Creative Microphone Technique - Music Learning Collective

There are many ways that microphones can be used creatively and while there are tried and tested methods for recording which you can learn from others, there is nothing better than moving microphones around and seeing what happens. No two rooms and no two instruments are exactly alike, so the possibilities are endless.

When working with microphones, try to think in three dimensions. You can move the microphone up or down, left or right, towards and away.

As you move the microphone away from the source, you will start to hear more and more of the room around it. The reflections from the walls, floor, ceiling and other objects in the room will become more apparent.

If you want a tight and focused sound, then you won’t want to hear these reflections, so you‘ll need to keep the microphone close. However if you want an airy or ambient sound, then the reflections may be quite desirable.

Also remember that you’re not limited to choosing between tight or airy sounds. You can in fact have a bit of both by using two microphones, one which is close and another which is further away.

By mixing these two microphones together you can achieve a sound which is bigger than any single microphone can produce.
A common technique when recording drums is to place ambience microphones on the other side of the room. When mixed together this can make the drums sound big, and can help the listener feel like they are in the room. Of course, you might only want to do this if the room sounds good.

When mixing these ambience microphones, be creative with how you process them. By heavily compressing the ambience and blending it in with the rest of the kit, you can make the drums sound even bigger.

Course Progress

Music Production Sound and Audio Fundamentals Creative Microphone Technique

Previous Section

Back to Section

Next Lesson