Microphones: Things You Need For A Home Studio

Microphones may be the biggest determining factor of how you sound. Granted, you can shape each mic with different EQ curves to get them sounding similar, but choosing the right mic can save you loads of time fixing it in post and in the end get a better sounding product. So, what’s the best mic?

Photo by Leo Wieling on Unsplash

The Application

There isn’t a definitive answer on what the “best” mic is, because it varies greatly from song to song, application to application! Something that’s best for recording a podcast might not be the best for a pop vocal.

There’s a series of questions you can ask yourself to narrow down your choices:

• How much articulation (high frequencies) need to be presented?

• How much is mic bleed (sounds not meant to be picked up by this mic) an issue?

• Do you need a warm sound or a bright sound?

• Are there any physical limitations to the size you need?

Notice that price is NOT listed above. You do not need expensive equipment to get a great sound!

It’s a common misconception that you need thousands of dollars worth of equipment to get a pro sound; that’s just not true. In fact, many of the pros, who have access to many multi-thousand dollar mics, choose to use a $100 microphone to mic a snare 80% of the time! This is because that mic gives the sound they are looking for.

When looking for your first or second or next microphone, you can keep it on the cheaper side no problem and get 90-95% of the results a pro studio would. I just wouldn’t recommend lower than $50. You can get great sounding mics in the $50-100 price range!

Keep in mind that a $1000 microphone may not work best for your situation; sometimes a $100 will do a better job! Let’s look into the two most common categories of mics and how they differ.

Condenser Microphones

Condenser microphones are known to be sensitive, meaning they can pick up a lot of sound even far away, and have good detail in the high frequencies.

If you have a particularly “airy” source like breathy vocals, acoustic guitar, or drum cymbals, this is your best bet. Of course, there’s a creative element where you can decide to use some other type of microphone for a different vibe, but 9/10 this will be your choice of microphone type.

The condenser mics are very sensitive and reactive to high frequencies because of how the diaphragm made; with two plates, one stationary and one that is free to move. Since the plate is easy to move, it can move with the change in air pressure quickly and accurately.

Since these mics are sensitive, mic bleed can sometimes be an issue. It can pick up the smallest sounds, and when compressed, it can bring them out even more. For this reason, they aren’t used very much in live settings or in podcasts where you want a super clean and tight sound. For that, you’ll want the next type of microphone.

Dynamic Microphones

Dynamic microphones are known for good mic bleed resistance, taming percussive sounds, and generally being more “warm” than the condenser mics.

If you’re recording something like drum toms, snare, or kick, these are great. They tame the transients of the drum hits so they’re more consistent and since they are good at rejecting sound from other directions, it helps with mic bleed; which is great for drums since there’s so many sources close together.

Using dynamic mics in this situation can get you a cleaner, more separated sound and give you more flexibility when working on it in post.

This means it’s great when working on a podcast when two people are talking in a room together. More than that, dynamics offer a warm sound that’s generally looked for in podcasts because it makes it feel like they are talking directly in your ear and generally more pleasant to listen to over long periods of time.

Dynamic microphones have these characteristics because they work by moving a large diaphragm, that’s hard to move relative to condenser microphones, that interacts with a coil to produce a signal.

It’s hard to pick up higher frequencies because the diaphragm has a lot of mass; it’s the same reason all you can hear is bass on the other side of a wall when music is playing in the other room. The bass frequencies travel through the walls, floors, studs, etc, but since they are so massive, the higher frequencies can’t make it through quite as easily.

Which Microphone Is Best For You?

It really depends on what you plan on recording, and if you’re singing, whatever microphone compliments your voice the best. I recommend watching many videos of the mic you’re looking at in similar situations as yours to make the best decision.

If you happen to have one mic already and looking to upgrade, I’d say to purchase a microphone of the other type! It will give you much more versatility and variety as opposed to another mic of the same type.

If you’re a singer that plays guitar, start with a condenser. Eventually, you can pick up a dynamic to use on your guitar and you can place the condenser for your vocals, or vice versa. The dynamic will offer better rejection of the other source, and the condenser will offer a more articulate, detailed sound!

If you’re a drummer, unfortunately your life isn’t easy, as if it wasn’t easy enough already with the constant set up, tear down, expensive kit, etc 😂

I’d personally recommend starting with a condenser, and if you can, also a dynamic. Use the condenser as an overhead to pick up the whole kit, and spend some time getting the perfect placement making everything as balanced as possible. Then if you have the dynamic, you can place it at the kick to get some more low end out of it. After that, another dynamic for the snare, and then another condenser for stereo overheads. After that, tom mics, and after that, whatever of your choosing! You could have room mics, a hi hat mic, miking the snare on the bottom as well as top, double miking the kick, etc.

I know it can be daunting, but a lot of high profile drummers have recorded their kit with even just one or two mics! It really comes down to choosing the right type of mic for the application, and time, testing different positions to find where you can get the most out of those mics.

If you’re simply a singer, you can really go either way with the type of mic; condensers will give you a clean and open sound, and a dynamic will make your vocal sound thick; all depends what you’re going for and how your voice sounds!

Wish you the best and remember, it’s not about the gear, it’s about who’s using it! If you’re not getting the sounds you want, don’t look to buy more things. Work on improving your skills and knowledge because you might find yourself with shallow pockets and confusion of why you can’t sound the way you pictured!

-Michael