Trying to choose the right microphone can be much more difficult than you imagine it to be. Assuming you aren’t that familiar with the technical aspects of voice recording, the specifications and different types of microphones will leave you feeling lost.
That is why a good place to start is with these tips that will help you narrow your options:
- Article Summary show
Define how you want to use your microphone
Before looking at microphones, you should sit down and clearly define how you want to use them. Are you looking for a simple external microphone that you can plug into your smartphone or digital camera? Do you want a decent but multipurpose microphone? Or maybe you want to set up an amateur studio and would like a microphone to record high-quality audio?
Based on how it will be used, you should start to narrow your options in terms of the rough type of microphone you require.
Decide on the directionality of the microphone.
Every microphone has a directionality (also known as a polar pattern) and sensitivity to sounds from certain directions. Most standard microphones are omnidirectional and detect sound evenly from all orders, but others may be more sensitive to sound from one direction.
Depending on how you want to use your microphone, you should identify the directionality you need, narrowing your options further.
Understand the frequency response and response curves
The other main factors you’ll want to evaluate microphones are their frequency response and response curves. The frequency response is the range of sound frequencies it can pick up, while its response curve shows you how it performs at different frequencies.
A ‘flat’ response curve is good in most cases, but sometimes you may want a more tailored response curve if you’re using your microphone for a specialized task such as recording vocals.
While the audio you record will never be ‘perfect’ outside of a professional studio, a bit of editing and a decent microphone should make a difference. For example, you could use Movavi Video Editor and follow the instructions at https://www.movavi.com/support/how-to/how-to-make-video-louder.html. Just want to adjust the volume level.
Your budget will factor into your choice othe f microphone, but the tips listed above should help you ensure you’re able to differentiate between the microphones in your range. That should help you end up with a microphone that is better suited to your needs and delivers much better audio quality.