Mic qualities/differencs

dsealer

New member
So I've been thinking about a new studio Mic for some time. I posted about this last year. I'm a guy who has played for many years and used lots of different mics for giging, but not much experience with studio mics. I bought a TLM 103 and a couple other condenser mics some years back but only the TLM for basically vocals. I'm hoping to buy a new Mic or 2 this year but I don't know what the different types of mics produce. So I'm hoping to get some answers, advice and suggestions from this post. I want to stick with Large Condenser Mics. $300-$1,000 price range.
1 How are the different types of mics different, Tube and Ribbon?
2 Is Vacuum Tube different from Tube or are they the same type of Mic?
3 if there are Tube and Ribbon mics how are Large Condenser Mics like the TLM categorized ?

I'd also be interested in hearing from those of you who use these types of mics and how you use them and what you might recommend.

Thanks everyone,
Don.....
 
Hi Dsealer,

Probably easiest to split the different types into different mechanisms for capturing sound, and then different types of circuitry.

Mechanically speaking, you're going to run into three main types of microphone - Capacitor (condensers), dynamic, and ribbon.

Capacitors have a very delicate element and rely on a polarising voltage - Usually a phantom power supply.
They're generally very sensitive microphones with a strong output making them more susceptible to handling noise or air blasts, but also resulting in a lower gain requirement from the preamplifier that follows.

Dynamic microphones have a relatively heavy diaphragm with a coil attached. That coil is suspended in a magnetic field and its movement is what generates your voltage output.
These are generally less sensitive with a lower output and better suited to handling or very close proximity applications. That doesn't necessarily mean worse/not as good/low quality,
but often they'll be happier with a high gain preamplifier....60/70/80db.
For all intents, a dynamic microphone is a speaker connected to an input, rather than an output - Same mechanics.

With both capacitor and dynamic, you'll hear of small/medium/large diaphragm.
It is what it is - Just like small/medium/large speakers.
Each will have different characteristics.
For example large diaphragm dynamics (Re20/Md-421) tend to have have lower frequency response than small diaphragm (sm57).

Ribbon microphones follow a similar principle to dynamics but they suspend a thin band of foil/ribbon between two magnets.
These are often very rich and full in low frequency response, but can be very delicate when it comes to plosives or air blasts.
Of the three, these are probably the easiest to break.
Ribbons, broadly speaking, probably have the lowest output of three kinds and almost always benefit from a very high gain preamplifier.
A lot of people will have a preamp specifically for their ribbon mics.

These are generalisations - It is possible to find an active dynamic or ribbon microphone with some sort of amplifier built in.
They generally have their own custom power supply although, again, not a rule.


Tube/Transformer/Fet etc refers to the technology used in the microphone circuit.
Quite, or most, often dynamic microphones and ribbon microphones will not be active and, therefore, will not require a power supply.
Their output is straight from the element, much like a passive guitar pickup.
They may or may not use a transformer either to alter frequency response and tone, or simply to isolate from DC power.

You'll most often see Tube/Fet with reference to capacitor microphones.
This is the same as you'll see tube or solid state guitar amplifiers - Two different methods of amplifying a signal. Each has pros - Each has cons.


Hope that helps to clear some things up for you. :)

Edit: Vacuum tube, tube, and valve are all the same thing.
 
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Price ranges, like a shopping list type mean very little until you have heard the difference for yourself. if you have a grand to waste, you can buy superb mics that you might hate, but you could buy a $50 one you love. It also depends so mucho in what you want, what you need, and what skills you have in using them. Your TLM103 is a very nice microphone but can produce horrible results when used inappropriately. Loads of people love ribbons for their "silky smooth sound" - Ive heard that so often. I think I have used it once. For silky smooth, I would say lacking in top end, and a bit dull - but this is just my view. Loads would I'm sure, love it. For my voice, my saxes and acoustic guitars, it just wouldn't work. Other people no doubt would same the opposite. I like bright sounding mics that I've heard others call "harsh, lacking in warmth".

You mention you have plenty of experience with live sound. Do you have favourites for your voice? Before you buy ANYTHING, try these in your studio. Maybe your acoustics will exaggerate some features of the favourites. This is good, because then you can look for something similar but more flattering? Studio mics tend to be bigger, more fragile, more expensive and a different shape - but the sound isn't always that much different. If you like the sound of a Shure 58 in the studio - don't be afraid to use it. Many big names have done this. Neumann now make live sound mics based on their studio capsule, so live sound can mimic the studio clarity a bit better.

