Advanced Microphone Positioning Guide for Your Side-Address Condenser Mic

This guide will help you find the perfect position for your side-address condenser microphone by listening to how your voice changes as you move the mic. We'll start by finding the "sweet spot" up close and then pull back to the final position.

Phase 1: Finding the Front and the "Eye" of the Mic

• Step 1: Remove All Filters: First, take off any pop filters, windscreens, or foam "socks" from your microphone. These can get in the way during this process, and once you've found the right position, you may not even need them.

• Step 2: Find the "Eye": Look inside the metal mesh of your microphone. You'll see a small, circular disc—this is the diaphragm (or capsule). Think of this circle as an "eye." The goal is to get this "eye" positioned so it is looking directly at your mouth. Remember, your microphone is a side-address mic, which means it records from the side, not the top.

• Step 3: Find the Front: To find the true front of the mic, lightly scratch the metal grille on both sides of the microphone with your fingernail. The side that makes a louder sound is the front, and that's the side with the sensitive diaphragm. The back of the mic will sound much quieter.

Phase 2: Dialing in the Position by Listening

• Step 4: The "Too Close" Test: Position the front of the mic only about 4 inches from your mouth.

  • Start talking in a normal voice. Pay attention to how your voice sounds.

  • At this distance, you will hear the microphone over-emphasizing the lower frequencies of your voice. This is called the "proximity effect." The voice will sound deep, rich, and "boomy." Get used to what this sounds like, because this is what we are trying to reduce.

• Step 5: The "Too Far" Test: Now, move the mic all the way out to 12 inches from your mouth.

  • Continue talking and pay attention to how your voice changes.

  • You will notice the low frequencies of your voice are now much less prominent.

  • More importantly, you will begin to hear the sound of the room around you, especially in the space between your words. The voice will sound thin, distant, and less full.

Phase 3: Finding the Perfect Balance

• Step 6: The Sweet Spot: Now that you know what "too close" and "too far" sound like, slowly move the microphone from 12 inches back toward the 4-inch mark.

• Listen closely for the point where the deep tones of your voice sound full and natural, but you are no longer hearing too much of the room noise. This will likely be somewhere between 6 and 10 inches from your mouth.

• This is the ideal position for your microphone, where you are getting the richest sound from your voice without capturing too much of the room's acoustics. Once you've found it, you can add a pop filter back to prevent plosives.