The number of available microphones these days is quite overwhelming. They range in cost from $15 to more than $15,000. They range in dimensions from the size of a pencil eraser for lavaliere to more than 21 inches long for a shotgun mic. They vary in the basic way they pick up sound waves and transfer the waves to electric energy, and they vary in their pickup patterns. Most microphones are developed for the music and film industry, where the sounds are often louder and more controllable. Some of these mics are better than others for recording natural sounds, so some background on how different mics function is necessary to choose the best microphones for each situation. In this case, just choosing top of the line gear may not help you. For instance, Sennheiser makes 16 microphones in their highly-rated MKH series, which include omnidirectional, cardioids, supercardioids and figure 8 mics, as well as some with adjustable polar patterns.
In this section I will be discussing the different types of microphones, their polar patterns, and different arrays for stereo mics. I discuss specialty microphones, such as hydrophones, contact mics, and ultrasonic mics in the next section. If you want to skip the details and go straight to examples of microphones for specific applications, click here.
Types of microphones
Most microphones in use today for recording are one of three types: dynamic (electromagnetic induction), condenser (capacitance change), or piezoelectric generation. Dynamic microphones are robust, inexpensive and resistant to moisture. However, they do not respond linearly to all frequencies, so their use in nature sound recording is limited. Most field recordists stick with condenser microphones, which produce a higher quality signal, but require a power source. Electret microphones are small condensors. Consumer mics often use “plug-in power” supplied by batteries within the microphones and power from the recorder. Professional microphones use 48v “phantom power” supplied by the recorder or an additional mixer or power supply. Some consumer recorders supply phantom power (e.g., the Zoom H-series), but most don’t; likewise some professional recorders don’t have a plug-in power port. So you need to match the microphone to the recorder.
Polar patterns
Microphones differ in their pickup patterns – that area in which they can detect sound. They include omnidirectional (from all around), cardioid (in the front of the mic), hypercardioid (to the front and a little bit behind), and figure 8 (to the sides, but not the front or back). Lavaliers, those tiny microphones often pinned to the lapel of someone in front of a camera, are usually omnidirectional. Hypercardioid microphones include most shotgun mics, and they vary in how much they reduce the side (off-axis) noise. Although they are often compared to zoom lenses in photography, a better analogy is looking though a tube. Imagine looking through a short tube and comparing the field of view to looking through a long tube. That’s basically the hypercardioid microphones “fetch.” Sometimes shotguns are referred to as “supercardioid”, which means they restrict side noise similar to a hypercardioid mic, but reject more of the sound to the rear. Long shotguns restrict more of the side noise than short shotguns. Note that for both of these, there is some pick up to the rear of the mic, so if you are hand-holding the mic or using it on top of a camera for video work, it can pick up some operator noise. If you want to record a bird in front of you or get closer to a person speaking, while reducing other noises, you would use a shotgun mic. One drawback to shotgun mics relative to others is that they are more sensitive to wind noise.
Four basic microphone patterns. There are many variations of these, and individual microphones may show slight differences in patterns at different frequencies.
Polar patterns are not only important for the spatial quality of the individual microphones, but factor into how microphones may be combined in stereo arrays. Not all polar patterns mesh well when two or more microphones are used together.
For a more information on microphones, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphone
Stereo Arrays
We hear in stereo (if our hearing isn’t damaged), so nature recordings often sound best when two or more mics are used together. If you want to record the entire soundscape around you, you need some form of stereo array. There are 4 basic ways mics are combined to achieve nice stereo results: XY, spaced pair, binaural, and Mid-side (M-S).
Commercially, off-the-shelf stereo microphones are typically XY or M-S. XY mics consist of two cardioid microphone capsules facing each other, usually at a 90° angle, although some mics, like the Audio-Technica AT2022, have adjustable capsules that include 90º or 130º. Some XY mics are enclosed and others have the capsules exposed. Some consumer recorders also have XY built-in mics.
