Microphone Placement - Samson Q2U Owner's Manual

Microphone Placement

In order to maximize the quality of your recordings, you should pay careful attention to the
placement and positioning of the Q2U for the instrument or vocalist that you are miking. The
Q2U is a unidirectional microphone with a cardioid pickup pattern. Cardioid microphones, exhibit
a phenomenon known as proximity effect. Proximity effect is a resulting change in the frequency
response of a microphone based on the position of the mic capsule relative to the sound source. In
general, as the microphone moves closer to the sound source, the bass response increases.
You can also make subtle changes to the frequency response by making minor adjustment to the
position. Specifically, when you point a cardioid mic directly at the sound source (on axis) you will
get the best frequency response, however when you start pointing the microphone slightly away
(off axis) you will notice the high frequency response dropping off and the microphone will start to
sound like it has more bass and less highs.
For most vocal applications you'll want to position the microphone directly in front of the artist
about 4 to 18 inches. This will pickup the voice while minimizing unwanted background or ambient
noise. If you are close miking vocals, and notice plosive sounds, like p-pops, caused by plosive
consonants set the microphone to a slight angle to reduce p-popping. Slight changes to the angle
of the microphone in reference to the sound source can make some pretty amazing equalization
adjustments. This can be a very useful technique in capturing the optimum sound of drum set,
acoustic guitar, piano or other instruments in a live room or sound stage. Experimentation and
experience are the best teachers in getting good sounds, so plug in and start creating!