COURSESTUTORIALSDEMONSTRATIONSBAD AUDIO DIARYCONTACTABOUT

Why do microphones sound different?

Microphones are the most inconsistent products in the whole of audio (apart from loudspeakers that is!). But why do they sound different? Isn't there such a thing as the perfect mic?

Discover more topics like this in the Audio Masterclass Newsletter www.audiomasterclass.com/newsletter

Digital reverb for acoustic music should be believable, appropriate, and integrated
Whats the difference? Recording, Mixing, Mastering
What's the best height for studio monitors? Answer - Not too low!
TONAL BALANCE: Understand what all the words mean
WAVs or stems? What's best for your mix? - The Pedalboard Exception
How to fix a wandering stereo image in dialog
Noise as a creative effect
Sine waves - Can you hear them all?
Should I upgrade to the new Mac Pro?
What is a pad? What is it used for? Why does your microphone or preamp have one?
Graphic equalizer demonstration using the Waves GEQ Classic
What do COVID 19 and acoustic feedback have in common?
Bad Audio Diary BAD8: Nature documentaries - Are they making monkeys out of us?
Harmonic enhancement: In the master or individual tracks? (Can you hear the difference?)
What will happen if your snare drum clips?
EQ demonstration HF bell boost
What is the difference between recording, mixing, and mastering?
Give the bass drum more kick with techniques from the 1970s
Bass - How high can you go? Test your monitors (and your ears)
Loudness levels of pro audio experts
Drums clipped, compressed, EQed, then reverbed, going from clean sound to total madness.
What is the Neve sound? (Using the Slate Digital FG-73)
What is harmonic distortion?
Parallel compression three ways using the Slate Digital Virtual Mix Rack FG-401 compressor
Adding reverb to a tom fill using Audio Ease's Altiverb
Sine wave tones 20 Hz to 20 kHz - Can you hear them all?
Loudness normalization using the Waves WLM Plus loudness meter
How to add gated reverb to a snare drum using VerbSuite Classics
Bad Audio Diary BAD7: Make the dialog stand out from the background
How to make a musical scale from first principles (Pythagoras, Ptolemy)
How to use the gain reduction meter in a compressor like the Warm Audio WA-2A Opto Compressor
As a producer, what should you really worry about in your work?
Microphones - Will we always connect them to a preamplifier?
Spend $40,000 building a studio, and get it all back!
If tube microphones are so great, why don't we have tube loudspeakers?
Quick, professional-grade mastering - All you need is a plug in!
How to eliminate feedback from an acoustic guitar on stage
Do cables have a sound of their own?
When to pan left, when to pan right
Drum reverbs - should they linger longer?
How to record a 50 strong choir and piano accompaniment with just five mics
The ancient myths and legends of soundproofing
The room you have right now that you can't use as a recording studio
What is the difference between gain and level?
Should you turn phantom power off if it isn't needed?
Which loudspeakers are best for accurate monitoring?
Does a mix engineer need a copy of the song lyrics?
Why your studio needs a pair of mediocre loudspeakers
Admit it - Do you always raise the microphone up and point it down?
How do you record a singer with poor microphone technique?
Mixing tips debunked? Or maybe not.
How to get a drummer to play in time to a click track
A new word for the audio dictionary
What is the difference between audio and MIDI?
How loud should the bass instrument be?
When you are mixing, what is the first thing you should do? What's the last? What should you NOT DO?
Better theatre sound through proper loudspeaker placement
How to edit out pops in speech or singing
The best hardware equalizer ever!
Should you use an equalizer for monitoring in the studio?
PREVIEW: How to set the low frequency controls of the Pultec EQ on kick drum (inc. the Pultec trick)
PREVIEW: A demonstration of compression on female vocal focusing on the ratio and gain controls
A simple mixing tip that will improve nearly all of your mixes
Comparing the cardioid microphone polar pattern at 0 and 90 degrees
Comparison between omnidirectional and cardioid microphone polar patterns
Bad Audio Diary BAD6: Boris Johnson moves his microphone in the House of Commons
Comparing the cardioid microphone polar pattern at 0 and 90 degrees
Bad Audio Diary BAD5: Gabbie Hanna sings a monstrous high note
Comparing two plug ins that emulate the Pultec EQP 1A equalizer
Side chain compression without a side chain input
Waves J37 harmonic enhancement on female vocal with three tape types
A quick demonstration of pan law
How to EQ bass guitar using the Pultec EQP-1A
How to set the low frequency controls of the Pultec equalizer on kick drum (inc. the Pultec trick)
Setting microphone preamplifier gain for both headroom and signal to noise ratio
Waves CLA 76 compressor plug-in on snare drum (Universal Audio 1176 emulation)
Bad Audio Diary BAD4: Just how bad can data compressed audio get?