Mid-Side arrays are typically more complicated, as the signals are split between the inputs, such that the hypercardioid signal goes to one input and the figure 8 goes to the other (rather than right and left signals for other arrays). This usually requires a matrix decoder in order to monitor the signal as stereo, and special software to properly combine the signals in processing. Stereo shotgun mics (e.g., Sennheiser MKH 418s) are M-S mics with two capsules in one housing. It is also possible to piggyback a cardioid and a figure 8 to create an M-S recording system; Sennheiser MKH 30 and MKH 40 are often used together in that fashion.
Binaural arrays (literally, “two ears”) consist of a dummy head with microphones mounted within the ear pinnae. Usually small omni capsules are used for this. A commercial version, (Neumann KU-100 appx. $9,000 USD), has been used in some symphony halls with great success. It has not been as successful for painting a good sonic “picture” outdoors, though. These arrays can be constructed relatively cheaply using a dummy head and omni lavaliers, but they are a bit bulky to use in the field. The results seem to work well with headphones, but not so well when the sound is played back through speakers. Another version of binaural array uses two lavaliers attached either to the earpieces of glasses or on headphones or earbuds. This includes the spatial array of the human head, but because the mics are placed outside of the ear pinnae, it doesn’t include the filtering that the pinnae introduce.
The term “spaced pair” encompasses an almost endless variety of designs in which two omni or cardioid mics are separated. In the studio, spaced pairs are also referred to as “A/B” mic arrays, and are spaced 3-10 feet apart. Field recordists usually space mics a distance roughly equivalent to the width of a human head and most often with something solid between the mics, to mimic a dense human head and approach a binaural effect. These arrays are usually hand-made, with the goal being to create a natural sounding sonic environment, without necessarily attempting to record exactly they way we hear. Very good results have been obtained with these arrays.
Common methods of setting microphones to record a stereo image. For nature recording, spaced pairs are commonly set about 8 inches apart, with a solid object in between.
IN A NUTSHELL:
Before choosing microphones for field recording, it helps to have a good idea of what you want to record, and which polar pattern might best suit the recording. Condenser microphones tend to work better in field situations than dynamic mics. If you are interested in stereo recording, some microphones are stereo mics and others are mono mics that need to be rigged in stereo fashion.
Which stereo array is best is often a matter of personal preference. In the next section, I present some natural sounds that were recorded with different arrays and equipment.
Photo by Adam Ward, 2009.
Additional references:
Krause, B. 2016. Wild soundscapes. Wilderness Press, Berkeley.
Viers, R. 2008. The sound effects bible. Michael Weise Productions, Studio City, CA.
Virostek, P. 2013. Field recording from research to wrap. Airborne Publications, Toronto, ON.
Last modified January 2023.
You say that supercadioid mics restrict the side noise more than a hypercardiod mic. My understanding has always been the opposite of this. Hypercardiod mics are more directional than supercardiod. Can you clarify this for me?
Hi Dan, thanks for your comment. My research tells me that hypercardioid mics and supercardioid are pretty similar in directionality to the front, with hypercardioid slightly more directional, but that supercardioid have more rejection to the rear. I’ve tried to clarify the text. Does it make more sense now?
Hi Christine, thanks a lot for the great article.
I need to know that which Mic will be good to record a specific sounds like water flowing, fire place, wind, metal sounds and sound of the insects in the forest.
Quality mic is needed because I’m gonna record it and gonna make a huge sound video of it. Please help me in it!.
Hi Varun, well, I can’t tell you which mic will be best, as there are too many variables and ultimately it’s a matter of personal taste. I can tell you what to look out for and what questions to ask, which will hopefully steer you in the right direction. First, what kind of power do you need – will it be powered by phantom power (48v) or plug-in power (usually 2.5v)? This depends upon the recorder you are using. It sounds like you want to record both soft and loud sounds, so you probably want phantom power, as it tends to provide more dynamic range. Do you want stereo or mono? If you want stereo, do you want an all-in-one mic, or two separate mics? Or maybe you want an ambisonic mic? What pickup pattern do you want in a mic – omni, cardioid, hypercardioid? It sounds like you want to record some pretty quiet sounds, so you need both a recorder and mic that contribute very little noise. Different mics and mics from different manufacturers sound different, some may be “warmer”, some “brighter.” If you can, rent some different mics to see which you like best. Yep, its complicated. I hope that helped, and good luck with your project.
