Higher or Lower frequency response ? Which picks up more ambient noise?

Abnormalweeny

New member
Hey guys! I was wondering if higher frequency response means less background noise or whatever.For example

Mic1:40Hz-18kHz Condenser
Mic2:50Hz-15kHz Dynamic
mic3:70 Hz to 20 kHz Dynamic

Which would pick up less background noise?
 
If everything else could be equal and the noise is 30 Hz, then yeah mic 3 would get less of it.
But the things that really determine background level in your recording is how loud the background noise vs how loud and how close you are to the mic, and the mic's pattern- tight? wide? omni? etc.
 
There's too many other factors involved to give a meaningful answer. The frequency response of the mic is probably the least of it since most really objectionable background noise is fairly broadband anyway.

The sensitivity and pick up pattern of the mics are probably far more significant than the total frequency response. Indeed, since the differences listed are at the high and low ends of the range, they likely don't make much difference--frequencies below 100Hz are so low that they're more felt than heard--and depending on your age, you might not hear much above 15K anyway.

If this is relating to your other thread where you mention the noise you're concerned about is from the tower for your computer, then that noise (disks and fans) is going to span most of the audible range anyway. Moving your tower, putting deadening material around your desk and playing with the positioning and aiming of your mic are the things you need to do. Changing mics will only be tinkering around the edges, not going for the main problem.
 
how to deaden

Yeah it is i just bought 5 panels of acoustic foam how should i deaden the sound.and the first mic is the blue snowball that doesnt pick up any computer noise i just dont get it
 
There's too many other factors involved to give a meaningful answer. The frequency response of the mic is probably the least of it since most really objectionable background noise is fairly broadband anyway.

The sensitivity and pick up pattern of the mics are probably far more significant than the total frequency response. Indeed, since the differences listed are at the high and low ends of the range, they likely don't make much difference--frequencies below 100Hz are so low that they're more felt than heard--and depending on your age, you might not hear much above 15K anyway.

If this is relating to your other thread where you mention the noise you're concerned about is from the tower for your computer, then that noise (disks and fans) is going to span most of the audible range anyway. Moving your tower, putting deadening material around your desk and playing with the positioning and aiming of your mic are the things you need to do. Changing mics will only be tinkering around the edges, not going for the main problem.

But also the mic i us is a super cardiod which picks up som sound from the back my old mic was a cardiod which picks up no sound from the back. would switching to the cardiod from the super cardiod eliminate bg noise if the front is away? My old mic (the snowball) was cardiod and the back would face away....no bg noise.
 
Super cardioid mics are more directional to the front but have more pick up directly behind them than pure cardioid. This diagram gives an illustration of the problem:

600px-polar_pattern_supercardioid.png

The best rejection from a super/hypercardioid mic is about 30-40 degrees behind the mic (depending on the exact pattern) rather than directly behind. If you watch live performances, sometimes you see monitor wedges placed this way for exactly this reason.
 
Super cardioid mics are more directional to the front but have more pick up directly behind them than pure cardioid. This diagram gives an illustration of the problem:

View attachment 72336

The best rejection from a super/hypercardioid mic is about 30-40 degrees behind the mic (depending on the exact pattern) rather than directly behind. If you watch live performances, sometimes you see monitor wedges placed this way for exactly this reason.
So...... would a cardiod pick up less. such as the sm 58? Or should i get a monitor wedge
 
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