Small Diaphragm vs Large Diaphragm Condenser - Why a Small Diaphragm is BETTER, but we don't use it

Ha ha ha ha ha. This is fantastic! Thank you so much.

The Les Paul just choosing to slowly fall over killed me XD

Jo, your Guitar fell 😉

That rumble was absolute torture to my ears D:

"It's not a fair competition "- guitar falls asleep

Thanks for the video 🙏

"right off the bat...." don't get stoned out of your gourd before recording a video next time..lol

there is a concept called "directivity" (it's also used in speakers) and it depends on the size of the capsule (it's directly associated with the wavelength of a frequency) It also depends on the rigidity of the membrane, since at lower frequencies they will appear specific vibration patterns, while a much smaller membrane behaves as a "whole" (like a "ideal piston") in practically the entire frequency range.
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And the other big issue is the amount of noise. It's much easier to achieve low noise with a larger capsule, since the contact surface with the sound waves is greater (therefore, more movement, which translates into more output voltage (higher signal/noise ratio)). A smaller capsule may accelerate faster (better response to transients, more accurate) but has less exposed surface area, which translates to less output voltage (so, lower signal to noise ratio).

I think the large diaphragm mic picks easier the source because it's larger so it's less focused. I think it's the main reason why we use them more often. And not because of the Warm. Meaning you have to use a better mic technic to use a small diaphragm mic. The smaller the diaphragm is, more the placement gets important.

Excellent video.

In May 2021 when I first started my journey into the world of microphones and voiceover, my sound engineer friend and I figured an LDC would be where I would end up specifically the RodeNT1.

But after six months of renting as many different microphones as I could afford and under his guidance, my sound yoda and I, both found that wasn't the case.

We both preferred SDCs on because of the generally flatter response curve and the more accurate vocal capturing.. Then the dynamic vocal stage microphones came in second place and the next preferred type was ribbon microphones because of their natural sound and vintage sound. Had the ribbons not had a ton of unfixable noise and distortion they would have been vying for top spot, but it wasn't meant to be, i guess.

However, currently both of my Apex185b SDC pencil mics and my Senne935 dynamic vocal mic, along with a Lewitt 240 pro medium condenser mic and an ,Aston Stealth active dynamic mic in dark vintage ribbon sounding mode, are currently getting used for recording a modem radio play along with an LDC so we're kind of covering all our bases.

Regardless, all this microphone stuff is fun, and when you mentioned that your teacher would record with an LDC and a hidden SDC, I chuckled because my sound yoda said that he would record me with the SDC and the dynamic vocal mic right beside each other and not even use an LDC. So while it's not playing hide and seek, it's still using multiple mics and a somewhat a similar concept so your example made me think of it and I just wanted to share that.

Thanks for your great content and for putting up with my long-winded message.

Stay safe and stay awesome.

Gerry 🙃✌️

now the rumble is all i can hear....
Damn you sound wizard

Where was the audio segment when you were playing your guitar? I was looking forward to hearing the difference, & I didn't hear you playing your guitar with the small diaphragm mic!

Bro, it's not a little rumble...that shit vibrated my subconscious

What Neumann LDC were you using?

Simply amazing!
You’re helping me to save a lot money 😊
Thank you so much 🙏

This answers a lot of questions. I love the sound of my small diaphragm condensers where I think I should be using large diaphragm condensers. I've just been going on what I hear, though I didn't know why it worked.

The way I held my breath when the guitar fell over 😵‍💫

Holy shit, the sdc sounds so much better in the acoustic guitar test

I guess I should now stop wondering why Neumann’s famous handheld stage mic (the KMS 105) has a small-diaphragm condenser in it 🤔

So should I buy the CC8 or OC818 (for acoustic guitar and vocals and stereo recordings)?

Like that time Frank Zappa recorder the London Symphony Orchestra and they used PZM microphones (an ugly black square of plastic) for the tuba section beacuse all the concert halls where taken and was only available the terrible sounding soundstage used for some movies internal shots like James Bond, so a PZM stuck on the wall behind the tubas solved a lot of problems and captured a great sound. He says musicians feel safe with big mics and fat cables ("this is gonna be cool!", like Butt-head would say) and freaked out with that unconventional mic in an unconventional position ("my tone, my precious tone!!!") and the session was very tense. All of this is in his autobiography.

"nothing I can control"
The hi pass filter on your eq: "am I a joke to you??"

I like the kitten. :)

Thanks for the comparison. I went from Audix F9s to a pair of Roswell Pro Audio Mini K47s and while I do love the sound of these, I do like to mix things up a bit. I've been digging the reviews on the Behringer c2s. Pretty ridiculous for a $30 mic!

That story speaks a lot! Makes you wonder how many other recording studios do this!

I'm going to place my schoeps cmc5 next to my AT4040 and see if I give a better vocal performance :)

This is FANTASTIC content. PLEASE keep the humor and knowledge going. This is GREAT!

so basically large diaphragms are a meme and are inferior to smaller ones in basically every measurable way
i wish i know that before dumping $40 on a 34mm capsule.
damn it

Lately I've been recording songs with a Sanken CS-3e shotgun that I normally use for video and it sounds fantastic -- if a bit "smaller" then some of my other studio mics. I don't know if that makes any sense.

Great video!

Is that the AKG P170? I own that mic and have used it for indoor dialogue in a pinch.

Your voice sounds way better with the Neumann TLM 102 also the guitar sounds better. Thanks for the comparison

Okay. I have to say this: you have such gorgeous hair.

Was anyone else yelling at your screen, "your guitar is falling!"? I tried to tell you bro.

As the diameter of the condenser microphone reduces upper frequency cut off increases and sensitivity decreases

I don't think I've ever heard someone ask for a more "accurate" microphone. It's more like that's not the sound I need on this track let's try another one until I "hear" what I'm wanting. Another factor is where I have to record and what it's picking up. Microphones what would be perfect for a cello in a quiet acoustically treated studio may not work well in an apartment when capturing acoustic guitar for a track in a dense mix. Some times the "worst" mic you have is perfect to capture only what you need for that track to fit perfectly in the mix. I've been embarrassed by tracks recorded with expensive mics many times and after trying to fix it with EQ, gave up and had to record the track over with a cheap mic that worked.

this was soooo helpful thank you !!!

That akg 170 sdc mic sounds good . For 100 dollars , you can’t beat it . I will be buying a few . Great video . Cheers

Akg is really nice. I have used it for a bunch of applications.

I had to rewind soooo many times after getting entirely distracted by the kitten. ADHD much, lol. God, kittens rock. Another informative, entertaining and genuinely useful video from you. I keep returning to this channel time and time again. Thank you so much for the time and effort you put in x

That's true ! Vision affects psychology.

I can't tell the difference between the two microphones

Thank you!

I find LDCs generally work quite well with fingerpicking. It's strumming with a pick where you really want the sdc, with the greater high end detail and just generally sharper response. LDCs get a bit woolly and smeary and hard to fit in a mix.

Stick to mics PLEASE!
Forget the bloody cat!
Put it in another room!!!!!

Is he out of tune at the beginning of the mic comparison?

I'm listening with a subwoofer. The rumble is hellish