Having a good-sounding microphone in a home studio is crucial for high-quality recordings.
When you have a good microphone, you will be able to record instruments and vocals with a professional sound.
So, it’s important to know what to look for in microphones when you decide to buy one for your studio.
Choosing A Mic For Recording Studio
In this simple guide, I will try to explain what to seek in microphones which will help you to make the right decision when buying a mic.
Microphone Type
Perhaps the first thing to consider when choosing a microphone is the type. And there are two main types of mics – dynamic mic and condenser mic.
Both types of microphones are great for recording but it depends on what model you choose. Some mics can have a great sound but not be as good for recording as others.
Also, dynamic and condenser mics work differently and capture sound in different ways.
For example, if you have a budget for only one mic, then I recommend you to get a dynamic microphone because it will be good for various types of recordings.
You can get a Shure SM57 which is a very popular, affordable, and versatile dynamic microphone.
However, if you have enough money, it’s better to get both types which will give you more options.
And a very important thing to know is that condenser mics require phantom power to operate. So, make sure your audio interface has one.
Frequency Response
Another thing to consider when choosing microphones I frequency response which might sound technical but it’s easy to understand.
A frequency response gives you a picture of what range a mic has on the frequency spectrum which is from 20Hz to 20kHz.
Some mics might have a flat frequency response but some of them may not have as many highs or lows as required.
You might buy the best studio mic but if it can’t capture the details of sound, your recording won’t sound good.
So, when you searching for a microphone online or in music stores, always read the specifications and see what it offers.
But there might be times when you want to have a mic with a small frequency range. It all depends on your needs.
Polar Patterns
The polar pattern is also very important in microphones and it determines how it picks up sound from different directions.
There are different types of polar patterns such as omnidirectional, bi-directional, cardioid, etc. So, you should know a little about them to make the right decision.
For example, an omnidirectional mic picks up sound evenly from any direction but a cardioid microphone picks up more sound from the front than from the back.
For that reason, omnidirectional are good mics for vocals, especially for group vocals because they can pick up sound from any direction.
And if you want more focused sound, for example, to record drums, cardioids are great microphones for recording drums.
What It’s Good For
Although the features mentioned above are important, you must know what type or model of the microphone is good to record a specific instrument or vocals.
Of course, there are no strict rules in recording and you can use any microphone for recording any instrument, but there are some general rules.
For example, I love to record guitars and basses with both types of mics and I blend them together which gives me a better and full sound.
But if I want to get a perfect room sound for drums, I use a condenser microphone because, in my opinion, it’s the best drum overhead mic.
Condensers are also great for acoustic guitars because it captures instrument and room sound which creates a natural reverb effect.
Price
And my final recommendation on how to choose a mic is the price because you don’t need a lot of money to buy a good mic.
There are mics that cost less than $100 and they might sound but in general, especially for a home recording studio, any microphone between $100-$200 would sound great.
This way you will save some money and you can buy a mic stand or some other accessory for your studio.
Or you can get two affordable and different types of microphones which will open more options for you.
Conclusion
Choosing a microphone for a recording studio is an important thing and you should pay attention to different things. I hope my recommendations will help you to choose the right mic to record awesome songs.