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Tips for Testing
a Microphone
The stage is set, the microphone is fixed and the event is about to start in a few minutes and the first thing that arrests your attention would be that of a microphone boy who taps and blows into the microphone to make sure that it is working properly. However, hitting and thumping might not be the best possible method to test a microphone. Blowing into a microphone is also not recommended as it could change the pressure levels and even damage the fragile membrane of the microphone capsule.
So, what could be the best way to test a microphone? Simply talk to it and verify the quality of sound transmission. You might have heard many a time the sound engineers saying “ mic testing “ , ‘hello’ or ‘one two’ into the microphone to find out whether it is working the way they wanted it. When someone says ‘one two ‘into the microphone, it enables to test both low and high frequencies because the word ‘one produces a low vocal frequency while ‘two’ has a high vocal frequency. You can also use different sound sources like guitar or piano to test both its on and off-axis qualities. The headphone feed of the singer should be only from one microphone and too loud voices could influence the performance of the vocalist.
Use the mute button in the console while testing the microphone and do not use faders. Make sure that the equalizers are in neutral position. You can also conduct the ambience test, in which you move as far as possible from the microphone, the directional microphones will show the unwanted proximity effect and the sonic reflections within the recording room will form a complex sound field and the quality of the microphone can be easily found out.
The close up test is another common method to test the microphones’ sensitivity to pop sounds. It is likely that the lower sound frequencies will be enhanced many times due to the proximity effect of the directional microphone. Though this surging sound effect might sound good in rock n roll or high pitch drum beats, the proximity effect is typically considered as an unwanted side effect. Omni directional microphones are not very sensitive to pop noises unlike the directional microphones.
If the test microphone is large and is not symmetrical, 30 cm 45° off-axis up test can be done to fund any unsymmetrical coloration. If you talk into the microphone in an angle, a sonic reflection is set off from the base of the cartridge. A microphone, which shows unsymmetrical off-axis coloration, is not a good choice for high quality recordings.
Last but not least, check the sensitivity of the microphone to ensure that the levels are identical. By gentling tapping the microphone along with the stand will give you a clear idea on its sensitivity in handling sound. In case you need a sensitive microphone, it is better to opt for a directional microphone. If you take some time off to do these simple tests, it would ensure a premium quality sound transmission and will make the event successful.