[yourgrandma]

Check on both counts. I don't have a tripod, but I put the mic on the backrest of my chair. I even moved the chair a little bit to put the mic exactly where my ugly mug would be.

I also put the dog outside and shut off my phone to make sure no noises would interfere.

I wish I did something obviously wrong, but it doesn't seem there's a lot to mess up. It doesn't look like the mic is directional, and it was level and not shrouded by anything.

What else could I have messed up? Hopefully it was my fault, I want to get the most of my investment.