Recording microphones, the first link in the audio chain

Recording microphones are a necessary part of every day audio production. Without them, you wouldn't be able to capture any sounds around you.

Shiny condenser mics, sturdy dynamics or smooth ribbons are all a part of the recording engineers toolkit. Sure, there's a lot of music that only uses midi sound sources, loops and samples that don't require you to mike up a thing. But even those samples were recorded with something to begin with.

Whichever instrument you are working with; drums, guitar or vocals you will need some kind of recording microphone to capture your sound and get it into your preferred audio program.

The dynamic microphone

microphone The dynamic mic is a rugged workhorse. They have a high SPL(Sound pressure level) and can take a good amount of abuse before breaking. The usually have a mid-frequency boost but at the same time don't reproduce a wide frequency range because of their high frequency roll-off.

They can give a colored and dirty sound to the instrument because of their narrower frequency range. Since there is less of a high frequency response, they tend to accentuate the middle frequencies.

They are excellent for all kinds of situations where high volume is the name of the game, like rock-singing, guitar-amping and drums. They need more gain from the pre-amp in order to amplify a signal, as opposed to the condenser and do not respond as well to transients.

Popular dynamic mics include the Shure SM57 & Shure SM58, AKG D 5(highly recommended!) and the Audix i5 Instrument Microphone.

The Condenser Microphone

Condenser mics have an even frequency range compared to the dynamic mics. The condenser is considered a full range recording microphone and is used accordingly to catch the most out of a full range instrument such as a piano or cello for example. These recording microphones are sensitive and respond well to transients.

Because of their frequency width and accuracy they are used in almost any application in the studio. They come in two sizes, small diaphragm and large diaphragm.

The larger ones tend to have a fuller sound compared to the smaller ones that reproduce the high frequency a little bit more. Popular condensers include the Neumann TLM-103 microphone(Picture above) and the AKG C 414.

The smaller ones are sometimes called pencil mics because of their long cylindrical shape. They don't necessarily have a fuller sound but they tend to have more high end sheen to them, making them ideal for drum overheads or acoustic guitar. A great budget small condenser is the AKG Perception 170.

A condenser needs external power to work. This is called phantom power and is usually supplied by the mixing desk. If you see a switch on your desk that says 48v, or phantom power, that will supply your microphone with adequate power to function.

Cheap Condenser microphones

A good condenser microphone is one of the first things a serious home recordist should get himself. However, condensers can get pretty expensive when you look at all the fancy models used at large recording studios. Lucklily, there are a few budget condenser microphones under $100 that can get you started.

The Ribbon Microphone

These fragile and expensive units are a stable of the early years. They give that classic soft and warm vocal sound. They usually have a high frequency roll-off which produces their warm sound.

ribbon microphone The diaphragms in these are very fragile and can break with even the slightest misuse, like blowing into the mic.

So be very careful when using them and make sure you're not putting any phantom power to them because due to their fragility, they will probably go up in smoke.

Ribbon mics are very sought after by engineers looking for that classic old sound. Because of it's warmth and silky sound whenever a music genre gets a little bit retro, these types resurface.

These types of recording microphones tend to be incredibly expensive but companies are making economically priced and more rugged models in today's microphone market. The Royer R-122 is a staple microphone in every studio, its warm ribbon sound making it perfect for electric guitars for example.

Polar patterns

Another thing you have to take into account is the directional pattern. There are five types of directional patterns.

Cardioid
Super-Cardioid
Hyper-cardioid
Figure-8
Omnidirectional

Many recording microphones only have one directional pattern, but the more expensive ones allow you to switch between them. Depending on the situation you find yourself in, you have to figure out which directional pattern is best suited for the job.

Cardioid, Hyper-cardioid & Super-Cardioid

These recording microphones pick up sound directly in front of them but reject everything that comes from the back. They have a fair amount of bleed from the sides as well.

Depending on if they are normal cardioid, super or hyper, they might have a narrower pickup field in the front or more bleed at the rear. Check the specifications of the microphone when thinking about buying one.

Sometimes called directional mics, because you can point them in the direction of the sound source you want to record or mike up and it will pick up a minimum amount of bleed from other instruments, like in a live setting.

Figure-8/Bi-directional

This polar pattern picks up sound from opposite sides of the diaphragm. Called a figure 8 because pickup pattern resembles the number 8. Very versatile for recording two instruments at a time, or backing vocals for example.

Omnidirectional

These types of recording microphones pick up sound all around themselves. So wherever you are positioned around the microphone, it will pick up your sound source. They come in handy if you are recording something in a great sounding studio and you also want to capture the reflections of the room.

Some high end types, like the AKG C-414 come with a polar pattern switch. This switch lets you change the polar pattern of the mic, allowing you to use whatever is the best for the job at hand. This option is really good and makes a microphone that much more versatile.

Conclusion

So now you know the difference between the different recording microphones. But still you stand there, cord in hand and don't know which mic to use?

There usually isn't a one true answer to how to mike up a certain instrument. I recommend testing and trying one after the other to get a good idea of how diverse the mics are in use.

Want to use your recording microphones effetively? It's all about placement!