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Microphones
Features of a mic
All microphones convert an acoustic signal to an electrical signal — speakers do the opposite.

When working with microphones, there's a phenomenon known as the proximity effect – the closer
you are to the mic, the more bass frequencies you get. This can be used as a tone adjuster, depending
on what kind of sound you're going for. For example, you can add fullness to the sound by getting closer
to the mic. Also, by positioning yourself at an angle in front of the mic, you can soften the higher
frequencies.

● A balanced line — there are three pins in the XLR rather than two. This allows for removal of
noise and hum, preventing it from noise interference or signal loss. You can have longer cables
without reduction of the signal quality.
○ A common example of an unbalanced line is a guitar cable.

HOT
COMMO G H
N

Balanced Unbalanced
● HOT is left, COMMON is right — stereo jacks like in headphones are unbalanced lines since the
signals are split off for each side.
● In a mic cable – G (ground) H (hot) C (common) = tip, ring, sleeve respectively.

A balanced line takes a signal and splits it into two — one is thrown out of phase; sends the two sounds
to two wires. When it gets to the other side, the sound is plugged into a balanced circuit – the signal that
was thrown out of phase is put back into phase and recombines the signal into one. The purpose of this
is to remove noise that got attracted along the cable initially — when the sound you want is put back in
phase, the noise is now out of phase.

Connections on a console are typically balanced – lower cost equipment tends to be unbalanced so it’s
important to interface properly between the two.
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● Mics are low impedance. However, high impedance mics do exist — consumer-grade mics (ex.
karaoke mics) are high impedance.

Impedance is the measure of how much resistance a circuit has to the flow of alternating current (AC)
running through. Unlike DC current, an AC signal isn't a steady flow of electrical current and constantly
changes (which creates a waveform - this is why audio is an AC signal).

Microphone types

Moving coil (dynamic)

Contains a coil of wire suspended between several magnets — when a sound wave hits the microphone, the
coil vibrates, putting out an electrical signal that matches the acoustic wave.
● They're very durable and can handle loud sounds up close, but aren't very good for picking up
sounds from a distance.
● Better for drums and picking up sounds from a guitar or bass amp.

Ribbon
Contains a corrugated sheet of metal that, similar to the moving coil mics, vibrates in response to incoming
sound waves.
● They're sensitive to sound and pick up subtle details easily, but are much more delicate
compared to the moving coil mic and cannot handle loud sounds up close; better at a distance.
Generally a bit sweeter on the high frequencies.
● Better for acoustic instruments such as guitar, piano, violin, flute, etc.

Condenser
Contains a diaphragm plate inside — sound comes in and the plate doesn't move. An electronic circuit within
the microphone measures the pressure hitting the plate from the front and back, and by measuring these, it
plots the wave.
● Like ribbon mics, they're also sensitive and accurate, good for picking up sounds from a fair
distance away. Tend to be brighter on the high frequencies.
● Condenser mics require electrical power; you usually need to get a power supply when purchasing
a condenser mic. Nowadays, this power supply is directly built into recording consoles (phantom
power).
● Another type of condenser known as electret condenser — contains a permanent charge inside;
doesn't require as much power and uses a battery.

Other mic types (not used in a professional setting)

● Crystal and ceramic mics, which are usually only used for speech, since speech has a narrower
frequency range compared to music.
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● Digital mics contain a digital mixer / interface; converts electrical signals into numbers that will be
sent to the computer — the analog to digital conversion takes place within the microphone.

Specialty mics

Boundary
Essentially a microphone attached to a plate; goes on the floor and a small place to plug in your XLR
cable. Sound bounces off of the plate and is picked up by the mic to prevent the sound from falling out of
phase.

Multi-pattern
Typically large diaphragm condenser mics that allow you to switch between different polar patterns for
recording.

System
Mics that have a base with interchangeable heads; usually more expensive.
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Parabolic
A microphone that looks a lot like a satellite dish; essentially a microphone attached to a curved dish.
Takes a wide area of sound (ex. a football field) and lets the sound coming in to hit the dish, curve
around, and hit the microphone in a more condensed manner.

Wireless
Good for mobility when on stage or in an open environment; comes with a receiver.
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Shotgun (ultra-cardioid)
Thin, long tube-like mics not typically used in the studio. Typically placed near light fixtures in a live
setting higher up.
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Surround sound
Essentially four or five mic heads in one microphone (it's like an omnidirectional mic on crack). Not
commonly seen in the music industry.

