7 Most Common Types of Microphones: How Many Do You Know?
For musicians, a microphone is a very personal item, and its selection often involves considering multiple factors. Among the vast array of microphones, there is no theorem stating that 'a certain type of microphone is the best.' Each type of microphone has its unique characteristics and purposes, producing different sound textures. Below, we will explore the 7 common types of microphones.
Dynamic Microphone
The term "dynamic" refers to the tightly connected wire coil on the diaphragm constantly moving within a magnetic field according to changes in sound pressure, thereby generating a current proportional to the amplitude of the sound wave. Thus, the acoustic signal is converted into an electrical signal.
Since the coil in a dynamic microphone directly cuts the magnetic field to generate current, dynamic mics do not require external power. The advantages of dynamic microphones lie in their simplicity and robustness. The drawback is that the diaphragm's response to rapidly changing sound waves is not as fast as other types of microphones due to being "dragged down" by the wire coil.
It is challenging for a dynamic microphone to capture the high-frequency energy of cymbals, but it can perform satisfactorily when capturing solid kick drum or snare drum tones. Dynamic microphones are also frequently used to record the sound from electric guitar amplifiers.
Dynamic microphones are often used for vocal recording, largely due to tradition. Since early condenser microphones were bulky and fragile. However, even though condenser microphones specifically designed for live vocals are now ubiquitous, their generally higher average price often leads people to prefer dynamic microphones, which can also perform the job excellently.
Small-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Condenser microphones are designed based on electrostatic principles. The diaphragm and backplate form a capacitor unit. The vibration of the diaphragm caused by sound waves changes the potential difference between it and the backplate, thus converting the acoustic signal into an electrical signal. Condenser microphones generally have built-in amplifiers because the output of the capacitor unit is very weak. They require external 48V phantom power or batteries.
The significance of choosing a small-diaphragm condenser microphone is that those small diaphragms, around 12 mm in diameter, are highly sensitive to sound wave vibrations. The larger the diaphragm, the less sensitive it is to sounds not directly facing the microphone, and the more pronounced the coloration caused by resonance.
If you desire extremely precise sound pickup, then a small-diaphragm condenser microphone is the best choice. It's important to note that more precise sound isn't necessarily more satisfying; sometimes precise sound can lack vitality and power. However, if you want to completely faithfully record natural sounds, a small-diaphragm condenser microphone should be your choice.
Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Previously, microphone manufacturers couldn't make diaphragms as compact as they are now; all condenser microphones back then should be called "large-diaphragm condenser microphones." Of course, there's no strict boundary defining what constitutes a "large diaphragm" versus a "small diaphragm." As mentioned, a size around 12 mm can be called a "small diaphragm," while 24 mm or larger can be considered a "large diaphragm." When purchasing microphones, we may find that some seemingly large microphones surprisingly have very small diaphragms inside, so diaphragm size is a parameter requiring special attention.
The advantage of large-diaphragm condenser microphones is that they deliver the sound particularly favored in recording studios – not the most natural sound, but one that is thick, warm, and feels very comfortable regardless of what is being recorded.
The downside is that the higher the sound frequency, the more directional the large-diaphragm condenser microphone becomes. If recording directly on-axis, this isn't a problem. But if using two microphones for stereo recording, sounds arriving from the sides might yield unsatisfactory results.
Tube Microphone
The design and manufacture of this type of microphone date back to the early days of condenser microphones. At that time, because transistors weren't widely adopted, the built-in amplifiers in condenser microphones used vacuum tubes. Although some early tube microphones used small diaphragms, most tube microphones we see today feature large diaphragms.
The advantage of tube microphones is that tube amplifiers tend to produce a very pleasant and comfortable type of distortion, known as a "warm sound." For vocals, this warm distortion is often regarded as a panacea.
Unlike other types of microphones, tube microphones have become highly sought-after and often remain expensive because the era of vacuum tubes is long past.
