August 10, 2026 • 7 mins
In this episode of Podcasting Q&A, we break down the real difference between dynamic and condenser microphones so you can take the guesswork out of purchasing the best mic for your setup!
Resources mentioned:
If you have questions about which mic to choose, reach out to us on the Podcaster Success team by emailing support@buzzsprout.com.
Have a topic or question we should address on a future episode? Text us or email the Buzzsprout Podcaster Success Team at support@buzzsprout.com.
Keep podcasting!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Cara Pacetti (00:00):
Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, brought to you
by the people at Buzzsprout.
I'm your host, Cara Pacetti,and I'm bringing you the best
tips and strategies to keep youpodcasting with confidence.
Since we recently covered thedifferences between a USB and an
(00:21):
XLR microphone, I wanted tojust go ahead and take this
opportunity to explain somedifferences between other types
of microphones.
So we're going to be talkingabout a condenser and a dynamic
microphone, while including alittle bit of a vocabulary
lesson along the way.
So I'll be honest, the names ofthese microphones make things
(00:42):
sound way more complicated thanthey really are.
The good news is that once youunderstand just how each
microphone works, choosing theright one becomes much easier.
When we discussed XLR versusUSB mics, the main difference
was how they connected to yourcomputer.
When it comes to a condenserversus a dynamic microphone, the
(01:03):
biggest difference comes downto how sensitive each microphone
is to sound.
First, I want to start with adynamic microphone.
Dynamic microphones are lesssensitive to surrounding sound,
which means they capture thesound that's closest to the
microphone, which is your voice.
Dynamic microphones are greatfor podcasters because they're
incredibly good at rejectingbackground noise.
(01:25):
If your air conditioner kickson or your dog starts barking in
the next room, or your kids areplaying down the hallway, a
dynamic microphone will do amuch better job of focusing on
your voice and ignoringeverything else around you.
The reason this is a greatmicrophone for podcasters is
because when you're juststarting out, not everybody has
access to a professionallysound-treated studio.
(01:48):
A lot of us are just recordingfrom our home office that we've
placed a bunch of pillows andcomforters on our desk, or we
may even be recording frominside of a closet.
So having a microphone thathelps you reject any outside
noise is going to help you getthat clear and crisp audio that
you would as if you wererecording in a professional
(02:08):
studio.
So to get the best sound out ofyour dynamic microphone, mic
technique is going to beimportant here.
The recommendation is to holdthe microphone about two to four
inches away from your mouth.
Or of course, if you have aboom arm or you can connect the
microphone where you're notholding it, that's even better.
And since they're lesssensitive, they'll also need a
(02:30):
little more gain to reach thatoptimal recording level.
All right, so now it's time fora bonus vocab word.
A word you may see come up inyour research is the word
cardioid.
I don't want you to get hung upon that word if you see it.
This term is just describingthe pattern in which the
microphone is picking up sound.
(02:50):
An easy way to describe this isthat a cardioid microphone is
designed to hear your voice fromthe front of the mic while
minimizing sounds from the sidesand from behind you.
But not to worry, most populardynamic and condenser
microphones will be using thiscardioid pattern.
So, as a little bonus, doesanybody have a guess on how they
(03:12):
came up with the name cardioid?
Go ahead and click the Send Usfan mail link in the show notes
and let me know what your answeris.
I'd love to share it on ournext episode.
Now that you know a little bitmore about dynamic microphones
and how they work, I want toleave you with some
recommendations of popularexamples of this type of
microphone.
The first is a Shure SM7B,which is actually what I'm
(03:34):
recording on now.
There's also a Shure M V7, aSamsung Q2U, and a Rode Pod mic.
So now that I've introduced youto the dynamic microphone, I'd
like to go over what a condensermicrophone is.
So I'm sure you've guessed it,but a condenser mic is actually
more sensitive to sound than thedynamic microphones.
(03:57):
The trade-off here is that theycapture everything.
Your voice sounds great, but sodoes your ceiling fan, your
keyboard, and the neighbormowing the lawn next door.
And every little echo in yourroom is captured and added to
your audio track.
So just like the dynamic mic,we need to consider mic
technique here.
Since these microphones aremore sensitive to sound, you can
(04:18):
actually sit a little furtheraway.
The recommendation is to beabout four to eight inches away
from the microphone and it willstill pick up your voice
clearly.
And since this microphone ismore sensitive to sound, it
actually requires less gainsince it's designed to capture
quieter sounds.
Okay, so I'm gonna throwanother vocab word at you.
(04:39):
The word is gain.
I've said it a couple of times,and I'm not talking about the
laundry detergent.
