Comparison Razer Seiren Elite vs Razer Seiren

— Vocal(for karaoke). In accordance with the name, such models are intended primarily for the transmission of the human voice — during singing, artistic reading, etc., when not only speech intelligibility is important, but also shades of intonation. It is these microphones that can be seen on stage during concerts and other similar events, in karaoke equipment, etc. This category also includes models that can also be used as instrumental ones (see below).

— Buttonhole. The name of this type of microphones is due to the traditional method of fastening — on the collar, where the buttonhole is usually located; they have miniature size and the presence of a clip for holding on clothes. Such devices are known primarily as television transmission equipment — they are used by participants in television programs so that they can speak without using their hands with larger microphones. And some devices of this type are actually a “headset blank”, which turns into a full-fledged headset when headphones are connected.

— For a computer. Microphones designed for use with full size PCs. Such microphones usually have a capsule on a long stem, sometimes flexible (see below) and a stand for placement on a table surface. Their main purpose is voice communication using a computer, where the most important thing is not so much the accuracy of the transfer of details, but...the data transfer rate and their small volumes — therefore, the sound quality, usually, is relatively low.

— For a laptop. Like the PC microphones described above, "laptop" models are designed mainly for voice communication and have rather modest characteristics. Their key difference is the focus on use with portable devices, which is expressed primarily in compact size. In addition, for many of these microphones, the connection port also acts as a mount for placement on a laptop case.

— Instrumental. Microphones designed to mimic musical instruments such as saxophones, acoustic guitars (not equipped with pickups), percussion kits, etc. Note that despite the outward resemblance of some models to the vocal ones described above, “purely instrumental” microphones for voice processing are poorly suited, it is not recommended to use them for this purpose.

— Studio. Microphones designed for use in recording studios. Usually, they are designed for recording vocals. Differ in high quality of a sound transmission and the corresponding cost.

— Head. Microphones designed to be worn on the head — like headsets (only in this case there is no earpiece in the design). They are miniature in size and are similar in application to lavaliers (see above), but are located closer to the mouth and do not depend on the speaker's clothing. This allows the use of such models in specific situations where a lavalier microphone is unsuitable — for example, for filming a video with a strong level of extraneous noise.

— For conferences. Microphones intended for use in conference rooms, huddle rooms, grandstands, and similar locations. The design of such models can be different — a capsule on a flexible leg (see below), a disc placed directly on the table, etc. However, anyway, this variety is optimized for speech transmission and is designed for the maximum convenience of the speaker — so that the user is not distracted by choosing the optimal position relative to the microphone and the distance to it.

— For a video camera. Microphones designed, as the name suggests, for use with video cameras, primarily professional ones. Note that technically, any microphone can be connected to the input of the video camera, matching the connectors and main characteristics; however, this category only includes models that are designed to mount directly into a special mount on the camera body.

— For a voice recorder. A specific type of microphone designed exclusively for use with voice recorders. Such equipment, usually, is equipped with its own built-in microphones, but their capabilities may not be enough in some cases; and among high-end professional voice recorders there are devices that do not have a microphone at all. External microphones are usually connected via a 3.5 mm mini-Jack interface or via a proprietary connector (see below), while one of their distinguishing features is the absence of a wire: the plug is mounted directly on the microphone body and plays the role of not only a connector, but also a mount. Of course, miniature sizes are also characteristic of such devices.

— For phone/tablet. This category includes specialized microphones, originally positioned as accessories for smartphones or tablets. Usually, they are similar to the voice recorders described above in the sense that they are attached directly to the body of the device without using additional wires. Their main specificity, compared to the same models for voice recorders, is the connection method — usually a universal connector is used for this, like 30pin / Lightning, microUSB or a proprietary interface (see below for more details).

— For video production. Microphones intended for use in video recording. In fact, this variety includes two subgroups, each with its own specialization. The first is microphones, which can be conditionally called "reporter's". Usually, these include dynamic (see "Type") models with all-round directivity (see below) and good sensitivity. These features allow you to "hear" not only the voice of the reporter, but also the sound background around him; in addition, you do not need to accurately maintain the position of the microphone relative to the face, which is especially useful when interviewing other people. Also, "reporter" models have durable cases and are generally well protected from various troubles (although they are not necessarily completely moisture and shock resistant). The second variety of models for video production is “sound operator”: such microphones can often be seen on film sets mounted on long rods. They, in turn, are usually made unidirectional or bidirectional (for maximum filtering of extraneous sounds), and most often they are condenser types and provide a fairly high quality and reliability of sound transmission.

