Mic University

Guidelines for miking the kick (bass) drum.

Guidelines for miking a drum kit

Guidelines for miking a choir with DPA Microphones.

A visual guide to mounting the 4099 Instrument Microphone on various instruments.

Guidelines for miking snare tom-toms with DPA Microphones.

Guidelines for miking a hi-hat

Guidelines for miking for speech on stage.

Guidelines for voice miking.

Guidelines for miking the flute and the recorder

Guidelines for miking the grand piano.

Guidelines for miking the Gu Zheng

Guidelines for miking the harp.

Guidelines for miking the oboe with DPA Microphones.

Guidelines for miking a speaker cabinet with DPA miniature mics

Guidelines for miking steel pans with DPA Microphones.

Guidelines for miking vocals in the recording studio.

Guidelines for close-miking the balalaika.

Guidelines for miking the double bass.

Guidelines for miking the clarinet with DPA Microphones.

Guidelines for miking the snare drum

There are many commercial recordings on the market, clearly demonstrating that microphone overload is a problem. Some instruments (brass, drums, percussion) can deliver peak sound levels far in excess of 140 dB.

Guidelines for miking a saxophone

Guidelines for miking the trumpet and the trombone

Guidelines for miking a viola with DPA Microphones.

Guidelines for miking a banjo with DPA Microphones.

Guidelines for miking a violin

Guidelines for miking the cello

Guidelines for miking an acoustic guitar with DPA Microphones.

Guidelines for miking the mandolin and mandola.

Guidelines for miking the ukulele.

Guidelines for miking the bassoon with DPA Microphones.

This article contains a comprehensive table that provides information about different musical instruments, their tonal range, sound levels and dynamic range.

This article defines various forms of immersive audio. There are also a few tips on how to ensure your immersive recordings work.

Proximity is when a microphone produces more bass by getting closer to the sound source (a point - or line source). This article takes you through some of the basics of proximity – and introduces a more advanced perspective on the phenomenon.

Handling noise can disrupt the audio and should be minimized as much as possible. This article takes a closer look at how it is created and gives a couple tips on how to minimize it.

Even though we work with audio and our primary assessment tools are the ears and the heart, sometimes we need to use numbers to describe sound. Most specifications are based on numbers. When we record, we use numbers to describe the amount of data. If we want to communicate a sound pressure level, we use numbers. And it does not end here.

If you want to get the best out of your microphones, it is a good idea to have some knowledge of acoustics. This article takes you through 10 of the most important terms and facts.

Spoken and sung words should be intelligible. Unfortunatley, it can be technically challenging to retain intelligibility, when recording or amplifying the voice. In this article, we present some facts on speech intelligibility and, most importantly, how to retain it.

This article describes the positive effect of the loudness standards and the accordingly enhanced dynamic range.

By introducing the MMA-A Digital Audio Interface, DPA Microphones has moved into the field of analog to digital conversion. Basically, it is all about the transformation of an analog, continuous signal into discrete numbers. This article describes the general terms applicable to audio conversion.

This article describes some common misunderstandings regarding dynamic versus condenser mics. It explains why condenser microphones are useful in many situations where dynamic microphones, per tradition, have been preferred.

It is common to use a headset microphone for television news and broadcast shows, theatrical performances, and, of course, for auditoria presenters. However, in times where the mobility is limited, a headset mic is also an extremely convenient solution for journalists, when they work remotely.

Not all vocal microphones are made equal, so finding the right one for your specific needs is important. There are many key attributes you should consider when choosing your mic. Look at the following points and make sure you actively consider the ones that are most important for your situation.

Guidelines for video miking, especially voices.

Permanently installed microphone systems apply to spaces where speech needs amplification. The perfect system should be natural sounding and provide high speech intelligibility. There are many contributing factors to great installed sound systems – including the microphone, room acoustics and background noise. This article will give you tips to ensure that the sound in space is the best it can be.

This article takes you through ten issues where digital processing cannot make things undone.

