Microphone Selection and Placement Flashcards
7 cards from real Music & Audio Advice practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Microphone Selection and Placement flashcards as text
A hypercardioid microphone, compared to a standard cardioid, offers:
Answer: Tighter front pickup but a small rear lobe
Hypercardioid patterns are more directional up front but pick up a small amount from the rear.
For a stage vocalist using a floor monitor, the best mic pattern to maximize gain before feedback is often:
Answer: Hypercardioid or supercardioid
Tighter patterns like super/hypercardioid reject monitor sound from behind, raising gain before feedback.
When close-miking a snare drum, angling the mic across the head rather than straight down primarily affects:
Answer: The balance of attack versus body in the tone
Mic angle on a snare changes how much stick attack versus shell body is captured.
A lavalier microphone is most commonly an omnidirectional condenser because it must:
Answer: Pick up the voice consistently despite head movement
An omni lav captures speech evenly even as the wearer turns their head.
The Mid-Side (M/S) stereo technique uses a forward-facing mic combined with a:
Answer: Figure-8 mic facing the sides
M/S pairs a mid mic with a figure-8 side mic, allowing adjustable stereo width.
A pad switch (e.g., -10 dB or -20 dB) on a microphone is used to:
Answer: Prevent overload from very loud sources
An attenuation pad reduces the signal so loud sources don't overload the mic or preamp.
When miking a grand piano for a bright, articulate pop sound, mics are commonly placed:
Answer: Close to the hammers over the strings
Placing mics near the hammers captures attack and brightness suited to pop production.