Hi Christine, thank you for sharing your experience. This article was very helpful to me! I have purchased a zoom H1n mobile recorder and now i want to choose the best external microphone for nature sound recording. Specifically i am looking for a microphone that is able to pick up (very) distant sounds. I am trying to record wolf howling on quiet nights, e.g. wind under 6mph. At times i can hear the wolves howl at a distance of 2 miles. Although my ears can pick up these sounds quite well, many microphones do not. Do you have some tips on what specifics i need to consider making the right choice?
Thank you and best wishes! Leon (Germany)
Hi Leon,
Thanks for visiting my website. Unfortunately, no mics are made to pick up distant sounds. All are made to pick up what is right in front of them. They can be modified somewhat by adding a parabola (best with omnis, but cardioids can also work), but they will still record everything in front of the mic, including every blade of grass moving. Your ears also hear this, but your brain filters it out as irrelevant. In addition, the sounds that carry the furthest are low frequency, which is why you can hear the wolves from so far away, but this is also where the wind and distant traffic sounds live.
So to record wolves, you need to focus on the following:
1. Get as close as you can, to minimize all of the other sounds between you and the wolves.
2. Use a parabola.
3. Get the quietest mics you can, preferably phantom-powered.
4. Get the quietest recorder you can, preferably provides phantom power.
You Zoom H1n is not very quiet but might work ok in conjunction with a parabola. Check out Dodotronics (https://www.dodotronic.com/product-category/parabolic-microphones/?v=2a47ad90f2ae) for some examples of parabolic mics. They also sell the parts, if you want to put together your own. Telinga.com is another source for parabolas and parts. I hope that helps, and good luck recording the wolves!
Chris
Hi, thanks very much for putting together this article, it’s really helped with my understanding of the various types of mic and their patterns. I fiund your site as I am looking to buy some mics to record better audio for my wildlife films, including birdsong and more macro sounds like insects. I am also keen to start recording more immersive audio for filmmaking. By that I mean I want to record high quality audio of the countryside including rain, thunder, wind etc etc. I currently record using the XY attachment on and into a Zoom H6 and also a Rode NTG4+.
Your article has got me thinking about getting another shotgun mic and building a spaced pair. Can I ask what you would use in the middle of the two mics in this set-up? Do you have reccomendations for good Lav mics that would be suitable for the macro work, as per your image at the top of the page?
What would you buy next if you were me?
Sorry for all the questionsm, your article got me thinking!
Cheers, Rich
Hi Richard,
Glad you found the site useful. The image at the top of the page was taken from the web and probably photoshopped, so I don’t know if such a mic exists. That would be a good use for a shotgun mic, though. For spacious recordings, you either want omnis in some form of spaced or partially-baffled array, or cardioids in an x-y or wide-spaced pattern. I mostly use clippy mics (small omnis from Micboosters.com) in spaced arrays or “tree ears” (where the mics are attached on either side of a 6-8 inch diameter tree, which creates space and a barrier between mics). I did quite a bit of recording with an AudioTechnica AT4022, which does both x-y and spaced, and the spaced is pretty nice. The mic is a bit noisy, though. Great for close work (next to streams, etc), not so great for quiet deserts. AudioTechnica also makes a couple of really nice single unit X-Y mics (BP 4025 and AT 8022), which are reported to be very quiet. Some people find x-ys to sound a bit narrow. You don’t want to use a shotgun in a spaced array, as you end up with two distinct sound fields, rather than an open, spacious sound. If you like the openness of the x-y on the H6, then you can get better sound with one of the AudioTechnica mics. If you want more “space”, try the clippy mics. They are cheap enough to play with in a variety of setups to see which you like. Just make sure to get the wind protection for them. Hope that helps,
Chris
Hi Christine,
I’m a beginner in this subject. I’ve searched online and after spending many hours finally found your article which I find to be the most valuable in relation to nature recording information. So thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I want to record nature sceneries such as rain, thunderstorms, stream, waterfalls, ocean waves and forests using the upcoming iPhone 12 Pro Max but use a dedicated microphone instead in order to get the highest possible audio quality.
