Hey everyone, I'm Sam from Professional Music Technology
and in this video we're going to be taking a look at the most common types of microphones
that you're going to find both on stage at a gig or in a recording studio setup
To keep things simple I'll be breaking them down into four main categories
so that's dynamic mics, large diaphragm condenser
small diaphragm condenser and finally ribbon microphones
We're going to be looking at the pros and cons of
each and the kinds of applications that they're most commonly used for
so if you were a little overwhelmed by the huge selection of microphones available
hopefully we can point you in the right direction of which
one's most suitable for your particular needs
So first up we're going to talk about dynamic microphones
No doubt most of you are familiar with mics such as the Shure SM58 and SM57
and these are the type of microphones that you're most likely to find in a live scenario
either at a gig or in a rehearsal room
The reason for this is that they're a lot tougher and less sensitive than the
more fragile condenser and ribbon mics that we'll be looking at in a moment
plus they're usually much more affordable
The capsule of a dynamic microphone works kind of like a speaker but in reverse
so whereas a speaker moves back and forth to push out sound waves
a dynamic microphone features an induction coil suspended in front of a magnet
which moves as it's hit by the pressure of those sound waves coming from whatever you point it at
They are extremely versatile, often seen as a kind of workhorse jack-of-all-trades microphone
for both live and studio work
but they do have certain characteristics that make them particularly suited to the live environment
Firstly they usually feature quite a directional cardioid or supercardioid polar pickup pattern
meaning that they only really pick up sound from the direction that they're pointed in
and as they're less sensitive than a condenser microphone
they usually need to be placed quite close to your sound source for best results
This all means that they're ideal for live vocals
as they're going to pick up less bleed from other louder instruments on stage
they offer lower levels of handling noise or rumble
from vibrations coming up through a mic stand
and most importantly when compared to a condenser mic
they're much less likely to cause feedback
which is where the sound coming from the pa speakers or monitors
gets back into the mic causing a kind of infinite loop
which results in that horrible ear piercing whistle
The design of a dynamic mic
also means that they naturally handle high sound pressure levels really well
so along with live vocals, mics such as the SE Electronics V7X are also perfect
for close miking loud sound sources such as drums, guitar cabinets and brass instruments
Dynamic mics are also very popular in the world of podcasting and broadcasting
as you can hear i've been speaking through the Shure MV7 which is a
dynamic mic specifically designed for podcasting
For the same reasons that dynamic mics are great for live work
broadcasters love them as they pick up less background noise
so for example, they're great for recording interviews in noisy environments
plus they do offer quite a distinct tonality for speech,
which I suppose you could describe as a "radio voice"
and you'll be able to hear the difference in a moment when I switch over to a condenser mic
Those advantages of a dynamic mic however can also sometimes be seen
as disadvantages when used in a recording studio
especially when recording either vocals or instruments with a wide dynamic range
Some singers do prefer to use a dynamic mic in the studio
for example, Michael Jackson famously used a Shure SM7 to record all of his vocals on Thriller
but that said most vocalists recording in the studio will be
using a completely different type of microphone...
