Condenser Microphones Are The Perfect Choice

Recording condenser microphones have been around since the mid 1920's

. Essentially they are a device for translating sound waves into electrical impulses. Edward Wente began developing them at the Bell Company in 1916 as part of telephone advancement and is acclaimed as their inventor.

The condenser microphone gives amazing clarity and can capture sound nuances with incredible detail. Based on a design using charging capacitance between a fixed back plate and a moving diaphragm, the fluctuation of the diaphragm changes the distance between the two surfaces which in turn alters the capacitance or strength of the electrical charge. Back plates can be made from a range of materials from metallised plastic to solid brass. An ultra thin diaphragm is treated with gold for conductivity which can be applied in many ways from spraying to an evaporated 24 Karat process. The more rigid the back plate and the more evenly the gold is distributed on the diaphragm the more precise the tolerances will be, and the better the recording quality.

Nowadays some items are made using state of the art, computer controlled manufacturing facilities in order to achieve the high levels of precision required and to render the highest quality of sound. All this modern technology can make these microphones very expensive. They are also quite fragile and so they are used mainly for studio work. Small diaphragm models have very good transient response which allows the reproduction of the "speed" of an instrument which is particularly good for strings. While a larger diaphragm gives a deeper sound which is particularly good for vocals.

These days there are USB models for the home or professional DJ. These combine a built-in audio interface and mixer with a studio quality mic allowing the input of backing track and vocals at the same time. With many kinds of mixing and editing computer programs available, this is excellent for the home or project studio.

The other main microphone produced is a dynamic microphone which is more durable but does not have the same clarity. These are more widely used for stage work due to their more rugged nature. Good condenser microphones are generally much more expensive than dynamic microphones. Dynamics are fairly much the same across the board with less low end and a somewhat less defined sound.

Most condenser mics also require the use of external power for the electrical charges. This is easily supplied by most mixing boards. An electret condenser mic has a particular type of capacitor with a built-in permanent voltage, a little like a permanent magnet. Although these don't need an external power source, the best electret mics usually include a pre-amplifier which still needs to be plugged into an outlet. Due to their sensitivity they are not good for certain high sound pressure levels. In addition, a 10 db pad handles the loudest of bass instruments, kick drums and guitar amps, while a bass roll-off filter removes the lower extremes of the sound waves. In some mics these are switchable and can therefore be turned off when not required. For vocals a pop-screen will probably be required as the sensitivity to transient noise will cause the "P" and "SH" sounds to distort.

On the whole the audio recording condenser microphone, which first came into existence as part of a telephone, and then allowed movies to talk, is proving it's worth today in sound studios across the globe. The choice and availability is wide, so there should be something to suit every need and every pocket.

by: Bruce Hathaway

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