Gain is actually the strengthof an audio signal that's
entering a device.
So the input, while volume isthe strength of the signal
leaving your device.
So when you're listening to apodcast and you're turning up
your audio controls, this iscontrolling the volume.
(05:02):
So this is controlling theoutput of that audio signal.
But when you're recording intoa microphone, you can actually
control the audio signal that'sgoing into your interface or
even going directly into yourcomputer, into your recording
software.
And that is called gain.
And so, depending on thesensitivity of the microphone
(05:24):
you're using, it will determinewhether that gain needs to be
turned up or turned down.
Some of the popular examples ofa dynamic microphone include a
blue Yeti, a Rode NT1, or anAudio Technica AT2020.
So just like the XLR versus USBmicrophone setup, neither
option here is better than theother.
(05:45):
They're just different andthey're better suited for
different recordingenvironments.
The question here is which oneis right for you?
For most podcasters, especiallythose recording at home, we
almost always recommend adynamic microphone.
Most people aren't recordinginside professionally treated
studios.
They're recording in homeoffices, bedrooms, kitchens, or
(06:06):
spare rooms where there'snaturally some background noise.
A dynamic microphone helps toeliminate many of those
distractions before they evermake it into your recording.
That means less editingafterward and a cleaner
listening experience for youraudience.
If you do have a quietrecording space with good sound
treatment, a condenser mic cancapture an incredible detail and
(06:28):
warmth in your voice.
Many voiceover artists,musicians, and professional
recording studios use condensermicrophones because they're
designed to capture every littlenuance of your performance.
If you've invested in acoustictreatment and have control over
your recording environment, thena condenser mic can absolutely
be the right choice for you.
So while it's important tochoose the correct microphone,
(06:51):
the way that your recordingspace is set up also has a lot
to do with the quality of youraudio.
So I've actually released anentire episode on creating a
home studio and treating it forthe best audio possible.
And so I'm gonna link that inthe show notes below.
If you want to check that outnext, you can find that there.
At the end of the day, youraudience isn't listening to your
(07:12):
microphone.
They're listening to you.
So my recommendation is to pickthe microphone that helps you
create clear audio consistently.
That way you can spend yourtime publishing episodes instead
of worrying about your gear.
I hope this episode proves thatno questions are off limits.
If you have a question and youwant us to do a deep dive into a
solution, send it in using theSend Us fan mail link in the
(07:35):
show notes or reach out to us onthe Podcaster Success team by
emailing support atbuzzsprout.com.
Be sure to join us every Mondayto kickstart your week.
Thank you so much forlistening.
And as always, keep podcasting.
Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, brought to you
by the people at Buzzsprout.
I'm your host, Cara Pacetti,and I'm bringing you the best
tips and strategies to keep youpodcasting with confidence.
Since we recently covered thedifferences between a USB and an
(00:21):
XLR microphone, I wanted tojust go ahead and take this
opportunity to explain somedifferences between other types
of microphones.
So we're going to be talkingabout a condenser and a dynamic
microphone, while including alittle bit of a vocabulary
lesson along the way.
So I'll be honest, the names ofthese microphones make things
(00:42):
sound way more complicated thanthey really are.
The good news is that once youunderstand just how each
microphone works, choosing theright one becomes much easier.
When we discussed XLR versusUSB mics, the main difference
was how they connected to yourcomputer.
When it comes to a condenserversus a dynamic microphone, the
(01:03):
biggest difference comes downto how sensitive each microphone
is to sound.
First, I want to start with adynamic microphone.
Dynamic microphones are lesssensitive to surrounding sound,
which means they capture thesound that's closest to the
microphone, which is your voice.
Dynamic microphones are greatfor podcasters because they're
incredibly good at rejectingbackground noise.
(01:25):
If your air conditioner kickson or your dog starts barking in
the next room, or your kids areplaying down the hallway, a
dynamic microphone will do amuch better job of focusing on
your voice and ignoringeverything else around you.
The reason this is a greatmicrophone for podcasters is
because when you're juststarting out, not everybody has
access to a professionallysound-treated studio.
(01:48):
A lot of us are just recordingfrom our home office that we've
placed a bunch of pillows andcomforters on our desk, or we
may even be recording frominside of a closet.
So having a microphone thathelps you reject any outside
noise is going to help you getthat clear and crisp audio that
you would as if you wererecording in a professional
(02:08):
studio.
So to get the best sound out ofyour dynamic microphone, mic
technique is going to beimportant here.
The recommendation is to holdthe microphone about two to four
inches away from your mouth.
Or of course, if you have aboom arm or you can connect the
microphone where you're notholding it, that's even better.
