Recording a sound for a movie is a daunting task. One needs lots of efforts, practice and good sound equipments for record clear sound. It is vital to choose the right kind of microphone according to the situation to avoid any kind of mishap.
A sound recording artist knows the importance of choosing the correct microphone. It is because a lot depends on them and they all perform different functions. Let’s have a look at them.
Dynamic Microphone
A dynamic microphone is also known as coil microphone because it has a moving coil in it. All microphones are designed to convert sound waves into energy but they all work in different ways. A dynamic microphone converts sound energy into electrical energy by the use of its diaphragm, magnet and electromagnetic conduction. It usually works like a speaker but in reverse. It uses a magnet to turn sound waves into voltage. One of the most important qualities of dynamic microphones in that they can incorporate lots of signals and maintain their quality. It is because these mics are not sensitive and that’s the reason it used mostly to cover music concerts.
Condenser Microphone
Condenser microphones are great for studio recordings because of their high sensitivity and signal to noise ratio. They have the ability to pick-up the signals quickly as they are highly specialized capacitor. These microphones work on the principle of battery conversion and therefore use phantom power by converting it into voltage. Phantom power works as a power booster in such microphones as it sends voltage.
Some people use condenser microphones for live concerts but it is not recommended because of their higher sensitivity. It happens because they have more distortion to heat and it is ideal to use them in a small and compact environment. The closer they are to a subject, the clearer they record a sound. These microphones come with thin and light plates that act as a diaphragm for them.
Omni directional microphone
As the name suggests, omni directional microphones are the ones that hear sound from all the directions. In other words, these microphones are equally sensitive to sounds coming from every direction. Hence, they are great for recording the ambience of a scene or to record different voices simultaneously. They are closest to human hearing abilities as we can also hear sounds from different directions.
Cardoid
Cardoid microphones are also known as uni directional microphones and they focus on sound coming from only one direction. They have a heart shaped diaphragm which sensitive to sound waves from one direction only. Cardoid microphones are generally used to record interviews and studio recordings because they do not pick the sound coming from other sides.
