Turns out the problem wasn't the mic as much as it was the room I was recording in. The first few attempts were done at home where my bedroom is actually the garage. No amount of fixing would get the echo or small background noises to not be picked up because it's such a large space with cement floors. So even using a blanket wouldn't dampen the sounds. On the other hand, this audio was taken in my dorm room. Nothing in my equipment changed just the location that I recorded.