greetings earthlings today I'm gonna explain the differences between a dynamic and a condenser
microphone and help you decide which one's right for you so throughout this video when
I'm talking about a dynamic microphone I'm gonna be speaking into the rode procaster which is a
dynamic microphone and when I'm talking about condenser microphones all be speaking through
the rode nt1-a which as you guessed it is a condenser microphone so first let's talk about
how these different microphones work and in order to help with that I did pull some diagrams off of
sure's website and have throw in a link in the description directly to that site as far as the
dynamic microphone capsule you have three main components the diaphragm the voice coil which
is actually attached to the diaphragm and the magnet which is permanently charged and creates
a magnetic field so how this works is when sound waves hit the diaphragm that actually vibrates
the voice coil and with that movement of the coil within the magnetic field it converts the
audio signals into electrical signals that can be interpreted by your audio interface or by
your amplifier the condenser microphone also has three main components the diaphragm case which
just holds everything together the diaphragm and the back plate and I should note that this design
is known as a capacitor or it used to be called a condenser which is why they're called condenser
microphones so when this capsule is charged it generates an electrical field and as sound waves
hit the diaphragm and it moves closer and farther away from the back plate this translates the sound
signals into electrical signals and just another note there are two different types of condenser
microphones a standard condenser microphone which does require phantom power to actually charge the
capsule and an electret condenser microphone which actually has a permanently charged of microphone
capsule and since I said that some of you are probably thinking well if the electric condenser
microphone has a permanently charged capsule why do I need phantom power and that's because
all condenser microphones have circuitry in them that allow them to work with standard microphone
inputs so regardless of the condenser capsule you have at the very least that circuitry is going to
require some voltage to work now that we have a basic understanding of how these microphones work
let's explore the real-world differences between them so when we look at dynamic mics they have a
very simple construction which means they end up being extremely rugged dynamic mics also handle
extremely loud sound signals really well and they also do a pretty good job at background
noise rejection on the other hand they have a relatively low sensitivity meaning they have a
lower output level and they also most of the time lack a full frequency response and the last thing
I want to point out is that dynamic microphones have a very distinct broadcast sound to them
because most radio stations use broadcast mics condenser mics on the other hand are more complex
meaning they will be more fragile but this allows them to pick up a wider frequency response have a
more natural sound and have a better sensitivity or a higher output level and on the downside with
this type of microphone capsule you do have to be careful because you can overdrive the capsule
with extremely loud noises and the electronics inside of all condenser microphones do generate
a small amount of noise and I just wanted to throw in a quick comparison of these mics on
an acoustic to show you the different frequency responses as well as the off-axis performance
now moving off axis of the dynamic microphone to show you how much of my voice is picked up
off to the sides of this type of microphone now I'm just moving off axis of the condenser
microphone to show you how much of my voice it picks up as I move around 180 degrees now
with all that information I know you're asking yourself which microphone is right for me so I
think a dynamic microphone is gonna be best in live situations because they are more durable
they handle loud noise as well and they do pretty good at background noise rejection I also think
that if you're in any situation where you're extremely concerned with background noise or
if you want that really standard broadcast sound that you hear on podcasts or radio stations then
a dynamic mic might be right for you and I think a condenser mic would be the right choice in a
controlled environment like a studio if you have audio treatment you have control over
all the audio going into the microphone you want that more natural sound and you're not
that concerned with background noise alright guys I guess that'll do it for today if you found this
video fun or interesting or helpful or you want to see more educational stuff like this on my
channel go ahead and give me a thumbs up and let me know in the comments what questions you want
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just like this go ahead and subscribe by clicking the logo directly beneath me and also don't forget
to vote for the mics you want reviewed next as well as follow me on all the social media stuff
links to everything description down below I'll see y'all next time thanks for watching goodbye