When you’re choosing a microphone, whether for recording music, capturing environmental sounds, or monitoring industrial noise, the technical specs can feel like a foreign language.
Terms like sensitivity, dynamic range, and frequency response might sound intimidating, but they’re actually pretty straightforward once you break them down.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through these key concepts in plain English, using real-world examples to help you understand what they mean, why they matter, and how to choose the right mic for your needs.
Dynamic Range, Measuring Different Sound Levels
Dynamic range tells you how wide a range of sound levels a microphone can handle — from the quietest sound it can detect to the loudest it can record without distorting. It’s measured in decibels (dB).
Think of it like this: Imagine a mic that can pick up the sound of a pin drop and a rock concert without breaking a sweat — that’s a mic with a wide dynamic range. Another mic might catch the pin drop but distort when things get loud — that’s a narrower range.
In simple terms:
- Wider range = more versatile
- Narrower range = more limited
This is really important when picking a microphone as you need it to be able to withstand the sound level that you’re planning on measuring.
A wide dynamic range is great for unpredictable environments where sound levels vary a lot — like live music, nature recordings, or interviews in busy places.
A narrow dynamic range might be fine for controlled settings, like a podcast studio or voiceover booth, where volume levels stay consistent.
Frequency Range, Catching the Highs and the Lows
Frequency range shows the span of sound frequencies a microphone can pick up. From deep bass to high-pitched tones. It’s measured in hertz (Hz), usually something like 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (which is roughly the range of human hearing).
A microphone with a lower frequency range simply won’t be able to hear high pitched sounds, and the sounds sometimes being measured can be really high pitched. We’re talking over 40kHz which is nearly double the range of human hearing.
This is also the same the other way, when measuring lower frequencies you need a microphone that can pick it up, and this can go down to 3hZ, once again way outside the range of human hearing.
In simple terms:
- Wider range = captures more detail
- Narrower range = may miss highs or lows
Use a wide frequency range for more demanding environments, like vehicle testing and ultrasonic measurement. A narrower range might be fine for speech, where most of the sound falls in the midrange.
Sensitivity, Understanding What You’re Measuring
Sensitivity shows how effectively a microphone detects faint sounds. It reflects how strong the output signal is when the mic picks up a sound, typically shown in mV/Pa (millivolts per pascal).
Picture it like this: You’ve got two mics in the same space. One picks up your whisper and sends out a strong signal — that’s a high-sensitivity mic. The other hears the same whisper but outputs a weaker signal — that’s lower sensitivity.
In simple terms:
- Higher value = more sensitive
- Lower value = less sensitive
But more sensitivity isn’t always better. Mics with high sensitivity can struggle with loud sounds… They might distort or even get damaged.
Sensitivity is a flexible spec, and the right choice depends on what you’re recording. Think about the sound environment first, then match the sensitivity to your needs. For instance:
- High sensitivity = Ideal for quiet settings but can distort with loud noises. Great for things like ambient sound, office acoustics, or subtle product noise.
- Low sensitivity = Better for loud environments, but not great for soft sounds. Best for construction sites, industrial monitoring, gunfire, explosions, or NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) testing.
To check the full guide on picking your microphone, head to our blog where we give you the full step by step guide to picking the right microphone
Or if you’re ready to get a microphone, check out our selection tool and let it do the hard work for you