...and that's a large diaphragm condenser mic such
as this Lewitt Audio LCT-440 that you can hear me talking through now
Now this type of mic works in a completely different way to a dynamic mic
utilising a large capacitor which converts acoustic vibrations into an electrical current
hence why they're also sometimes referred to as capacitor microphones
Now without getting into the science behind it
mainly because i don't really understand it myself
this results in greatly increased sensitivity, a wider frequency and dynamic range
and a smoother more natural sounding response, so they're going to pick up and reproduce
a lot more of those little intimate details and nuances
especially in a softer vocal performance
For these same reasons they're also often used to record instruments such
as acoustic guitars or as ambient room microphones
There are a few things that you do need to consider when you're using a condenser mic however
Firstly, as I mentioned earlier, they're nowhere near as tough and resilient as a dynamic mic
those condenser capsules can get damaged pretty easily if the mic gets bashed about
and because of their high sensitivity they will also pick up a lot more background noise
so you'll usually need to use a shock cradle to reduce rumbling caused by vibrations
a pop shield when recording speech or vocals to stop any
of those pesky plosives from your P's and B's
and you'll probably want to turn off anything in
the room that's going to cause unwanted noise such as fans or air conditioners
Condenser mics also require a 48 volt power source
which isn't too much of a problem as most mixers and audio interfaces do offer this as standard
but it is something worth bearing in mind especially when you're
trying to figure out why your mic's not working
Despite all of this, these type of condenser mics are still really versatile
a lot of them offer multiple pickup patterns including cardioid. omni and figure 8 modes
great for recording multiple voices at the same time
and quite often you'll find features such as pad switches
to reduce the sensitivity for use on louder instruments
and high pass switches to cut the low end frequencies
Although condenser microphones do tend to be more expensive than dynamic mics
there is a huge range to choose from
starting with great value mics from the likes of Lewitt, SE Electronics and Rode
going right up to high quality tube condenser mics such as the
legendary Neumann U87 or this SE Gemini 2
which offers an incredibly detailed, warm, vintage sounding tone
Moving on, next up we're looking at small diaphragm condenser microphones
which are sometimes referred to as pencil mics
and they look like this Lewitt Audio LCT-140
Now these work on the same principle as large diaphragm condenser mics
but as their name implies, they utilise a smaller capsule
making them more compact, very discreet looking and lighter
Despite their smaller size,
these types of mics are incredibly handy microphones to have in your collection
Those smaller diaphragms actually mean that they
can follow the sound waves more accurately than a larger diaphragm
and they can offer an extended high frequency response even beyond that of human hearing
So whilst vocalists love the way that a large diaphragm condenser mic
slightly alters the tone of their voice
to give it a kind of more professional sounding sheen
technically speaking, a small diaphragm condenser arguably captures a purer more natural sound
which is why they're commonly used to mic up classical instruments
They also offer a very consistent pickup pattern
and as this makes them ideal for stereo mic applications
they're often supplied in pairs for use as drum overhead mics or for recording acoustic guitars
The final type of mic that we're looking at today is the ribbon microphone
this one here is an SE Electronics VR2
Now ribbon technology dates right back to the earliest days of microphones
and unlike the induction coils of dynamic mics or capacitors of condenser mics
they utilise a super thin metal ribbon suspended
between the poles of a magnet to capture those sound waves
The result is a very dynamic and accurate sound reproduction
which tends to have a smoother high-end response when compared to a condenser
so as well as offering a warm, almost vintage sounding response for vocals
they're also great for taming harsher treble frequencies from cymbals and brass instruments
and they're commonly used to smooth out
the sometimes brittle sound of a guitar speaker cabinet
Ribbon mics also offer a lower sensitivity than condenser microphones
so it's not uncommon to see them being used in certain live situations
plus, their unique design also means that they naturally offer a perfect figure 8 pickup pattern
making them pretty versatile when it comes to mic placement options
Unfortunately, all of this does come with a couple of trade-offs
Firstly, a good ribbon microphone doesn't really come cheap
and secondly, even though they are designed to
be a little tougher nowadays when compared to older models
these are still the most fragile type of microphone that we're looking at today
so they do really need to be handled with care to prevent that ultra-thin ribbon from breaking
One last thing, although some ribbon mics like this SE do
feature active circuitry to increase sensitivity
make sure not to accidentally send 48 volt phantom power to a passive ribbon mic
as this can cause irreversible damage
and as i mentioned before, these things can be quite pricey to replace
So there we go, thanks for watching
that was the main differences between dynamic, condenser and ribbon microphones
For more information on any of the mics that we featured here
visit www.pmtonline.co.uk
or you can check out a huge selection of different microphones
at your nearest Professional Music Technology store
As usual, don't forget to follow us on all of our socials, that's PMT House Of Rock
If you found this video helpful, please do give it a thumbs up and hit that subscribe button
and I'll see you again soon