Mic Mondays #2

Microphone Types

Essentially there are 2 microphone types.   All the brands, all the models the brands put out or have put out, use one of these types.

What are they?

Condenser and Dynamic.

Condenser types require power to charge one side of the condenser element internally.   Sound waves then modulate that voltage into a signal that can be used.   They can be very sensitive, almost too much so.   Most have poor outside sound rejection due to this sensitivity.

Dynamic types are simpler on the one hand as they do not require any power to function.   BUT, microphones that have a high rejection of outside sound sources usually will require an inline amplifier to bring the signal levels to a usable level without distortion.

You may be wondering, which one should I use?   The answer to that question goes back to last week's Mic Monday post.

Let's start with the easiest one, which surprisingly is the most difficult…

Q: #1 Male or Female?

All microphones are made differently and with a particular tonal quality that tend to favor male or female voices with higher or lower pitched voices.

As an example, when I moved into the location I am in now, I tried using the microphone that I had been using previously… It sounded horrible in the new place.   Nothing had changed settings wise on my streaming software or on the computer.   BUT, the environment and room arrangement and room size had.

I spent a few weeks gathering a few mics that had been recommended along with a number of mics I already had.   They ranged from small condenser desk mics to overhead shotgun mics and a number of dynamic mics in between.

Prices ranged from $10 for a wired lapel mic to $100 desk mic.

I was surprised by which one worked in my location and with my deeper male voice, it was a $37 dynamic xlr microphone, the K669D by Fifine.

I had a few others that were significantly more expensive that did not sound good at all on my voice, but sounded way better on my granddaughter's higher pitched female voice.

She still gets compliments on how great she sounds on that mic.

Moral of the story for this week…

As a Business Professional or an Established Content Creator, you are already familiar with having a good microphone.   The catch is, depending on the Live Streaming environment you choose, the mic you have used in the past may not work.

Next week we will discuss exactly that, your Live Streaming environment and how it will affect your microphone choice.

In the meantime, do you have more questions than answers…

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