Discovering the Types of Mics and their Functionality
- 1. AUDIO- MICS S U P E R C A R D I O I D, O M N I - D I R E C T I O N A L , A N D C A R D I O I D C O N D E N S E R M I C R O P H O N E S
- 2. MIC TYPES • There are three types of mics: – Dynamic (all types of audio) – Condenser (more susceptible to harsh conditions, great for studio work) – and Ribbon (Large spaces, like choirs halls)
- 3. DIRECTIONAL RESPONSE • Polar Diagrams or Polar Pattern • Shows pickup levels in decibels • Shows pickup levels from all angles and at different frequencies. • All mics have different polar patterns at different frequencies.
- 6. OMNI-DIRECTIONAL MIC • Lavalier or lapel mic. • For the most accurate pick up, point the mic directly at the sound source.
- 7. SUPER CARDIOID • VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun Microphone • Provides a heart shaped pattern. • Allows for some to sound to be picked up from behind, but mostly from the front and some from the sides.
- 8. CARDIOID CONDENSER • Rode NT1-A Condenser Microphone • Cardioid directional pattern. • Allows very little from the back to be picked up.
- 9. RIBBON MIC • Figure Eight Pattern • Use a thin ribbon of aluminum suspended by magnets •
Editor's Notes
- #2: There are 4 main types of microphones: cardioid, super cardioid, omni and figure 8. These names describe where and how much the mic will pick up. Cardioid: Imagine a Japanese fan coming from the tip of the mic. That’s the pattern it will hear sound from. Super Cardioid means the fan is not fully unfurled – a tighter pickup area. Omni means all around, from everywhere – think a globe around the mic as it’s pick up range. And finally, Figure 8. Put the mic in the center of the 8 and it’s a visual to the pattern it will pick up – not much if anything from the side and everything in front and in back. Very useful in rejecting sound you don’t want coming in from the side. There are three different categories for mics: Dynamic, Condenser and Ribbon.
- #3: There are 4 main types of microphones: cardioid, super cardioid, omni and figure 8. These names describe where and how much the mic will pick up. Cardioid: Imagine a Japanese fan coming from the tip of the mic. That’s the pattern it will hear sound from. Super Cardioid means the fan is not fully unfurled – a tighter pickup area. Omni means all around, from everywhere – think a globe around the mic as it’s pick up range. And finally, Figure 8. Put the mic in the center of the 8 and it’s a visual to the pattern it will pick up – not much if anything from the side and everything in front and in back. Very useful in rejecting sound you don’t want coming in from the side. There are three different categories for mics: Dynamic, Condenser and Ribbon.
- #9: Condenser mics Condenser mics come in all forms from pencil to big diaphragm. They need phantom power to work (48V). Usually there’s a button on a console or audio interface to power them – if not, you’ll need a phantom power box which you’ll plug the mic into and then from the box to your audio interface/mic pre/consol/whatever. Condenser mics come in patterns of super cardioid, cardioid, omni and figure 8, and some do all patterns or some of the above in one mic. Condenser mics are built to pick up detail – usually fantastic, but sometimes it can be a frustratingly truthful thing - the mirror can hurt! But they are precision tools. Most recordings have mostly these types of mics on them. Vocals, acoustic guitar, strings, piano, drum overheads, hat, kick drum, snare drum, room mics, guitar cabs, bass rig and on and on. Size matters. Diaphragm size, that is. (Oh, you can tell yourself it doesn’t but it does.) Pencil condensers (named for their thin, tubular shape) have smaller diaphragms and are great on acoustic instruments. Large diaphragms are amazing on vocals, rooms, bass and even guitar cabs. The typical “in studio” vocalist, pretending to sing to her newest track, adds to the fantasy by using the real large diaphragm condenser hanging there full of unrealized promise. Condenser = da bomb. But, as for the choices between them, think top of the line Buick to Bentley. There are some really great and inexpensive mics in this category and then there are some classics that will make you understand the price of coming to the dance.
- #10: Ribbon mics Ribbon mics have been around forever. Old news reels have a large mic in front of the road-hardened newsman, along with pic of our greatest singers from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s singing into a ribbon mic. They are all figure 8 in pattern. In recent years ribbon mics have come back into favor like Travolta after Pulp Fiction but more so. The new generation isn’t noisy and doesn’t take a bunch of gain to get them to a recordable level. They are also amazing on guitar cabs, rooms and drum overheads. The modern idea to these mics is to make the top end sweet and musical, and the low end rich and usable. (Like that isn’t ever a worthy thing.) Pick your hammer and start swinging! The reputation for delicacy and fragility of ribbon mics is due in part to the extremely thin ribbon material that is suspended in the magnetic gap. Most people aren’t aware just how thin that ribbon is. On the classic Coles 4038, the ribbon thickness is 0.6 microns, on AEAs it is 1.8 microns, and Royers are either 2.5 or 4 microns thick. To put that in perspective, a typical human hair is about 100 microns (0.001 inches) thick, or more than 50 times as thick as the ribbon in an AEA R84. It’s easy to understand why the extremely delicate aluminum ribbon must be handled with care and protected from blasts of wind or plosives. While most engineers wisely steer away from letting phantom power come anywhere near their ribbon mics, some newer mics such as the active Royer R-122 MKII, AEA A840 , or Cloud Microphones Cloud 44A, utilize phantom to power their electronics. Shure’s KSM313/NE, on the other hand, is virtually indestructible due to its carbon-nanotube Roswellite ribbon.