Is there an ability to minimise or reduce background noise?
The easiest way to minimise noise is to make sure that the microphone level is set up correctly and the author speaks directly into the microphone. That way the signal to noise ratio is kept to a maximum. If however the recording environment is always very noisy, a Noise Cancelling microphone is recommended. Plantronics make a very good PC based Noise Cancelling Microphone and it comes with a very long cord (3Metres).
The easiest way to minimise noise is to make sure that the microphone level is set up correctly and the author speaks directly into the microphone. That way the signal to noise ratio is kept to a maximum. If however the recording environment is always very noisy, a Noise Cancelling microphone is recommended.