What do professionals working within the theater and /or live performance think about miniature microphones? A Q&A session with Jim van Bergen, Sound Designer, Production Sound Engineer, Mixer

There are many truths (and some myths) about working on a sound crew in the film industry. It is a challenging environment, so I have gathered some of my thoughts, tips and tricks that I have learned throughout my years in the business. By Antoin Cox, Recording Engineer & DPA Master

Learn how to extend the life and preserve the sound of your mic in 5 easy steps.

Eyes have blind angles – ears don’t. Sound can carry a lot of “hidden” information not necessarily found in images or video. Voice and language, vehicle characteristics, timing, direction, distance information, etc.

Without microphones, there would be no sound to broadcast. This is equally true for both traditional TV broadcast media as well as modern content creation situations. However, given the importance of mics in image-carrying broadcasts (TV), much effort is made to keep them out of the picture. Here, the miniature microphone is preferred because it is almost invisible, easy to carry and place, fits with wireless transmitters, and produces easy-to-process sound if it is a good-quality microphone.

The world of theatre is exciting. It is also fascinating to support art with advanced technologies. However, even simpler technologies like microphones are valuable, miniature microphones being indispensable in the daily work of art.

This 6 part series of articles examine some of the important principles, possibilities, and limitations of wireless systems.

If you have just started to become interested in sound recording, it's a great idea to find out what you can do with miniature microphones. Despite their small footprint, miniature microphones can produce great sound. Here are ideas for recording with one, two, or more microphones.

A content creator's audio must sound clear so that people can concentrate on the message and perceive it as trustworthy. No matter whether you are reporting for radio or television, or creating online content, here are ten tips for any creator working in a home environment. The list is organized in prioritized order.

Audio formats have developed over time. Starting with narrow bandwidth mono, moving on to various versions of two-channel stereo and finally to full-band, multi-channel immersive audio. The sound is reproduced in many ways, ranging from personal headphones to multi-channel systems in cinemas or other big venues. Immersive audio can be described as a group of recording- and reproduction formats that involve more than a basic two-channel stereo

How to determine spacing and angling

This article describe the ability of various models of DPA condenser microphones to cope with extremely high sound pressure levels.

How your grip colors your sound when using a handheld microphone

Guidelines for miking a symphony orchestra utilizing multiple microphones.

The binaural recording technique builds on the principle of placing microphones on a human’s head - or an artificial head. The microphones' position is either just outside each ear canal or at the bottom of the ear canal close to the eardrum. When you reproduce the recording and listen with headphones, the image is very much similar to “being there”. This article explains using a binaural headset (instead of an artificial head solution), so the binaural sound recording takes place at the entrance of the ear canal of a real person.

When listening to an amplification or a recording of a person speaking, the ability to understand what is being said – or sung – depends on several factors, such as the quality of the recording including the microphones, the playback system, the acoustics of the room, background noise and much more.

The sound of the voice varies a lot depending on the position of the listener or the microphone used to pick up the sound of the voice. In this article we examine the benefits and consequences of different miniature microphone placements.

What is comb filtering?

Guidelines for miking a symphony orchestra utilizing A-B set-up.

Spaced microphone stereo techniques using an acoustic absorbent baffle

Is there a unique microphone technique for streaming? Not really. However, often live streaming is characterized by transmission involving the smallest workforce possible. The rule is, therefore, “safety first.” Here we talk about best practice microphone techniques..

When it comes to capturing pristine audio in challenging environments, interference tube microphones - or shotgun microphones - stand out as the go-to solution for professionals in various fields, including film, broadcast, field recording, sports and wildlife sound capture. These specialized microphones are designed to mitigate unwanted noise and deliver excellent sound quality.

One factor differentiating microphones from each other is directivity; how much sound the microphone picks up in a given direction. Usually, polar plots are used to explain the directivity. However, it is not always easy to judge the effect of the given polar pattern on the recorded sound.

