Understanding Microphone Specifications (FAQ Series)

Рет қаралды 48,465

Күн бұрын

Today I walk through what to look for on a microphone specifications sheet.
00:00 - Intro
00:30 - Part 1: Microphone Type
01:10 - Part 2: Frequency Response
01:45 - Part 3: Polar Pattern
02:37 - Part 4: Self Noise (Equivalent Noise Level)
03:02 - Part 5: Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)
03:19 - Part 6: Sensitivity
03:53 - Part 7: Max SPL (Sound Pressure Level)
04:48 - Part 8: Dynamic Range
05:11 - Part 9.0: Output Impedance
05:46 - Part 9.5: Load Impedance
06:17 - Part 10: Power Requirements
06:38 - Part 11: What you should look be looking for?
07:58 - Outro
Resources:
Neumann Frequency Response: www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/...
Vocal Frequency Cheat Sheet: No longer online
mV/Pa to dB Converter: www.sengpielaudio.com/calculat...
My KZfaq Kit: podcastage.com/studio
My Favorite XLR Mics: podcastage.com/rev/favxlr
My Favorite USB Mics: podcastage.com/rev/favusb
NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): If you purchase an item using my amazon link, it provides me a small referral fee. For more info check my FAQ page links below.
Check the FAQ to see if your question was already answered: www.geeksrising.com/faq
Vote For The Mics You Want Reviewed: www.geeksrising.com/podcastage
Check us out, Follow us, & Like us over at:
Discord: / discord
Website: www.geeksrising.com
Facebook: / podcastage
Twitter: / podcastage
Personal Twitter: / bandrewsays

Пікірлер: 166

@muffincomic 6 жыл бұрын

Nobody speaks Microphone like this guy !!!

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

You're just buttering me up.

@muffincomic 6 жыл бұрын

Podcastage To be honest your reviews actually helps and helped me too obviously and I now have a working setup within my budget , on top of that your video style is entertaining as well ! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion ! Have a wonderful day !

@Trstnfr 6 жыл бұрын

I was looking at the thumbnail and just realized why it's called "Cardioid." The polar pattern is heart shaped and cardioid as in cardio as in heart related. I feel enlightened.

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

How have I not noticed that until you just pointed it out. I'm such an idiot.

@tomsiemerink8284 3 жыл бұрын

In dutch the cardiod polar pattern is called nier which means kidney because it's shaped like a kidney.

@thank_u_710 6 жыл бұрын

You're literally the only guy I trust in when it comes to mics. Also noticed that you're very near to 50k subs. Keep up with the good work and thanks for every piece of information 😍

@johnjackson8902 6 жыл бұрын

ナナ十나나토 Yeah Bandrew's great. He gives spoken word, singing, and instrument tests. A talented singer can make a bad mic sound fine, but the difference between a cheap and decent-good mic is obvious with voice over. And reviews a variety of mics instead of being one of those tech review channels that only review and push whatever the new/popular "studio quality" USB mic/headset is.

@micpep Жыл бұрын

false! close to 300k!

@JaredOwen 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks bunch for this - I need a new mic for my youtube channel and now I'm starting to understand the jargon!

@kei-lk2zv 2 жыл бұрын

and look where you are buddy.

@MaybeTara 4 жыл бұрын

This video (and all your FAQ videos) have been super helpful for me recently, just want to say thanks for info and content! Starting to feel like I actually understand the gear I'm using!

@evilzombie 6 жыл бұрын

This answered everything I've been asking myself since I opened the box. Thanks! Great video!

@azvasamusic7095 Жыл бұрын

to the point and super super helpful! thanks a ton for all you do.. i keep running into all your videos to answer my questions.. great work and big thanks! Big fan of what you do now!

@SoundSpeeds 6 жыл бұрын

Well done and well explained. Mic specs can be a difficult thing to comprehend but your explanations are top notch.

@KevinSheppard 6 жыл бұрын

Much needed. Thanks! A good piece of supplementary content would be some figures to look for when choosing mics for typical scenarios - podcasting, recording music, recording film, etc.

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you ver much Kevin!

@astralaudio101 4 жыл бұрын

I so appreciate you covering this subject matter.. it’s a major learning curve.. cheers 🙏

@chaoticsoap 6 жыл бұрын

Still here from the beginning of your channel, how have you not yet blown up? These videos are amazing.

@ShredintheShed 5 жыл бұрын

I’m so glad you made a video for this. Now I can be sure before I watch I know I’m gonna get my answer. Thanks dude!

