Microphone Basics: Type, Frequency Response, and Polar Patterns

If you want to set up a home studio to record your vocals.  The  first thing you will need to consider is what type of microphone to use.

Hello.  I'm Byron Gore from Los Angeles and I have a few pointers to help you chose the correct type of microphone for your recording needs.


This lesson is for week 1 of Introduction To Music Production at Coursera.org.
I will be teaching - Microphone Basics: Type, Frequency Response, and Polar Patterns.

There are two main types of microphones on the market.

• Dynamic Microphones.
• And condenser Microphones.

Dynamic Microphones.

A dynamic microphones such as the Shure SM58 (see picture below) are typically used on stage for vocals because they don't pick up much of the environment around them.  They are also very rugged and don't break easily, and they don't require any external power to enable them to work.

Condenser Microphones.

Condenser microphones such as the MXL V63M (see picture below) are very sensitive to sound and the environment around them.  They are typically used in studios because they pick up the noise in the environment. They would be unsuitable on stage as they can cause feedback due to there sensitivity.   They can also break far more easily that dynamic microphones.  Condenser microphones also require external power in order for them to work. This external power is called 'Phantom Power' also known as +48 or 48 Volts. because they need 48 Volts of electricity in order for them to work.

If you are looking for a microphone for your studio.  I would recommended a medium to large diaphragm  condenser mic as they pick up sounds more accurately.  Much like your ears, where as a Dynamic microphone would not.

Microphone Frequency Response

Dynamic microphones pick up vocal frequencies well and reject surrounding sounds.
Condenser microphones are designed to pick up everything.

If you look at frequency response charts of microphones they will show you what frequencies it's designed to pick up and what frequencies it will reject.

SM58 frequency response chart.

If we look at the diagram below we can see that the SM58  has a frequency peak of around 5000Hz. Which picks up the voice well and rolls off the bottom end. (low frequencies) The areas below voice that aren't  typical heard or needed.

MXL V63M frequency response chart.

If we look below at the frequency response chart of The MXL V63M we can see it picks up as much sound as possible and has a pretty flat frequency response compared to the SM58. 

Polar Patterns.

Another big consideration when choosing a microphone is it's polar pattern.
A polar pattern describes what areas around the microphone it picks up well and what areas it rejects.

The SM58 for example has a Cardioid or directional polar pattern. If you look at the chart below you can see it looks a little like a heart.  You can see from the diagram that it doesn't pick up sound well at the bottom but it does all around to top.  It's specifically designed that way so it doesn't pick up the sound of the stage monitors or the surrounding environment and instruments.  it will give you a more focused sound as it's pointed directly at the sound source.

Microphones can have a variety of polar patterns.

Other varieties of polar patterns include.

Omnidirectional (picks up sound all around the microphone.

Figure eight.  Picks up sound from the front and the back of the microphone.

There are more types of polar patterns but theses are the main ones.

Polar patterns will have a major influence to how much of the space of the room you are capturing. 
Cardioid will have a very focused sound and not pick up much of the room
Omnidirectional will pick up much more of the space you are in. 
So you have to consider if you want to capture the sound of the room (space) Or the specific sound source.

Some more expensive microphones can give you the option to select different polar patterns with a flick of a switch.

So looking back at what we just went over there are some pretty simple yet very important things to consider when choosing a microphone.

What type of microphe do you need?
Dynamic or Condenser?
What frequency response would be most suited for your needs?
And do you need something that is directional or omnidirectional?
Are you going to be using the microphone in the studio or on stage in a live setting?

I hope this helps in choosing the right kind of microphone.