If you're reading this article then I don't suppose I have to tell you that in recent years there has been a massive rise in the number of voice-overs for internet purposes such as Podcasts, You-tube etc and the quality of these is often poor. This is pretty unforgivable nowadays, given the low cost of good quality microphones and improvements in sound card technology.
Microphone Choice
To get a good voice recording you don't need to spend a fortune on a microphone for this type of work. You can use any type i.e. Dynamic, Ribbon, Condenser or Electret since the frequency range of the human voice is not that great and normally you'll be positioning the microphone fairly close to the person doing the commentary, so microphone sensitivity is not an issue.
Acoustic Considerations
By getting the microphone close to the commentator you reduce the effect of room acoustics and any background noise such as computer fans.
It's best to use a cardioid pattern microphone to help reject such noises. Place the microphone about six inches from the commentator's mouth, this is more important for dynamic vocal microphones such as the Shure SM58 which is designed for very close up work. If it's too far away its lack of sensitivity and tailored frequency response will give a thin sound and require more gain at the mixer which means more electronic noise/hiss.
If acoustic noise is still a problem then consider hanging duvets in front of and behind the commentator (or even all around) to help soak up the noise.
Windshield considerations
Microphones may have an integral windshield but they're often not capable of completely eliminating wind noise, so it's advisable to invest in a separate windshield to mount between the commentator and the microphone. The commentator can go right up to the windshield and the microphone can be a few inches behind it (particularly the dynamic vocal type).
The reason for getting a windshield is because the spoken word is more prone to wind blasts than when singing and the spoken word is more exposed than a lead vocal in a music track. By placing the microphone above the commentator (looking down at the mouth) you can get rid of wind noise but often they will raise their head to talk into the microphone naturally (even when you say otherwise) and cause you problems, so it's probably easier to just get a windshield.
Voice recording as a job
If you're really serious about doing lots of voice-over recordings (on a commercial basis) then you'll need to invest in sound-proofing your recording room and the voice-over room and you'll need to spend money on getting a natural sounding acoustic i.e. fairly dry and not boxy sounding (this often occurs when you have a small room).
You'll need a script stand, so it's best to keep the microphone out of the voice-over's eye line. Therefore the best microphone type will be a Condenser with a cardioid pattern selected (hanging above the artiste's head) in order to get the best sensitivity (i.e. less noise/hiss) when you place the microphone further away from the voice-over artiste.
If the microphone is below the artiste (looking up at the mouth) then you will get a different 'nasal' tone.
If a cardioid or figure of eight microphone is used very close to the mouth you will get a 'proximity' effect i.e. a more bassy sound.
Experiment with different microphones and placement to get the sound you are looking for.
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