Re:A top audio engineer explains NPR’s signature sound (2015)
by geerlingguy on Friday April 16, 2021 @08:36PM
(#26840596)
This is true.
With a good preprocessor (I use a Symetrix I got from an old radio station), I can crank my dynamic mic (EV RE320) to levels that will pick up anything happening in my entire house, with my office door closed.
It's just that the levels from condenser mics tend to be hotter, so by default you hear more stuff in the room unless you get in close and turn it down.
There's no way to replicate the 'radio' sound if you're 2 or 3 ft away from the mic.
This is a myth that's popular with podcasters. If you get as close to a condenser mic as you must with a less-sensitive dynamic mic* and crank down the gain accordingly, you'll find that condenser mics don't magically capture more ambient noise than than dynamic mics.
* Using a fist as a measure, your mouth should be between 1-2 fists away from the mic.