A microphone is a device made to capture waves in air, water or hard material and translate
them to an electrical signal. The most common method is via a thin membrane producing some
proportional electrical signal.

Most microphones in use today for audio use electromagnetic generation (dynamic microphones)
capacitance change (condenser microphones) or piezoelectric generation to produce the signal
from mechanical vibration.
 

What are the differences between the types of microphones available? Well, that’s what we’ll be looking at in this section. There are a lot of things to consider
when it comes to the sound you get from your microphone, not only in terms of price and quality, but also where you actually place the mic in relation to your
amplifier. Whilst the chances of getting a great recording are consistently better with a high quality microphone, price and quality do not always match.

However, with that said, when it comes to high quality recording, the most important part of the entire process is the original sound source. If you’re original
sound from the microphone is good to begin with it will generally have fewer problems at later stages when you are
mixing.


 

Most people's first microphone is a dynamic one. They're simple, versatile and they generally sound quite good on everything from voices to guitar amps and
brass instruments. Also, dynamic microphones are usually cheaper than condenser microphones (which we will look at next).

Dynamic mics are usually cardioid or hyper cardioid in their polar pattern, which means that they only pick up the sound that's coming at them from the
direction in which they're pointing (for more on polar patterns click here). That's why they're popular for live use and why they can be handy for home
recording.

Dynamic microphones can be great for use at home as they tend to reject a lot of background sounds like the noise of traffic outside your house. Once
you start using a quality microphone, you won't believe how noisy your home studio room can be. Dynamic microphones also have a high SPL, which
stand for sound pressure level, this means they are perfect for pointing at loud amplifiers!

 

How Dynamic Microphones Work
Dynamic microphones rely on the law of induction, with an output proportional to the velocity of a moving element within a magnetic field. The most common type is the moving-coil microphone, which picks up sounds when sound waves strike a diaphragm attached to a coil of wire. When the coil moves within the magnetic structure of the microphone, it creates an output voltage.

The process is exactly the reverse of the way a speaker operates. Moving-coil dynamic microphones tend to be extremely rugged, making them well suited for most sound sources.

 
 

Below is a small list of some of the top dynamic microphones available to fit any budget. They are all excellent microphones, and are all very affordable. As always, try to read as many as reviews as possible before making a purchase to ensure it will completely fit your needs.

 
The e815S is a general purpose cardioid microphone giving good quality at an affordable price. It features a rugged metal body, high suppression of handling noise and excellent rejection of feedback and spillage.  

 
One of the most popular professional instrument/vocal microphones of all time. This dynamic mic is a reliable, natural-sounding performer, night after night. Its durable, bullet proof design stands up to road travel and abuse. Perfectly at home in the studio too. Its wide frequency response and tight cardioid polar pattern are ideal for close in miking of speakers.  

 
The Sennheiser E609 Silver Dynamic Guitar Mic makes getting killer electric guitar sounds in your project studio or onstage a cinch. Its laterally mounted capsule can get extremely close to the speaker while the super-cardioid pattern provides isolation from other signals.

The lightweight voice-coil construction and rigid dome diaphragm provide extended high-frequency performance and a long wearing capsule assembly. It is also a great mic for miking drums, especially toms.

  

Features:

• Specially designed for miking guitar cabs
• Laterally mounted capsule for miking guitar cabs face on and extremely close to the signal source
• Super-cardioid pattern provides isolation from other onstage signals
• Lightweight voice coil construction and rigid dome diaphragm provide extended high-frequency performance
• Long-wearing capsule assembly

 

There are hundreds of other models to choose from of course, and you'll almost certainly be able to get something of a pretty reasonable quality, even on
a small budget.

 

 

Condenser mics are generally more expensive than dynamic microphones; however they do share a lot of the same characteristics. You’ll find that a lot of condenser microphones are used when recording vocals. Most artists record vocals through a large diaphragm condenser microphone because they are a little less harsh than a dynamic mic, can be smoother sounding and have a broader frequency range.

 

How Condenser Microphones Work
A condenser microphone picks up sounds via an electrically charged, metallized diaphragm, which is separated from a conductive back plate by a thin air layer. Sound waves striking the diaphragm cause a minuscule voltage change, which is increased by a tiny amplifier circuit within the mic body.

Because power is required by both the microphone capsule and the amplifier, condenser microphones must have a power source, which can be a battery inside the mic body or "phantom" power from a mixing console or external power supply.

