Sound Bites:
Part two - More about Microphones
| Next comes the cardioid microphone. Sensitive to sounds from the front and sides, if you were able to see the area which the microphone picks up it would be more or less heart shaped, hence it's called cardioid. This type of microphone is ideal for recording vocals since it can ignore a lot of the surrounding noises but still allows the speaker or singer a bit of movement within the pick-up area. |
| If it doesn't matter whether the sound comes from above, below, in front or behind the microphone it is called omnidirectional. One of an omni's advantages is that it doesn't have to be pointed at the subject but you do have to be aware that all the sounds in the vicinity, whether you want them or not, will be picked up. They also tend to be less sensitive to handling and wind noise than directional microphones. |
| There are occasions when you can't get right up close to your subject and this is where the super-cardioids or directional microphones come into play. Because they have a relatively narrow sound "view", this is the most common microphone used by video crews. The recordist does need to keep awake though, since if he points the microphone in the wrong direction, you won't get the sounds you want. |
Microphones have all sorts of
characteristics, one of which is
their sensitivity to sounds
coming from different
directions. In the same way that
you use different focal length
lenses to see different angles
of view, microphones have their
equivalent of wide angles and
telephotos. Some professional
systems have interchangeable
heads to enable you to have a
selection of microphones.
characteristics, one of which is
their sensitivity to sounds
coming from different
directions. In the same way that
you use different focal length
lenses to see different angles
of view, microphones have their
equivalent of wide angles and
telephotos. Some professional
systems have interchangeable
heads to enable you to have a
selection of microphones.
Unless it's absolutely
unavoidable you should use an
off-camera microphone for
recording sound. Even ambient
sound sounds better when
recorded on a decent condensor
mic, directed to where it's
needed and buffered from wind
and thrumble. No matter how
good the camcorder mic is, it's
still dangerously close to zooms,
buttons, fingers and all the bits
on a camera which make noises.
unavoidable you should use an
off-camera microphone for
recording sound. Even ambient
sound sounds better when
recorded on a decent condensor
mic, directed to where it's
needed and buffered from wind
and thrumble. No matter how
good the camcorder mic is, it's
still dangerously close to zooms,
buttons, fingers and all the bits
on a camera which make noises.
Top of the range are the condenser
microphones such as the Sennheiser.
MHK-60, which costs well over a
thousand pounds ( €1600)
However, all is not lost and Sennheiser
also make a range, the K6, for smaller
pockets. Don't be tempted to go for
cheap brands though, as with all things
in life, you get what you pay for.
microphones such as the Sennheiser.
MHK-60, which costs well over a
thousand pounds ( €1600)
However, all is not lost and Sennheiser
also make a range, the K6, for smaller
pockets. Don't be tempted to go for
cheap brands though, as with all things
in life, you get what you pay for.
