Working with Sound Main Menu

How Microphones Work

37785
Microphones work very much like our ears. They have a kind of "ear drum" called a diaphragm that vibrates in response to sound and that vibration is translated into an electric signal that is interpreted by the recoding device. While it's not necessary that you understand microphones in detail, it's good to have a general understanding of them, which I try to provide you with here. (Know that you do not need to invest in a bunch of expensive  microphones. You can use your smartphone or laptop, and you can find cheaper ones that will improve your sound significantly. I will discuss more on this later.)

There are a number of different types of mics. Among them are condenser mics, which capture more subtle sounds and dynamic mics, which captures louder sounds. You regulalry use condenser mics since your smatphones has one as does your laptop if it has a mic. Condenser and dynamic mics can be used for recording podcasts and voiceover. Condensers pick up in more detail and have a crisper sound, which is generally a good thing. The issue is that because they are so sensitive, they also pick up more background noise, which can be a problem when someone does not have a quieter space to work in. When recording a podcast at home, for example, it might make sense to use a dynamic mic instead. 

Mics have a directional component or what is called a polar pattern. This means the area around the mic from which sound is picked up. Omnidirectional mics take in sound surrounding the entire radius of the mic. (Your smartphone's mic is omnidirectional.) While unidirectional mics (also called cardioid) are more focused and take in sound from only one direction. Bidirectional mics take in sound from two different directions. Why does knowing this matter? At it's most basic, you want to make sure you are aiming the mic in the right direction to get the best recording possible. Depending on the polarity of a mic, having it a little off axis can significantly impact the quality of a recording.

It's also important to pay attention to polarity when selecting a mic. Do you want a mic that can pick up sound from a lot of different directions without having to change the angle (think press conference)? Choose omnidirectional. Do you want a mic that is highly focused in one direction and reduces background noise (think one person talkinging into a mic)? Choose unidirectional. Do you need to record sound in front of a behind the mic (think recording an interview where one person is on each side of the mic)? Choose bidirectional.

This page has paths:

  1. Welcome Melanie Hubbard

This page references: