When choosing a vocal microphone for singing live, there are a few factors to keep in mind:. This monitoring can be achieved with in-ear monitors but is typically done with fold-back loudspeaker monitors. These monitors face the singer and, therefore, the microphone. The cardioid pattern has a null point to its rear, meaning it rejects sound from the rear.
It is most sensitive where it points i. Omnidirectional microphones have the worst gain-before-feedback. Bidirectional figure-8 mics have terrible GBF in the aforementioned position. Unidirectional microphones, and particularly cardioid mics, are the way to go. Another factor in gain-before-feedback is the low-end response of a microphone. If the microphone is particularly sensitive to low-end frequencies, stage rumble and bass frequencies can push the mic to feedback more easily.
This is partly due to the more omnidirectional nature of low-end frequencies and partly due to the strength of low-frequency mechanical vibrations vibrating through the mic stand and mic as well as through the air. Having a mic with a natural roll-off of low-end frequencies is great for live vocals. Note that cardioid and all other directional mics exhibit proximity effect.
Therefore, even if the mic has low sensitivity in the low frequencies, the bass response in the vocal pickup can be restored if the vocalist is close enough to the mic. On that note, the vocalist should indeed be close to the mic, as this further improves gain-before-feedback. A boost in the presence range roughly 3 kHz — 7 kHz helps the vocal cut through a dense mix and loud playback system in live situations.
Many dynamic microphones, unlike most condenser mics, have coloured frequency responses. A coloured frequency response means the mic is not equally sensitive to frequencies across the audible spectrum. Choosing a coloured microphone which often means a dynamic mic with a presence boost and low-end roll-off and even a high-end roll-off will allow more gain-before-feedback and greater clarity in a live vocal.
Self-noise is not really an issue in live settings when the stage itself is loud. A dynamic cardioid mic will often do a better job than any other mic type at rejecting extraneous sounds and focusing on the singer. This is especially true when the performance style is a bit more rugged. The grille is easy to remove and replace if it becomes damaged. These are also great for all of these environments because the magnets and coil inside of dynamic mics are a little more durable compared to other microphones.
The other type of popular microphone type is a condenser. This works slightly differently and uses capacitor plates instead of a coil and magnets.
While dynamic mics are fine to use with bass drums, condensers are not. The Rode NT1-A is one of the most popular condenser microphones.
The use cases for condenser microphones are typically much more static than those of dynamic mics, mainly because those capacitor plates are far more fragile than dynamic mics.
The exception to this is shotgun microphones, which are the giant mics you see people holding on movie sets. Phantom power is required for condenser microphones. Usually, this is found in audio interfaces or some portable recorders like the Zoom H5. Less common types of microphones include ribbon mics. Typically the thing that gives ribbon microphones their name, also happens to be the reason they are easy to bust: a ribbon. Essentially a conductive ribbon rests between two electromagnetic poles detecting your sound source.
These mics are technically a sub-type of the dynamic mic category. Most of the time these mics have a bidirectional polar pattern more on those below. A bidirectional polar pattern works well for recording two sources at the same time on either face of the mic, like two people speaking, if you control for volume difference in a pinch.
Ribbon mics make great vocal microphones too. Many early broadcast microphones, after all, were ribbon, so they work great for podcasters if well-placed. While sound is objective, taste is subjective. If you like how sensitive the condenser is to registering all sounds, but want a different tone, try a ribbon microphone. USB microphones are not only convenient and easy to use, but are also typically cheaper than XLR microphones. XLR mics can be pricey and require the purchase of an audio interface , but they typically produce audio of much higher quality than USB microphones.
Do you want your microphone to record only what is perfectly in front of it or if you want to pick up sound all around you? Tube microphones are great for voices, too, as they tend to emphasize bass frequencies, making vocal fundamental frequencies more perceptible. These determine from which direction, or directions, a microphone registers sound.
This pattern has some off-axis rejection but will still capture room ambiance. If you want to learn more, Chris has an in-depth breakdown of various recording patterns.
The Shure SM58 intentionally reduces bass frequencies to combat the proximity effect. Headphones, microphones, and speakers all have a specific frequency response.
This denotes how well something can reproduce an audio signal across a specific frequency range. A commonly used frequency range is 20HzkHz; these are the lowest and highest frequencies the human ear can register. A neutral frequency response makes it easier to edit during post-production. This means some frequencies may be less or more audible, depending on the microphone.
When visualized like in the chart above, a louder frequency range appears as a bump, while a quieter one dips. Learn more: How to choose a digital audio workstation DAW. Sensitivity is a little different. It just refers to how easily the mic picks up sounds.
A more sensitive microphone is able to register quieter sounds than a less sensitive one. There are common recording problems that newbies and professionals all run into.
If you happen to be recording inside, be it in a full-fledged studio or your DIY blanket fort, there are easy ways to mitigate in-room echoes.
For those with tight budgets, look into bass traps for the corners. As you may expect, corners amplify echoes. Those working from home should record from the innermost room. This will be an effortless way to mitigate street noise.
The first thing to consider when trying to figure out which type of vocal mic you need is where exactly are you going to be using it? Vocal performances on a stage will require one of the best live vocal microphones , whereas work in a studio will require something quite different. For capturing vocals in a studio, however, the condenser is king.
Condenser mics are more sensitive than their dynamic counterparts and, as a result, are capable of picking up much more nuance from a human voice or acoustic instrument. In a studio environment, this equates to a cleaner, more detailed signal that will result in your recordings sounding as good as they can possibly be. When it comes to the characteristics and sound of your microphone, the pickup pattern is of huge significance. This essentially dictates where the mic will pick up its signal.
Omnidirectional mics pick up audio from all around, meaning the signal will be the same no matter which direction you sing into it. Figure-8 mics pick up very poorly from the sides, but strongly from the front and back, while cardioid mics pick up sound from one specific place. These mics have a set axis, and if the audio source in this case, you moves off this axis, a loss of signal is the result. There are a good number of younger brands vying for your attention too though, with names like Aston and IK Multimedia providing excellent alternatives.
Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar gear and synths, to microphones and music production hardware. MusicRadar The No. Shure SM7B. Type: Condenser. Pickup pattern: Cardioid.
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