Capturing high-quality visuals is only half the battle when it comes to video creation - your audio can just as easily make or break your content. Whether you’re creating a film, vlogging for social media or conducting interviews, clear, crisp audio is a must.
With so many options available, from lavalier to condenser and shotgun microphones, you may be unsure of what is right for your specific project needs. In this guide, we break down the types of microphones and their usage so you can find the best addition to your setup.
Are external microphones worth it?
While most cameras and phones already come with built-in microphones, investing in an external microphone is essential for clear and crisp sound quality. An external microphone can help reduce echo and background noise for a more professional audio experience, while a built-in microphone has a less sophisticated capability.
Some external microphones also come with their own power source which can help save on camera battery life for those who like to take their cameras far and wide.
How to choose a good microphone for video recording
No two creative projects are the same and the microphone you choose should be able to meet the needs of your specific video production. Luckily for all of us videographers, there are a wide variety of microphones to choose from, including small Lavalier mics for on-the-go or bigger shotgun mics for more precise audio capture.
To help you find the best match, we’ve included a list below of the types of microphones you can use for video recording as well as what filming conditions they’re best suited for.
What is a shotgun microphone?
A shotgun microphone is known as a “directional microphone” and is designed to pick up sound in a certain direction while blocking out surrounding noises. They’re standard microphones on the end of an interference tube to give you more creative control concerning what sounds you’re picking up.
What are shotgun microphones best used for?
Shotgun microphones are most common in the film and TV industry and are usually attached to boom mics. However, there are a few different types of shotgun microphones and these include:
- Short shotgun mics - good for close-up recordings
- Long shotgun mics - built to better suit long-range shots
- Super shotgun mics - built to accommodate both long-range and short-range audio
Now we’ve touched on the different types of shotgun mics, let's discuss what scenarios they’re best used for:
- Outdoor filming - If you’re shooting in a public area and need to drown out passing conversations, intrusive barking dogs, or whatever else may be going on in the surrounding area outside of your control, then shotgun mics are great for drowning out these unwanted noises while picking up clear audio from your subject.
- Shooting interviews - because of their ability to only pick up sound from one area, shotgun mics are great for conducting interviews in public areas such as airports, stores and more.
- Live events - similar to outdoor filming, if you’re shooting a live event then these mics are perfect for adding ambience to your clips without background noise overpowering the main event.
What is a Lavalier microphone?
Lavaliers are small, discreet microphones that can clip onto your clothes. It allows the subject to move freely without a microphone having to chase them. They’re great for freehand filming or when you want to keep your microphone less noticeable to audiences.
What are Lavalier microphones good for?
Lavalier microphones are great for a wide range of videos due to their compact and easy-to-transport nature. They’ve even become the must-have microphone for social media content creators, as it allows them an easy way to record straight to their phone or talk while shooting something in real-time as it’s completely hands-free.
Below we’ve included some of the best usages for these small but powerful microphones:
- Social media - Due to their ability to clip onto clothes, these mics are perfect for solo filming while you cook, clean, create art, or anything else you may be filming. They provide clear audio without getting in the way.
- Interviews - If you’re conducting an interview but don’t have anyone to hold a microphone overhead or you don’t want to have a mic obstructing your visuals, a Lavalier mic is the perfect choice.
- Hands-free filming - If you want to record your audio live while working - this could be while demonstrating something, or while walking, etc., these mics allow you to move about freely without lowering the sound quality and keeping your hands free.
- Live performances & Public speaking - their discreet nature makes them perfect for recording audio during live performances, such as theatre shows, without having a big clunky microphone distracting the audience.
One exemplary model of these microphones is the Kenro Lavalier Microphone. No matter if you’re shooting on a smartphone or a camera, these little pieces of tech elevate your audio to match up to your visuals. With a simple clip-on style, enjoy hassle-free audio recording and a high-quality condenser that creates clean audio and reduces handling noise.
Kenro Lavalier Microphone - £17.99
What is a condenser microphone?
A condenser microphone is often used to record vocals and acoustic instruments as they’re more sensitive and can pick up higher frequencies that keep the audio truer to the sound source. As such, they’re mostly used as indoor microphones.
What are condenser microphones good for?
These microphones are most often used in studios and homes. They’re made for when you need to capture clear and detailed audio - which makes them less effective for outdoor use as they’re not built to drown out noises. These microphones are best suited for when you want to capture audio that sounds as close to the counterpart real-life audio as possible.
A few great ways you can take advantage of these detailed, high-quality microphones include:
- Studio/indoor filming - perfect for indoor use, these microphones can capture all the small details that matter when it comes to audio.
- Vocals and acoustic instruments - due to their clean sound capture as well as their sensitive frequency features, these mics are great for vocals and acoustic as the recording will remain close to the real-life source.
- Social media - these microphones are a popular choice for those who make social media videos, such as vlogging at home, due to their clean audio that can help your videos stand out online.
-
Podcasting - podcasting heavily relies on good audio, and due to their high sensitivity and frequency response that provides crisp sound, these microphones are the perfect option.
What is a cardioid microphone?
Cardioid microphones are similar to shotgun microphones in that they capture sound from the front but reject all noise from the sides and behind the mic. This helps to reduce background noise and improve clarity while recording.
However, to understand the difference between a shotgun microphone and a cardioid, you can think of the shotgun microphone as being more like a laser when it comes to picking up sound waves, whereas a cardioid is more like a torch - it has a wider range for picking up sound.
What are cardioid microphones good for?
Cardioid microphones are the most popular for when you want to drown out ambient sounds like you would with a shotgun mic but it has more range - which is good if you don’t have a dedicated mic person to follow around the subject or if you’re filming alone. Some popular scenarios for using a cardioid microphone include:
-
Live performances - since cardioid mics are made for isolating sound, this makes recording live performances and drowning out crowd noise a breeze.
- Social media/vlogging - a cardioid is another popular choice for social media and vlogging as it drowns out sound while still providing a good sound range from the front, making it a great choice for vlogging both indoors and outdoors.
- Studio recording - if you’re recording vocals or instruments then a cardioid microphone can help drown out room ambience for cleaner audio.
- Filming outdoors - due to the sound-blocking qualities, these microphones are perfect for filming outdoors in busy areas from cities to beaches, so you can enjoy sound quality no matter where you go.
A great example of a cardioid microphone is the Kenro Universal Cardioid Microphone. Ideal for securing onto the top of your camera and even using with your phone, these microphones effortlessly elevate your videos with crisp sound to provide a polished finish. It’s also lightweight and comes with a windshield for optimal outdoor filming.
Kenro Universal Cardioid Microphone - £29.99
Upgrade the sound quality of your videos with Kenro
Visuals are just no good without clean audio. Having bad sound in your videos can be very distracting for the viewer and can lower the quality of all your hard work. Having the right microphone to help create crisp, clear sound is essential for any video project.
Whether you’re filming an outdoor event or vlogging at home, find the right microphone for your needs with our full microphones and audio collection here at Kenro.
