How to Buy Microphones for Your Recording Studio

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In this episode I want to show you the type of microphones that I use for my own recording projects and hopefully I would like to help you answer your own question of

How do you buy microphones for your studio?

It is often a really big question of what you should buy next and I have some practical advice that is hopefully a down to earth method of narrowing down all the choices to buy microphones that are best for your needs.

What is the first step for buying microphones?

This is a pile of microphones that I have acquired over the past couple of years, and it has really worked for me. It may not be special for somebody else, perhaps somebody else works differently, but if you like the sounds that I have achieved in the documentaries that I have on this channel, these microphones are where it is at. This is what works for me.

Where I start is in the drum overhead microphones. These are the microphones that cost the most money. These can be condenser microphones. These can be ribbon microphones. These are really where it is at. These microphones collect the high frequencies, and they are collecting the most detail. The most sensitive things that if gone wrong can really sound bad.

High end frequencies in mixing can be equated to adding salt to food. Adding sodium. And too much salt can really make it hard to eat. And too little salt makes food flavorless. Food needs salt to bring out the natural flavors in food. And so sometimes you can eat a lot of sodium because it is mixed in and other times the salt is right on top like on French Fries. You can actually taste that salt. And so high end in frequencies is really no different. There are high end frequencies in ribbon microphones, it is just buried in there. It is still there. Whereas high end pencil condensers such as the KM184, the microphone that I am actually speaking in now. You can not see this microphone because it is off screen. There is actually a little bit more high end. The high end is actually boosted and exaggerated in certain microphones. Certain times that is appropriate, and certain times that is not.

For me I always prefer to go easy on the high end, but make sure that it is still there. I do not want it to be void of high end but want to make sure that it is accurately represented.

The way that I have built my microphone collection is around my dual ribbon. It is an R88 and AEA. This microphone is great for drum overheads, acoustic guitar, and for vocals. It is a starting point for my microphone collection.

Although that may not be a starting point for a multi-track session. Maybe acoustic guitar can come later, but it is a starting point for how I strategize the purchasing of my gear. This microphone is really a starting point. It is a multiple use microphone that can be used for multiple applications and this will give me a sense of what else I am missing if it is not covered by this microphone.

This is the microphone that costs the most money. If you have enough money to buy one microphone, try to buy this microphone. This microphone could be a U87, this could be a nice pair of overhead microphones, and this could be just one microphone. Whichever microphone that is just make sure that it is not too crazy of a microphone. It is a utility microphone.

The ribbon microphone has great mid range frequencies. It has a really smooth trail off in the high frequencies. This is how I build my microphone collection is to make sure that the mid range frequencies is accurately represented, and the top end is not too exaggerated but it is there.

So whatever your choice is, make sure that you do not go too crazy with it. Ok? Try to spend as much money as possible - This is really the place to splurge if you can.

The idea is to really just start with your best microphone. Focus on your best microphone.

If you do not have a great microphone yet, what is something you can plan for and really build around that microphone. Try to purchase the best possible thing that you can afford and then work down from there using your most intensive instrument that you record.

You just have to start with your most intense use of microphones and then see from that use what you can use with other things around the studio.

Видео How to Buy Microphones for Your Recording Studio канала Creative Sound Lab