0518 – Types Of Mics

2022.06.02 – 0518 – Types Of Mics

Types of mics

Most microphones in audio studios are on table stands or arms fixed to the desk which are height and/or distance-adjustable. TV presenters use either fixed, direction mics out of shot on the studio ceiling or, more likely small lapel mics powered by a battery/transmitter pack attached to their belt or (under a skirt or trousers) to their leg, or in a pocket. Handheld mics, or those on a pole (a ‘boom’) are used outside and are usually with an inbuilt battery and transmitter, or are cabled.

Different microphones have different pick-up patterns[1], meaning they ‘hear’ sound from different directions around their head. Therefore, if you know you are going to be in a noisy situation, you can use a mic which will pick up more of your voice and less of, say, the sound of a crowd. That’s why sports commentators use close-use lip-mics in noisy stadiums, and sound recording engineers filming outdoors on the set of a TV drama will use unseen but highly-directional shotgun mics which will pick up the actor’s voices, but not the sound of other people or traffic. These, like the AT-875R, may also be useful in a home recording booth as they help pick up the voice, but not extraneous sounds from your family, the neighbours or the street.

How to pick the right mic: https://www.voices.com/blog/how_to_pick_the_right_microphone/

Remember: A great mic and poor studio will just give a great recording of an awful sound. Everything has to work together to get an optimum, quality recording of your newly-discovered great voice.

[1] Hear sound samples of different kinds of microphones and their pick-up patterns, here: https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/what-is-a-dynamic-microphone and https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/what-is-a-condenser-microphone and https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/cardioid-omni-figure-8-why-do-microphones-have-different-pickup-patterns and https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/difference-between-large-and-small-diaphragm-microphones

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