@tz1743 3 жыл бұрын

thank you for this!!! i’m doing a project on noise sensors and this helped a lot!

@seanearnest 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this informative breakdown, it was precisely what I need as I deliberate between small diaphragm condensers for my first home studio setup. Best, Seán

@AarohShankarMusic 2 жыл бұрын

Priceless information! Thanks a lot!

@SickMetalAddict 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video man, this is exactly what I needed. Subbed; you're awesome. Thanks for the quality content bro.

@TheAhmedAlshamy 6 жыл бұрын

The video I was really waiting for and wanting to learn!

@blkmidia 6 жыл бұрын

Best explanation! Could you make a similar video talking about audio interfaces? I see a lot of specs comparing models and many times the specs uses different names becoming harder to understand what's the best interface to choose. Tks for sharing!

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

I like the way you think.

@easygoingdude9990 6 жыл бұрын

Getting close to 50k subscribers man. Congrats in advance!

@eienryucho6648 7 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, I also watched 2 of the linked videos and it was super helpful!

@AwesomeShotStudios 5 жыл бұрын

Thumbs up for useful information presented clearly. Cheers!

@vachana143j 2 жыл бұрын

one of the best! well done!

@apollotwin 3 жыл бұрын

A very neat explanation thank you.

@skinnyTheCat 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for another great video! You really help us all in this audio-technical jungle..:)

@artjohnson01 6 жыл бұрын

Love your content. This is exceptionally good!

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much.

@GodfreyShourav 6 жыл бұрын

Much love for that Chart :D

@Mr_A_Mia 4 жыл бұрын

thank you for all of your videos...

@andrewmvenegas 4 жыл бұрын

As always, a good informative video. Thank you. A thought about future delivery of spec info. When talking about a specification like max SPL, how about mentioning the Stat from well-known quality microphones for us novices to use as a comparison. Not ragging on you, just mentioning something I thought would have been more helpful for me to digest as I flipped between this video and the spec’s of a potential mic.

@enriquerodriguez9590 3 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU. I was told never to take advice from someone trying to sell me something. Every other video I have found that some mics shown is because of affiliate links or sponsors. I want to understand why I am getting what I am getting, thank you for explaining just that.

@Kaapalkeens Жыл бұрын

ty! very good guide

@ibrahimissaissa6627 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your effort issa from Egypt

@MaayanTesler 7 ай бұрын

Thank you very much it really helped me understand the microphone im a bout to buy ❤

@pawankumarmehra94 6 жыл бұрын

CONGRATULATIONS FOR 50K SUBSCRIBERS 👍👍👍👍👍

@deszczak 6 жыл бұрын

Great video, thank you!

@yrackaz8540 6 жыл бұрын

GG for your 50k subscribers!

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

They took it away from me. HAHA!

@chitrodeepbhattacharjee5267 4 жыл бұрын

Wow man thank you. You have cleared all my doubts with this one video. How come I never saw this video😥😥

@markaudio7777 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome sir

@Firmbie 6 жыл бұрын

Great explanations,thank you.

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

Happy to help.

@winonadaphne6445 5 жыл бұрын

you are incredible!! your videos are great!

@newyonzenric8276 5 жыл бұрын

That was really helpful, thanks buddy 🎶

@Podcastage 5 жыл бұрын

Happy to hear it helped. Thank you for checking it out.

@powersliding 2 жыл бұрын

a big thank you for this

@adelalmansoury 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Very helpful

@edman4828 6 жыл бұрын

Good content info! 👍

@8slexxa4u2nv 3 жыл бұрын

THANKYOU!

@redmegaman8063 6 жыл бұрын

THIS HELPED ALOT

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

That's what I like to hear! =)

@fawazsullia5620 6 жыл бұрын

This guy deserves exposure

@snibelsnarf3251 6 жыл бұрын

Happy 50k!!!

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

@JAROCHELOcesarcastro 3 жыл бұрын

Great video for beginners! "Non sense" until you have signal issues. You can save some time and money to a lot of people with this info. Thanks!

@sapelesteve 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks, that was very helpful. Just want to clear up the decibel info. I believe that 0 db's is the human hearing threshold, the point at which we no longer can hear sound. That means that "negative" db numbers would be related to what the microphone can pick up (or hear). So, when you test the mic by increasing the knob from 0 thru 100%, we are essentially "hearing" what the mic picks up although we normally would not hear that hissing. Not sure if that's correct but that's how I think about it. Anyway, I'm sure that there are further explanations for all of the other parameters as well but unless you are some kind of electrical audio engineer, you probably would not understand it? Thanks..........

