Microphones and Mic Technique with Alex the Audio Scientist

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Scott Jacobi

Welcome, students! For my first lesson of the new year, I'll be focusing on a key piece of equipment in your studio - your microphone. The video below is chock full of helpful info, but before we get to that I want to give a quick shout-out to J.L. Rebeor, who was first to comment with all of the correct answers to my quiz last fall. You can check out her ACX profile here. Congrats, J.L.!

Now, on to the lesson. And be sure to stick around for today's quiz, as I'll once again honor the first commenter to earn a 100% in my next post.

Pencils down! It's time for our quiz. Leave your answers in the comments below for a chance at a mention in a future blog post.

  1. A microphone's polar pattern indicates _______.

  2. What are the three basic polar patterns a microphone can have?

    1. _______

    2. _______

    3. _______

  3. What polar pattern is preferred for audiobook recording?

  4. If your microphone is positioned too close to your mouth, you may end up with excessive _______ and _______ in your recording.

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