MY MIC SOUNDS NICE, CHECK 1
Jan 30, 2007 6:51 PM
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
When it comes to choosing a mic for a given job, there are some general rules of thumb to follow and others that were made to be broken.
Of the quantifiable rules, modern transformerless condenser mics tend to offer the most pristine performance; manufacturer’s specs can be persuasive in this regard. But it’s also true that these mics are brighter, do not impart coloration into the signal and are subjectively more detailed than the transformer varieties. The primary advantage of transformer-based output designs is that the microphone can handle longer cable runs. Since cable runs greater than 100 meters won’t matter in your bedroom, the higher sensitivity and lower distortion of the transformerless design provides the cleanest approach to authentic sound reproduction. It’s also generally thought that tube condensers have a softer, airy high end and warmer overall tone, while solid-state condensers tend to be more transparent.
Consider the polar pattern that best suits your application and the frequency response of a mic most appropriate for the job. While most modern condenser microphones provide switchable polar patterns (either on the mic itself, or in a remote power-supply box), the frequency response varies from mic to mic and is not always user-adjustable. For example, some models are specifically designed to accentuate the upper mid–frequency range for boosting presence in vocals. However, I prefer flatter response from microphones, making them more versatile for a wide range of jobs, leaving frequency boosting to be performed at the mixing console.
As for matching mics with sources, let’s start with the all-important vocal. Generally speaking, vocals demand the sensitivity and response of a large-diaphragm condenser microphone because they offer a more pronounced bottom and create less noise than their small-diaphragm cousins. That said, there’s hardly a rock or hip-hop producer who hasn’t tried a trusty dynamic mic on a singer in the studio with fantastic results. In certain instances, edgier vocals or highly animated vocalists who like to “work the mic” can definitely benefit from the midrange warmth, thickness and punch that the right dynamic mic can impart on their sound.
For accurate recording of acoustic instruments, small-diaphragm condensers tend to do the best job. Large-diaphragm condensers work well, too, but they have higher “proximity effect” (low-frequency response increases faster than other frequencies as you approach the capsule) and off-axis coloration. Small-diaphragm mics are often chosen to record instruments with pronounced high-frequency components, such as violins and mandolins, but in actuality, they treat all frequencies evenly. Of course, many engineers swear by dynamic mics for acoustic instruments as well.
For drums, directional dynamics are your best bet because they can really take the high SPLs of being close-miked and record only what is directly in front of the diaphragm. Some condensers can also achieve a larger sound with more brilliant highs and deeper lows without breaking up at high SPLs, but typically work best on percussion and lighter drumming styles such as jazz. You can augment these mics with high-quality condensers as stereo overheads for their ability to retrieve every nuance and interaction between the kit and the room. That said, many of the best early rock albums were recorded with only dynamic microphones on every drum.
Electric guitars benefit most from using dynamic vocal or drum microphones (such as the Shure SM57) for their acceptance of all things loud and the limited high-frequency output of most guitar cabinets. For a rounder, beefier American sound, many engineers will simultaneously record with a condenser mic and either pick or blend between the two feeds at mix time.
Ribbon microphones are generally excellent for any use because of their wide frequency range and favorable handling of high SPLs. Modern designs, like the Royer R92 or R121, tend to be sweeter in the high end than early ribbons and round off transients with a naturally compressed sound that flatters even in close quarters. This makes ribbon mics ideal candidates for sticking right on speaker cabinets, close-miked in front of acoustic guitar or piano, directly under a snare or atop hand percussion, at the bell of a trumpet or in the face of a loud vocalist. Due to their bidirectional pickup pattern, ribbons are often used in pairs to create a Blumlein Pair stereo recording array, which is something you’ll find next month in part two of this series on microphone placement.
Ultimately, microphone choices are yours and best made by your ears. It’s never a bad idea to experiment with unorthodox microphone-to-source matchings and study the results you hear.
SIDEBAR
HISTORICAL MILESTONES
1827 – Sir Charles Wheatstone, an English physicist, coins the phrase “microphone” – actually referring to purely acoustic devices like the stethoscope.
1876 – Emile Berliner invents the first electronic microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter.
1917 – Bell Labs develops the first modern condenser microphone.
1928 – Neumann's CMV3 “Bottle” microphone debuted as the world’s first mass-produced condenser mic.
1931 – Western Electric’s 618 ‘electrodynamic transmitter’ marked the birth of the dynamic microphone, requiring no power to operate
1931 – RCA’s PB-31 and 44 models start the ribbon microphone trend. Ribbon mics would have a lock on the U.S. market for many years, over the much more expensive European tube condensers.
1949 – Neumann officially introduces the U 47, the first multipattern condenser mic. And, so begins the age of modern studio microphone technology. Later, the U67 and remote-controlled M49 began gracing studios.
1953 – AKG introduced the C12, a revolutionary future trend setting multipattern condenser mic with an external box for selecting any of nine polar patterns, and housed in a slimmer body than Neumann’s U series.
1956 - Neumann's SM 2; world's first commercial stereo microphone.
1965/66 – Shure SM57/58 Cardioid Dynamic microphones introduced, and two more legends are born.
1967 – Neumann U 87 marked the shift from tube to transistor-based large diaphragm microphones.
1983 – Neumann unveils the first transformerless mic, TLM 170, brother to the U87.
1991 – Audio-Technica introduces the AT4033 cardioid condenser, the large-diaphragm side-address studio microphone that broke the $1,000-barrier in its class.
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