@zimouspero 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Can you do the same for the studio monitors?

@israelc0605 2 жыл бұрын

This guy does his homework. Such a nerd. Thanks

@yasuh4550 6 жыл бұрын

Thank much

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

You're welcome.

@vactrameh3021 5 жыл бұрын

thank u men

@PaxHominibusBonaeVoluntatis 4 жыл бұрын

If your dynamic mic is low impedance and you have long cables then when step on a cable, the voltage of this will be significant compare to mic output level what will be audible on speakers. Better use at least ten times higher impedance dynamic mics than impedance of long cables.

@IComeUBounce 3 жыл бұрын

sooooooooooooooooo helpful

@aco960 6 жыл бұрын

hey bro i gotta ask does the more expensive interface work better

@upstairzstudio8480 2 жыл бұрын

Greetings from Australia, thanks for your great info. Got a question for you.. about to buy BEHRINGER t47 mic , originally bought from a country using 110 volts while in Australia I use 220-240v. i do not want to use a step diwn converter, can I just buy a different power supply ? like one from BEHRINGER websites?? thanks in advance, I hope you get to see my question

@revalfresh 5 жыл бұрын

If you want to know anything I'll link it to another video!

@Rain-kw1bn 3 жыл бұрын

useful

@user-st5cs4kf8z 4 жыл бұрын

What’s the difference between signal to noise ratio and dynamic range?

@rautshsale1948 3 жыл бұрын

regarding sensitivity, what is the difference between -dB and mV/Pa? somehow many manufacturers only have mV/Pa to measure the sensitivity, i have no idea what mV/Pa is lol

@bomberutkrec 6 жыл бұрын

Hey, could you please review the shure pga 181? thanks!

@trazac 6 жыл бұрын

Sweet ASL counting.

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

Huh?

@darkguard8433 6 жыл бұрын

Can u do a video about omhs

@HiteshKumar-nx5wc 2 жыл бұрын

Sir please tell me.! Agar ek mic ki frequency range 65Hz - 18KHz hai. Aur ek mic ki frequency range 50Hz - 18KHz hai. Then...KZfaq videos create karne k liye kon sa mic lena jada achcha rahega.???

@geloacorda 3 жыл бұрын

Can someone enlighten me? I actually though mic sensitivity is for you to know how good it is at noise cancelling. But I guess I'm wrong, so what should I look for when considering buying a headset with microphone?

@diabl834 6 жыл бұрын

@Podcastage Important question for you: Which microphone is better- Rode Nt Usb or Samson G-Track Pro?

@martinsbalodis8303 6 жыл бұрын

I have the same issue...can't decide which one to get for voice overs and twitch streaming.

@surtaalrecords4659 4 жыл бұрын

Hello i am using audio interface with sensitivity 0 - 45 db and sm57 is 56db sensitivity it requires almost 90% of gain to work but it adds noise. What if i use SE dynamite which increase 28db. What will happen. Will it be good options or will it add noise and how much gain i can reduce . I guess may be around 40 to 45 %.if i m not wrong please answer.

@EMNepal 6 жыл бұрын

Please can you recommend microphone for singing (vocals) under 40$ which works fine without phantom power or audio interface. BUT I CAN BUY A USB SOUNDCARD. PLEASE suggest me. Thanks.

@TheGamingBurglar 6 жыл бұрын

I was watching the rode podcaster vs procaster and I thought you should make a song. Plz do it!!!

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

One day maybe I'll release a song.

@SceneArtisan 2 жыл бұрын

Does anyone know of a USB mic (it really must be USB) that I can buy for cheap which is good for listening to outdoor ambience? *Mic is connected to my interior PC by a long USB cable to outside just under my home's eave under the guttering. Thanks. :)

@325Radio 6 жыл бұрын

Still waiting for the great Rode Broadcaster. Although I saw you in BSP using an EV RE20! Should you make a review of that beast in this channel!

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

The RE20 is definitely getting reviewed. I'm just testing it out.

@hobbyrx2267 6 жыл бұрын

Preamps next please! Class A vs what?! Nobody knows.

@DarkPa1adin 6 жыл бұрын

Class D

@hobbyrx2267 6 жыл бұрын

DarkPa1adin do u know any model/manufacturers that sport/tout that spec? Seems like if its not Class A, its not listed at all.