I’ve looked at some models from various brands (Sony, Tascam, Zoom, etc), but am still a bit confused on which ones would suit for what I intend to use the microphone for. I was wondering if you have any recommendation(s) within the $1500 price range?
Thank you and all the best!
Hi Jon, thanks for the kind words. I’m not an iPhone user, and Android phones are pretty useless for audio, so I may not be your best source of info. Most mics made for iPhones are not stereo, except for the Zoom iQs. You might start there. To get a professional mic into an iPhone is going to take external power supplies and extra adapters, as the phones do not supply enough power. Something you might try is to get a decent recorder with onboard mics (e.g., Sony D100), and export the signal into your iPhone. That would give you a lot of flexibility, and might be easier to manage than power supplies plus microphones. Does that help?
Hey Christine!
I plan to buy mics for field recording.
Ambience, Urban, Walla, Traffic, Nature, Pass by Vehicles and Engine (start/stop, drive by/rev, interior/exterior etc.
AT4022 Stereo Pair a good choice? With – Lom audio MikroUsi or Soundman Okm.
Budget $1500
Thanks!
Hi Daryn,
The AT4022s have a great reputation, and I’ve heard some great recordings from them. I have not used them myself, but they seem like a great value for the money. With some good wind protection, they should work great.
Chris
Hi Christine,
The Sony D100 happens to be at the top of my list of products to consider but just wasn’t sure if it’s suitable. With you suggesting it and also after reading your review of D100, it encouraged me to do a little bit more research on other users’ experiences and the overall impression I got is it’s the best one in its category.. As a result, I’ve decided to go for the D100.
It’s not easy when you’re a beginner and you encounter some technical terms you have no idea what they mean and you research more and sometimes still get confused. Ha ha! Thanks for your help Christine now I can relax.
Also I’ll be buying the albums you’ve produced. I’m big on using nature sounds for relaxation, meditation, sleep and focus. High quality recording enhances the experience even more!
Thanks again Christine. Now i’m a fan (from Australia) and have added your website to my favorites.
Thanks, Jon. I look forward to seeing and hearing your videos. BTW, the best wind protection I’ve found for the D100 is the Movo WS-R30.
Cheers,
Chris
Thanks Chris for recommending the Move WS-R30. I’ll get that one too. Btw, I’ve just purchased all of your available albums from your website. I’ve listened to some of the samples earlier and the quality of the recording is amazing!.
Thanks, Jon! That’s what keeps gas in the tank so I can go out and record some more. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask (on the recording side, I don’t know anything about capturing video on an iPhone).
-Chris
Very helpful. Thank you!
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Very nice Article.
Can u please help me find a good microphone for outdoor use? I wont talk in the videos. I just wanne catch the nature sounds when im filming in the woods. Sound like bird, waterfalls, open fire place and such.
My budget is 300$ but ofc if i dont need to spend all 300$ to get a mic for my use that would be great, but again i wont mind spend 300$ if i rly need to. Only thing is that i cant use more than that.
I use an Canon 600d/T3i
Ty in advance and keep up the good work <3
Hi Felipe, thank you for your question. You might look at one of the Rode Videomics. They are not stereo; if you are interested in stereo, you might check the Senal SCS-98. Note that I have not tried any of these, but they should give you an idea of what to look for. Make sure you get a shock mount and furry windcover (just the foam won’t do). Also make sure whatever mic you get uses PIP power (3.5 mm jack, the mics I listed do), and not phantom power (XLR jack), which your camera won’t support. Good luck!
