There is a quote that floated around for years attributed to early radio pioneer and broadcasting giant David Sarnoff: "It's not a microphone, it's an ear." I wanted to use this on one of the opening pages for Digital Radio Production. Unfortunately, not even the David Sarnoff library can authenticate the alleged quote. Whoever said it, though, was dead on. It's not a microphone; it is someone's ear and if you think of microphones as ears it changes the artistic way you approach many projects. Technically, recording something is fairly easy. Capturing the essence of the performance, though, is something else altogether and requires experience to achieve.

While this chapter cannot provide you professional experience, it certainly can provide the basic knowledge to help you develop your microphone use skills. Today, more than ever, there is an incredible selection of affordable, great sounding microphones; and each microphone has a signature sound, just like the different colors on a painter's palate.

This is a lengthy chapter. There is a vast array of microphone choices when it comes to something as simple as recording a person's voice in a production studio or selecting a microphone for an on-air control room. In addition to microphones, there are specialty microphone preamplifiers and microphone processors. Your job is to carefully select the best microphone for the job at hand, but keep in mind that there is no such thing as the "best" microphone.

Chapter 3 Highlights

Microphones as Transducers

Dynamic Microphones

Electrostatic Microphones

Microphone Pickup or Directional Patterns

Factors to Consider in Selecting a Microphone

Gain Staging

Microphone Mounts

Shock Mounts

Microphone Placement

Windscreens and Pop Filters

Microphone Cables

Microphone Connectors

Microphone Preamplifiers

Special-Purpose Microphones

Wireless Microphones

Making the Final Selection

Suggested Activities

Web Sites for More Information

Pro Speak