microphone

[Beohthram]

im looking to buy a good microphone, as i need to record audio for my work sometimes. i need one that can provide a good clear recording, with no background noise, and able to record voices as well as various other sound effects. can anyone recommend a good one for a decent price?

[Hymie]

Some cheap microphones can perform well, especially for voice recording.

An ideal microphone will have an equal response across a wide frequency range � if there is background noise, then it will faithfully reproduce the background noise.

I would recommend you checkout electret type microphones, providing your input supports such microphones. They tend to be much more sensitive, having a higher output level � thereby reducing noise pick up from the microphone to the recorder input.

[beso]

The Shure SM58 has been the workhorse of many thousands of musicians for decades and is still available. However there are better mics including the SM58's upgraded implementation as the Shure "beta 58". They are expensive but are really quite exceptional.

I use beta58s in a group with a range of other mics including an SM58. All the vocalists acknowledge the outstanding performance of my mics and choose to use them whenever they can.

Remember though that the influence of the hardware on the overall performance does not end at the mic. The microphone preamps are equally critical because the signal level from the mic is so low at this stage. I use a Mackie Onyx mixing desk which has exceptional mic amplifiers.

However I am talking about equipment for advanced vocalists with big singing voices. It isn't quite clear exactly what you are recording.

Hymie is essentially correct about a flat response but doesn't have quite the full story. Due to the nature of sound propogation mics typically have an increased bass response known as the "proximity effect" when working close in. Consequently they are often designed to reduce the response at the bass end of the range. The singer dynamically adjusts the power of their voice and the distance from the mic to get the bass response they want.

Many mics run out of response at the high frequencies. Dynamic mics that use neodymium manets generally have superior high frerquency performance. Condensor mics also have superior high frequency performance. However the dynamic beta58 is equal or superior in this regard to many condensor mics.

[beso]

cont'd...

To reduce background noise you need a directional mic with a narrow pickup angle. The key words are super or hyper cardioid. The smaller the angle specified the better it rejects background noise. Good mics will be quoted between 105 and 115 degrees. However try to avoid noise directly behind the mic because they do pick up some sound in this area.

I would advise you to read up about it on the Shure website. Even if you don't buy a Shure mic you will better understand what is important and why.

Technique is really important so you should also learn about using mics properly.

[Beohthram]

wow. cheers dude, i didnt realise they were so technical. basically i just want to record sound effects and vocals for animation, so something with a low background pickup would be best. ill definately look into it. Thanks again!

[beso]

If you are recording into a computer the first thing to do is get a decent sound card. Don't rely on the onboard audio hardware as they are invariably terrible no matter what mic you use. Once you do this you will probably get the results you need with a $50 mic.

You also need to get away from the computer as the whirring of the hard drive and fans is very easily picked up.

You can also get nice multitrack audio to Firewire converters but his is overkill if you are only recording a single track. With the Firewire stuff the main thing to watch out for is the latency which should be as low as possible.