 

Condenser microphones may not be entirely suitable for use in an ordinary house as they could well receive sound from televisions, neighbours or sounds from the streets, However more expensive condenser mics will have a switch which will allow you to change the polar pattern. This means you can change from using an omni pattern for recording a drum kit in a studio or a choir in a concert hall, to a cardioid one for a singer.

Some condenser mics have a cardioid polar response while others have an omni-directional pattern. This means that they pick up sound equally from all directions. What’s great about some condenser microphones is that they have switch-able polar patterns. This means they can be cardioid, hyper-cardioid or super cardioid like a dynamic microphone, but can also be figure 8, which means it’ll accept sound from the front and back, or omni, meaning it will accept sound from all round.

You can find some great condenser mics for $150 - $250, which will serve most home recording needs. There are absolutely tons on the market, even at the lower end of the price range. Another factor to take into consideration is that condenser mics require power to operate. Some will take an internal battery but others need to be powered remotely from the mixing desk. This is done through a power source called Phantom Power.

 

What Are Polar Patterns?

Polar Patterns describe the way in which a microphone picks up the sound from around it. Some microphones are directional and only pick up from a particular direction whereas others will pick up from all around.

There are essentially five main polar patterns, these are illustrated below. The accompanying Polar Response diagrams show where and how much sound is picked up in relation to the microphone capsule.

 

What Is Phantom Power?

Phantom Power is a power source that is sent through a mic cable to a microphone that needs it, such as a condenser mic

It’s good to note that some fairly cheap preamps only offer +30v, and some condenser mics may not perform to their best at this level. It’s nice to have phantom power built in to your mic preamp otherwise you would have to get a separate phantom power source

* For more on Polar Patterns click here, or for information on Microphone Placement click here *

 

 

 

The Audio-Technics AT4047 Condenser Microphone is designed for professional recording and critical applications in broadcast and live sound.

The AT4047 has exceptionally low self-noise, wide dynamic range and high SPL capability. It sports a vintage silver-matte finish on the microphone and shock mount. Includes a protective case and AT8449/SV shock mount.

 
Total control and superlative audio characteristics make this one of the most versatile condenser mics you'll ever encounter. Continuously variable controls on the mic body let you dial in virtually any polar pattern, totally variable high-pass filtering, and pad values.

Includes plastic moulded travel case and SM2 shock mount.

 

The Dragonfly employs an innovative design that offers fine tuning and precise placement to please the most discerning recordist, combined with an ease of use that is without equal among contemporary microphones and at a price that's considerably less than anything in its class.

Winner of both the 2001 TEC Award and an Electronic Musician's 2001 Editor's Choice award, the Dragonfly is a unique pressure-gradient cardioid condenser microphone, employing the Blue's hand-built single-membrane large-diaphragm capsule coated with a 6-micron mylar film of pure gold and aluminium.Enclosed within a rotating
spherical grille, the capsule can be positioned and adjusted in the smallest spaces.

Its sonic character gives flight to everything from vocals to percussion, electric guitar and bass, as well as more "difficult" sources such as saxophones and stringed instruments.

With all these choices it can get confusing for the beginner, should you buy one super quality microphone or buy several lesser expensive mics and mix and match. Your own small studio won’t really require a lot of mics, unless you are also recording drums.

An excellent investment for your first microphone really would be the dynamic Shure SM57, mentioned earlier. It will do it all. Then as your studio grows you could perhaps invest in a large condenser mic for vocals and a small condenser for delicate instruments.

 

 

The most common connectors used by microphones are:

• Male XLR connector on professional microphones
• ¼ inch mono phone plug on less expensive consumer microphones
• 3.5 mm (Commonly referred to as 1/8 inch mini) mono mini phone plug on very inexpensive and computer microphones

Some microphones use other connectors, such as 1/4 inch TRS 5-pin XLR, or stereo mini phone plug (1/8 inch TRS) on some stereo microphones. Some lavalier microphones use a proprietary connector for connection to a wireless transmitter. Since 2005, professional-quality microphones with USB connections have begun to appear, designed for direct recording into computer-based software studios.

 

For cables there’s really no need to buy the most expensive just for the sake of it, however it’s good idea to stay away from the cheaper end also. A midrange is definitely good enough providing the cable has good connectors, like Neutrik or Switchcraft.

As for stands I’d recommend the shorter stand such as the Samson MB1 (Mini Boom Stand). Beware of any mic stand that doesn’t have a sturdy metal base. Some of the cheaper stands which plastic bases cannot support heavy mics and will simply fall over. The Samson MB1 has two telescopic arms so you can configure it in many different positions, which is also something to be wary of, as you don’t want to be stuck with only one setting.