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4 Things to Remember When Buying a Studio Microphone

Like in any product that you buy, whether it is equipment or regular goods, you have to consider several things before actually buying them. This is the wisest thing to do, most especially if you really want to put the best value on your money and investments. This is also true when you are buying studio microphone. There are certain aspects that you need to know and understand prior to drawing any penny for it. Otherwise, you might only be wasting your resources and time.

As a matter of fact, I can tell you at least four (4) vital things that you shall always remember when buying studio microphone. These aspects are related to the specific application of the studio microphone, its price as well as the different types and specifications.

Among the first and foremost aspects that you need to understand or determine is the specific application of the microphone that you are about to buy. What this means is that you have to determine your purpose of buying it. You need to ask yourself to what purpose and why you are buying such studio microphone. Why do you need a specific microphone for studios and not any ordinary microphones out there? Determining and answering these questions are very important parts of the purchasing process because these will be the determinants of the price, type and specifications that you will buy.

Price of the Studio Microphone

On the other hand, you also need to remember and consider the price of the microphone that you will buy for your commercial or personal studio. This is vitally important for people with tight budget. In this light, one needs to determine the one that is inside the budget range but will not sacrifice the quality of the sound that will be produced by the microphone. I am warning you that dwelling in this aspect might turn to be very challenging.

The third aspect in our list is the type of microphone. As what you can see in different electronic and home entertainment shops in different supermarkets or malls, there are so many varieties of microphones nowadays, most especially for studio microphone. However, determining the type of microphone that you will buy requires that you.

A studio microphone is at the core of any recording work. As such before setting out to purchase your studio microphone, you need to consider certain fundamentals when choosing the type of microphone to use in your home studio. The what and the where is key in choosing correctly. If you already know the differences between microphones then you are good to go, if not then you need to research thoroughly and know the different types of microphones and what they are used for. For instance, It is worth noting that a microphone that you may use to record the vocals is not necessarily the same that you may use to do the recording of the instruments and the microphone that you may use for an interview in a radio studio is not the same one that you may use in the recording of music in your home studio. This means that you need to know the uses of your studio microphone before setting to do your shopping. You will also need to know where your microphone is going to be used.

Shopping For A Home Studio Microphone

While out there shopping, you may come across a dynamic studio microphone. These are used for the kind of recordings where details might not be very important. They are therefore effective where the recording is taking place during live performances. They are also good for the recording of instruments.

Another type of a studio microphone is the condenser microphone. These are used mainly for the recording of the vocals and unlike the dynamic microphone it is useful where details are very important and where soft recording is required. The condenser microphone is better at recording vocals because it’s got a flatter frequency compared to the dynamic microphone. This flatter frequency is very important for the recording of vocals because it brings about a much clearer recording output.

A mixer or a preamp is used when using a condenser studio microphone. The condenser microphone needs power to operate and the preamp is the one that provides this phantom power of about 48 volts to the microphone. The dynamic microphone however does not require the phantom power.

There are basically three kinds of pick up patterns

The pick up pattern is another important factor to consider when shopping for your studio microphone. There are basically three kinds of pick up patterns namely; the omnidirectional microphones, bidirectional microphones and the unidirectional microphones.

Omnidirectional microphones are not good for your home recording studio because they will pick up many other unnecessary sounds like the radio and TV sounds. This is so because these microphones do pick up sounds evenly.

Bidirectional microphones are good for events like radio interviews where people can share a microphone. These microphones pick up sounds only from two directions i.e. the front and back.

Unidirectional microphones on the other hand pick up sound from only one direction. This means that you can filter through and record only what you want. This feature makes the unidirectional microphones perfect for your home studio.

The History Of The Studio Microphone – From Ribbon To Condenser

The microphone has come a long way since its inception, and those used in recording studios have gone further than anyone not within the industry would expect. The studio microphone has gone from a relatively simple piece of equipment to one that is as high-tech as many of today’s other technologies.

The microphone was first invented in 1876 by Emile Berliner and was put to use in the initial telephone models. These first microphones worked well enough for telephone use, but not much else. In the 1920′s, the carbon microphone was finally invented but did not have the capabilities to be used for regular radio broadcasting or quality sound recording.

1942 brought about the ribbon microphone, the first style that could record a high enough quality of sound to be used in recording studios and radio stations. However, with an increasing focus on sound quality and ease of use, the microphone continued to evolve.

Over the following decades, ribbon-model microphones were used in most studio settings, but in the 1960′s the electret microphone started to surpass the older-style models in both radio and studio settings. Electret microphones were smaller than their older ribbon cousins. They were also more precise and less sensitive, meaning they produced overall better results. Electret models very quickly overtook ribbon microphones as the recording option of choice.

The 1970′s brought even more new technologies to the world of the studio microphone, specifically in the form of condenser and dynamic microphones. While dynamic microphones were preferred for live performances, condenser microphones were perfect for recording studio use. Dynamic microphones produce more feedback and are more portable, which is not ideal for actual recording situations. Condenser microphones provide a much higher quality recording and are much more stable.

Today these condenser styles are still often the studio option of choice because the technologies behind them have been continually improved over the years. Increased sound-capturing capsules within the device have made the angle at which it is pointed less of a problem. Additional improvements have been made to this type of studio microphone as well, including a boost to its ability to record sound at lower frequencies.

Both professional and at-home studios today use condenser microphones because there are many individual styles to choose from, some of which more flexible than others. It is likely that this style will remain the studio microphone of choice, as the inherent design is always being improved upon.