Microphone TypesThe three kinds, what each is good at, and where to point it.MusicEvery studio microphone falls into one of three families.TypeGood atWatch forDynamicLoud sources, drums, guitar ampsLess detail up topCondenserDetail, vocals, acoustic guitarNeeds 48V phantom powerRibbonWarm, smooth, brass and roomsFragile; never send phantom powerCardioid rejects the rear; omni takes everything; figure-8 takes frontand back. The pattern is as important as the type.Microphone Typeslearnposters.com
Microphone Types — printable music wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

What’s on the Microphone Types poster

A 3-row table: Type · Good at · Watch for.

Every studio microphone falls into one of three families.

Cardioid rejects the rear; omni takes everything; figure-8 takes front and back. The pattern is as important as the type.

Questions about the Microphone Types poster

What’s on the Microphone Types poster?
A 3-row table: Type · Good at · Watch for. Every studio microphone falls into one of three families. Dynamic — Loud sources, drums, guitar amps — Less detail up top; Condenser — Detail, vocals, acoustic guitar — Needs 48V phantom power; Ribbon — Warm, smooth, brass and rooms — Fragile; never send phantom power. Cardioid rejects the rear; omni takes everything; figure-8 takes front and back. The pattern is as important as the type.
Who is the Microphone Types poster for?
Microphone Types belongs to the Music section rather than to a school year, because music is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning production can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Microphone Types poster?
Match the microphone to the source's loudness and detail. That choice matters more than the price. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Microphone Types belongs on the wall where that music work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Microphone Types?
Audio File Formats, Compression and DAW Basics sit alongside Microphone Types in the Music section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Audio File FormatsCompressionDAW Basics
Is the Microphone Types poster free to download and print?
Yes. Microphone Types downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Music section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Microphone Types poster print at?
Microphone Types is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Microphone Types loses nothing.Printing guide

Related posters

Charts that sit alongside Microphone Types on the same wall.

Browse every Music poster, or start from the full catalogue.