Microphones

What should you know before buying a microphone?

Microphone type

If you are buying a more expensive and professional mic, you should consider the type.

• Dynamic - suitable for open-sky performances, live feeds, music production and so on. Perfectly sufficient for normal home use, e.g. Skype calls.
• Condenser - used mainly in recording studios. This type has higher sensitivity and lower noise levels. Requires separate a power source.

Use

• Handheld - classic microphones that you can either hold in your hand or put on a stand.
• Desktop - designed to be placed on a desk; suitable for home use or lectures.
• Lavalier - also known as lapel mic, it is a small microphone that you clip on your clothes. Commonly used by TV anchors and YouTubers.

Small	table	lavalier

Connectivity

When choosing a mic, consider what do you plan to connect it to and how.

• 3.5 or 6.3 mm jack - standard connector for connection to PC, mobile phones, dictation machines etc.
• USB and Lightning - modern connectors for connection to a PC or Mac.
• XLR connector - for professional models.
• Micro USB - suitable for connecting to mobile devices.

Technical characteristics

• Impedance - important if you want to achieve an optimal connection to the amplifier. The value should be about 5 to 10 times smaller than the amplifier impedance.
• Sensitivity - the ratio of the output voltage or value to the input pressure. Higher numbers indicate higher microphone sensitivity, which means a mic can catch softer audio changes.
• Frequency range - indicates the range of frequencies a microphone is able to discern. To put it simply, the higher range the microphone has, the more sounds it can record.