In my last post titled, "Microphone Selection Part I," I mentioned we'd be talking about what types of microphones are available to today's technical artist. In my crusade to keep things brief and simple here we go...Definition of a microphone
"A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mike or mic (both pronounced /ˈmaɪk/), is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal." (courtesy of wikipedia)
Types of microphones
There are many types/varieties of microphones (dynamic, condenser, ribbon, carbon, piezoelectric, etc.) We will be focusing on two: Dynamic and Condenser microphones. Here's some practical information
Dynamic microphones:
1. Usually, more durable than a condenser. It can take a lot of abuse and it keeps on working.
2. Will tend to be more forgiving because it doesn't pick up every nuaunce of an instrument or vocal very well. This means if you have a vocalist who is really "throaty" a dynamic will tend not to exaggerated the harshness of there voice.
3. Can typically handle much higher sound pressure levels (SPL's) because of the nature of how the mic is built.
4. Not great for Cymbals, Strings, Flutes, Piano's. These instruments usually have so much detail in the upper registers that a "dynamic" element usually won't pick up that high end nicely.
5. Dynamic mic's are usually less expensive than condensers.
Condenser microphones:
1. Typically much more expensive than a dynamic microphone. You get what you pay for with a condenser. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars, but if you can spend somewhere from 300.00 to 500.00 on a nice condenser that's usually a good starting place.
2. Good condenser's tend to pick up every single nuance of whatever it's picking up. Try a condenser on a women's voice or on a piano. The condenser should sound more "open" than the dynamic element. Try it sometime, setup a dynamic and condenser mic with flat eq and A/B it. With the condenser you should be able to hear all the sparkle at the top end of the vocal or instrument without having to crank the 12K on the console eq.
3. Do not use condenser's on high SPL inputs like a kick drum. If you do, you run the risk of damaging the extremely sensitive element.
4. Make sure to handle your condenser microphones gently. These mic's don't like to be dropped.
Well that's all for today. I hope that was helpful. If you have any questions/comments please feel free to post them. Part III of Microphone Selection will take a look at microphone pickup patterns.
