MIc Placement Matters!
· Audio · Microphones · 3:58
In this week’s episode, we discover how much of an impact microphone placement can have on how your dialogue recordings sound. Is higher or lower better? To the side or straight ahead?! Let’s explore and find out!
Gear used or mentioned
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- Neumann U87 Ai — Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Read the transcript
You might think my microphone position looks wrong here, so let me explain. My voice has a lot of sibilance — saying “she sells seashells by the seashore” produces a lot of grating high-frequency energy. Where you position the microphone changes how pronounced that is.
With a large-diaphragm condenser like this Neumann U87Ai, you might expect the capsule should be in line with your mouth, but listen: positioned in line with the mouth, the sibilance is noticeably harsher; lowered slightly below mouth level, it’s much smoother. Raised higher, with the mouth below the capsule (like a suspended studio mic setup), sibilance is reduced further, and you also pick up less chest resonance, so the sound is a bit less bassy overall. Moving back to the original lower/closer position brings back some of that bassier, chestier quality.
Foam windscreens can also help — they absorb some high-frequency content, which can tame sibilance further, demonstrated with an on/off comparison. If you’re dealing with sibilance in voiceover or podcast recording, try adjusting microphone position and adding a foam cover before reaching for de-essing or high-pass EQ in post. A lot of people go out and buy dozens of microphones chasing the “perfect” sound for their voice — myself somewhat included, though I have an excuse as a microphone reviewer — but trying different mic positions first can often get you most of the way there without buying anything new. Hope that was helpful. Get out there and make some great sound. Talk to you again soon.