Microphones

Microphones and their Properties                                                      

1.) In terms of a microphone being suited for a specific kind of sound, I agree and disagree. I agree because microphones can be made to capture a specific kind of sound, whether it be the size of the diaphragm, the price, it's polar pattern and it's ability to pick up sound and details. However, I disagree partially with the argument because, essentially, a microphone is a microphone, it captures sound, that's it's primary purpose. But some of them may work better in different environments. A Dynamic microphone is mainly known to work better for capturing live sounds, this is because of it's strong diaphragm, it's relatively cheap (so if it's moved a lot and breaks it's replaced easily) and it's strong structure (so it doesn't break), but it's not brilliant for detail. A Condenser microphone is known to work best in a studio. It has a very weak diaphragm, so it's amazing for picking up slight details, but it is however very expensive and doesn't have the strongest of structures, so if it's moved it is more likely to break than a Dynamic microphone (and it's alot harder to replace) , but, being a studio microphone, The Condenser microphone shouldn't be moved that much anyway therefore it shouldn't be in danger of breaking. 
An example of a Dyanmic microphone is the Shure® Model SM57, the specification for this microphone (http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/bovardauditorium/pdf/sm57.pdf) states that the microphone is "Extremely durable under the heaviest use" and "break-resistant" which is good if the microphone is to be moved a lot (if it's used for live sound) and, while the specifications do state that the microphone reduces "background noise", it does not comment heavily on the type of quality it may produce which suggests that it may not be to everyone's standards. It has a frequency response of 40 Hz - 15 kHz which sounds quite impressive for a dynamic microphone but can still be topped by other types and brands of microphones.
An example of a Condenser microphone is the MXL® 990 model. These specifications (http://www.mxlmics.com/microphones/900-series/990/) state that the microphone "Provides silky sweet high end" but maintains a "solid low", which, in comparison to the description of the Dyanmic microphone's spec, includes alot more about the sound quality. It does not, however, provide any indication to the strength of the microphone, which suggests that it is alot weaker than your standard Dynamic microphone which could become a problem for a lot of people . It has a frequency response of 30 Hz - 20 kHz which is a much broader range than Shure®'s microphone.

2.) Polar Patterns 

  

Polar Patterns represent the pattern/direction in which the microphone can pick up sound. There are 3 main polar patterns used with microphones. They are: Uni-directional (Cardoid), Omni-directional and Bi-directional.

Uni-directional (Cardoid): A Uni-directional polar pattern means the microphone is more sensitive at the front and picks up minimal sound behind. It's polar pattern resembles an upside down love heart. It is best used in studios or in live sound when only one direction of sound is wished to be picked up. 

Omni-directional: An Omni-directional polar pattern means the microphone picks up sound from all around it. It's polar pattern would usually resemble a circle or circle-like shape. It could best be used when recording sounds from the area/environment you're in (possibly a whole studio).

Bi-directional: Bi, meaning 2, means that a microphone with a bi-directional pattern will pick up sounds from 2 different directions, usually opposite each other. It's polar pattern looks like a figure 8. It could work best during interviews when the interviewer sits opposite the person they are speaking to.

3.) Other types of Microphones

Another type of microphone is The Carbon microphone: This microphone was one of the earliest microphones used. It uses carbon dust to capture the audio signal. The carbon dust causes the current to alternate when sound waves reached the microphones diaphragm. These were rarely used in studios but were and are still sometimes used in phones.

4.) 3 Examples of Microphones

Audix D6: I would use the Audix D6 for recording instruments that have a great amount of bass and a low pitch and frequency such as a kick drum, a bass guitar, and possibly the lower end of a piano. This is due to the low end of frequency it can pick up, it would make instruments like a kick drum sound very crisp and clear.

SE Electronics Titan: The SE Electronics Titan is highly praised for it's ability to pick up small details in audio and has a frequency pickup of 20 Hz - 20 kHz, so it essentially picks up what the human ear can hear. It is, however, very pricey with an average price of around £500, so it's only affordable to those who would professionally use it. I would use a microphone like this for vocal recordings, because of it's frequency pick up range and attention to detail, not to mention it is a multi (polar)pattern microphone so it is very flexible in terms of what and which direction it can record in.

Microtech Gefell M300: The Microtech Gefell M300 comes in at around £750 and for that price I would expect quite a bit ALOT. It has a frequency pick up range of around 40 Hz - 18 kHz so, though very good, there are microphones that have a broader frequency range. It is, however, very lightweight, at 126g it weighs hardly anything. So, taking that into account, I would use the Microtech Gefell mainly for quick recordings, and for instruments more portable than others (guitar, bass, etc) because it's lightweight and would be very easy to guide around instruments.