Bad Audio Diary BAD3: Can you use guitar amplifiers as studio monitors?
Can you hear the difference between a sine wave and a square wave?
Bad Audio Diary BAD2 : Accidental amplification - Can it be avoided?
Bad Audio Diary BAD1: Incredible audio errors in UK government video
Free Download - Equipping Your Home Recording Studio
Free Download - How to avoid these 4 huge mistakes in recording
The two golden rules of microphone placement
Apple and Avid conspire to heist 9 decibels of level!
How to record or amplify the melodica or any unfamiliar instrument
The difference between minimum phase and linear phase EQ on transient signals
Why mono is better than stereo for recording vocals and dialogue
How much difference does mastering really make? [PODCAST]
What exactly does the phrase 'leave headroom for mastering' mean? [PODCAST]
Do some microphones respond to EQ better than others? [PODCAST]
A simple mixing tip that will improve nearly all of your mixes [PODCAST]
The new battlefield in the loudness war?
Gating a noisy bass guitar
The Audio Masterclass Course Tour
Clipping and compressing a drum recording to achieve an exciting sound texture
Compressing the kick drum using different methods for interesting effects
Making a track with Ableton Live, reFX Nexus 2, Lennar Digital Sylenth and Reveal Sound Spire
Additive Synthesis From First Principles
STC 4038 Ribbon Microphone
Band splitting and processing a bass guitar
The importance of neat topping and tailing
Recordings of speech by newly starting Audio Masterclass students
A demonstration of compression on female vocal focusing on the ratio and gain make-up controls
Mixing and enhancement of a recording of drums
Two microphone preamplifiers compared at Abbey Road Studio 2 - tube and transistor
Recordings of acoustic guitar by Audio Masterclass students
Waves CLA-76 compressor plug-in on snare drum (Universal Audio 1176 emulation)
AmpliTube Marshall JTM 100 demo
AmpliTube Fender Bassman demo
AmpliTube Fender Twin Reverb demo
Demonstrating the polar response of an omnidirectional microphone
Cymbal recorded with a Shure SM57 microphone
Microphone scratch test
Demonstrating the Waves J37 analog tape emulation plug-in and comparison with a real tape recorder
The Making of a CD: SinFiction's 'Led By Verses'
Click removal at the start of a track
When is a click not a click? When should you fix a click, and when should you leave it alone?
Noise problem at the end of a mix
Microphone preamplifier comparison by Audio Masterclass
Achieving the 'mastered sound' while keeping a wide dynamic range
Low-level recording of speech
The frequency balance of a HIT RECORD!
Shure SM57 and AKG C451 microphones compared
Stereoizing an electric guitar with pitch change
Vocal harmony effects
Spin echo with low-pass filter
The importance of editing speech cleanly
Adding stereo echo to an acoustic guitar
Children's choir recording problem
Comparison between tube mic+pre and solid-state mic+pre
Violet Design The Globe microphone test at Abbey Road Studio 2
Violet Design Flamingo microphone test at Abbey Road Studio 2
Violet Design Amethyst microphone test at Abbey Road Studio 2
Filtering the vuvuzela by Audio Masterclass
Audio Masterclass: Piano Recording Techniques, Excerpt (Abbey Road Studio 3)
Audio Masterclass: Electric Guitar Recording Techniques, Excerpt (Abbey Road Studio 3)
Audio Masterclass: Drum Recording Techniques - Excerpt, Single Neumann U47 (Abbey Road Studio 3)
Audio Masterclass: Four Classic Compressors Compared - Excerpt, Fairchild 660 (Abbey Road Studio 3)
Audio Masterclass: Acoustic Guitar Recording Techniques - Excerpt (Abbey Road Studio 3)
Microphone Polar Patterns and Stereo Configurations - Excerpt, Cardioid (Abbey Road Studio 2)
Noise as a creative effect
Compressing the kick drum using different methods for interesting effects
What is a pad? What is it used for? Why does your microphone or preamp have one?
The Making of a CD: SinFiction's 'Led By Verses'
Sine wave tones 20 Hz to 20 kHz - Can you hear them all?
A new word for the audio dictionary
Which loudspeakers are best for accurate monitoring?
Bad Audio Diary BAD3: Can you use guitar amplifiers as studio monitors?
Microphones - Will we always connect them to a preamplifier?
Cymbal recorded with a Shure SM57 microphone
A demonstration of compression on female vocal focusing on the ratio and gain make-up controls
Audio Masterclass: Four Classic Compressors Compared - Excerpt, Fairchild 660 (Abbey Road Studio 3)
Setting microphone preamplifier gain for both headroom and signal to noise ratio
How to fix a wandering stereo image in dialog
Audio Masterclass: Piano Recording Techniques, Excerpt (Abbey Road Studio 3)
Graphic equalizer demonstration using the Waves GEQ Classic
How to edit out pops in speech or singing
PREVIEW: A demonstration of compression on female vocal focusing on the ratio and gain controls
The new battlefield in the loudness war?
How to make a musical scale from first principles (Pythagoras, Ptolemy)
A simple mixing tip that will improve nearly all of your mixes