Stereo
Essentially a two-in-one deal for a mic, one for left and one for right. You can adjust the heads to change
the array.
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Microphone accessories
● Clips: holds the microphone and attaches it to the microphone stand.
● Stands: allows you to adjust the position of a mic to whatever height is necessary.
● Boom arms: allows you to horizontally extend the position of a mic.
● Stereo bars: for attaching two mics to one mic stand.
● Wind screens: breaks up rapid streams of air so as to avoid mic popping; presents kind of a
problem because it tends to muffle the overall sound.
● Pop filters / stocking screens: to block plosives coming in, preventing the sound from clipping.
It's also called a stocking screen because the original pop filter was made by stretching pantyhose
over a wire coat hanger.
● Shock mounts: secures mic to a boom arm or mic stand, absorbing any shocks or vibrations that
may occur; prevents contact against contact with other surfaces or equipment.

Microphone patterns
There are three categories of microphone hearing patterns:
● Omnidirectional picks up sound all around, just like human hearing.
○ Good for capturing ambient sounds or room tone.
● Unidirectional (cardioid) - picks up most sound directly in front of the mic and not so much
anywhere else. As the shape of the polar pattern gets narrower, you start to pick up more sound
from behind the mic as well. Good for isolating specific sound sources.
○ Cardioid — looks like an upside down heart and generally picks up sound that is directly in
front of the mic.
○ Super cardioid — a narrower version of the cardioid that picks up sound in the front and
slightly behind the mic.
○ Hyper cardioid — similar to super cardioid; better for isolation between different sound
sources.
○ Ultra cardioid — because it's so narrow, it has reduced quality compared to the other
cardioid patterns. It looks like a long, thin tube and is typically used for picking up speech
since it captures such a small area.
● Bidirectional (figure-eight) - picks up sound from both the front and back of the mic, but not as
well on the sides.
○ Good for capturing things such as interviews (where people are facing either side of the
mic) or two sides of an instrument like a piano / guitar.
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Stereo recording set-ups

One of the most important things to consider when deciding on what mic type to use / what recording
set-up to use is what the purpose of the recording is. To capture what you experience in a performance, it's
important to consider how many mics you need. A lot of stereo recording is meant to most accurately
capture human hearing and preserve the integrity of the original sound.

Coincident X-Y
The two mics' heads are directed in the same place, but arranged at a 90 degree angle.
● Prevents phasing, provides a clear sound
● Narrow stereo image (sound is concentrated in the center)
● Least rich / full-sounding

(NOS) Near-coincident X-Y

The mic heads are turned outward at a 90 degree angle instead and are a foot apart from each other.
● More phasing comes through; less clear
● Allows for a wider stereo image since the left and right mics are further apart
● Richer, fuller sound

(ORTF) Near-coincident X-Y

Same setup as NOS X-Y except the mics are turned out at a 120 degree angle instead of a 90 degree angle and
you halve the distance between mics.

Spaced pair
Can be done with either cardioid or omnidirectional mics; mics are positioned directly forward and follow the
3:1 spacing rule.
● 3:1 spacing rule: For every three feet you are from a musical sound, you place the mics one
foot apart. So if you were six feet away, the mics would be two feet apart, and so on.
● Has the most phasing out of the mic setups; reduced sound quality
● Has the widest stereo image (since it has the most distance between mics)
● Richest, fullest sound

M-S Array
A cardioid mic facing forwards and a figure eight mic facing sideways placed directly behind the cardioid; the
heads of both mics are in the same location.
● Mono-compatible
● Adjustable stereo width (including post-recording)
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Decca Tree
A three omni mic setup arranged in a "T" pattern (triangular). A center mic is mixed with a spaced pair array to
fill the 'hole' in the center.
● Compared to the ORTIF and NOS arrays, the size of a Decca Tree can vary depending on the
required setup. The distances between the two back mics are usually three feet apart but aren't
necessarily that way every time.
● The front mic is placed half of the distance between the spaced pair and can be positioned slightly
lower; the recording engineer can adjust the dimensions to suit the ensemble size, room
dimensions, and type of music being played.

Blumlein Array
Uses two figure eight mics; same as the coincident setup except it isn't cardioid mics. Provides a rich stereo
field and brings in the room ambience (as if you're putting it at around critical distance).