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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.

On the one hand, with the increased popularity of the use of internet, you can already shop almost anything online. The advantages of online shopping are the selection and convenience that you will experience. This is because you will be able to find in the World Wide Web the widest selections of studio microphones. There are already plenty of sites that offer this kind of service and they will provide you with lots of choices.

Since the options that you have are very wide, you must screen or sort the items that you will explore. Otherwise, a day or two would not be enough for you to finish sorting them out. It is a good thing that you can easily sort them according to price, quality and other specifications. Hence, if your primary concern is the price or your budget, then you can find cheap studio microphones right there and then.

The best part here is that you do not have to exert too much energy at all. This is because you only need to have a very reliable internet connection and a laptop or computer. After that, you can actually shop at the convenience of your own home. In just few clicks, you might have the best studio microphone that you are looking for.

On the other hand, you can also go to the retail stores and outlets to buy a good and reliable outlet. This is actually the conventional way to get what you want. Moreover, this still remains the most popular shopping method until now. The good thing about this is that you will be able to test the microphone that you will buy. Hence, you will instantly know if it is high quality, reliable or exactly what you really want. You can determine this upfront right there and then. This is in contrary to online shopping, which you cannot test at all the product that you are about to buy. Hence, it is very vital to buy studio microphones to a reputable online shop. Furthermore, you must also check out their terms and conditions as well as their return policy in case of technical problems on the item you bought.

Last, but not the least effective way to find a good reliable studio microphone is directly to the factory outlet. This is actually the best option if you want to assure that what you will buy is authentic, genuine and in the best condition. Of course, it is very unlikely that the product has been tampered or adulterated already if you will buy it directly from the factory where it is manufactured and made. The only setback of this is that it is very unlikely and rare that the factory outlets are opening for sale. This is because they usually have contracted several distributing unites already to do the retailing for them

Now, when it comes to understanding one of kind of microphone, specifically the ribbon microphone, you need to know first some of the most basic and essential information about this kind. If you will ask me, I have found out by reading lots of related articles that the basic things you need to understand about this kind are its history, operational principle as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using the said kind of microphone.

On the one hand, the history of the ribbon microphone tells us the major phases of its developments. It was actually in the early years of the 1920s when two (2) doctors namely Dr. Walter Schottky and Dr. Erwin Gerlach jointly discovered the first ever ribbon microphone. Later that decade, another doctor began developing the said type of microphones using the field of coils as well as permanent magnets later on.

However, it was only in 1931 when its production started. During those times, the said kind of microphone introduced a breakthrough to the audio recording as well as broadcasting industry. It is actually one of the first breakthroughs that introduced a new standard when it comes to frequency response. Moreover, the clarity of the sound it produces as well as the realistic quality of the sound cannot be matched by any kind of microphones out there then.

Jumping to several decades after, the ribbon microphone has been developed further in 2007. During that time, a new kind of ribbon microphones was introduced to the market, which is made from strong nano-materials and technologies. It is again another milestone for the said type of microphone because it offered orders of improvement in the magnitude when it comes to signal purity as well as quality of output.

On the other hand, after knowing its basic history and milestone, I know that you are already wondering how it really works. In general sense, the ribbon microphone is called as such because it uses a very thin aluminum or a nanofilm kind of ribbon. This material is placed between the poles of the magnet incorporated in the system in order to generate voltage through the concept of electromagnetic induction.

In this kind of microphone, a current will be induced to the right angles relative to the ribbon velocity as well as the direction of the magnetic field. The said ribbon that I have mentioned above will vibrate because of the sound pressure. This will undergo several technical process that will produce the pickup patter of the microphone.

Lastly, aside from understanding the history and technicalities of the ribbon microphone, you also need to know its advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to the positive side of this kind, it is well known for its ability to produce high quality of recording details. However, it is too vulnerable and fragile compare to other kinds of microphones that you can see out there.