You make no reference to frequency. Elephants and miles for example here sub human frequencies which is how they detect psunamies etc. I am well versed in frequencies. When trying to playback an animal noise to gain their attention you need to include these sub sonic frequencies. If you don’t catch it on the recording you can never play back a “true sound” because like HDTV if it was never captured in the the first, you can not play back what you didn’t record. Are their such microphones available, secondary would be an amplifier and speaker capable of playing back said frequencies that are outside of a humans audio range.
Hi Graham, thank you for the comment. Actually, I do mention frequency on this page: https://www.wildmountainechoes.com/equipment/microphones-nature-recording-ii-different-microphones-different-situations/, albeit briefly. I generally avoid discussion of playbacks, as it can be used too often to disturb animals. But you bring up a good point about matching the microphone to the frequencies you need to capture. I look into adding more about it when I next revise the page.
Hi Christine
Tom here.
I love yo record Elk while calling. I use gopros
Insta 360 1X and iPhone 10.
The iPhone pics up the best sound of the 3
But the GoPro. Pics up distant Bull bugling the other 2 miss completely. But it has a lot of white noise from wind you don’t even hear.
I’m looking for something that will work to record in stereo preferred that will pick up the distant bugles without the wind noise.
Hi Tom,
My guess is that the extra noise in the GoPro is mic noise. There is probably more adjustable gain for the mic(s), so you might have it cranked up too high. The only solutions are to get closer to the subject, and/or use a parabolic mic (they come in stereo, too, but they have a narrower “image” than a regular stereo mic). The other problem with distant recording is that the mic will pick up every little sound between you and the elk (every fly buzz, every rustle in the grass, every whisper of the breeze in the trees). I’ve spend years trying to remove some of that noise from my recordings, and believe me, it’s just easier to try to get closer. Good luck!
hello christine, thanks for the article. greatly helps beginners like me.
Firstly, the cover image of the article – is that actually possible ie to isolate insect noises in this way?
Second, I wanna know if the polar pattern in microphones is comparable to the ‘focal area’ in optics, ie where the sound can be picked up sharpest? How does this focus fall with distance, say compared to recording something 5ft away to something 50ft away?
Thirdly, when recording birds, is a mono mic sufficient? Does a stereo configuration offer great advantages?
I’m just starting at this, so thanks again.
Hi Vib, thanks for the question. The cover photo is not mine, but looks photoshopped. Usually flies land on your microphone covers and interfere with your recording, rather than having to seek them out! There are certainly analogies between microphones and camera lenses – with one major exception: you cannot zoom in with a microphone. So the analogy would be with fixed lenses of different focal length. I.e., a very wide angle lens would be similar to an omni mic, or stereo array (in only a limited sense, in that the microphone(s) can pick up what’s behind you, also), and a telephoto lens would be similar to a shotgun mic. To zoom in on a sound, you need to get closer, although sometimes you can use amplification via a parabola to achieve that effect. Sounds do fade with distance, related very much to frequency – so low frequencies can travel further than high frequencies. You can test this out as a listening experiment even with bird song. Listen carefully to a bird singing close to you, then start moving away from the bird. At some distance, the higher notes may disappear, but you can still hear the lower notes (you need a singer with a song that varies in frequency, of course). A “sweet spot” like you have in some camera lenses would usually be a function of atmospheric conditions and the frequencies broadcast rather than with the equipment, although some mics are “richer” in some frequencies. You can’t focus a mic the way you can a camera lens, it just takes a lot of experience to know just where to put the mic. Whether to use mono or stereo depends upon your purpose in recording. If you are interesting in recording just the song of 1 bird, and limiting the other sounds, a mono shotgun mic is ideal. If you want a sound image of everything around you, a stereo mic is needed. I hope that helps!
Absolutely informative and helping! This and part II are the most complete and organized pieces I’ve found on web on wildlife recording! Thanks a lot.
You’re welcome! So glad you found the material helpful.
This is a real good piece of information.
Thank you. Glad it was helpful.