Microphone review thread

[GenoDiamond]

that maybe true for someone that is trained in engineering, and knows about sound...but for someone who knows little to none a dynamic mic could be counter productive because it is more prone to distortion while recording because it doesn't handle gain as well as a condenser. also im going to have to disagree with you on dynamic mics being used a lot for vocals...i've been to alot of studios and talked to alot of engineers who have worked in pro studios and condensers are the way to go when recording vocals. as for ribbons i just like the way they sound. dynamics have their uses, but i believe they are best for live sound. the only time the engineers i've talked to have used a dynamic mic for vocals is when it is screaming vocals because it ads a natural distortion which makes them sound better...then again maybe studio do it different in Canada.

[ScottStoked]

that maybe true for someone that is trained in engineering, and knows about sound...but for someone who knows little to none a dynamic mic could be counter productive because it is more prone to distortion while recording because it doesn't handle gain as well as a condenser. also im going to have to disagree with you on dynamic mics being used a lot for vocals...i've been to alot of studios and talked to alot of engineers who have worked in pro studios and condensers are the way to go when recording vocals. as for ribbons i just like the way they sound. dynamics have their uses, but i believe they are best for live sound. the only time the engineers i've talked to have used a dynamic mic for vocals is when it is screaming vocals because it ads a natural distortion which makes them sound better...then again maybe studio do it different in Canada.

Ah, I had a response all written out and then the site timed out and I lost it when I hit "submit". Now I can't be bothered. The gist: I think it's a disservice to write off dynamics and advise people against them for recording vocals/vo/va at home. There were some caveats, a bunch of other crap and some examples but now I'll just say we agree to disagree, which is cool.

[GenoDiamond]

haha i'm not writing them off but if you don't know what your doing dynamics are counter productive.

[reteo]

I dunno... I know of quite a few podcasters who will argue with you on that one, including Leo Laporte, who's been broadcasting in one form or another for over a decade as a business.

The key difference between Dynamics and Condensers/Ribbons (quality-wise) is that Condensers and ribbons are more sensitive. Not just to the voice, but also to the room sound. Dynamics are not as sensitive; they will by their very design filter out a lot of the background noise, which means less need to do noise removal and/or gating. And if you're willing to sink a little bit more into it, a microphone like a Heil PR-40 can make an excellent dynamic microphone investment.

This is not to say that condensers don't have their advantages, but if you have a condenser, you will need to have more expertise in acoustics, because those microphones require careful room treatment in order to get the best sound. With ribbons, you have to be even more careful; their design requires them to have a figure-8 pickup, which means that a room that's not properly treated can cause echoes across from the speaker to be picked up easily by the ribbon mic.

[GenoDiamond]

podcasting and broadcasting is a bit different than voice acting. Also i understand and agree on the room noise aspect of the argument, but condensers or more sensitive so that the words you are saying can actually be understood because dynamic mics from what i noticed mess up some intonations in your voice and also make it sound like your saying alot of words without a bottom jaw so it makes it hard to understand. i mean we could have this argument all day but the fact of the matter is there are different recording and mixing styles no one engineer is going to agree with the next i put my comments up so people don't automatically assume dynamics are the best...so people be careful on your decision. look up reviews on mic and if you can find it on you tube give the mics a listen. you'll be able to hear the difference.

[reteo]

podcasting and broadcasting is a bit different than voice acting.

I understand the difference at the point of the mixer, but how do they differ at the recording step?

Also i understand and agree on the room noise aspect of the argument, but condensers or more sensitive so that the words you are saying can actually be understood because dynamic mics from what i noticed mess up some intonations in your voice and also make it sound like your saying alot of words without a bottom jaw so it makes it hard to understand.

I've not noticed that effect, can you provide an example? Which dynamic mics have you listened to that produce this effect? Do you know which preamps might have been used with them? Were they using balanced cables?

i mean we could have this argument all day but the fact of the matter is there are different recording and mixing styles no one engineer is going to agree with the next i put my comments up so people don't automatically assume dynamics are the best...so people be careful on your decision. look up reviews on mic and if you can find it on you tube give the mics a listen. you'll be able to hear the difference.

I agree they're not the best... each microphone style has its strengths and weaknesses, and should be considered based on your personal situation: Condensers and ribbons have sensitivity, dynamics have natural noise control and physical sturdiness, dynamics and ribbons do not require phantom power (and conversely, condensers aren't damaged by phantom power).

However, what I disagree with is your presentation of dynamics... they should not be downplayed; as long as you are correctly speaking into a dynamic microphone (you do have to be close up for best results; a pop screen is definitely recommended), its sound quality can be just as good as a condenser or ribbon microphone at the same tier (depending on the specific brand/model). In the same vein, as long as the room has good sound treatment, the condenser or ribbon can produce recordings just as clean of background noise as those produced by a dynamic microphone.

The question is how you aim to compensate for a specific microphone's weaknesses in order to take advantage of its strengths.

[GenoDiamond]

yes my friend; mixing is greatly affected by recording! there is less work for the mixer if you have good microphone technique also depending upon what kind of microphone you use. if you use good microphones and great technique minimal mixing is needed. honestly i can't think of any off the top of my head i am sorry. :/ it's been so long since i used a dynamic for vocals that i can't quite remember any. just in my experience because i have recorded bands before the ones that came out best were mostly condensers being used.

[reteo]

Perfectly understandable. Just this time last year, I would have advocated condensers as well; heck I have a condenser now. However, after a lot of research, and looking through other sites, podcasts, and books, not to mention the mountain of research needed to maintain an audio recording tutorial website (which then expanded to cover other media topics), and of course actual real-world experience, it's become clear that there's no clear-cut answer; you really do have to consider the mic based on the requirements of projects you intend to perform, and the capabilities of the microphone in question.

One thing to note, however, is that in music, you want a combination of clear vocals with room acoustics; the other instruments will mostly mask any background noise, since they will also be in the signal range of amplitude. On the other hand, when recording the speaking voice, you want to maximize external silence as much as possible, because it will not have a musical backdrop or room acoustics to mask the background noise, and post-process noise filtering is not as good as preventing the background from being picked up by the mic in the first place... and the more background noise there is on the intake, the worse that "noise-removal" makes the final copy sound.

[reteo]

If it helps people understand the difference, in episode 227 of the Podcast Answer Man podcast, Cliff Ravenscraft does a little demonstration (at 36:14) as a response to an audio feedback (at 32:48 ). In this episode, you can clearly hear the difference (although I definitely have issues with his over-compression of the lower frequencies in post, but that's completely unrelated to the microphones). He also takes a moment to demonstrate some techniques for compensating for the over-sensitivity of the condenser microphone, for those who have already made the investment.

[Miicah]

So I'm finally ready to get a new microphone, but I'm stuck between the Blue Yeti and the Shure PG42 (or are there newer versions out for those mics now?). I definitely want a USB microphone because I don't really know what to do with those microphones that need new soundcards or extra amps or whatever, and I definitely don't want to go over the price of the Shure (because boy that thing is expensive, haha) xD But I'd like to be able to record at my desk and not have to do anything extra to deal with background noise, and if any of those microphones come with its own stand and filter or whatever that'd be awesomesauce!

So if anyone can help out, I'd be so thankful! Or even suggest another microphone that kinda fits that criteria, it'd be much appreciated!