Get The Right Microphone To Fit Your Needs

by
LinkedInCopyPrint

There’s a great article from Adam Molina on soundguys.com that walks you through all of the considerations for selecting a microphone to use when creating online content. It’s clearly written in response to the uptick in organizations and individuals joining the ranks of online content creators.

As a result, it’s an excellent mix of ground floor understanding and technical considerations to help you match a microphone with your usage and budget.

Plenty of technical jargon isn’t important, but it can be hard to tell it apart from the important stuff. Plenty of salespeople will just assume you know all of it when you ask about mics. So what do you need to look for in a microphone? Whether you’re shooting a short film, starting a YouTube channel, or upgrading your podcast setup, these are a few things you should know.

Something like selecting hardware to use for creating online content is one of those job requirements that now falls squarely in the lap of admins and musicians, the article is a good place to go, regardless your experience.

The article is broken into several sections designed to cover practical knowledge and critical tips for audio recording newbies:

  1. What’s your intended use case?
  2. What are the different kinds of microphones?
  3. Should you get a USB or XLR microphone?
  4. What are polar patterns?
  5. What is frequency response?
  6. What is sensitivity and SPL?
  7. Tips and tricks
    1. Treat the room
    2. Lavs shouldn’t be bumped
    3. Do you need an audio interface?
    4. Aim shotguns mics down at the chest
    5. Look into getting a Cloudlifter if you have a powerful dynamic mic

Each section is short and sweet so if you’re concerned this will come across as a lecture or online learning course, rest easy. Even if you aren’t looking to purchase microphones, this article has a number of useful considerations.

Read What To Look For In A Microphone

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

LinkedInCopyPrint

Related Posts