(This) Idiot's Guide to Microphones

In which your highly qualified* host covers the most important tool in any recording rig. 

0:00 Intro
0:34 Types of microphones
2:44 Polar patterns
4:09 XLR connections
4:48 Phantom power
5:19 Signal strength ("Do I need a preamp?")
6:13 Mic distance (from the sound source)
7:36 Proximity effect
8:02 Dealing with plosives and breath noise
10:05 Dealing with ambient sound
11:56 Dealing with phase cancellation from room reflections
13:43 The fourth type of mic (that I like and use)
15:27 What do I like (and dislike)?
19:31 Minor rant and outro

#recording #microphone #diy #homerecording #recordingtechniques #songwriter #dawless

[ezeriamoore]

Nice video, Jordan! One thing I would say about phantom power is that it will not damage a dynamic microphone wired properly with an XLR input. It's interesting that when I was coming up this was common teaching but somehow now people seem to be afraid of phantom power. It used to be you'd have some mixing desks where phantom power would just get turned on and you had it on all inputs. So you'd have a mix of dynamics and condensers on the same desk living happily together. If the dynamic mic is wired as unbalanced its possible to damage it. For balanced (XLR) mics, current won't flow because the voltage between pins 2 & 3 are the same and effectively cancel each other out. All that said, you will for sure damage or destroy a ribbon mic with phantom power.

[wkelly-hnkb]

Finally a video about mics geared specifically at me .

Wait ..

[soundthealarm]

You’re speaking voice sounds much better on the ribbon mic. That 57 is so sibilant lol