Long before you pick a brand or a model, you pick a type. The type tells you whether the mic will be tough or sensitive, dark or bright, picky about its room or forgiving of it. Here’s every type that matters.
Forget brands for a minute — at the most basic level, microphones are sorted by how they work. The mechanism inside the mic decides what it’s good at. A microphone that’s perfect for a screaming guitar amp would be a poor choice for a whispered podcast. The pages below explain each type in plain English.
The tough, forgiving workhorse. Live vocals, broadcast voice, kick drums, guitar amps. The Shure SM58, the Shure SM7B, the Electro-Voice RE20.
Read about dynamic mics →The detailed, sensitive studio mic. Acoustic guitar, vocals in a treated room, drum overheads. Needs phantom power. The Neumann U87, the AKG C414, the Audio-Technica AT2020.
Read about condenser mics →The smooth, vintage-sounding figure-8 mic. Guitar amps, brass, drum overheads in a great room. The Royer R-121, the Coles 4038.
Read about ribbon mics →A microphone with a built-in audio interface. Plug into a computer, you’re recording. The Blue Yeti, the Shure MV7+, the Rode NT-USB+.
Read about usb mics →The tiny clip-on body mic. News anchors, theater, video interviews, TED talks. The DPA 4060, the Sennheiser MKE 2, the Rode Wireless GO.
Read about lavalier lavalier →The long, narrow video mic. Mounts on a camera or a boom pole, picks up only what it’s pointed at. The Sennheiser MKH 416, the Rode NTG series.
Read about shotgun mics →The flat puck-shaped mic that lays on a conference table or stage floor. The Crown PZM-30D, the Shure MX392.
Read about boundary boundary →Newcomers shop by brand. Experienced engineers shop by type. A $99 dynamic from a budget brand will out-perform a $1,000 condenser if the room is wrong, the source is loud, or the noise floor is high. Pick the type first, then pick a brand inside the type.