By: Steve Bolanda
George’s Music

A Basic Guide to Picking the Right Mic – From Stage To Studio

As musicians, mics are an important part of what we do. We depend on them to translate the sound of our voices and instruments in a clear and concise manner. But there are so many different mics out there, and all for different applications, how do you choose?

Of course, it depends on your musical situation. Vocal mics used for live stage performance are vastly different from what you’d use in the recording studio. And if you’re micing an instrument like drums or guitar, you’d probably want something different than you’re using for the vocals. Let’s break it down to the basics.

Dynamic Mics

Dynamic mics are versatile and ideal for vocals or instruments. They use a simple design with few moving parts, and they are relatively sturdy and resilient to rough handling. What most people don’t consider is the mic’s directional property, meaning how’s it picking up the sound?

Omnidirectional Mics capture sound equally from all directions. This is the most popular kind of vocal mic used in live stage performance. You’ll recognize it by the silver “mesh ball” look. The Shure SM58 is an industry standard in this style of mic.

Unidirectional Mics are sensitive to sounds from only one direction. This is ideal for micing instruments (Drums, Acoustic Guitars) as well as amplifiers. These mics pick up exactly what’s coming at them and reject noise from other directions. You’ll recognize these by a more “flat-top” look.

Condenser Mics

Condenser microphones require power from an external source, most commonly referred to as “Phantom Power”. This makes the signal stronger than that of a dynamic mic. Condensers also tend to be more sensitive and responsive than dynamics, making them the preferred choice of most professional recording studios.

Condenser microphones are generally used only in studios because of their sensitivity to loud sounds and the fact that they’re quite a bit more fragile than their dynamic counterparts. That being said, you will find some condensers on stage in orchestral or choral sound situations.

If you’re buying a condenser for your home studio, there are two things to also consider. Make sure your mixer or interface has the “Phantom Power” mentioned earlier. There’s usually a button or switch that says “48V”. Without this the mic will not work.

Also consider a “pop filter” for recording vocals. A pop-filter can reduce or eliminate ‘popping’ sounds caused by fast moving air on the microphone, as well as the ‘p’ and ‘s’ sounds in some word pronunciations. A typical pop-filter is composed of one or more layers of nylon stretched over a circular frame, and often include a clamp and a flexible mounting bracket so it sits in front of your condenser mic. This will save you lots of time in the mixdown process!!