Focusrite Scarlett Third Generation Series User Manual page 14

Microphone Dos and Don'ts
A guide to microphone technique is beyond the scope of this User Guide (though many excellent
books and online video tutorials on the subject are available), but if you are new to recording with a
studio quality microphone, you need to observe a few golden rules.
DO use a mic stand. The CM25 MkIII has an industry-standard 5/8" threaded insert which allows it
to be mounted on most mic stands. An 3/8" adaptor is included to allow it to be fitted to mic stands
that have this thread size. Inexpensive short, long and boom stands are available from music stores.
DO observe the microphone's orientation. The CM25 MkIII has a cardioid response pattern; this
means it has a "front" and a "back", and if you point it the wrong way round, it will sound odd. The
front of the CM25 MkIII can be identified by the CM25 MkIII logo.
DON'T ignore the room acoustics. You probably won't have the luxury of a recording studio's perfect
acoustics. Be aware of how reverberant the room is. Reverberation is neither good nor bad, but often
inappropriate. Some instruments will benefit from being recorded in a reverberant space, others
won't. A "dead" acoustic is generally better than a "live" one, because reverberation can be added
electronically in the recording process, but room reverberation on the recording can't be removed.
DON'T blow into a microphone to test it! Lightly rub or scratch the grille instead.
DO experiment with microphone placement. Remember you will not only be recording the vocal or
instrument, but the effect of the microphone position relative to the voice or instrument as well, and
this will be affected by the room acoustics. Moving the mic around, and trying recordings at different
distances and angles to the source will produce different sounding results, some of which will be
better than others.
DO use the CM25 MkIII to mic up a guitar amplifier if you want to include the contribution to the sound
the amplifier makes. But be aware high sound levels can be produced close to the loudspeaker, and
if you need high volume, you may get a better result by moving the mic away from the amplifier. Also,
be aware you will get a subtly different sound if you point the mic at the centre of the loudspeaker
cone compared to the edge.
DON'T forget a microphone is unforgiving – it will not only pick up what you are trying to record, but
any other sound source in the room, like a clock, the air con, heating, or a chair creaking. You know
how you take those holiday photos of a great bit of scenery and it's only when you look at the pictures
later you see the power cables right across the view? It's the same with recording. You might not
notice extraneous sounds at the time, but the mic will and you'll hear them on the recording. To
remove any unwanted low frequency rumble, it is advisable the High Pass Filter (HPF) on the mic's
DAW channel is enabled.
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This logo identifies the front of
the microphone.