many reasons that Pastels could work better for this project, and I'd like to get your feedback on the video to see if I'm on the right track.

ASMR Painting Video Featuring Pastels

If the start is too harsh for you, then use the timeline to skip ahead and sample a different section. More on this later.

25% Off Sale

Just another reminder that I'm running a 25% Off Sale for all of my courses during the month of July. I've been working out my video style to do a complete rework of all videos in August, and I'm finishing up work on my C++ course.

Here's some that may interest you:

Epic Supporter Pack

Access to everything I've ever made and everything I will ever make in the future.

Learn C the Hard Way

Sure, we're living in a security hellscape because of C, but how are you going to fix it if you don't know why C's so broken?! I'm working on a game dev focused update that will be free for anyone who bought in 2026.

Learn C++ the Hard Way

Already my favorite course to work on and my favorite language to make weird ideas. C++ may not be pretty, but hot damn does it make pretty things. This one is nearly free and Module 3 is almost done.

Learn Go the Hard Way

A Go course that doesn't try to make you a corporate drone. I show you how to make a terminal based Roguelike game in 5 exercises, which is definitely not Google approved.

The Magic of Piezo Mics

If you watch the youtube video you may wonder how I'm getting such a crisp (maybe too crisp) sound. It's a piezo mic that I've stuck to the back of a palette.

A palette is basically a piece of wood that's been smoothed, stained a brown or gray color, and then varnished with a very strong varnish that can handle being scraped with a panting knife.

The piezo mics are normally attached to acoustic guitars...something that is also pieces of wood that are are smooth. This creates a nice acoustic effect and makes it so I can record the sounds of painting without microphones that could pick up the room audio.

This Works on Your Keyboard

If you tune into my Twitch for a programming stream you'll also hear my keyboard while I type. People have said it's the best keyboard sound on Twitch, and I've been on a mission to get other programming streamers to use my trick. The trick?

I stuck a piezo mic to my keyboard housing. This picks up the clicks of the switches, but it's not as obnoxious as with an in-air microphone. The plastic housing tends to soften the blows my my gorilla finger bashing the keys.

Where to Get a Piezo Mic

If you want to try this for yourself, then you can get piezo mics for about $9 USD for 2 on Amazon or almost any retailer. You don't need a fancy one either.

You can get some that are soldered or in casings. I recommend for your keyboard get the ones that are in a plastic housing rather than a bare wire.

You may enjoy it also while you work even if you're not a streamer. It's kind of nice to hear your keyboard clicks with your music while you work.

Just stick it to your keyboard, then plug the output jack to your audio system like any other microphone. It shouldn't need phantom power and should have decent mic level volume.

Why Pastels Work So Well

Something else you may notice is that the pastels look WAY better on camera than oils. The Oil painting episodes on the same channel all look comparatively terrible because oil paint has a variable glossy surface that always creates polarized highlights.

Pastels though are a kind of soft chalk so the surface is an even matte crystal that absorbs and reflects light in a way that cameras love. Old school gouache also had this effect which is why pastels and gouache were (are) frequently used in concept art.

What Do You Think?

I'm on the fence. I find the beginning to be a little annoying but later it's really nice. Other folks that watched it live said they love it. I think it's up to each individual but you tell me.

I think I need to slow the motions down so that the pastels are creating a less scratching sound, but some of you may find that very pleasant. Try skipping ahead (timeline in description) to a later part where the painting is slower and done on the previous layer and you may like that better.

Please let me know, and hopefully I'll catch you at my next stream.

ASMR Painting 10PM EST Daily

As I mentioned before, I'm spending the month of July on my Art Guy Summer project. I'm going to learn Blender in the morning, and do painting at night. The goal is to get 3D modeling as a new skill for game development, and to get my physical media skills back.

If that sounds interesting, then my Twitch is https://twitch.tv/zedashaw

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