What Microphone Should I Buy?

So you want to buy a new microphone to film your online class? Let's talk about different types. Each of them are similar on the inside, but pick up sound a bit differently.

First of all, you should know how microphones work, and that there are different types. Microphones record sound waves, then translate those into electronic form. The sound goes in and vibrates against a diaphragm which creates the electronic signals. Interestingly enough this works a lot like the eardrum. 

I guess it's not surprising that microphone inventors took inspiration from the inner workings of the human ear. Cool right?  

Let’s talk about basic types of mics available, since there are some significant differences. Each has it’s pro’s and con’s. Here’s a quick breakdown: 

Ribbon microphones this is actually a type of dynamic mic, perfect for professional studio recording. That's because they’re a bit more delicate than the other types and so a protected environment is best. However, the main reason is that it picks up a very natural sound, from more than one direction. So if you're recording from home and your neighbor turns on the lawnmower while you’re recording, that might be a problem. Not the best mic for recording classes unless you have your own recording studio. 

Dynamic mics or moving coil mics are much more sturdy and therefore are often used on stage. They are the oldest type of microphone and meaning they have a simple construction overall. They are generally great for picking up loud sounds. Because my voice is pretty quiet, I decided against one of these.

Condenser Mics also come in more than one flavor. They pick up quieter and more sensitive sounds than the dynamic mic making it very effective, however, the downside is I can pick up a lot of background sounds as well. There are large diaphragm condenser mics (picks up lower frequency sounds) and small diaphragm condenser mics (picks up higher pitched sounds). So you can choose accordingly. 

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, finding an area to record with lots of carpeting, draperies, wallhangings, etc. will absorb excess echo and background noise. My former condenser mic, shown above, was super sensitive, so I had to go all out in getting as much padding in the room as possible to keep background noise to a minimum.

I recently got a new type of condenser mic called the Rode NT-Mini USB shown above. It conveniently plugs into my computer, and has some very interesting features. Although it's a condenser mic, it's designed to pick up sound directly in front of it while reducing as much background noise as possible. 

It also has another really cool feature. You know those circular things in front of some microphones? (See image below). They're called pop filters and they filter out the loud plosives, or very loud P’s and B’s, that can awkwardly blast your audio tracks. My Rode NT-Mini USB has a built in pop filter so you don't have to worry about getting those annoying plosives or having to mess with attaching a pop filter.

The Rode NT-Mini USB is compact, simple to use, and works with headphones. Can you tell I love it? Not only that, but it comes with it’s own audio editing software! You might think that I’m getting paid for sharing about this but I’m not. I just really truly love this microphone and it's only $99. Is it the best you can buy? No it's not. However, it's an amazing product for the price, and it's all I need.

Rode happens to be a good and reputable brand for audio equipment. What other brands are good? Here's a list: Shure, Sennheiser, Neumann, and Blue Yeti, to name a few. These brands make microphones perfect for class creation, and all have options that won’t break the bank. 

I know this topic can be awfully technical and somewhat confusing, but I hope that this sheds some light on microphones, how they work, and what type you need to create your online class. Have questions? Drop them in the comments below and we can explore them together. Until next time!