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

Oooo. Interesting.

@johnjackson8902 6 жыл бұрын

Not really related to the video but you were right about the issue being my interface with my V67G. Works well with a Steinberg interface. I don't have a voltage meter but I guess that interface is known for giving 24 or less volts. So for anyone reading this if you see an ART USB Dual Pre interface at a store don't buy it even if it's cheap (unless you only use dynamics and electret condensers). Just get one of Behringer's budget interfaces, or pay a little more and get a good used (or good $100~) interface. The new price of the USB Dual Pre is like $80 so stay away.

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

Excellent! Glad to hear you got it sorted out! =) Sorry you got a bad interface initially.

@johnjackson8902 6 жыл бұрын

Podcastage Do you have any experience with portable recorders that offer phantom power? Or do you know if an XLR to 3.5mm cable can feed the voltage to a true condenser?

@amankesarwani8013 4 жыл бұрын

Sir what is decibal mean?

@vladimirlem1104 2 жыл бұрын

Does "EIN" (Equivalent Input Noise) mean "ENL" (Equivalent Noise Level) ?

@Lucian_Andries 4 жыл бұрын

Hello! I know this is an old video, but can you still help me get the microphone I need? :( Basically I need a long distance microphone for my HT-PC. I stay in bed and use Voice-to-Text and Cortana a lot, and I need something to hear me clearly from 2m+, without mumbling and background noise... And from the video I got that Cardioid is the type I need. But I still don't understand which has a better sensitivity, the ones that say "-70db" or "-10db"? I'm still confused... And on top of that there are stores that write the sensitivity in "mV", which I don't know what it means... I've also seen mics with batteries...... If I connect them to the 3.5 jack, why can't they get power from there?? It's not wireless to need batteries! :( Can you help me understand some of the stuff? And maybe help recommend one to me? I guess budget is out of the question for this... Doesn't matter, I'll manage. Thank you in advance!!

@Lucian_Andries 4 жыл бұрын

Also: Usually there's a minus "-" sign in front of each sensitivity number. Is that important? Because if it's scaled from below 0db, than -10db is a higher number than -50db... Right? God it's all confusing.......... :(((((

@mrnobunny4649 6 жыл бұрын

Review the Razer Seiren X

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

It's on my radar.

@thehigherupz2259 9 ай бұрын

I currently have a mic that has an output impedance of 300 … I’m interested in a microphone that has an impedance of 110 . So essentially the 110 is better ?

@Podcastage 9 ай бұрын

Not necessarily better. It will have an easier time getting the signal over long lengths of cable. And I may be incorrect in this, but my understanding is that the higher the impedance of the sound source, the higher the preamp noise floor. But that's not something I have verified with testing, so take it with a grain of salt.

@rayyanww6392 6 жыл бұрын

Pls mxl r144 rewiew

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

I believe that mic is already on the voting poll.

@kowalewicz2554 3 жыл бұрын

I don’t understand... I actually can’t find most of these specs for the mics I’m interested in on the internet...

@Vallack 4 жыл бұрын

so does that mean a mic that is -45 is more sensitive than one that is -40?

@Podcastage 4 жыл бұрын

Mitchell the exact opposite. -40 is more sensitive than -45

@H76Pro 3 жыл бұрын

Can I just give you my budget and you tell me what is the best microphone for that price? I need the microphone for voice overs for youtube videos and my budget is $100

@serban2139 6 жыл бұрын

did you notice you've got a small orange/brown dot on your camera lens?

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

I noticed one spot. I just assumed it was a single dead pixel.

@serban2139 6 жыл бұрын

what would be the best USB mic for streaming/recording voice only? cheers!

@ellef9331 6 жыл бұрын

Șerban There is no one and only mic. However, the AT 2020 is a pretty good one to start with if you ask me.

@serban2139 6 жыл бұрын

there has to be the best mic if I give you specifics like : usb over xlr, no budget(any price), cardioid, least background noise, best sound quality, i don't know what other specifics there are, i know xlr is superior to usb with audio interface, but that's overkill for just video games/streaming/recording.

