1

Background: I have some SM58's (a dynamic mic) that I use for my vocals while I'm putting together songs on my iPad. I've recently tried some cheap $40-50-ish lavalier condensers because my dream is to have a a song sketchpad system that weighs <1kg! I already pretty much have that except for a few extra awkward pounds of SM58+preamp to carry around. These cheap ones sound pretty good but I'm wondering if I spend more I could get a recording-quality vocal mic that fits in my jeans pocket.

Questions:

  1. In general can lavalier/headset (in other words, small) mics capture the "naturalness" and fidelity of a (larger) handheld mics? Or does size really limit the sound quality?
  2. Is there any opinion on whether particular models of $$$ small mics (such as Countryman) sound as crisp and rich as an SM58 or other industry standard mics? If so, which ones?

Note: I realize there's a lot of opinion that singers who are used to using a handheld mic will hate lavalier/headset mics because you can't adjust the distance from your mouth. But I've tried both and it doesn't really bother me, so need to bomb this thread with that.

Meaningful Username
  • 6,747
  • 3
  • 30
  • 50
themirror
  • 769
  • 1
  • 6
  • 13

1 Answers1

1

The size of a microphone has little to do with the sound quality. While dynamic mics always require a certain size just to function, condensors can be made really small.

A small condensor will first of all be more noisy than a larger one, which makes it unsuitable for delicate recordings. The sound quality as such is actually more likely to improve. The nonzero diameter of the diaphragm is somewhat of a problem in lager condensors, because it colorizes the directional characteristics (sound changes with angle)

Lavalier microphones are meant to be used on a jacket. They need to make up for the damping of the fabric. When used as a hand-mic they may sound overly crisp.

IIRC Schoeps makes a high-end lavalier.

Martin Drautzburg
  • 605
  • 4
  • 12