Microphones

1)  As a general guideline, it can be said that dynamic microphones are best suited for live sound work, and that

condenser microphones are more suited for use in a recording studio.

Give technical and practical reasons for why this may, or may not, be a valid statement (include diagrams if

necessary).

This is definitely a valid statement as a condenser microphone is too sensitive to be used for live work and are going to be more prone to feedback(they have unnaturally hyped high-end) and will pick up the band which won’t be a pleasant sound. Furthermore, you’d have to tell with phantom power which may or may not be full of 48V voltage making it to the stage. They are more suited in studio work as they are generally acknowledged to be the best microphones for recording vocals, acoustic instruments, and indeed all sources where subjective sound quality and musicality are essential.

Dynamic microphones are best suited for live work as they are most effective when working with relatively loud sound sources that don’t contain a lot of very high-frequency detail. They have no internal amplifier and do not require batteries or external power. They’re also really tough which makes them brilliant for live work. The dynamic mics could be cardioids or uni-directional’s which means that the mic has one area in which it picks up sound which means unlike the condenser it will not pick up the sound of the whole band in one mic.

2)  What are the three main polar patterns found on microphones? Describe the differences and give examples of how each could be used.

The three main polar patterns; Omni-directional, Bi-directional and Uni-directional.

The Omni-directional picks up sounds evenly from all directions; it is useful for capturing ambient noises. The smallest diameter microphone gives the best omni-directional characteristics at high frequencies. This is great for studio work. The most common uses of an omnidirectional microphone involve groups of singers or instrumentalists. This equipment can also be useful for meetings and events where there may be many speakers but a single microphone to capture the sounds from several angles.

The Bi-directional uses a figure 8 pattern and picks up sound from two opposite directions. A possible way you could use this mic is for an interview where two people are facing each other with the mic between them.

The Uni-directional picks up sound predominantly from one direction. This includes cardioids and hypercardiod microphones. An example of this is recording a teacher’s lecture in a classroom in a scenario where only the lecture of the teacher needs to be recorded without any noise coming from the students behind. Uni-directional microphones have great application when a sound source can stay put in front of the microphone to record only that sound source and no other.

3)  Dynamic and condenser microphones are the two most commonly used type of microphone found in the studio. Can you name any other types? Also include their basic technical features and how, or why, they might be used.

Ribbon microphones are another type of microphones found in studios, it used a string of foil rather then a coil of wire in the diaphram. It doesn't have a huge output but it picks up high frequencies. It is good for studio work to record acoustic instrumentals because it doesn't need external power.

Another type of microphone is a fiber optic it converts acoustic waves into electrical signals by sensing light intensity. They have proven especially useful in medical applications, such as allowing radiologists, staff and patients within the powerful and noisy magnetic field to converse.

4) Give suggestions as to what you might use the following microphones for and explain your answer:

a) Audix D6

b) SE Electronics titan

c) microtech gefell M300

For an Audix D6, i would use this for recording lower frequencies such as the bass amplifiers and bass drums. The D6 is lightweight, compact and easy to position. It has a balanced output allow for interference-free performance.

An SE Electronics titan  is a large-diaphragm condenser microphone. It needs phantom power(48V) in order to be powered up. It is ideally suited for percussive recordings, including stuido use for drums, picked guitar, kick drum and slap bass etc.

The microtech Gefell M300 is great for recording instruments such as the parts of the drum kit and pianos atc. It is a compact cardioid condenser so therefore it would mainly pick up sounds directly from the front. It is good as it gives a very clear detail of the sound from the instrument/s.

5) When using microphones, why is a mic pre-amp necessary? What features would you expect to find on a

professional pre-amp (either standalone or as a part of a mixing desk)?

A mic pre-amp is definitely necessary as the sound created needs to be amp'd up to a specific line level which is the main role of the pre-amp. It comes with 'Gain' so you can control how much sound that goes through the pre-amp. You will see a meter(on the top of the mixer) that indicates when the sound is being too pushed. There is a DAW button to make sure so the performers can hear through the mixer and also phantom power that should be switched on for condenser microphones in order to power, which is known as 48V on the mixer. Also there is a low frequency switch and a HI-Z which needs to be put on when recording other instruments.

Song 1 Recording

I will talking about the making and process of a song my group did in the recording studio. It will involve the equipment we used (such as mics & instruments etc) and how we used it so it could be effective.

On the 19th of November my group (John,Roy,Daniella and Christina) and I discussed what we'll be recording and what microphones we'll be using for Christina's original song 'Kiss on'. We had to record vocals, bass, drums and keys in order for it to work. The microphones we decided to use were an Audix D6, two Shure SM57's, a Rode NT 100 and two Rode NT5. It didn't really take too long to set up as everyone had a role and a mic to set up. I was mainly in charge of setting up Logic and making sure all the microphones where in the right channels. Once all the microphones were set up, we were ready to record the guide vocal and guitar. Unfortunately, that was a mistake as we recorded using a Rode NT 100 that is mainly for vocals with the guitar and because of the sensitivity of the condenser mic it managed to pick up the guitar. This meant that the guitar and vocals were recorded into one track which was wrong.  However we had enough time to delete it and start again but this time doing it one at a time. We decided to record the guitar first using the Shure SM57 as this  is a dynamic, uni-directional microphone. We did not have to power up the Phantom power(also known as 48V) as it is not a condenser microphone. We then went on to do the guide vocal next using  the NT 100 we had to make sure  Christina(the performer) was listening to DAW rather than the mixer as this would have made a really unpleasant sound.

Further we recorded the bass using the Audix D6 which is a dynamic, cardiod microphone. This worked really effectively as it picked up a real 'bassy' and clear sound. The microphone works really well for picking up low frequencies.

On the 26th of November we decided we want to record the drums. We made it easier and more time consuming by asking Roy to come in 10 minutes before the lesson to set up the drums. John and I then went to search for the mics we needed for it. We used a pair of Rode NT5's as overheads in order to record the drum kit, it is great on picking up things such as the high hats and cymbals. The reason it works so well is because its an Omni directional, condensor mic which means it can pick up delicate sounds. We used the Audix D6 on the bass drums as like the bass amplifier it was really good for picking up low frequencies. We then lastly recorded the piano part which I played, I decided that the NT5 was the best to use as it captured the sound really well and clearly. We had two microphones on this so the notes wont be missed on the playback.

Unfortunately due to being very ill i wasn't able to be there for the final week but did get informed by the group that the existing recordings except the guitar was deleted as it wasn't played properly to a click but it had a great quality in the sound.