MICROPHONES

Sound is created when a vibrating object causes the air about it to vibrate within the frequency of human hearing. When this vibration reaches our ears, it causes our eardrums to vibrate accordingly and our brains perceive the sound. Human ears have a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz i.e. 20 to 20,000 vibrations per second although the upper limit deteriorates with age. The job of the microphone is to convert these vibrations into a meaningful electrical signal. A device which converts physical energy into electrical energy is known as a transducer. Microphones use a transducer, which convert motion into electricity. The vibrating air causes a lightweight diaphragm within the microphone to move backwards and forwards. This tiny movement is converted into an electrical signal. The electrical signal rises and falls in voltage to mirror the vibrations of the original sound. Exactly how the motion of the diaphragm is converted into an electrical signal depends on the microphone. The most commonly used methods of converting this motion into an electrical signal are the dynamic (moving coil) method and the capacitor (a.k.a. condenser) method. DYNAMIC MICROPHONES The dynamic or moving coil microphone works on the principle of electromagnetic induction. A diaphragm is attached to a very fine coil of wire which can move freely over a magnet. When the diaphragm moves back and forth in response to the sound, the attached coil moves over the magnet and generates an electric current within the coil of wire. This very small current is amplified by a pre amp on a mixing desk.

Dynamic microphones such as Shure SM58 and SM57 are used mainly for live gigs as they are relatively inexpensive and quite rugged. They are commonly used for live vocals, brass, saxophone, electric guitars and drums. Their lack of sensitivity reduces feedback and they can withstand high SPL (Sound Pressure Levels). They are rarely used to record soft or distant sounds like acoustic guitar or strings as the amount of amplification needed would result in an unacceptable amount of noise. Because of their construction, dynamic microphones, do not respond well to frequencies above 15kHz, this limited HF response makes them suitable for recording bass instruments. In the studio dynamic mics are used to record, bass drums, snare drums, guitar and bass amps. High quality dynamic microphones like the EV RE 20 can be used to record vocals especially rap vocals.

M Lewis 2013

MICROPHONES
RIBBON MICROPHONES Another type of dynamic microphone is the ribbon microphone. The ribbon microphone works on the same principle as the moving coil microphone above except that a thin conductive ribbon or metal foil takes the place of the coil. Sound waves cause the foil to vibrate in the magnetic field and this generates a tiny voltage, electro magnetic induction. As the voltage produced is so low a transformer is built into the microphone to bring the voltage up to usable level.

A well designed ribbon microphone can have a frequency response well in excess of 20kHz. They usually have a figure-of-eight pick up pattern. Ribbon microphones offer no real advantage over moving coil microphones and have the disadvantage of being quite fragile and very expensive. They are still popular for use with classical recording as they are said to have a smoother sound than a moving coil microphone. CAPACITOR/CONDENSER MICROPHONES Capacitor microphones, believe it or not, work on the same principle as a capacitor. If a pair of thin parallel metal plates, one fixed and one attached to a freely moving diaphragm, have a charge put across them, any movement of the diaphragm will cause the capacitance to change and this change can be converted into a change in the electrical signal. The charge across the plates is usually provided via phantom power which is either fed from the mixing desk or from a built in battery. The phantom power from the mixing desk is 48 volts.

M Lewis 2013

MICROPHONES
The main advantage of the capacitor microphone is that the metallised plastic diaphragm can be made very thin and very light and so can respond to much higher frequencies than the dynamic microphones. They are more sensitive and can pick up a wider dynamic range and a wider frequency range than dynamics. They offer best noise performance and highest sensitivity easily exceeding the range of human hearing at both ends of the spectrum. The capacitor microphone offers great advantages over dynamic microphones both in frequency and dynamic response and generally provide a smooth detailed sound quality especially suitable for all orchestral instruments, cymbals, snare drums, and studio vocals. They have a flatter frequency response than dynamics and tend not to colour the sound of any recording. The majority of studio recording is carried out using capacitor microphones such as AKG414 and AKGC1000S. They often have switchable polar patterns and attenuation pads. POLAR PATERN DIRECTIONALITY Not all microphones pick up sound in the same way and the type of microphone we choose depends on the task in hand. Some microphones pick up the sound equally efficiently from whatever direction the sound is coming from, others are designed to respond to sound from a specific direction. There are three basic directional patterns; omni directional (all directions), cardioid (heart shaped or unidirectional) and figure-of-eight (both back and front, bi-directional). OMNI DIRECTIONAL

Microphone

Omni directional microphones have an inherently natural sound and are often used at conferences or in the production of radio programs to pick up a group of speakers round a table but are also widely used in serious music recording for solo instruments, vocals and specialist stereo work. CARDIOID

Microphone

M Lewis 2013

MICROPHONES
Cardioid microphones are used where there might be unwanted off axis sound or spill from other instruments needs to be minimised. This is usually the case in studios where several musicians may be playing close together and more so when miking up individual drums of a drum kit. Cardioid microphones are also widely used with touring P.A. systems where separation is very important.

FIGURE-OF-EIGHT

Microphone

Figure-of eight mics are generally use for specific stereophonic applications (middle and side) and were popular at one time for live backing vocal use as two singers could share one mike. Use OMNI DIRECTIONAL microphones when you need : All-around pickup Pickup of room reverberation Low sensitivity to pop (explosive breath sounds) Low handling noise No up-close bass boost (proximity effect) Extended low-frequency response (in condenser microphones)

Use UNIDIRECTIONAL microphones (cardioid, hypercardioid etc,) when you need Rejection of room acoustics, background noise and leakage. Up close bass boost Better gain before feedback on PA system. Coincident pair or near coincident pair (stereo pair)

Specifically use cardioid when you need, Max rejection of sound approaching the back of the microphone.

Use BI-DIRECTIONAL (figure-of-eight) Front and back pick up with side sounds rejected. (2 part vocal group, across table interview, etc)
M Lewis 2013

MICROPHONES
PROXIMITY EFFECT Unidirectional and bi-directional microphones both exhibit what is known as the proximity effect which causes a boost in low frequencies when the sound source is very close to the microphone. This usually happens at microphone/source distances of a couple of inches and is used to advantage by live singers. The warmth created by this effect adds fullness to drums but on the whole the proximity effect lends a boomy sound to an instrument. This can be overcome by using the mixers EQ to remove some of the low frequencies. Some microphones have a bass roll off switch which removes the lower frequencies. PRESENCE PEAK A microphone with a flat response reproduces the fundamental frequencies and harmonics in the same proportion as the sound source thus providing an accurate, natural reproduction of that source at a distance. Some microphones have a rising high end or presence peak around 5-10 kHz emphasising the higher harmonics. The resulting effect is a crisp, articulate sound. This type of frequency response is known as tailored or contoured response. It is popular for guitar amps and drums as it adds punch and emphasis to the attack. Some microphones have switches to adjust the frequency. BASS ROLL OFF Some microphones provide a low frequency cut off which allows you to cut out the bass frequencies below a certain point. Use this when the bass cut off is below the fundamental frequency of the instrument. For example, the frequency of the low E string on an acoustic guitar is 82.41 Hz. A mic used on the acoustic guitar ideally should roll off below that frequency to avoid picking up low-frequency noise and room rumble. If the microphone does not have a bass cut off you can filter out the unwanted lows at the mixer using EQ.

M Lewis 2013

MICROPHONES

M Lewis 2013