Equipment Part 2... Microphones

Having talked about the importance of the signal path in the previous post, our next topic is to discuss the front end of the signal path, the microphones.

We use a number of different microphones depending on the job in hand but there are certain microphones that we use all of the time from the point of view of sonic performance as well as practicality.

If we are recording a voice over, (out of shot) the first call microphone will always be the (Electrovoice) RE20. This is a dynamic microphone, it is durable and totally reliable and running it through the Neve preamp, into the Fat Track and then optically into Pro Tools is the method that we always use. Oh and it sounds great!


Electrovoice RE20

We always put up a pop shield in front of the mic to absorb the plosives. It's a first class microphone and perfect for the VO role.

When we're recording a VO (voice over) to camera, we use a 'shotgun' mic. This type of microphone features a highly focused sensitivity. In the picture below you will notice the ridges along the sides. These result in wave cancellation which eliminates significantly the 'off-axis' sound. Perfect for in-obtrusive, invisible recording. 


Sennheiser 'Shotgun' Mic

Setting up microphones to record drums can involve a single microphone or 10 (or more) mic's, depending on how elaborate you want to make the recording.

The word 'practicality' was mentioned earlier and this is often a defining factor. If you are going to set up 10 microphones to record with, you also have to think about mixing 10 sound sources as well as the inherent issues of 'phase', which I will talk about in detail another time.

Our 'practical' solution is to use a simple but highly effective set up, which accurately captures the sound and sonic space of the drum kit.

The pictures below show a basic three microphone drum recording set up: two spaced overheads (left & right) and a kick drum mic.

The first picture features the two overheads: AKG414's, which are a matched pair (factory paired for similarity of response). The AKG414 is an industry standard which provides a highly accurate and detailed sound.


AKG414's

The second picture features a second option, two Sennheiser 614's, small diaphragm condenser microphones which also provide a high quality sound but at a much lower price.


Sennheiser 614's

Below, for the kick drum mic we have a number of options:

Electrovoice RE20

Shure Beta 52 Mic

Sennheiser 605