— Suspended. Microphones designed to be suspended, such as from the ceiling. Such models are intended mainly for choir singing, theatrical performances and other situations in which other types of microphones (standing on a stand, held in the hand or even clinging to the head) are not very convenient.

— Measuring. Measuring microphones are designed to calibrate sound installations. With their help, you can quickly and accurately adjust the loudness for a musical instrument, loudspeaker, sound recording equipment, etc. The key features of measuring microphones are a wide frequency range (20 – 40,000 Hz) and high frequency response stability. The measuring microphone measures the noise level and detects sound anomalies. Properly tuned, with the help of a measuring microphone, the sound installation will fully correspond to the acoustic features of a particular room.

- Dynamic. “Conventional,” or coil, dynamic microphones use a system of a diaphragm (membrane) and a coil that is placed in a magnetic field. From sound vibrations, the membrane, and with it the coil, begin to move, and an electrical signal is generated in the coil. Such models are relatively inexpensive, durable and reliable, and also cope well even with very loud and harsh sounds; in addition, they are more compact and lighter than the other type of dynamic microphones - ribbons (see below). Their main disadvantage is poor efficiency at high frequencies.

— Dynamic (tape). A variation of the dynamic microphones described above, in which the membrane is connected not to a coil, but to a thin (several microns) metal tape, hence the name. Historically, this is the first type of microphone with a dynamic operating principle, however, due to a number of shortcomings, it gradually lost wide popularity, giving way to coil-based options. Such disadvantages are, first of all, large size and large mass, complexity and high cost of production, as well as very low output impedance, which complicates the work with amplifiers. At the same time, tape models are characterized by extremely high accuracy of sound transmission over the entire frequency range, which allows them to be used in recording studios, at high-profile concerts, etc. Most modern models of this type are professional models, in particular studi...o ones (see “Purpose”).

— Condenser. The name of this type is due to the fact that the microphone is actually a capacitor, in which the role of one of the plates is played by a sensitive membrane (usually made of a metallized polymer). Due to the vibration of the membrane (under the influence of sound vibrations), the distance between the plates and, accordingly, the capacitance of the capacitor changes - these fluctuations in capacitance provide an electrical signal. Condenser microphones have uniform sound transmission over the entire frequency range, with a minimum of distortion, due to which this technology has found wide application in professional audio equipment. It is worth considering that for such a device to operate, additional power is required - the so-called. “phantom” (standard voltage - 48 V). However, this cannot be called a clear disadvantage, because amplifiers, receivers and other high-end equipment are often made with this requirement in mind. But obvious disadvantages include high price, sensitivity to shock and strict requirements for temperature and humidity; the latter makes condenser microphones poorly suited for outdoor use.

— Capacitor (tube). A specific type of condenser microphones described above. They use the same principle of sound production (with all the advantages and disadvantages), however, the amplification element in such models, in accordance with the name, is built on vacuum tubes. Technically, such an amplifier introduces more distortion into the signal than a transistor one, but this distortion gives the sound a characteristic coloring that is pleasant to many listeners. Simply put, you get that notorious “warm tube sound”; Moreover, achieving such an effect using a microphone is cheaper than using a tube amplifier, and for a number of technical reasons this option often turns out to be optimal. Almost all tube microphones have a studio purpose (see above). Their main drawback is their high price (several times more than that of “regular” capacitor analogues). In addition, such models have their own nutritional characteristics; To supply energy, a special adapter is usually supplied, which is also responsible for controlling additional functions such as changing the radiation pattern.

- Electret. In design, such microphones are similar to the condenser ones described above, but their design includes a plate made of the so-called. electret - substances with special electrical properties. This provides a number of advantages: electret microphones can be used outdoors without much difficulty, they can be made more compact, and such models are cheaper to produce; At the same time, the quality of sound transmission can be quite comparable to condenser ones. As a result, this technology is found in a wide variety of models - from miniature lavaliers and simple computer ones to studio ones (see “Purpose”). Note also that electret microphones also require external power, but this is not always phantom 48 V - for some varieties, a small amount of energy is sufficient, which can be provided by a compact battery or power supply via a 3.5 mm mini-Jack cable.

Directionality describes the ability of a microphone to pick up sounds coming from different directions, more precisely, the dependence of sensitivity on the direction from which the sound comes.

