AUDIO
WHY MICS DON ’ T ALL SOUND THE SAME | Bill Gibson
This article is taken from a book I wrote called , First 50 Recording Techniques You Should Know to Track Music . It is by far the most concise book I ’ ve written because the series format demands only the most necessary information be presented on each topic . The depth of this text comes when all 50 of the techniques are considered together , even though individual techniques provide a very focused set of considerations .
CHOOSING THE RIGHT MICROPHONE
OVERVIEW : The microphone you choose makes a big difference in the quality of the sounds you capture . Many recording industry icons use mic choice and technique to get the sounds they know they ’ ll need in the mix . They steer clear of equalization and compression altogether . Listen to the work of Bruce Swedien ( Michael Jackson , Quincy Jones , Count Basie , Duke Ellington , and many more ) and Al Schmitt ( Diana Krall , Paul McCartney , Bob Dylan , and many more ). Both of these engineers are extreme minimalists when it comes to using EQ and compression , yet their work is extremely powerful and perfectly balanced .
CHALLENGE : It takes a lot of experience to know during tracking what sound you ’ ll need from a voice or instrument in the mix . But , that should be a goal in the recording process . Moving a mic closer to the source results in an increase in low frequencies . Moving the mic away from the source results in a decrease in low frequencies . So , finding just the right distance from the source for the ideal balance of highs and lows is critical to the quality of the recorded sound . However , the room that the sound is captured in also plays an important role in the sound quality . At first , if you don ’ t have access to rooms that sound great , it might be necessary to move in closer to the source just to minimize undesirable coloration from the room acoustics . Simply because an acoustical space might not enhance the miked sound , it ’ s not practical to exclusively use mic technique to get exactly the sound you want , this should still be what you strive for in your recordings .
SOLUTION : Using the best mic for the recording is very important . For recording , there are three commonly used mic types : dynamic ( movingcoil ), condenser , and ribbon .