In part 1 of the Microphone series, we discussed the basic kinds of microphones and some of their practical uses. If you haven’t had a chance to check out part 1 yet, you can do that by going to Microphones – Part 1 – Different Types of Microphones. In this post, we will help you choose what type of microphone would be best suited for your application.
Choosing a Microphone
The type of microphone you use will depend on what you will be miking and on your budget. For small setups, a couple of good dynamic microphones would be adequate. For a slightly larger setup – playing 300-500 person venues – 6 to 8 dynamic microphones and a pair of condenser microphones would be suitable. Microphones come at all price points. Companies like Shure, Sennheiser, and Audix have become staples in the industry and have maintained wonderful reputations. These companies offer several lines of microphones from small budgets to large ones. There are also companies like Samson and Nady which offer some decent “budget” microphones as well.
Remember that when you are buying microphones, you will also have to buy microphone cables. Don’t forget to factor that in with the price of your microphones. Microphone cables come at a wide range of price points as well. Some companies claim that their microphone cables are vastly superior and charge premium prices for their cables. Whether or not microphone cables can really make an audible difference in sound quality is debatable. If you plan on using a condenser microphone, you will also need to make sure your mixer can supply phantom power or if you will need to buy an individual microphone preamp. Remember that since phantom power is supplied through XLR cables. You will not be able to use anything other than a XLR male to a XLR female microphone cable if your microphone needs phantom power. Be sure to check out the full line of cables at www.SeismicAudioSpeakers.com.
Hopefully, you have gathered enough information and we have given you enough information to help you pick out the best microphone to use for your application. Be sure to check out the first part of the series if you haven’t yet! If this information was helpful, please subscribe to the Seismic Audio Blog feed to get the latest information.
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