Hi I am Kalani sydney australia . This lesson is for week 1 of Introduction To Music Production at Coursera.org. I will be going through microphone basics. This lesson should be am overview of what we already went through in the video lectures and is designed to be little refersher
There are many different types of mics but the two you will come across most is dynamic and condenser mics. When selecting what microphone you will use, your decision will be based on a number of factors:
You may select a dynamic microphone if youre recording vocal or an instrument at the same time as other instruments or if there is a lot of ambient noise you don’t want being picked up.
However, you will get a much more true to reality recording if you use a condenser microphone. Another advantage of a condenser mic is that the recording can also give a sense of space. As they are more sensitive, you wouldn’t use one in a space with a lot of ambient noise that you would want picked up.
Dynamic mics also tend to be a lot more rugged than condenser microphones. They will withstand a lot more wear and tear than condenser mics, which tend to be a lot more fragile. Thus, another reason that dymanic mics are better suited for the stage
factors that may also impact your selection is the freqency respose and the polar pattern of a given mic.
The frequency response is the output level or sensitivity of a microphone over its operating range from lowest to highest frequencies.
All audible frequencies (20 Hz – 20 kHz) have the same output level. This is most suitable for applications where the sound source has to be reproduced without changing or “coloring” the original sound, e.g. for recording.
A tailored response is usually designed to enhance a sound source in a particular application. For instance, a microphone may have a peak in the 2 – 8 kHz range to increase intelligibility for live vocals.
The polar pattern of a microphone is the sensitivity to sound relative to the direction or angle from which the sound arrives, or easier worded how well the microphone “hears“ sound from different directions. The most common types of directionality are: Omnidirectional, Cardioid and Supercardioid
A cardioid microphone has the most sensitivity at the front and is least sensitive at the back. It isolates from unwanted ambient sound and is much more resistant to feedback than omnidirectional microphones. That makes a cardioid microphone particularly suitable for loud stages.
Supercardioid microphones offer a narrower pickup than cardioids and a greater rejection of ambient sound. But they also have some pickup directly at the rear. Hence it is important to place monitor speakers correctly. Supercardioids are most suitable when single sound sources need to be picked up in loud environments. They are the most resistant to feedback.
The omnidirectional microphone has equal output or sensitivity at all angles, this means it picks up sound from all directions. Therefore the microphone has not to be aimed in a certain direction which is helpful especially with lavalier microphones. A disadvantage is that an omni cannot be aimed away from undesired sources such as PA speakers which may cause feedback.
A microphone with a figure of eight polar pattern picks up the sound from in front of the microphone and from the rear but not the side (90 degree angle). Microphones with this Figure of Eight polar pattern are typically ribbon or Large Diaphragm Microphones.