And since they're lesssensitive, they'll also need a
(02:30):
little more gain to reach thatoptimal recording level.
All right, so now it's time fora bonus vocab word.
A word you may see come up inyour research is the word
cardioid.
I don't want you to get hung upon that word if you see it.
This term is just describingthe pattern in which the
microphone is picking up sound.
(02:50):
An easy way to describe this isthat a cardioid microphone is
designed to hear your voice fromthe front of the mic while
minimizing sounds from the sidesand from behind you.
But not to worry, most populardynamic and condenser
microphones will be using thiscardioid pattern.
So, as a little bonus, doesanybody have a guess on how they
(03:12):
came up with the name cardioid?
Go ahead and click the Send Usfan mail link in the show notes
and let me know what your answeris.
I'd love to share it on ournext episode.
Now that you know a little bitmore about dynamic microphones
and how they work, I want toleave you with some
recommendations of popularexamples of this type of
microphone.
The first is a Shure SM7B,which is actually what I'm
(03:34):
recording on now.
There's also a Shure M V7, aSamsung Q2U, and a Rode Pod mic.
So now that I've introduced youto the dynamic microphone, I'd
like to go over what a condensermicrophone is.
So I'm sure you've guessed it,but a condenser mic is actually
more sensitive to sound than thedynamic microphones.
(03:57):
The trade-off here is that theycapture everything.
Your voice sounds great, but sodoes your ceiling fan, your
keyboard, and the neighbormowing the lawn next door.
And every little echo in yourroom is captured and added to
your audio track.
So just like the dynamic mic,we need to consider mic
technique here.
Since these microphones aremore sensitive to sound, you can
(04:18):
actually sit a little furtheraway.
The recommendation is to beabout four to eight inches away
from the microphone and it willstill pick up your voice
clearly.
And since this microphone ismore sensitive to sound, it
actually requires less gainsince it's designed to capture
quieter sounds.
Okay, so I'm gonna throwanother vocab word at you.
(04:39):
The word is gain.
I've said it a couple of times,and I'm not talking about the
laundry detergent.
Gain is actually the strengthof an audio signal that's
entering a device.
So the input, while volume isthe strength of the signal
leaving your device.
So when you're listening to apodcast and you're turning up
your audio controls, this iscontrolling the volume.
(05:02):
So this is controlling theoutput of that audio signal.
But when you're recording intoa microphone, you can actually
control the audio signal that'sgoing into your interface or
even going directly into yourcomputer, into your recording
software.
And that is called gain.
And so, depending on thesensitivity of the microphone
(05:24):
you're using, it will determinewhether that gain needs to be
turned up or turned down.
Some of the popular examples ofa dynamic microphone include a
blue Yeti, a Rode NT1, or anAudio Technica AT2020.
So just like the XLR versus USBmicrophone setup, neither
option here is better than theother.
(05:45):
They're just different andthey're better suited for
different recordingenvironments.
The question here is which oneis right for you?
For most podcasters, especiallythose recording at home, we
almost always recommend adynamic microphone.
Most people aren't recordinginside professionally treated
studios.
They're recording in homeoffices, bedrooms, kitchens, or
(06:06):
spare rooms where there'snaturally some background noise.
A dynamic microphone helps toeliminate many of those
distractions before they evermake it into your recording.
That means less editingafterward and a cleaner
listening experience for youraudience.
If you do have a quietrecording space with good sound
treatment, a condenser mic cancapture an incredible detail and
(06:28):
warmth in your voice.
Many voiceover artists,musicians, and professional
recording studios use condensermicrophones because they're
designed to capture every littlenuance of your performance.
If you've invested in acoustictreatment and have control over
your recording environment, thena condenser mic can absolutely
be the right choice for you.
So while it's important tochoose the correct microphone,
(06:51):
the way that your recordingspace is set up also has a lot
to do with the quality of youraudio.
So I've actually released anentire episode on creating a
home studio and treating it forthe best audio possible.
And so I'm gonna link that inthe show notes below.
If you want to check that outnext, you can find that there.
At the end of the day, youraudience isn't listening to your
(07:12):
microphone.
They're listening to you.
So my recommendation is to pickthe microphone that helps you
create clear audio consistently.
That way you can spend yourtime publishing episodes instead
of worrying about your gear.
I hope this episode proves thatno questions are off limits.
If you have a question and youwant us to do a deep dive into a
solution, send it in using theSend Us fan mail link in the
(07:35):
show notes or reach out to us onthe Podcaster Success team by
emailing support atbuzzsprout.com.
Be sure to join us every Mondayto kickstart your week.
Thank you so much forlistening.
And as always, keep podcasting.
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