Microphones

Q1: As a general guideline, it can be said that dynamic microphones are best suited for live sound work, and that condenser microphones are more suited for use in a recording studio. 

What do you think? Give technical and practical reasons for why this may, or may not, be a valid statement (include diagrams if necessary).

A1: The dynamic microphone is suitable for live performance because the frequency is presented good and the sound waves are short and not too complicated so when singers have the microphones really close to their mouths, there would be no feedback and there would be a strong and clear sound. The dynamic microphone is not easy to pick up sounds so you have to speak really clear in front of the microphone so the sound would pick up. But as a singer if you are going to sing a really loud note then you have to practice good microphone techniques and put the microphone a bit away from you so you do not hurt peoples ears and cause an uncomfortable sound in the room.

Another reason why dynamic microphones are very good for live performances is because they are affordable and are affordable to carry around from different venues. They are also easy to set up and very simple to use. But if you were to use condenser microphones for live performances it would be very difficult to set up and there would be too much feedback because condenser microphones are very sensitive. Which is why when you are at the recording studio condenser microphones are very good to use because they are set up very sensitive and for recording your voice or whatever you need to record it would give very good quality in the sound of the voice in the recording and would give a professional and clear sound. Condenser microphones are also very expensive and need to be set up a certain way. Example you have to get some sort of barrier around you so the microphone would not pick up sounds from behind the barriers, this is because the microphone is so sensitive and picks up sound from all around the microphone.
The difference between the two microphones is with the dynamic microphone you have to speak or sing with the microphone close to your mouth in able for it to pick up sound and it does not pick up sound from around the room unless the certain sound was very loud. With the condenser microphone it picks up any sound from far away and you have to use the condenser microphone in a private room with certain equipment to block sound from coming next to the microphone and be able to just record clear vocals.

In a live performance there would be lots of people making noise in the background so a dynamic microphone would be safe to use because it is not sensitive and cause feedback and uncomfortable sounds to the ear. If you would use the condenser microphone the background noise of the audience would feedback and would be very uncomfortable.

The dynamic microphones is also especially made for stage and live performances.

Q2: What are the three main polar patterns found on microphones? Describe the differences and give examples of how each could be used (based on your own experiences if possible).

A2: What a polar pattern is it determines which direction the microphone will get audio from.

1. Hyper - Cardoid - This polar pattern is used to focus on a source with less amount of outside noise. It is designed to pick up sound from the front of the microphone. It will still pick up sound from the other end of the microphone which will pick up outside noise but it would not be as strong as the amount of sound the front of the microphone will get. This polar pattern focuses on one person so you would use this microphone to hear one persons vocals and have all the focus on them.

2. Figure-8 - The figure 8 pattern picks up an equal amount of signal from the front and the back of the microphone. It is good for picking up directional sound and pick up room noises and sorts of reverb, but audio from the sides of the microphone would still be blocked out.

3. Omni - The omni polar pattern picks up sound from all around the microphone, so recording group audio and conference audio would be perfect for this microphone because it picks up everything and from all around. Recording live performances and trying to get a feel of a rehearsal then this microphone will pick up every sound and detail and would give you an atmosphere of what is going on in the room but with sound (so basically hear the sound atmosphere and everything that is going on).

The Hyper - Cardoid is perfect for live performances or presentations because the this polar pattern is picking up from the front of the microphone and if someone is giving a presentation or performing solo this microphone will only focus on their voice and block out everything around them because of how the polar pattern is focused on the front of the microphone, so it will not pick up from around the person just what is in front of the microphone.

The Figure 8 could be used in a studio session because this polar pattern is perfect for picking up clear sound and would pick up the vocals sound really clearly, you could record 2 or more people at once because it would be able to pick it up but this microphone would be suitable for recording because of the quality and the way it picks up sounds equally from both sides of the microphone. This would be good for recording because it can pick up effects and reverb and you can edit the vocals on your program with the help of the microphone but this polar patterned microphone is good to play around with vocals and make them sound effective.

The Omni microphone would be perfect for recording a full band from a far it would pick up every instrument everything going on in the room, it is very sensitive. So example if you want to use all these different microphones in one go you could use the omni pattern to record the general sound in the room, then use the dynamic microphones to record the the amps of instruments and use the figure 8 to record the vocals.

Q3: Dynamic and Condenser microphones are the two most commonly used type of microphone found in the studio. Can you name any other types? Include their basic technical features and how, or why, they might be used.

A3:



Q4: Give suggestions as to what you might use the following microphones for and explain your answer: 

a) Audix D6 - I would use this microphone to record low frequency sounds like a kick drum, large toms and bass cabinets. If I was to record a song and the kick drum had a strong meaning in the song i would use the audix d6 to really capture the sound of the kick drum or whatever low frequency i decided to use in the track. This microphone would be useful to really capture the atmosphere, the oomph and the life of the low frequency such as the kick drum. If i was to just use a Omni microphone on top of the drums set to record the general drums sound i would loose sounds like the kick drum which to me is very important in a upbeat song or the specific style of music. But in music you want to have a full and clear sound and if your loosing sounds because of how your recording the song then it would feel like something is missing.

b) SE Electronics Titan - I would use this microphone to record vocals because this microphone is very well known to record vocals and this microphone gives a clear sound and does sound allow distortion in the recorded sound, this microphone is very sensitive and very specific so when you set it up right it would pick up the vocals properly and professionally and very clear with no distortion. It is suitable to record high frequency sounds and for me specifically i have a high soprano voice so this microphone would record my vocals perfectly and clearly.

c) Microtech Gefell M300 - I would use this microphone to record sounds from the amps in a live performance such as: electric/acoustic guitar amps, bass guitar amps, piano amps etc. This microphone is perfect to record these sounds because it will focus on these instruments in a live performance, if i wanted to record the live performance onto logic so i could have a clear sound and undistorted sound of the performance i would use this microphone to pick up everything from the amps.