Buying mics of ANY kind that you have never heard leads to wasted money and disappointment. My EV proximity effect-less mic was bought on a whim, because loads say how good they are, but it's just another mic, and after a few months, it rarely left the mic box.
 
It's easy to generalize about about different mic charactersitics to a point but the bottom line is that each unique model of microphone will have its own voice in your room, for your application. The only way to really know that is to get it in your hands and use it for a while. The room itself will play more of a role as the working distance between the source and microphone increases. If you don't have any acoustic treatment for the room, things like bass traps, diffusors, gobos and moving blankets can make a big difference, especially if it's box shaped and relatively small as you're most likely to find in a home enviornment.

The preamp used will also make more or less of a difference with certain microphones. An SM57 for example will sound better through a top shelf preamp.

Large studios will have a large selection of different mics so they can use the individual characteristics of each mic to shape the character of the capture. Even without a huge mic locker, it's considered that mic placement is more critical than mic selection.

Given 2 different models of similar looking large diaphragm condensers, the differences in how they might sound will be affected by the head basket shape, design, construction and tuning of the capsule and the head amplifier. Given how all these variables play a role, it becomes difficult to generalize about how they will sound past a certain point. Many condensers will have an extended range of high frequencies, until you find one that doesn't.

Small diaphragm condensers or "pencil mics" are end address models that tend to have a very natural sounding off axis response, which can be good for capturing the natural ambience of a room. If you take the same capsule and head amp and mount it in a side address housing, the off axis response will no longer be natural. That's not to say it can't be flattering on a given source.

The mass of the pickup element will have an effect on transient response. The lower the mass, the faster the response. It means that a low mass element will start and stop vibrating more quickly when capturing a sound wave. Fast transient response will allow a mic to capture a lot of detail, especially at higher frequencies. A tradeoff here might be that the sound is thin compared to something slower like a moving coil mic that has a pickup element that typicaly has more mass. As an example, if you were recording an orchestra with only one or two mics, a pair of condensers would give you a lot more clarity and separation between the individual instruments compared to a pair of SM57's. But the SM57 might just sound better for some reason on a vocal. Vocals in particular are hard to nail a good mic choice for, because we all have different voices. The one that sounds best on your voice for the track you're doing should be the one you use regardless of cost, type or what it looks like.

Dynamic mics are either moving coil types, or ribbon mics. "Dynamic" often implies moving coil (eg. SM57, RE20 etc.) although technically ribbon mics are a different type of dynamic. So as far as transient response, condensers are usually the fastest, moving coils are the slowest and ribbon mics fall in between. Having said that, there are some moving coil mics that have full range response and fairly low mass cartridges for that type. Examples are some of the Beyerdynamic mics (M88), Heil and the Sennheiser 441.

The polar pattern of a mic is something else that can be used to shape the sound. All microphones will be at least slightly more directional at higher frequencies, but a true omni microphone will generally capture sound from all directions. They have negligable proximity effect and the best off axis response (in theory they don't have an "off axis") for very natural sound quality. Cardioid mics have a heart shaped pickup pattern designed to reject sound from the rear. The off axis response of these mics can range anywhere from excellent to whacked depending on what mic you're talking about, and they usually have at least some proximity effect, the most notable exceptions being the EV "Variable D" types like the RE20. As the pattern changes from cardioid to hypercardioid and supercardioid, the 180 degree (rear) side of the mic starts to have a very small pickup envelope while the "null" point where sound is rejected gets moved to an angle off the side. These types have more pronounced proximity effect and better rejection at the null. Figure 8 mics (or bi-directional, same thing) pick up sound from the front and rear, and reject sound at 90 and 270 degrees off axis. Most ribbon mics are naturally figure 8. They have the most rejection off axis, and the most proximity effect. With many of the directional mics (anything from cardioid to figure 8) you can change the high end of the capture by tilting the mic slightly on or off axis. You can change the low end of the capture through proximity effect by changing the working distance of the mic to the source. By using an omidirectional mic you can get very close to a source without the bass buildup from proximity effect.

With a few exceptions like placing a fragile mic inside a hostile enviornment like a kick drum, a microphone doesn't know or care what it's capturing.
 
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