Why Phantom Powered Condenser Microphones are Best for Voice Overs

Why Phantom Powered Condenser Microphones are Best for Voice Overs

When you have a simple marketing video or phone on hold project, one of the ways to make it really informative is to add a voice over. For this you’ll need someone who speaks and articulates clearly, so that there’s no confusion as to what was said.

But you’ll also need to do some basic research so that you will know what type of voice your audience will respond to. Some trust an authoritative male voice, while others may respond well to a friendly woman’s voice. But regardless of which voice you use, you’ll want to use a phantom powered condenser microphone.

Technical Differences between Condenser and Dynamic Microphones

Dynamic microphones are the most common types of microphones. They’re the ones you see on stage. They are very simple gadgets. When sound causes the air near the dynamic microphone to vibrate, it also causes the diaphragm at the end of the microphone to vibrate. Those vibrations are turned into an electrical signal which is transmitted and can be made to sound louder.

The condenser microphone has a diaphragm too. But its  diaphragm design is much thinner and lighter. It’s also can be gold-plated. Because of this design, the diaphragm vibrates  more naturally, and that means the condenser microphone is much more sensitive than a dynamic microphone.

The condenser microphone’s diaphragm is suspended in front of an electrically charged plate. To charge this plate, you need power, and that’s where the phantom power comes in. When you plug in your condenser microphone, you’ll need the phantom power to charge the plate to make it work properly.

Different Uses for Different Microphones

So why choose a phantom powered condenser microphone for voice overs? The answer is simple: its sensitivity to sound makes it eminently suitable for vocal recording in a studio.

  • Voice actors typically do not need to shout unreasonably to make themselves heard. They can speak in their normal voice, and they can be heard and recorded perfectly provided their sound card, software and technical setup is optimised for best recording.

That’s the problem with dynamic microphones. People who use them all sound as if they’re shouting, so they don’t use their normal voice. That can damage vocal chords in the long run.

  • Those who use a condenser microphone can even murmur or whisper and it won’t sound like a mess. With a dynamic microphone, a whisper can’t be heard or it will be indistinct.
  • It offers a wider range of emotions and tones which can be communicated by voice. You can speak normally or speak in a soft voice. You can put in a little quiver in the voice, or perhaps some sort of reined in excitement. You can sound confident even without increasing the volume of your voice.

A condenser microphone is more fragile than the rugged dynamic microphone, but that doesn’t matter in this case. You’re not using it on the streets or on stage where dropping it is quite likely. You don’t even have to jostle it.

Remember, if you’re in doubt keep in mind that most professional recording artists use condenser microphones when they record their songs. You may as well follow how the pros do it, so that your own recordings sound professional too.

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