Microphones / Miking

Recently I had to record a Japanese taiko drum ensemble, but I got a fair bit of distortion even though my recording levels never reached 0dBFS. Why was I getting this distortion/compression?

How often do you need to change the valve in a microphone? How do you know when it needs changing?

I’d like a clearer understanding of what a fully floating balanced output is and how I can take advantage of it....

Is a Beta 87A hotter than an SM58? I know there’s a difference in response curve, but how many dB hotter is it?

My Brüel & Kjær 4006 mics have alternative black and silver capsules. Under what conditions should I consider swapping them out?

I noticed in your review of the Lewitt LCT 1040 microphone that it has a switchable 120Hz 6dB/octave high‑pass filter, for countering the proximity effect. If my mic doesn’t have this feature, can I just set up the same thing in my DAW channel EQ?

I have a Tram TR50 lavalier mic with a very low output level. I was thinking about getting an inline gain booster for it, but someone told me that this kind of device was not appropriate for lav mics...

Is it common to combine an omni mic for LF extension with one or more directional mics for higher up?

I record spoken‑word narration, close‑miked in a small room, with basic room treatment. While I have no noise‑floor problems, I’ve noticed that some of my mics have a lot less noise than others...

I purchased some small‑diaphragm electret condenser microphones from 12 Gauge Microphones and can only use them on my non‑transformer input mic preamps. Do you know of a way to make these mics work with my transformer input preamps?

I’ve seen stereo mic arrays that claim to capture 196 degrees of the sound stage. What’s the point if the speakers can only reproduce 60 degrees of the whole image?

I’m trying to improve the sound of my speech recordings which can be a bit ‘echoey’. I’ve been using a Rode NTG4 shotgun mic...

Everyone loves classic microphones, but few of us can afford them! We survey the hundreds of modern recreations on the market, and explain what to look for when you’re choosing one for your studio.

Can you offer any guidance on what’s essentially an A‑B stereo array, but with the mics angled slightly outwards?

I've seen some pictures where the mic is hanging upside down. Is there a good reason for this? Or is it better to put it the 'right' way up?

I picked up a couple of (large-diaphragm) AKG C214s, and they sound much more natural. Though that solved my problem, I'm still curious: is there such a thing as a 'soft'-sounding small-diaphragm condenser?

The designers behind some of today's most innovative studio microphones tell us what we can expect from the mics of tomorrow.

What are your thoughts on recording stereo ambience on location (such as in a forest, supermarket, office, or restaurant) for use in movies, podcasts and so on?

I keep reading that some microphones' figure-8 behaviour is not equal. Does this apply to capacitor mics like the AKG C414 or Rode NT2-A?

Can you recommend a mid-range (in terms of price) mic with a good off-axis response, for recording acoustic instruments?

I couldn't use the Neumann TLM103 as my 'kicksnare' mic, as it couldn't handle the sound level produced by the drummer. Even with zero gain at the preamp this mic produced a distorted signal. What was I doing wrong?