In "Trends in Condenser Microphone Development (Part 1)", the author mainly analyzed the six characteristics and two specific directions of the development of condenser microphones. Today, continuing from the previous article, we will continue to analyze the specific development trends of condenser microphones:

① Omnidirectional condenser microphones are receiving more attention.

Because omnidirectional microphone elements have no proximity effect and can obtain a flat frequency response compared to unidirectional microphone elements, omnidirectional condenser microphones are generally used in the recording of Western classical music. Omnidirectional condenser microphones have the characteristics of rich bass and natural timbre, and can play an important role in stereo recording that actively utilizes indirect sound. Therefore, omnidirectional condenser microphones are now not only used in the recording of Western classical music, but also frequently used in the recording of various types of light music, especially drum sets and pianos.

② Built-in miniature condenser microphones.

Built-in miniature microphone elements are commonly found in television studios, and are often used for recording news, television field recordings, and television dramas. Because they can be clipped to a tie or coat like a pin, miniature condenser microphones are also known as lapel microphones. With the miniaturization and high-quality sound of microphones, and the popularization and stabilization of wireless microphones, built-in miniature condenser microphones have replaced the previous method of placing microphones at the front end of a boom, thus becoming indispensable equipment in recording work.

③ Digital condenser microphones.

With the advent of the digital wave in audio equipment, the demand for digital condenser microphones is also growing. A digital condenser microphone is a microphone with an A/D converter inside. It can directly connect to digital mixing consoles and digital recorders. Because digital microphones connect to digital devices with digital signals, the signal quality is less susceptible to interference, and external noise cannot be mixed in through cables. Therefore, the quality of digital condenser microphones is much better than that of microphones that output analog signals.

④ Various types of stereo condenser microphones.

The emergence of various types of stereo condenser microphones is to meet people's increasing demand for high-quality sound. Stereo condenser microphone elements mainly have two sound pickup methods: one is formed by overlapping a unidirectional microphone element facing the front (or an omnidirectional or bidirectional microphone element facing the front) and a bidirectional microphone element facing the left, forming an MS stereo pickup method; the other is formed by overlapping two identical microphone elements, with an angle between them that can vary from 90° to 180°, forming an XY stereo pickup method.

Various types of stereo condenser microphones can pick up dual-channel stereo signals, producing a natural sense of stereo width, depth, and positioning, bringing an immersive audio-visual feast.

⑤ Unidirectional planar condenser microphones.

Unidirectional planar condenser microphones control many microphone heads arranged longitudinally to form a 30° angle unidirectional pattern on the vertical plane of a rod-shaped microphone; and a 120° angle unidirectional pattern on the horizontal plane, together forming a three-dimensional directional characteristic of a new type of condenser microphone. Due to the sharp directivity of the vertical plane, unidirectional planar condenser microphones can avoid reflected sound and noise from the ceiling, floor, and desktop.

The author has used two sections to briefly introduce the development trends of condenser microphones. It should be noted that microphones (microphone heads, microphone elements) are precision instruments, and should be handled with extra care during carrying and use, in order to better bring out their performance.