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Microphone 101

Other than price and of course how cool it looks, this article covers three characteristics you should look at before purchasing a microphone.

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FREQUENCY RESPONSE

CONSTRUCTION TYPES

PICK-UP PATTERNS

Frequency Response

    Microphones pick up a wide range of frequencies outside the upper and lower ranges of our hearing. If you haven’t damaged your ears, you should be able to hear a spectrum from about 20Hz to 20kHz although this is unique for everyone.

    When your purchasing a microphone, the best way to get an idea of how I will sound is by looking at a frequency response graph. This tells use how a microphone emphasizes or tones down certain frequencies.

   Mics with a relatively flat frequency response do not change the original sound very much. This is typical of condenser microphones.

The frequency response graph below is from a condenser mic.

    Dynamic mics boost and cut the frequency in certain areas of the spectrum when compared to condensers. Dynamic mics typically have a lower bass response, but close placement will help to counteract the bass drop-off. Though it wouldn’t create a sonically authentic recording, it can be put to good use if used wisely.

The frequency response graph below is from a dynamic mic.

Construction Types

    We’ll group microphones into three families based on their construction: ribbon, condenser and dynamic mics. All of them have a place in the studio and on stage but condenser and dynamic mics are the most common. When purchasing a mic you should take into account how these three mic types all handle transients differently.

CONDENSER MICROPHONES:

    Condenser mics have a relatively flat frequency response. This means they more precisely capture the original sound without adding any color to it. They also handle quick transients well.

Characteristics:

Most accurate

Can more authentically capture quick attacks (transients) from drums and plosives from vocalists like the consonants t, c and k

Vary greatly in their size from large diaphragm vocal mics to smaller pencil-like shapes and sizes.

Condensers pick up a wider range of frequencies from further away than other mics. Placing a condenser further away from the source is useful for incorporating some of the room sound into the mic, while still getting a full sound from the instrument.

Condenser mics require a low voltage DC current to charge the metal-coated diaphragm and also to amplify the signal from the capsule to mic levels. This current is called “phantom power” and can come from batteries in the mic, although it’s better when the power supply comes from the mixer because it will never run down.

Uses

When you want to record the authentic sounds of vocals and instruments

Sound Engineers prefer condensers for the majority of acoustic instruments like acoustic piano and guitar, brass, strings, woodwinds, percussion and also capturing the room’s ambience.

DYNAMIC MICROPHONES:

    Dynamic mics are most frequently used for live situations, but also have their place in the studio.

Characteristics:

They have the most durable construction and can take quite a beating without any problems to performance.

Dynamic mics leave their mark on the sound more than condenser mics. Usually affecting the sound between 5-10kHz. This is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you know its there, you can use it to your advantage to help things stand out in the mix.

After moving it about 12 inches from the source, the sound becomes thinner, so they are usually placed between 1-12 inches from the source.

They can handle the loudest sound pressure levels before they distort, which become important when you need to close-mic drums and amplifiers.

Uses

Dynamic mics work great for electric guitar amps, all the drums on a drum set and anything else that you want to cut through the mix.

Great for capturing lots of raw sounds from a close proximity when you don’t need to preserve the original sound perfectly.

Dynamic mics are common in live situations for vocals because of durability and the boost in the higher frequencies makes the vocal stand out.

RIBBON MICROPHONES:

    These microphones are the most fragile making them a poor choice for live applications where they have the most potential to be hit or dropped. They are becoming more durable however and are not as fragile as they were in the past.

Characteristics:

Like dynamic mics, ribbon mics boost higher frequencies and begin to sound thinner when they are placed further away from the source.

Their advantage is when they are placed up close, they have a full sound that is warmer than a dynamic mic.

Pick-Up Patterns

    The most common pickup patterns for studio and live sound purposes are cardioid, omni-directional and figure-8. Each of these patterns has a different sound. Cardioid is the most common, but each pattern lends itself well to certain situations. Some condenser mics have the ability to flip between multiple pickup patterns at the switch of a button.

Cardioid or Uni-directional

Most mics pick up sound in a heart-shaped cardioid pattern.

It picks up sounds the best from the front, and rejects sounds coming in from the rear of the microphone. This makes it very resistant to creating feedback in live situations.

It begins to sound very thin when it is more than a foot away from the source.

When carefully placed, this pattern is great for isolating the desired instrument and ignoring unwanted ones.

Below is a graph showing an Cardioid Polar Pick-up pattern.

Omni-directional

Omni mics pick up sounds equally from a 360-degree sphere around them, not rejecting any certain direction, and so they produce feedback more easily than the other patterns.

They are great for recording groups of instruments around one mic along with the reflections from the room. For example, Orchestras or Choirs would be a good application for this mic.

The sound is not as colored or as thin when placed at a distance from the source as other microphones.

Below is a graph showing an Omni-directional Polar Pick-up pattern.

Bidirectional or Figure-8

Figure-8 patterns pick up sounds in the shape of an 8. Rejecting sounds from the sides while collecting sounds from the front and rear.

They are great for recording two sources facing each other to one track while creating the least amount of phasing problems.

Below is a graph showing an Figure-8 Polar Pick-up pattern.

    The microphone is your main piece of equipment involved in getting sounds from the source to your recording device. Capturing quality sounds is not as easy as placing a nice microphone close to the source. The difference between poor and excellent recordings is often based upon your choice and placement of the microphone in addition to your acoustical environment.

Images:
Microphone-Data.com