06/22/2022
🎙️⚠️MICROPHONE SHOOTOUT TIPS: I've learned these (sometimes the hard way) while developing our mics.
1) obviously use the same preamps…but also the same exact mic cable, in the same exact length.
2) this sounds ridiculous…but make sure all the pad/rolloff switches on the mics are off, and all the mics are set to the same polar pattern!
3) Align all the capsules as close as possible without touching. Capsule faces all be parallel to each other, and the capsules (NOT the headbaskets) should be on the same Y and Z planes!
4) test from 12"-36" back to minimize angle difference between each mic, and minimize proximity effect having any influence on your decision.
5) test at multiple distances. At a 12" distance, one mic might be a better choice. At five feet, a different mic could prevail. I find that at further distances you will get a truer representation of the microphone's character.
6) record several takes, ideally something with a lot of dynamic range. If it's piano, make sure that low and high octaves are played, with different dynamics. For guitar, try finger-picking as well as punch rhythm stuff. For vocals, cover the vocalist's softer and louder stuff, as well as their vocal range. Weird stuff can pop out in unexpected places.
7) when listening back in your DAW, CAREFULLY gain match every channel before listening. Louder almost always sounds "better", so don't let a slightly hotter mic fool you!
8) for vocal sibilance, toss a compressor on there and see how badly the sibilance gets. A mic with a small sibilance problem can suddenly start cutting your head off when you hit it with compression.
9) use a notch EQ and find where each mic might have undesirable resonances. You can also isolate high end, low end, or mid range with bandpass, lowpass, or highpass filters.
10) continuously loop a SHORT (3-10 seconds) clip while switching between mics.
11) MOST IMPORTANT: remember that a mic is just a tool for capturing an audio source. It will NOT make a bad song, bad performance, bad tuning, bad tone better! The arrow is usually not the problem; it's most often the archer.
Photo by MillSounds Studio
