6. Criteria
Sound
Vocal microphones differ quite clearly in sound. One area that you should pay particular attention to is the presence boost. The presence is the upper part of the mids. Where overtones and "voiceless" parts of the human voice are heard. However, speech intelligibility is highly dependent on how well this area can be heard, because this is where many consonants come through. This frequency range is consequently raised for all vocal microphones, but not all microphones do this to the same level. Which is a good thing! Because different voices need different levels of support in this area. A darker voice benefits from a bright-sounding mic and a punchy, perhaps even shrill voice sounds a lot better with a soft-sounding mic. So the microphone should be tailored to the voice. The same logic can be applied to the slightly lower middle parts. When testing out mics, pay careful attention to whether the voice sounds nasal or open.
The Proximity Effect
If you've ever held a microphone in your hand, you'll know what this is: the closer the microphone is to you, the fuller or bassier your voice sounds. The proximity effect is directly related to the orientation of the mic. The more pronounced the directional characteristic, the more pronounced the proximity effect.
What makes some voices sound full and sonorous makes others dull and incomprehensible. The proximity effect is therefore neither good nor bad - it just has to be adapted to fit the voice. Some microphones have an internal bass reduction, so that the sound comes out more naturally at typical lip intervals. But there's no one size fits all.
The proximity effect affects both sound and handling. When trying a vocal microphone, make sure your voice sounds full but not queasy. Especially if you are not (yet) a sure stage performer, you should also test how the sound changes at slightly varying distances and microphone angles. Cardioid microphones are usually a little more benevolent than super or hypercardioid.
Pop Inclination
This refers to the explosive noises made when an air blast hits a microphone membrane. Some sounds made by human speech are caused by the accumulation of air, which is then suddenly explode from the mouth. These sounds are therefore referred to as plosive or (ex)-plosive sounds. Microphone diaphragms don't like these small bursts of air triggered by consonants like P, B, but also T and D. The microphone manufacturers have been working since time immemorial to find an optimal solution to defuse these explosive sounds, without affecting the overall sound. No easy task, since, firstly, swirling air at such a small distances is extremely difficult to mitigate, and secondly, people are just different. Not everyone pronounces consonants exactly the same and also the hand position when holding the microphone plays an essential role. When testing microphones, make sure that you are able to comfortably handle the mic and that the mic is able to handle you (and your voice). Together you are a team. With the huge selection of microphones available you're certain to find one that will work for you.
Handling Noise
Different mics pic up hand sounds in different ways. How important this fact is to you depends on your personal habits. Holding the mic tightly in your hand will have a different effect than if, for example, you play guitar and the mic is on a tripod. But if you play around with your mic a lot or if like Whitney Houston you tactically tap the shaft of the mic, then you'll want a microphone with very low susceptibility to hand noise. But except for with the cheapest microphones, hand sounds are kept to acceptable levels these days.
