FAQ Friday: Microphone Flavours, Avoidable Recording Mistakes and the Truth About Expensive Gear

Hope you’re doing marvellously well. I’m back at Spitfire London, dressed mostly in black, and it’s time for another FAQ Friday. As always, I don’t see these questions in advance, which means the answers come straight from experience rather than rehearsal.

Let’s dive in.

Why Do Different Microphones Have Different “Flavours”?

This is a deceptively big question.

At a technical level, microphones differ because of their frequency response, transient handling, capsule design, transformers, electronics, and how they react dynamically to sound. If Paul Wolff were standing next to me, he could explain this far better than I ever could from an electronics standpoint.

So instead, I’ll answer it as someone who’s been recording for a very long time.

Engineers gravitate toward certain microphones in certain situations because they work, and because our ears are trained by decades of records we love.

Dynamic microphones, for instance, are often chosen when we want isolation. On a drum kit, dynamics help reduce bleed from other drums. On guitar amps, they handle high sound pressure levels effortlessly and take abuse without flinching.

That’s why something like a Shure SM57 has been used endlessly on snare drums and guitar amps. It has a gentle presence lift around 3 to 5 kHz, which helps things cut through a mix. Put it on a snare or a guitar cab and it immediately sounds like a record.

And that familiarity matters.

A 57 into a Neve 1073, into a Universal Audio 1176 is a sound your ears already trust, because you’ve heard it on countless records.

Ribbons, Condensers, and Knowing When to Break the Rules

None of these are rules, by the way.

Ribbon microphones can be extraordinary on guitar amps and drum kits. A single ribbon over a kit can sound phenomenal. Anyone who’s used a Coles 4038 as a mono overhead knows exactly what I mean. It’s incredible, especially in bright rooms where you want to tame cymbals without losing weight or depth.

That’s where experience comes in.

You walk into a studio, listen to the room, and make decisions instinctively. Maybe the room is bright, so you choose a darker ribbon. Maybe the guitar is painfully sharp, so you blend a Royer Labs R-121 with a 57 to balance bite with warmth.

These are the choices we learn through repetition.

Condenser microphones are often described as “more accurate”, however every condenser has its own personality. Some are brighter, some darker, some smoother in the top end.

For years, many female R&B vocalists gravitated toward AKG C12-style microphones because of their fuller low end and open top. Personally, I love Neumann 47-style microphones because they aren’t overly bright, yet they take EQ beautifully. You can add air without the vocal becoming aggressive or sibilant.

That’s why these designs are cloned over and over again. They’ve earned their reputation over decades of real-world use.

The Two Microphones Every Engineer Trusts

I once asked some of the greatest engineers and producers in the world, including Ed Cherney, Hugh Padgham, and Steve Lillywhite, a simple question.

If you could only record a band with two microphones, which would you choose?

Every single one said the same thing.

A 57 and a Neumann U87.

The point wasn’t brand loyalty. It was versatility.

A U87 can go on vocals, piano, overheads, acoustic guitar, bass amp, electric guitar, or percussion. It’s a utilitarian microphone in the best possible sense.

I learned this firsthand early in my career when Andy Jackson turned up to a session with a pair of U87s. Four microphones on the entire drum kit, two overheads, a 57 on snare, and a D112 in the kick. That same 87 later became the vocal mic, the bass mic, and the acoustic guitar mic.

It was an education.

Modern Condensers and Practical Solutions

We’re now in a great era for microphones.

There are outstanding companies like Mojave, Roswell, and Lewitt making versatile, professional condensers at more accessible prices. Recently, we’ve been testing Austrian Audio’s OC818, and it’s impressed everyone who’s used it, from vocals to drums to acoustic instruments.

This isn’t about hype. It’s about the reality that a single high-quality condenser can solve an enormous number of recording problems.

Mono piano mic, overheads, vocals, guitar, bass, room mic, it can all be done if the microphone is well designed.

The Most Common Avoidable Recording Mistake

The single biggest avoidable issue in recording is lack of preparation.

Preparation looks different depending on where you are in your career.

If you’re working with an inexperienced band, preparation might mean extensive pre-production. If you’re walking into a high-level session with world-class players, preparation means knowing the room, the gear, and having everything ready before the artist walks in.

When I recorded with David Foster on a song written by Diane Warren, I went to the studio days in advance. I assessed the gear, rented what was missing, tuned the drum kit, placed it in the best part of the room, and had everything miked and ready. When David arrived, we recorded immediately. No delays. No uncertainty.

On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve had sessions where the air conditioning failed, consoles overheated, headphone sends vanished, and somehow the session still moved forward because momentum matters.

Experience teaches you how to survive both extremes.

The takeaway is simple. Whatever level you’re at, be honest with yourself and be ready. If you’re recording something unfamiliar, do your homework. Preparation is always the thing you can control.

Cheap vs Expensive P90 Pickups: What Are You Really Paying For?

You generally get what you pay for, with diminishing returns.

A £25 pickup might sound good. It might even sound great in the right context. However, cheaper pickups are often noisier, less well shielded, and built with more readily available components.

More expensive pickups usually offer better shielding, tighter tolerances, higher quality magnets, and consistency from unit to unit. They are quieter, more reliable, and often last a lifetime.

This is no different from mastering.

You can pay £25 for a master or £400 for a top-tier engineer. The more expensive option is not four times better, however you are paying for experience, judgement, and the ability to fix any problem instantly.

It’s the same with classic gear clones. Some look like the original. Some sound close. The best use premium components and last decades. That’s what you’re paying for.

Think Ferrari versus Jaguar F-Type. Both are incredible. One costs more because it sits at the extreme end of what’s possible.

Final Thoughts

Different microphones sound different because of design, electronics, and history. We choose them because of experience, familiarity, and results. The biggest mistake you can avoid is not being prepared. And when it comes to gear, expensive doesn’t always mean better, but the best almost always costs more.

Thanks so much for watching and reading. Leave your questions below for future FAQ Fridays, and I’ll see you very soon.

Have a marvellous time recording and mixing.