Bad Audio Diary BAD2 : Accidental amplification - Can it be avoided?
Waves CLA 76 compressor plug-in on snare drum (Universal Audio 1176 emulation)
Recordings of speech by newly starting Audio Masterclass students
How to use the gain reduction meter in a compressor like the Warm Audio WA-2A Opto Compressor
Making a track with Ableton Live, reFX Nexus 2, Lennar Digital Sylenth and Reveal Sound Spire
Bad Audio Diary BAD7: Make the dialog stand out from the background
When you are mixing, what is the first thing you should do? What's the last? What should you NOT DO?
Vocal harmony effects
What do COVID 19 and acoustic feedback have in common?
PREVIEW: How to set the low frequency controls of the Pultec EQ on kick drum (inc. the Pultec trick)
Comparison between omnidirectional and cardioid microphone polar patterns
When is a click not a click? When should you fix a click, and when should you leave it alone?
Band splitting and processing a bass guitar
Why your studio needs a pair of mediocre loudspeakers
Microphone Polar Patterns and Stereo Configurations - Excerpt, Cardioid (Abbey Road Studio 2)
Bad Audio Diary BAD4: Just how bad can data compressed audio get?
Low-level recording of speech
As a producer, what should you really worry about in your work?
Bass - How high can you go? Test your monitors (and your ears)
The ancient myths and legends of soundproofing
If tube microphones are so great, why don't we have tube loudspeakers?
Free Download - How to avoid these 4 huge mistakes in recording
EQ demonstration HF bell boost
Can you hear the difference between a sine wave and a square wave?
Should you turn phantom power off if it isn't needed?
Additive Synthesis From First Principles
The room you have right now that you can't use as a recording studio
Achieving the 'mastered sound' while keeping a wide dynamic range
Drum reverbs - should they linger longer?
Demonstrating the Waves J37 analog tape emulation plug-in and comparison with a real tape recorder
Free Download - Equipping Your Home Recording Studio
When to pan left, when to pan right
WAVs or stems? What's best for your mix? - The Pedalboard Exception
Mixing and enhancement of a recording of drums
Noise problem at the end of a mix
Demonstrating the polar response of an omnidirectional microphone
The best hardware equalizer ever!
Why do microphones sound different?
Recordings of acoustic guitar by Audio Masterclass students
Comparing the cardioid microphone polar pattern at 0 and 90 degrees
How loud should the bass instrument be?
Apple and Avid conspire to heist 9 decibels of level!
Side chain compression without a side chain input
Admit it - Do you always raise the microphone up and point it down?
Adding reverb to a tom fill using Audio Ease's Altiverb
Adding stereo echo to an acoustic guitar
The Audio Masterclass Course Tour
How to record a 50 strong choir and piano accompaniment with just five mics
How to record or amplify the melodica or any unfamiliar instrument
Children's choir recording problem
What is the difference between gain and level?
Bad Audio Diary BAD6: Boris Johnson moves his microphone in the House of Commons
Spin echo with low-pass filter
How to add gated reverb to a snare drum using VerbSuite Classics
Clipping and compressing a drum recording to achieve an exciting sound texture
Stereoizing an electric guitar with pitch change
What will happen if your snare drum clips?
Better theatre sound through proper loudspeaker placement
Comparing the cardioid microphone polar pattern at 0 and 90 degrees
Violet Design Amethyst microphone test at Abbey Road Studio 2
TONAL BALANCE: Understand what all the words mean
Give the bass drum more kick with techniques from the 1970s
AmpliTube Fender Bassman demo
Drums clipped, compressed, EQed, then reverbed, going from clean sound to total madness.
How to get a drummer to play in time to a click track
Should you use an equalizer for monitoring in the studio?
How to eliminate feedback from an acoustic guitar on stage
Loudness levels of pro audio experts
How much difference does mastering really make? [PODCAST]
How do you record a singer with poor microphone technique?
Microphone scratch test
Comparison between tube mic+pre and solid-state mic+pre
Bad Audio Diary BAD8: Nature documentaries - Are they making monkeys out of us?

IN BRIEF

Audio Masterclass TV is a free resource to help home recording studio owners improve the standard of their work. Audio Masterclass TV is available on this website, and via free email subscription.

Audio Masterclass also offers courses in Music Production and Sound Engineering; Advanced Music Production and Sound Engineering; Microphones & Microphone Technique; Digital Audio Workstation Course; Equalization; Compression; Reverb & Effects; MIDI, Synthesis & Sampling; Recording Techniques; Music Production Techniques; Mixing; Mastering.

Copyright © Imaginative Resources Ltd. and/or its licensors 2000 - 2021.

LINKS

GET CONNECTED

Join over 80,000 people on the Audio Masterclass mailing list. Receive the Audio Masterclass Newsletter, special opportunities and offers.