— Unidirectional. As the name implies, these microphones are capable of picking up sound coming from only one side. Note that the coverage area itself can be quite wide, but anyway it is located “in front” of the microphone. Unidirectional models are very convenient for the perception of sound from a single source, with maximum clipping of ambient noise.

— Bidirectional. This term in our case means two types of microphones. The first option is the classic bidirectional models, designed for the possibility of normal perception of sound from two opposite sides — roughly speaking, "front" and "rear"; at the same time, dead zones are formed on the sides, from where the sound is practically not perceived. This format of work can be useful, for example, for broadcasting a dialogue in a radio station studio, or when simultaneously recording two voices on one microphone. The second variety is microphones with a pair of capsules directed at an angle to each other (most often perpendicular); a similar design is used in models with a stereo recording function.

— Omnidirectional. Also, this variety is called "non-directional", which also to a certain extent ch...aracterizes its features. Such microphones do not have a clearly defined directionality — they perceive the sound coming from any direction with full sensitivity. An example of a situation where this format might be useful is a recording of a roundtable discussion.

Note that while most microphones only work in one directional pattern, some models support multiple directional patterns, with the ability to switch between them as desired by the user (see Features/Characteristics). The methods of such switching can be different: in some models it is enough to move the switch, in others you need to change the capsule.

The range of audio frequencies normally perceived and processed by a microphone.

The wider this range — the fuller the signal, the less likely that too high or low frequencies will be missed due to the imperfection of the microphone. However, in this case, it is worth considering some nuances. First of all: a wide frequency range in itself does not guarantee high sound quality — a lot also depends on the type of microphone (see above) and its frequency response, not to mention the quality of other components of the audio system. In addition, a large width is also not always really necessary. For example, for normal transmission of human speech, a range of 500 Hz — 2 kHz is considered sufficient, which is much narrower than the general range perceived by the human ear. This general range, in turn, averages from 16 Hz to 22 kHz, and also narrows with age. Do not forget about the features of the equipment to which the microphone is connected: it is hardly worth specifically looking for a model with an extensive range, if, for example, the amplifier to which it is planned to be connected severely “cuts off” the frequencies from above and/or below.

Sensitivity describes the signal strength at the output of a microphone when it processes a sound of a certain volume. In this case, sensitivity means the ratio of the output voltage to the sound pressure on the membrane, expressed in decibels. The higher this number, the higher the sensitivity. Note that, as a rule, values in decibels are negative, so we can say this: the closer the number is to zero, the more sensitive the microphone. For example, a -38 dB model outperforms a -54 dB model in this parameter.

It should be borne in mind that high sensitivity in itself does not mean high sound quality - it only allows the device to “hear” a weaker sound. Conversely, low sensitivity is not an unequivocal sign of a bad microphone. The choice for this parameter depends on the specifics of the application: a sensitive device is useful for working with low sounds and in cases where it is necessary to capture the smallest nuances of what is happening, and a “weak” microphone will be convenient at high sound volume or, if necessary, filter out extraneous weak noises. There are models with sensitivity adjustment(and for models with a headphone output , headphone volume control may be provided).

The sampling rate of the analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) provided in the design of the microphone.

An ADC is a module responsible for converting an analogue signal coming from a microphone capsule into a digital format. It is used mainly in models connected via digital interfaces — for example, USB (see below) — and also in some wireless ones, where the digital format is used for radio communication.

The principle of analogue-to-digital conversion is that the analogue signal is divided into separate fragments, each of which is encoded with its own numerical value. If this is depicted graphically, then the graph of the analogue signal looks like a smooth line, and the digital signal looks like a set of “steps” close to this line. The higher the sampling frequency, the more “steps” fall on a certain section of a smooth line and the more accurately the digital signal corresponds to the original analogue.

Thus, high values of this parameter indicate a high quality of the microphone. However, it must be said here that for normal restoration of the original signal from digital (in other words, for normal reproduction of the sound perceived by the microphone), a sampling frequency twice the maximum frequency of the received sound is considered sufficient. For pure human speech, indicators of 2.3 kHz are considered record-breaking, and harmonics that complement the timbre of the voice do not exceed 8 kHz in frequency. Thus, a high sampling rate...is not required for normal speech processing. At the same time, models intended for studio recording (see "Intended use") may have rather high values of this parameter — up to 96 kHz inclusive. This is due not only to the sound quality (although it is also important), but also to the technical aspects of processing and mixing.

Also note that upsampling affects the amount of data transmitted, so high performance is not always optimal. Thus, some microphones allow you to change the value of this parameter; for such models, our catalog indicates the maximum value of the sampling rate.

