Gearing Up
MiCROPHONES 101
mi·cro·phone
noun
1.an instrument for converting
sound waves into electrical
energy variations, which may
then be amplified, transmitted,
or recorded.
M
icrophones come in
all shapes and sizes
- as some of you
may
have
already
encountered. There are
different varieties of
microphone that singers use in
a few different settings such as
live performances, in the
studio, and in the shower. But
in this article, we won’t be
discussing that last example!!
!
So, what components make up
a microphone anyway?!
!
The technology that’s used in
microphones is fairly simple.
Aside from the actual casing
itself, most microphones have
a common mechanism that
helps turn an acoustical sound
into audio signal. The main
component is known as the
Capsule, which is essentially a
mini speaker that’s reverseengineered to detect sound
rather than project sound. Yes,
I said that correctlymicrophones contain the same
technology as that in a
speaker, just working in the
opposite direction. The
components are housed in a
casing, and have connections
to hook the microphone into an
iSing | issue 1
XLR Mic cable. Voila! You
have yourself a microphone. !
!
Though there are many
different brands and
manufacturers, there are two
types of microphones that we
see used by vocalists:
Dynamic and Condenser
microphones.!
!
Dynamic Microphones!
Dynamic Microphones are
what you’ll most commonly
encounter. If you’ve sung into
a microphone before,
chances are that it was some
variation of a Dynamic
Microphone. !
!
The most common example
of a dynamic microphone is
the Shure SM58, which has
earned its place as the
industry standard for a
number of applications, most
commonly with live vocals.
These microphones are built
to last, and can not only
withstand loud decibel levels,
but can pretty much survive all
scenarios on stage.!
!
In fact, many people like to
test build quality of the
microphones off the stage
just to make sure their mic will
stand up to anything.!
!
Condenser Microphones!
Condenser microphones
differ from Dynamic
microphones in several
ways, with the main
difference being that they
require an external power
source. !
Many mixers have a
“Phantom Power” or “48v”
switch that engages this
power signal to be sent to the
microphone, which is
transmitted through the
microphone cable to the mic.
Condenser microphones are
most commonly seen in the
studio versus live
applications because of the
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