This article is part of a series that aims to help independent musicians make the most of their time in the recording studio. Whenever you're in the studio it's important to be prepared so you can get the best product, while saving time and money. The topic of this article is Microphone Selection. How important is the type of microphone you select to the final recording? This is a very good question and an area which causes a lot of confusion for many. People who have been in the studio a number of times have probably noticed the fact that there are numerous microphones used to record different voices and instruments.
For any kind of live music recording, the microphone will play a huge part in the recording process. In the old days a few large studios would spend a huge amount of money on microphones and they would use them for a very long time. The reality is, that in the last 10 to 20 years we have seen a huge interest in manufacturers who are making microphones for the home and project studio market that are relatively inexpensive (under $1000) that make fantastic recordings.
The main point to take away from this is not the dollar amount spent on a microphone but how well suited that microphone is to the voice or instrument being recorded. Understanding that comes from recording a lot of music and seeing how those recordings bear out in the mixing and mastering process. Ideally you want to have access to a small variety of microphones to be able to test what works best for every separate situation. You may also want to use multi-microphone recording where you use more than one microphone to record an instrument.
Your producer or engineer's understanding of what type of microphone is being used where it is positioned and how it reacts to the sound being recorded is very important. There is an art and science to microphone use in the recording studio. Although much can be done in the mixing and mastering stages of the music production work flow, these pre-production aspects matter a great deal. It is important to not forget the importance of all the different stages as they all play a role in the final product. Microphone selection and use is one such stage. In essence, microphone selection is very important but not necessarily for the reasons you may first think.
Andrew Yankiwski is a professional audio engineer and owner of Precursor Productions, an Online Mastering Studios.
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