There are a lot of microphones out on the market suitable for all types of recordings, and a whole lot more that are unsuitable. Before evaluating a microphone for voice over, it helps to understand what the microphone is supposed to do and all the things that can affect (enhance or weaken) performance. Rick Waller, Tim Vear and John Boudreau, three engineers with Shure Incorporated, have put together what I think is a pretty comprehensive 39 page guide on these issues: Mic Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcement.
The title really doesn’t tell the whole story. In addition to mic technique, the ebook discusses microphone characteristics, mic placement, acoustics, sound waves, and the four characteristics that affect sound propagation: reflection, absorption, diffraction and refraction. It also provides a useful glossary of terms.
Since this free publication is provided by Shure, only Shure microphones are featured in the Selection Guide on page 34. Well, it’s their book and Shure has sure earned bragging rights, though they don’t make a big fuss about it in this ebook. Still, it’s interesting to see how many different microphones just one company makes for all the different instruments listed, including the human voice. If you jump to the Voice-Over section of the guide, you’ll see the SM7b listed . . . that’s my microphone.
