Dynamic vs condenser mics

[lensax]

Any experience as to what works/sounds better for live performances?

[DougR]

Condenser (capacitor) mics have a whole slew of additional failure modes.
Thus, in general, the Dynanics tend to be more reliable.

As to sound, they are a matter of personal choice, my own personal favourite test for a mic is.
How well does it handle my wife's spoken voice?

[Giganova]

"additional failure modes"?? "Dynanics tend to be more reliable."
I have no idea what you are talking about. You shouldn't drop a condenser coz that might damage the diafragm, but that's pretty much the only difference in terms of "reliability".

In general, condenser mics are much better than dynamic mics in terms of sonic performance. They are more sensitive, capture all subtleties, have a faster response than dynamics, etc ... However, since they are so damn sensitive, you can hardly use them on stage coz they would pick up any cough in the audience. That's why you usually only see dynamic mics on stage. Most dynamic mics can also handle the higher sound pressure of the sax better than condensers. In the studio, only condensers are used.

[Giganova]

DougR: the fact that a mic sounds good on your wife's voice doesn't say anything on how it will sound on any other sound sources, such as a sax. Its impossible to judge the performance on a source based on another audio source. It could even be that a mic is great for your wife's voice, but a total desaster on your voice!

On the other hand: if the mic totally suxxx with your wife's voice, it is likely not going to give you great results on a sax :wink:

[Bill Mecca]

"additional failure modes"?? "Dynanics tend to be more reliable."
I have no idea what you are talking about. You shouldn't drop a condenser coz that might damage the diafragm, but that's pretty much the only difference in terms of "reliability".

Condensors need power, be it Phantom, 9-volt or whatever, they are also sensitive to spittle, they like to stay dry. With a Dynamic, you plug in the cord and go.The more variables you introduce, the more possible failure modes. dead batteries, no phantom power on the board?

There have been some technological advances for Condensors on stage, but they are still very sensitive,(by design) and give you less gain before feedback, some are so sentisitve they will pick up the sound of your toenails growing.

As for using other sound sources to judge a mic, my voice and sax sound are very similar, and through experience I have found that if a mic sounds good with my voice it will sound good with my sax, and vice versa.

and another bonus for dynamics, some of them can double as hammers :wink:

[DougR]

Bill has nailed the explanation on reliability and utility.

On using your own voice to judge a mic, Bill has the experience needed to do this well, few others will. I personally can't stand the sound of my own voice so this clouds my judgement, however I know the sound of my wife's voice well enough to use this as a handy portable reference source.

[Subtone Sam]

Depends on the mic.I use Shure Beta98 clip-on on gigs (condenser,needs phantom power) with active monitor and have no feedback problems.But again,something like AKG C1000 condenser mic would probably not work very well on sax on live performances,prone to feedback.

[JL]

I used a condensor mic for awhile. The phantom power issue was a pain. Even when the board has phantom power you have to make sure it's turned on (more of a problem than you'd think) and I always had to carry the extra phantom power unit just in case the board didn't have it. Also, the mic was very sensitve and required very specific fine-tuning. On top of that it tended to be overly bright, no matter how you adjusted the sound system. Feedback was also an issue. Now I'm using a Sennheiser 421 dynamic microphone and couldn't be happier.

[DD]

I've used an AKG C1000S on gigs for the past several years (condenser - phantom w/ 9 volt battery power option) and it has been a most reliable mic. Produces great sound with no quirky sensitivity or feedback issues.
Other players have commented on the "presence" of my sound in the mix.
No need to fear this one on stage - but always carry a new spare battery or a phantom adapter.

[Bill Mecca]

DD,

That's interesting. seems the C1000s is one of the mics people seem to either love or hate. Run a search on alt. audio.professional, yikes! I guess the biggest complaint I remember reading was that the sound was "brittle" and a number of people didn't realize that to change the pickup pattern to cardiod (and reject feedback) they had to insert that little plastic thing in the mic. ( a lot threw it away thinking it was junk in the case) :shock:

I haven't tried one yet myself, have you used it on vocals?

I have gone back to a simpler set up, one mic on a boom that I use for both vocals and sax (helps me not to get lost in the mix, since we set it for vocals and I back off for sax and work the mic.)

[DD]

Bill:
I do use the "hyper" insert with SATB & clarinet with good results - I generally don't vocalize in public anymore except in my law practice. :lol:

[-TH]

When you want to capture "your sound" in a home studio environment which one is better? To play direct into a dynamic mic or from a little distance (say .. 1 meter) to a condenser mic?

I use MD for recording. All mics for MD players (like Sony MD mics) seem to be condenser ones. Can I use a dynamic mic on my MD?

These may seem stupid questions but don't hit me :D These are new things to me..

Tuomas

[Bill Mecca]

When you want to capture "your sound" in a home studio environment which one is better? To play direct into a dynamic mic or from a little distance (say .. 1 meter) to a condenser mic?

I use MD for recording. All mics for MD players (like Sony MD mics) seem to be condenser ones. Can I use a dynamic mic on my MD?

These may seem stupid questions but don't hit me :D These are new things to me..

Tuomas

Last question first: yes you can use a dynamic with an MD, I do it all the time. I have a homemade xlr-mini adapter.

as for your first question that is a bit tougher, many mics both dynamic and condensor can "color" the sound. Condensors are less likely as they have a wide dynamic range, typically 20Hz-20kHz.

As for your best choice that depends upon your recordiing environment. Dynamics are better are rejecting background sounds, Condensors are typically much more sensitive, as I discussed a few posts earlier. some good dynamic recording mics are the Sennheiser 421 and the ElectroVoice RE20. I use a Rode NT-2 condensor that gives a great response. I do have some background sound problems, but that is because of the environment (half finished studio and 4 little kids) but I take care of late by recording the VO's at night (after bedtime)

Hope this helps.