A microphone should only react to acoustically transferred sound. However, unfortunately, most mics also pick up vibrations that generate unintentional output. This can create undesirable effects like low-frequency feeds, partial timbre shifts of musical instruments, metallic sounds, and so on. In this article, we look at the phenomenon and discover its seriousness.

Many situations require solutions to protect microphones from the elemental issues. Wind and rain generate noise in microphones. In addition, viruses, like Covid, can be transferred to the surface of a mic. Efficient protection in these cases is necessary, but how these solutions affect audio performance must be understood.

All condenser microphones need power. Phantom power is the primary standard for professional microphones. Here are answers to 10+ of the most frequent questions about phantom power and its use in microphones.

The microphone is an electroacoustic device that converts acoustic energy into electrical energy. This conversion occurs via a mechanical system, usually a diaphragm, set into oscillations by a sound field. The mechanical movement is then converted into an electrical signal by an electromechanical coupling.

Specifications are generated to inform the user about a microphone. From the specs, you can find out about the basic features and how the microphone fits your needs - and your equipment.

This article explains how Acoustic Pressure Equalizers can increase the directivity of a pressure microphone, providing a mid/high-range boost. It also explains the effect of various grids in front of the membrane. You will learn about the application of acoustic modification (acoustic pressure equalizers and grids) and the purpose of doing so.

This article list all the performance-related differences that exist when comparing omnidirectional and directional microphones.

Balanced lines provide better rejection of electromagnetically induced noise. This article explains the difference between signal balanced and impedance balanced lines.

CORE by DPA and CORE+ are powerful technologies at the heart of DPA miniature microphones. Learn more about why CORE/CORE+ is important and why mics with them sound better.

Acoustic interference tubes are used to increase the directionality of microphones. Over the last decades, DPA Microphones has extensively researched and improved the interference tube technology to an unprecedented new level of performance.

Carefully-matched stereo pairs and surround sets are key to successful stereo or multi-channel recordings.

This article provides knowledge about the design principles of output stages for condenser microphones. Especially the advantages and disadvantages of transformer balancing and “Active drive”.

The aim of this article is to outline some differences between directional and omnidirectional microphones in order to remove some of the prejudices that especially PA/live technicians have about omnis.

The 5100 Mobile Surround Microphone is a plug and play solution for 5.1 capture. It employs five miniature pressure transducers with interference tubes and acoustic baffles. Tonmeister Mikkel Nymand explains the thinking and processes behind it.

This article looks into the special problems that microphones in connection with digital transmission systems may provide if not designed well.

When using wireless microphone systems, the polarity of the signal chain from input to output of the reciever should be preserved: A positive-going pressure in front of the microphone membrane should provide a positive-going voltage at pin 2 of the output (XLR) connector.

We do not want any unintended distortion in our recording chain. Unfortunately, there is usually some form of distortion present although it is below the threshold of audibility. When setting up the recording chain, the individual links of the audio chain may each contribute to the summed distortion, which eventually may become audible.

This article describes the problems that arise from electromagnetically induced noise. It explains how to avoid the problems by utilizing balanced lines.

This article gives a practical advice regarding time alignment of ST2011C in XY configuration.

All microphones make noise. Or, more accurately: a current of electrons makes noise and the presence of air molecules around the microphone diaphragm makes noise. This article digs into the topic of so-called self-noise in microphones.

When performing a practical test of a microphone be sure to get manufacturers info about specifications and applications. Besides the reading, it is a good idea to compare against a known reference, for instance, a measurement microphone with a linear response, for example the 4006A Omnidirectional Microphone.

The waveform of an audio signal exhibits a positive segment above the zero line and a negative segment below. Sometimes the waveform looks symmetrical and other times asymmetrical. Usually, the waveform’s shape and polarity doesn’t matter until we begin to mix the signals, i.e., when we have signals from two (or more) microphones that we want to combine or perhaps distribute for spatial imaging. Then, it is important to understand the terms polarity, phase and delay. This article describes the three terms with regard to microphone techniques and technology.