SUMMARY

It sounds cleaner when you stand farther back. When you get too close you hear not only talking but wind form your breathing. I made a series of different skits into different microphones.

Mic Audition Podcast

My Favorite Mic Specs.

My favorite microphone is the E069 Super Cardioid-Dynamic MIC.

Terms/Concepts

•  Microphones
  • Used to use a “wiggling” electric current.  Carbon grains were vibrated which sent an electric current into the computer.  People tapped on the microphone to loosen the carbon grains.  Don’t do that.
  • Dynamic- uses magnetic coil instead of carbon grains.  It has some mechanical problems, but less than carbon grain microphones.  It is not good for recording higher sounds.  Good for loud and low sounds.
  • Condenser- is now in many devices.  Uses electronic signals and a power source.  It uses electrons.  They are more sensitive to high end waves, but can get the whole sound frequency spectrum.
  • Every microphone distorts the sound to some extent.  There are many different microphones to boost or reduce certain frequencies.
• Polar patterns
  • Polar patterns are what area a microphone picks up sound from.  Omni vs Uni directional microphones.
  • Omni- all directions.
  • Cardioid- a type of uni-directional mic.  Heart shaped pattern.
  • Bi-directional- a figure 8 pattern, picks up front and back but not sides.
• Transduction- the process of taking energy and making it a different type
• Voltage- Amount or difference of electricity measured in volts
• Phantom power- power provided to the condenser microphone from the cable from the mixer or recorder, power that comes up the mic cable.
• Sensitivity- Voltage at a known sound level.  Compare dynamic to condenser mics.  Less sensitive mics are better for louder sources.  Higher dBV means more sensitive.
• Frequency Response- sensitivity to certain frequencies
• Transient- an abrupt change in level, often harsh sounds
• Placement-  The placement of the microphone in relation to the sound source
• Proximity effect- Effect of holding microphone closer to sound source
• Output- Output level equal to sensitivity.
• Characteristics- “Flavoring” of a microphone.
• Noise rating-  Effectiveness of sound reduction.
• Hardware- Accessories to improve sound quality or ease of use.
  • Clips- Mic “holder” often located at the top of a stand.
  • Stands- Structure that holds the microphone and allows for easy positioning.
  • Windscreen- Reduces unwanted breath or wind noise, covering over a microphone.
  • Direct Box- a transformer. It acts as a bridge between input and output, the signal is electronically isolated from input to output.

My favorite microphone is the E069 Super Cardioid-Dynamic MIC. Because it sounds cleaner for anything you need tor record. It doesn’t pick up breathing so it doesn’t sound like wind is going into the mic.

What I Learned

Microphones are hard to use and you have to be careful when using them so that you don’t break anything.