RWhite said:
For what its worth, I enjoy discussions on both the "hows" and "whys".
Then why the hell hasn't anybody else pointed out that Blue Bear was absolutely correct about "proximity effect"?
It doesn't make a darn bit of difference if the mike is a small condensor, large condensor, dynamic, or a ribbon - "proximity effect" is a function of the pattern, with the "effect" being strongest in Figure 8, then Hyper-Cardioid, then Cardioid, then Omni mode (having none).
Proximity effect can be used to give a nice boost to the voice, but it will also boost ANYTHING that gets too close, including acoustic guitars.
It's caused when the sound from the front is much louder then the sound getting into the back of the mic (which is how a cardioid works). It only occurs when you're in the mic's near field. All pressure gradient mic designs exhibit "proximity effect" to some degree, while a true pressure mic (omni) will not.
Again it has nothing to do with whether the mic is a small diaphragm condensor, large diaphragm condensor, dynamic, ribbon, or plasma modulated. It's a function of the chosen pattern. There is a way to lower proximity effect in cardioid mics (EV's "Variable D" design, for example), but a simple bass roll-off switch works about as well.