Using Microphones for Radio Interviewing
How to get the Best Recording With a Hand Held Mic
Apr 8, 2009
The most important feature when using hand held microphones in an interview situation outside of the studio, is confidence that the equipment is going to work! Such confidence is easily gained by testing it well beforehand. Best use practice dictates that the first attempt to check the recording equipment and microphone are working correctly and efficiently together should not be just before the interview starts.
Types of Microphones
As all speech sources themselves are mono, nobody speaks in stereo (!); most interview recording necessitates the use only of mono microphones. There will be normally studio situations where a number of mono microphones may be used for recording a number of voices in conjunction and panned to achieve a stereo effect, but most hand held recording is achieved using mono microphones.
The most common mono microphones are:
- Omni Directional. A good general purpose mic, which picks up sound from every direction, and will be good for recording most interviews. It will also pick up background sounds and effects which the interviewer may want to include in the interview to give an all round feeling of the situation the interview is taking place in. This is especially true for recording Vox Pops.
- Unidirectional and Cardiod. Unidirectional mics pick up sound from only one direction and the most common type is the cardiod mic, better used when sound emanating mainly or just from one particular source is required. They tend to and will generally pick up sound from the front of the mic only and are therefore more difficult to use being more sensitive to the source of the audio.
There are other types of microphones such as:
- Shotgun mics
- Clip mics
Some sound engineers favour these for recording interviews in different situations but Omni and Uni Directional mics described are the two most common for hand-held interviewing when the interviewer is also is the sound recordist. The Omni directional mic is the easiest to use, and will let the recorder concentrate on the interview, with the confidence that their equipment is operating effectively.
Listen to the Recording Through Headphones
The best and only way to ensure that the microphone is recording exactly what the operator wants to record is to always wear headphones. Wearing headphones or ‘cans’ reveal all that’s being recorded. As well as the subject part of the interview, an Omni directional mic will also pick up background noise such as traffic and pedestrians passing, any hums and buzzes from electrical equipment like air conditioning, and sounds of nature such as wind and loud birds or animals!
Headphones will also reveal any bumps and mic and microphone lead rustling, and sounds the interviewer or person being interviewed my make that affect the way the mic picks up the speech, such as popping, or distortion. It’s also useful to record far more than the interviewer needs at that time, assuming of course it’s a ‘not-live’ situation. Better recorded audio, is always good to be able to choose from when the final audio is being produced.
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