The bit depth of the analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) installed in the microphone.

An ADC is a module responsible for converting an analogue signal coming from a microphone capsule into a digital format. It is used mainly in models connected via digital interfaces — for example, USB (see below) — and also in some wireless ones, where the digital format is used for radio communication. For more information on this conversion, see ADC Sampling Rate. But if the sampling rate describes the number of “steps” of a digital signal in a certain area, then the bit depth determines the number of signal level options available for each individual step. The higher the bit depth, the more such options and the more accurately the digital signal level will correspond to the analogue level.

Thus, this parameter also directly affects the quality of the conversion. If we talk about specific values, then 16 bits is considered quite enough for professional studio microphones (see "Intended use"), and high-end models can also have 32-bit converters.

— Wireless connection. This feature is indicated for the so-called radio microphones — models in which the signal is transmitted wirelessly. Note that a radio microphone kit usually involves a receiver that is connected to an amplifier (or other sound processing device) in a classic wired way (see "Connection connectors"). However, the microphone itself is connected to the receiver via a radio channel.

— Stereo recording. The ability to use a microphone to record sound in stereo format. This format assumes the presence of two channels, and for each of them the sound must be recorded separately; but the technical support of such a recording in different cases may vary. The most popular option is bi-directional microphones. However, in addition to this, this category includes paired sets for which the stereo recording function is directly claimed.

— LPF (Roll-off). The presence of a low-pass filter in the design of the microphone (Roll-off is an alternative name for this function). This feature allows you to reduce the level of low frequencies in the signal produced by the microphone. This need may be due to two factors. Firstly, many extraneous noises are the sound of the wind, knocks on the device case, the surrounding background, etc. — are presented at low frequencies; by suppressing this range, you can significantly reduce the level of extraneous so...unds “heard” through the microphone. Secondly, the LPF is useful for working with the so-called "proximity effect". This effect consists in the fact that when approaching the sound source, many models tend to increase the volume of the bass sound, and when removed, on the contrary, they fail the “bass”. By turning on Roll-off when approaching the sound source and turning it off when moving away, this effect can be smoothed out to a certain extent. For a number of technical reasons, this function is mainly used in condenser and electret microphones (see "Type"). Note that in advanced models, the low-pass filter can be made customizable and supplemented with an auxiliary ultra-low pass filter.

— Attenuator. The presence of an attenuator in the design of the microphone — a device that gradually attenuates the signal level at the output (a kind of opposite to an amplifier). This feature is useful when working with loud sound: by lowering the signal level, you can avoid overloading the system.

— Sensitivity adjustment. The presence of its own sensitivity control in the design of the microphone. This function allows you to adjust the signal level without using the controls in other components of the audio system — for example, to change the volume on the fly; this is quite convenient, since the microphone is usually at hand, and settings can be changed very quickly and without much hassle.

— Headphone volume adjustment. A separate knob for adjusting the volume of connected headphones (see "Headphone output"). Depending on the model, it can be placed both on the microphone itself and on the receiver for wireless connection. Anyway, this feature makes adjusting the volume more convenient: the control is at hand and the user does not need to reach for other devices or delve into the software settings.

— Mute the microphone. The presence of its own switch in the design of the microphone. In some use cases, it is not uncommon for situations where the microphone has to be constantly turned on and off. For example, during a concert, the number of performers may change, and it is better to turn off unused microphones; when communicating via Skype through a computer, sometimes you have to be distracted by conversations with others that the “computer” interlocutor does not need to hear, etc. Usually, muting the microphone is possible through the settings or control panel of the device to which it is connected; however, using your own switch is usually easier and faster, especially if you have to mute / unmute the sound frequently.

— Switching DN. DN in this case means “directional pattern”, however, this function may mean switching not only between options for a unidirectional microphone (see “Directional Pattern”), but also between one-, two- and omnidirectional operation format (see “Directionality”). microphone"). Therefore, specific switching features and available options should be clarified for each model separately.

The presence of its own LCD display in the design of the microphone. This, usually, is the simplest single-colour matrix, sometimes even of a segment type (as in an electronic watch, where the characters on the display are made up not of pixels, but of individual segments). At the same time, even the simplest displays provide extensive information and are capable of displaying various messages. Note that such extended information is relevant primarily for models with a wireless connection (see "Functions / Capabilities"): the display can be useful for notifying about the selected channel, battery status, etc. Therefore, most microphones with this function are wireless.