Ribbon Microphone
A ribbon microphone is a special type of dynamic microphone. While a traditional dynamic microphone has a wire coil tightly attached to its diaphragm, a ribbon microphone combines the diaphragm and the wire coil into a single strip of aluminum (or metal foil). Because the ribbon is very thin and light, its sensitivity to sound waves can rival condenser microphones, although ribbon microphone sound is generally relatively darker.
Ribbon microphones can record detailed but slightly dark sounds. This often leads to their artistic use in recording studios.
Ribbon microphones are generally very fragile – so fragile that some brands' manuals warn users: "Walk slowly when carrying a ribbon microphone to avoid air moving through it too fast and displacing the ribbon."
Like dynamic microphones, most ribbon microphones do not require external power (except for some with built-in amplifiers). However, the output of ribbon microphones is generally quite low, so they perform better when paired with a preamplifier.
Electret Microphone
An electret microphone is a special type of condenser microphone. We already know that the principle of a condenser microphone involves changes in the amount of polarized charge on the capacitor, generating an electrical signal across the capacitor terminals to achieve acoustic-to-electrical signal conversion.
Electret material is a type of material that can permanently retain an electrical charge after being charged. Utilizing this principle, the electret material on the diaphragm or backplate provides the constant voltage required by the capacitor unit, eliminating the need for a power supply section in the microphone. However, the built-in amplifier still requires battery or phantom power. It's important to note that battery-powered electret microphones have poorer sensitivity and weaker maximum sound pressure handling capabilities compared to phantom-powered ones.
Due to their low cost and small size, electret microphones are widely used in handheld devices. Electret microphones with integrated FET preamplifiers can provide high performance. Many of the world's most precise microphones today are also electret microphones.
Piezoelectric Microphone
Piezoelectric microphones, also called crystal microphones, operate on the principle of the piezoelectric effect in certain materials – where sound causes deformation of the material, resulting in a change in voltage.
Piezoelectric microphones today mainly exist as contact microphones, a typical example being guitar pickups. Piezoelectric microphones directly pick up the physical vibration of the sound source, rather than sound waves vibrating in the air. The benefit is isolating the instrument sound from other sounds. However, sound captured this way isn't particularly authentic, so the application of piezoelectric microphones is relatively limited.
Summary
These are the 7 types of microphones classified according to their working principles. Understanding their basic working principles and identifying their unique sounds is an essential skill for every music producer.
Dynamic Microphone
The term "dynamic" refers to the tightly connected wire coil on the diaphragm constantly moving within a magnetic field according to changes in sound pressure, thereby generating a current proportional to the amplitude of the sound wave. Thus, the acoustic signal is converted into an electrical signal.
Since the coil in a dynamic microphone directly cuts the magnetic field to generate current, dynamic mics do not require external power. The advantages of dynamic microphones lie in their simplicity and robustness. The drawback is that the diaphragm's response to rapidly changing sound waves is not as fast as other types of microphones due to being "dragged down" by the wire coil.
It is challenging for a dynamic microphone to capture the high-frequency energy of cymbals, but it can perform satisfactorily when capturing solid kick drum or snare drum tones. Dynamic microphones are also frequently used to record the sound from electric guitar amplifiers.
Dynamic microphones are often used for vocal recording, largely due to tradition. Since early condenser microphones were bulky and fragile. However, even though condenser microphones specifically designed for live vocals are now ubiquitous, their generally higher average price often leads people to prefer dynamic microphones, which can also perform the job excellently.
Small-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Condenser microphones are designed based on electrostatic principles. The diaphragm and backplate form a capacitor unit. The vibration of the diaphragm caused by sound waves changes the potential difference between it and the backplate, thus converting the acoustic signal into an electrical signal. Condenser microphones generally have built-in amplifiers because the output of the capacitor unit is very weak. They require external 48V phantom power or batteries.
The significance of choosing a small-diaphragm condenser microphone is that those small diaphragms, around 12 mm in diameter, are highly sensitive to sound wave vibrations. The larger the diaphragm, the less sensitive it is to sounds not directly facing the microphone, and the more pronounced the coloration caused by resonance.
