Using different types and manufacturers of microphones can make all the difference in the world when setting up a stage for your band. If you use the wrong one, you battle with feedback all night. Even if you use a feedback “eliminator”, you will suffer very poor frequency response, because it is being “eliminated” as feedback, instead of the desired freguencies that make your music full and enjoyable.
Here are some things you should know, from the school of hard knocks, about microphones and their uses.
Types: There are many types of microphones available but they generally divide into three groups: dynamic, condenser and ribbon.
Dynamic microphones are the most common and the most basic types of microphones. They consist of a diaphragm attached to a coil that moves through a magnetic field inducing a small electrical signal. They operate using similar principals to a speaker and tend to have a limited frequency response, but are very rugged.
Condenser microphones have become more popular over the years because they have a very wide frequency response (tone) and are not as delicate or as expensive as ribbon microphones. They...