@ellef9331 6 жыл бұрын

Every mic has its unique character. You can't simplify that with specs and numbers. Thats why there is no one and only mic for every voice on earth. You have to trial and error. However, the 2020 USB is one of the best cheaper "real" studio mics that you can get. It has a solid quality for an entry level mic. You can have a look for the cheaper USB kits sold by Neewer and who ever just felt like printing his name on it. But don't expect the same level of build quality. There is much more variance with mics under a hundred bucks. I'd also look for the Recording Tools MCU series in case they are available in your region. Its a subsidiary company of Oktava. Told to be a great value for the money.

@serban2139 6 жыл бұрын

thanks for the info, i think the 2020 would be a great start the way you present it and it fits my needs.

@ellef9331 6 жыл бұрын

Especially when doing your first steps the 2020 won't be your bottleneck. Learning how to verbally present yourself is the more important thing in case you want to deliver quality content people enjoy to watch (resp. listen to). You should also take the acoustics of your room into account. You can present the best vocal performance with a 2000$ microphone. But when the room sounds awful, your recordings will sound awful, as well. I can recommend Mike Delgaudios tutorials ("Booth Junkie") to start with. He offers great advice for beginners. Most of it in regard of voice over, but the basics do of course also apply for streamers who want to deliver quality vocal content.

@cheb7321 6 жыл бұрын

damn those blue cut glasses are hot

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

What are blue cut glasses? These are normal glasses without any coating so they glare a lot.

@cheb7321 6 жыл бұрын

Podcastage ohhhh u replied

@cheb7321 6 жыл бұрын

Podcastage I love ur content

@ChetanyBhardwaj 6 жыл бұрын

Podcastage can u review my content too on my main channel here?

@cherry-et1sw 6 жыл бұрын

What would you prefer for 40Euro? I'm looking for a USB microphone because it's a plug in play. I have watched alot of you're reviews,but i can't decide what mic to get.

@ellef9331 6 жыл бұрын

cherryFProductions Samson Go Mic

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

The go mic is a very good option. The podpack1 is also a good option. The knox dynamic usb sometimes goes on sale for $40. I don't know how much any of this stuff is in the EU though.

@yasuh4550 6 жыл бұрын

cherryFProductions I got my Q2u for 40€, it was removed from stock. Not sure if you can get iy for 40€ but I highly recommend it for any price. It's a wonderful deal.

@johnjackson8902 6 жыл бұрын

Samson Go would be good, or you could get the NW-700 USB and a nice pair of headphones for monitoring.

@ElvenMans 6 жыл бұрын

He recently reviewed the 1byone USB Microphone. I think it's good, but check for yourself.

@kiliwami4086 6 жыл бұрын

I need a microphone for skype, Teamspeak, etc. That I can put on my desk (ca. 50cm away) and it should not cost too much (max. $50-60) I don't like a microphone in front of my face, so it should stand 50cm away, or a lavalier microphone

@rayyanww6392 6 жыл бұрын

No cad gxl 2400usb

@ellef9331 6 жыл бұрын

The Blues are nothing special IMO. I'd take a look at the Recording Tools MCU, in case its available in your region.

@kiliwami4086 6 жыл бұрын

I'm sorry, but non of these mics is available in my country 😶

@ellef9331 6 жыл бұрын

What is your region?

@kiliwami4086 6 жыл бұрын

Ellef Germany xD

@osvaldodomingos9041 3 жыл бұрын

The good old times when we didn't got beaten in the face. I miss those times.

@massilyar341 6 жыл бұрын

sorry i mean can you do a tunor vs series #justasking

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

Do you mean a TUNER vs series? I don't think there is any significant differences between different tuners.

@massilyar341 6 жыл бұрын

okey sure! i was just asking

@extendocats8533 6 жыл бұрын

We don't care if your first!

@msftxghost 2 жыл бұрын

TLDR; Visit his links.

@637x4 6 жыл бұрын

*NOTIFICATIONS SQUAD*

@Podcastage 6 жыл бұрын

MOUNT UP!

@637x4 6 жыл бұрын

Podcastage Love your videos

@deepjiwan5500 4 жыл бұрын

Youve basically told me to go watch other videos on your channel. You may have told what everything means, but you havent told us what specs are good and what i should be looking for

@seanearnest 4 жыл бұрын

You're just wrong, watch the video to the end and quit bitching.

@Wes_Anderson 5 жыл бұрын

5:13 to 6:17 was copied almost word for word off of Neumann's website but cool vid

@seanearnest 4 жыл бұрын

...and thanks to the content creator who packaged that information into a video for those of us who learn best from audio-visual sources rather than reading text.

@Wes_Anderson 4 жыл бұрын

@@seanearnest no shit