If you desire extremely precise sound pickup, then a small-diaphragm condenser microphone is the best choice. It's important to note that more precise sound isn't necessarily more satisfying; sometimes precise sound can lack vitality and power. However, if you want to completely faithfully record natural sounds, a small-diaphragm condenser microphone should be your choice.
Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Previously, microphone manufacturers couldn't make diaphragms as compact as they are now; all condenser microphones back then should be called "large-diaphragm condenser microphones." Of course, there's no strict boundary defining what constitutes a "large diaphragm" versus a "small diaphragm." As mentioned, a size around 12 mm can be called a "small diaphragm," while 24 mm or larger can be considered a "large diaphragm." When purchasing microphones, we may find that some seemingly large microphones surprisingly have very small diaphragms inside, so diaphragm size is a parameter requiring special attention.
The advantage of large-diaphragm condenser microphones is that they deliver the sound particularly favored in recording studios – not the most natural sound, but one that is thick, warm, and feels very comfortable regardless of what is being recorded.
The downside is that the higher the sound frequency, the more directional the large-diaphragm condenser microphone becomes. If recording directly on-axis, this isn't a problem. But if using two microphones for stereo recording, sounds arriving from the sides might yield unsatisfactory results.
Tube Microphone
The design and manufacture of this type of microphone date back to the early days of condenser microphones. At that time, because transistors weren't widely adopted, the built-in amplifiers in condenser microphones used vacuum tubes. Although some early tube microphones used small diaphragms, most tube microphones we see today feature large diaphragms.
The advantage of tube microphones is that tube amplifiers tend to produce a very pleasant and comfortable type of distortion, known as a "warm sound." For vocals, this warm distortion is often regarded as a panacea.
Unlike other types of microphones, tube microphones have become highly sought-after and often remain expensive because the era of vacuum tubes is long past.
Ribbon Microphone
A ribbon microphone is a special type of dynamic microphone. While a traditional dynamic microphone has a wire coil tightly attached to its diaphragm, a ribbon microphone combines the diaphragm and the wire coil into a single strip of aluminum (or metal foil). Because the ribbon is very thin and light, its sensitivity to sound waves can rival condenser microphones, although ribbon microphone sound is generally relatively darker.
Ribbon microphones can record detailed but slightly dark sounds. This often leads to their artistic use in recording studios.
Ribbon microphones are generally very fragile – so fragile that some brands' manuals warn users: "Walk slowly when carrying a ribbon microphone to avoid air moving through it too fast and displacing the ribbon."
Like dynamic microphones, most ribbon microphones do not require external power (except for some with built-in amplifiers). However, the output of ribbon microphones is generally quite low, so they perform better when paired with a preamplifier.
Electret Microphone
An electret microphone is a special type of condenser microphone. We already know that the principle of a condenser microphone involves changes in the amount of polarized charge on the capacitor, generating an electrical signal across the capacitor terminals to achieve acoustic-to-electrical signal conversion.
Electret material is a type of material that can permanently retain an electrical charge after being charged. Utilizing this principle, the electret material on the diaphragm or backplate provides the constant voltage required by the capacitor unit, eliminating the need for a power supply section in the microphone. However, the built-in amplifier still requires battery or phantom power. It's important to note that battery-powered electret microphones have poorer sensitivity and weaker maximum sound pressure handling capabilities compared to phantom-powered ones.
Due to their low cost and small size, electret microphones are widely used in handheld devices. Electret microphones with integrated FET preamplifiers can provide high performance. Many of the world's most precise microphones today are also electret microphones.
Piezoelectric Microphone
Piezoelectric microphones, also called crystal microphones, operate on the principle of the piezoelectric effect in certain materials – where sound causes deformation of the material, resulting in a change in voltage.
Piezoelectric microphones today mainly exist as contact microphones, a typical example being guitar pickups. Piezoelectric microphones directly pick up the physical vibration of the sound source, rather than sound waves vibrating in the air. The benefit is isolating the instrument sound from other sounds. However, sound captured this way isn't particularly authentic, so the application of piezoelectric microphones is relatively limited.
Summary
These are the 7 types of microphones classified according to their working principles. Understanding their basic working principles and identifying their unique sounds is an essential skill for every music producer.