This week I took out a Zoom H4n recorder and a SM58 to record some sounds. I learned that dynamic microphones lack the sensitivity required to record specific sounds at a distance. I had to have the record level of the machine as high as possible, and even then I struggled to get the desired -12 dB signal level, even with sounds as close as a metre away. This surprised me, because the microphone built in to the device did a much better job of picking up sounds. For the recording it would be best for us to use condenser microphones where possible, because of their superior ability to pick up quieter sounds with greater clarity than dynamic microphones.
Testing microphones
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