[Finally] New studio tour
Posted Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 12:24 pm by Dave Moyer
After the Holiday Marathon was (finally) over, I took a minute to film that new studio tour you all have been clamoring for. Now stop it and put those clams back where you found them. (Oh yeah. And Merry Christmas, Happy Haunnukah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, and/or whatever holiday you’ll be celebrating this December.)
What’s in a Mic? [Part 4]
Posted Thursday, December 11th, 2008 9:00 am by Dave Moyer
This is Part 4 of my four day series on the myriad of microphones floating around podcasters’ heads nowadays (has anyone seen my sugarplums?). You can also read parts one, two and three if you missed the memo.
As we draw our microphone Odyssey to a close, let’s take a look at one more kind of mic that is becoming more prominent than ever- the high end dynamic. I know what many of you are thinking. “Dave, we did those already. Remember? The ones at the Karaoke bar?” Don’t worry, you’re not going crazy (at least not yet). I covered dynamics back in dav one, but there’s a whole other category that is found in nearly every radio studio or big-bucks podcasting studio: dynamic mics that sound good. These mics have larger diaphragms (the part that picks up sound) than those onstage with Hannah Montana, resulting in a very good signal with much less extra noise.
Starting at around $325, these mics pick up much less noise than a condenser, with very similar sound quality. Though some do better than others, these mics have great “off axis” noise rejection, which can sometimes cause a problem for inexperienced broadcasters. If you choose to go this route, make sure you can talk right into the microphone, otherwise you’ll end up with a show full of silence, which isn’t great unless you’re doing a show on miming. (What, you haven’t heard of “Glass Box Insider?”)
A favorite of mine in this category is my pride and joy, the mic I use and love, the Heil PR-40 ($325), which has the best off-axis noise rejection in the biz. While it has a definite “sweet spot” and requires great technique, it yields sound as good as, if not better than high-end condensers. Other broadcast biz classics include the Electrovoice RE-20 (if you’ve ever seen a radio studio, you’ve seen this mic- it’s pictured at the top of this post), its’ sister product the RE27, and the Shure SM7B. Different microphones cater to different voices! Call up a music store or rent a few and see what works best for you before you take the plunge.
Seeing as these mics are dynamic, they require no phantom power (in fact, many can be damaged if you send them 48 volts, so don’t!), but a preamp is still a necessary accessory to get a reasonable level of sound. Other items that are worthwhile to pick up with your shiny large diaphragm dynamic include a shock-mount (not as necessary as with a condenser, but nobody wants to ruin a smooth-sounding recording with a bumpity-bump) and a stand.
Well, we’ve come to the end of our trip down the mic aisle, and I hope you’ve returned at least a bit enlightened or perhaps slightly entertained. Did you like what you read this week? Let me know what you think- you have permission to comment freely. It’s the only way I can learn. Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of the week.
- Dave
What’s in a Mic? [Part 3]
Posted Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 9:00 am by Dave Moyer
This Part 3 of my four day series on the many types of microphones scurrying around the many studios of the world today. You can read parts one and two here and here, respectively.
If you read part two of this series yesterday, I’m sure you remember the condenser microphone. Well, today, we’re bringing that mic back around in another form (my favorite). Introducing… the USB condenser! A new kind of product has jumped out of the shadows rather quickly, and it’s taken the podcasting world by storm. These mics are, as you would expect, condenser microphones, but rather than dealing with preamps and the many woes that come along with them in a blister-wrapped package, they connect to any computer via a USB cable. The USB port supplies power, and volume is usually amplified via a small applet on the computer as well.
Favorites in this category include the Blue Snowball mic, renowned for its’ circular shape, and its’ baby brother the Snowflake, famous for it’s pocket-sized clip design. I also am a fan of the original USB condenser, the Samson C01U, and the many other mics offered by Samson of this kind. You can find mics like this all over the net, available from around $30 (Snowflake) into the two-hundreds.
Hold your Paypals, folks- I have a few disclaimers before you go and grab your own. Most of these mics don’t have a headphone input, and it can be difficult to monitor your audio while you record. If you are, however, confident in your ability to point your head in generally the right direction and not talk louder than a Golden Retriever after a tennis ball, you should be fine- you’ll get used to it. If not, however, you may be better off with a microphone like this one here, sporting an inline headphone jack, or maybe a standard condenser+preamp rig.
Some important accessories are a stand and shockmount, just like a normal condenser. More information on those can be found in part two.
Be sure to join me tomorrow for the final installment of this epic series, in which we witness the return of the dynamic mic. If you like what you’re reading, or even if you don’t, pass along your thoughts (I’d give you a penny for them if I had a penny). The comment form is right down there by the moldy drinking fountain.
What’s in a Mic? [Part 2]
Posted Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 9:00 am by Dave Moyer
This is Part 2 of my four day series on the many types of microphones gracing the world today. You can read part one here.
Moving on up the line, we find the close cousin of the stereo (phono plug if you want to get technical) headset, the stereo USB microphones. Though most reside on a headset, you can also find these on plastic desktop booms. You can often find these for $30 and up, and they have considerably better quality than you’d find on a simple mic of the first category. The main reason in my mind is the fact that they’re USB. Because the signal is digital (read more about digital vs. analog in a previous post here) before it even reaches the computer, you get a better quality signal than you would when you convert the analog signal of the mini plugs on stereo headsets (above) to digital within the soundcard. Many of the hosts of my podcasts use these, and Leo Laporte of TWiT.TV recommends USB frequently for the same reason.
If you’re getting a little tired of sound quality similar to that of a tin can and a string, let’s move even further up our list to a category near and dear to the hearts of many podcasters, broadcasters and musicians alike: the condenser microphones. These are most commonly found in lower budget broadcast studios and nearly all music recording studios around the world, and they are a significant step up from the rest. What makes these mics different is all inside. While I won’t get into the nitty-gritty tech specs, they’re built with a different kind of diaphragm that, essentially, captures sound better. One issue that one will encounter with any condenser, however, is the fact that they pick up literally EVERYTHING. While dynamics and stereo mics have fairly good noise cancellation (some even have special parts to do just that), condensers are built in a way that causes them to pick up every bump, whisper, or mouse click on all sides. If this might be an issue for you, a condenser’s not your best choice.
Also, because of their insides, condensers unfortunately need to be powered. by an external source. They need a special kind of power, 48 volts to be specific. This is commonly referred to as “phantom power”. Thankfully, this isn’t hard to find, and literally all “preamps” (boxes that amplify a mic to the point where it’s actually audible) have a switch to supply that power via your condenser’s XLR cable. Condensers start at around $50 (take a look at the Behringer B1 or C1 for good entry-level mics in this category), moving up to anywhere in the $500 to $600 range. You’ve got a big selection here, no doubt about it! In additon, a good preamp will run you another $30 or so. Other extras include a necessary stand, and a mostly essential “shock mount” (shown in the picture at right) to reduce most bumps and jostles that are inevitable during recording.
Another day, another couple of sound-capturing cans down. Be sure to tune in tomorrow when we add some MORE USB options. If you’ve got thoughts, get ‘em out of your brain and into that comment form for this post. I’d love to hear them.
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