If you are thinking of getting yourself a microphone for home use, whether it be to record your voice or instrument, you may be concerned as to how to choose the best one. And for this, you need to take into account various factors like the type of the mic, the pickup pattern and so on. Below, we look at four such important things you need to watch out for before buying a microphone for home use.
Type
The first thing to consider is which type of microphone you will be purchasing. Your choice will likely be between ribbon, condenser, and dynamic microphones. Ribbon microphones are the most expensive mics among the three types and is usually used for professional use. As such, for home use, you don’t have to splurge money on buying them. A condenser mic is the cheapest microphone and is very good at recording vocals. However, it performs poorly when required to record any loud sound. Your best bet is in buying a dynamic microphone like the shure sm7b, which is ideal for recording loud sound. Plus, unlike the condenser types, the dynamic mics do not require any batteries or external power source.
Pickup Pattern
The next important factor to consider is the pickup pattern of the microphone, which refers to how the mic captures the sound coming from various directions. An omnidirectional mic will pick up sounds that come from all directions. In contrast, a unidirectional mic captures sounds that comes from a single direction only, which in most cases will be the sound coming right from the front. For home use, you should ideally choose a cardioid microphone which blocks out sound coming from its back and are highly sensitive to the sounds coming from the front. This makes it very good at avoiding the ambient sounds, and instead concentrate on the sound coming right at it.
Wireless
You will also have to decide between a wired and a wireless mic. While a wired microphone might look attractive because of the freedom it gives to use the mic anywhere, you may be better off with the wired type. Not only can the wired mic capture the sound better, but since it is connected using a wire, there is almost no chance of any failure while recording. But in the case of wireless microphones, if the connection is lost between the mic and the recording system, the sound won’t be recorded properly. Plus, wired microphones are generally far cheaper than the wireless types.
Form Factor
Another aspect to look into is the form factor of the microphone, which indicates how easily you can handle it. You can choose a handheld/stand-held microphone, in which the mic sits atop a stand. These types will allow you to detach the mic and use it freely. There are also headset microphones available, which allow you to use the mic without involving your hands.
So, keep the above points in mind when deciding to buy a microphone, and you should easily be able to find a brand and model that meets your requirements and suits your budget.
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