Hi guys, I am starting a little project in my home and want to buy a few mics to record. I already bought an Audio Technica AT2020 which I like very much, very transparent response and loud output. As that is a condenser mic, I was wondering if I should get a dynamic mic to complement it...but it's not clear what the pros are. I understand it is less loud, but preamps are there for this reason, so no problem. The frequency response seems to be way more limited, though. Why exactly would I want that, if I can use more flat mics and then eq?
Why would I want a dynamic mic rather than a condenser mic to record?
- Thread starter Laimon
- Start date
Steenamaroo
...
The big selling point of a dynamic mic for me, in my environment, is that you can get much closer to it without having plosive issues.
That might not be true across the board, but an sm7b or re20 will be a lot more tolerant that a nice open grill condenser.
What's the advantage of getting close? The ratio of direct sound to room ambience changes dramatically.
So...If you have a sucky environment, ride the grill of a dynamic.
Also, if you have an especially sibilant singer, a dynamic mic can help a lot with that.
I guess that's down to a combination of frequency response and sensitivity, although I'm not 100% sure about the latter.
Finally, they're generally cheaper.
That might not be true across the board, but an sm7b or re20 will be a lot more tolerant that a nice open grill condenser.
What's the advantage of getting close? The ratio of direct sound to room ambience changes dramatically.
So...If you have a sucky environment, ride the grill of a dynamic.
Also, if you have an especially sibilant singer, a dynamic mic can help a lot with that.
I guess that's down to a combination of frequency response and sensitivity, although I'm not 100% sure about the latter.
Finally, they're generally cheaper.
The big selling point of a dynamic mic for me, in my environment, is that you can get much closer to it without having plosive issues.
That might not be true across the board, but an sm7b or re20 will be a lot more tolerant that a nice open grill condenser.
What's the advantage of getting close? The ratio of direct sound to room ambience changes dramatically.
So...If you have a sucky environment, ride the grill of a dynamic.
Also, if you have an especially sibilant singer, a dynamic mic can help a lot with that.
I guess that's down to a combination of frequency response and sensitivity, although I'm not 100% sure about the latter.
Finally, they're generally cheaper.
That is very interesting. I have lots of musical experience but the AT2020 was the first "professional" (as much as some people will certainly beg to differ) mic I ever bought, and I was quite impressed with the result. I noticed too that I couldn't get it too close to the cab when recording distorted guitars, but the good part is that the sound is very spacious and somewhat tridimensional. It seems to make sense running it in pair with a SM57, so to have the SM57 right on the speaker and the AT2020 a few inches back to take care of the tridimensional factor, and then blend in the 2, no?
Steenamaroo
...
Oh yeah....This too ^.
That's kinda the main reason.
You can certainly toy with blending mics. You're talking about miking a guitar amp, right?
You should be able to get a good tone with one mic up close, but a lot of people like blending in a more distance mic if the room is nice.
VomitHatSteve
Hat STYLE. Not contents.
If you watch out for phase issues, that's probably a pretty good idea to try.
Yeah, of course I'll keep an eye on the phase ;-)
You're probably gonna want more than "a few inches of separation". That's where ugly phase problems do the most damage.
In my own experience, two mics on a cab work best when both are up close, in phase, or one of them is WAY off by several feet.
But try it for yourself and see.
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
There are 3 reasons that immediately come to mind. First, the best condenser mics in the world are over $10,000, which is out of the price range of most folks. Top of the line dynamics (with the exception of higher end ribbon mics) are in the hundreds, not the thousands. The second is that all the high end detail of condensers is not always desirable. Sometimes, all they reveal is that you had a carbonated beverage for lunch. It's like airbrushing photos of centerfolds to make them look *better*. Some details are just annoying. As any lawyer or politician knows, accuracy doesn't always work for you. The third is that condensers and dynamics are the yin and yang of recording. They are tools you need to use to understand. It's like asking why you would want a Fender when you already own a Gibson.
rob aylestone
Moderator
If EQ could produce the sounds you need, we'd only have one mic. In truth they all sound similar but different - and we like the differences because they work for you on some sound sources and against you on others, so finding ones you like is important. I tend to ignore other people's claims about how good or bad things are until I've tried them for myself. We all like and dislike different things - same with mics. My favourite is bound to be somebodies most hated one. That's why SM58s are popular for vocal mics. It's not that they're exceptionally good, because they're not - but they are OK to most people, so do the trick.
Quoted for emphasis.
You can record a lot of stuff with just a M88, RE20, SM7 or 441, which are all top notch dynamics.
Those will give you terrific results for comparably little money.
I haven't tried for drum overheads, but I could make good sounding records with M88 for everything else.
Huge BANG for the buck!
VomitHatSteve
Hat STYLE. Not contents.
Oh, I'd missed the word "inches"! Yeah. The "rule" is supposed to be 3:1, right? If your dynamic is 6" off the grill, the condensor should be 18"?
Shouldn't I be able to fix the phase from the DAW? I mean, in cubase each track has a phase button to invert the phase.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
That's actually a "polarity" invert button (though many still call it a phase invert button).
Phase is more about the time alignment.
Phase Demystified
Steenamaroo
...
Take a look at Miro's link and the images in there.
A recording having inverted polarity is absolute and reversible, whereas a phase discrepancy is stated with reference to a particular frequency and an amount at that frequency.
So two identical mics at the same distance wired for opposite polarity will largely cancel and this can be fixed by hitting flip on one of them,
but two mics with a few inches distance difference are just picking up mostly the same thing with a slight delay, and that delay can cause cancellation at certain frequencies.
There are also further complications because the mic farther away will pick up slightly different combinations of reflections etc. See?
The three to one idea is usually quoted with reference to two mics and two sources (more about bleed/phase than anything), but it's still not a bad thing to observe.
Personally, to make it worthwhile and simple, I'd have a close mic and the other mic at very least a few feet away, then experiment from there.
Plus doing time shifts after the fact is hit and miss.
Can sound great, can sound, uhm, not great.
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
No, the 3:1 rule of thumb is for multiple sources and multiple mics, not one source with multiple mics. It's about isolation, reducing bleed enough that phase is not a problem. With one source you can't isolate since both mics pick up the same source.