Ever since the existence of the two most popular microphone core technologies: dynamic and condenser (including electret condenser), people have had to choose between them, based upon their different strengths and weaknesses. Condenser microphones have a wider frequency range (they sound crisper and brighter), but have been so sensitive, they have often picked up too much of the room (i.e. undesired background sounds and reverb) unless the environment is acoustically ideal (quiet and free of reverb). Dynamic microphones have been less sensitive, so as long as the person speaking has been very close to it, then there has been a greater signal-to-room noise ratio, although most dynamic mics have a narrower frequency range, so most sound less crisp or bright. Even though Descript’s «Studio Sound» has been revered for its great reverb elimination, plosive elimination and background noise elimination (which can make a condenser microphone behave more like a dynamic, in terms of isolating the speaker’s voice from background noise and reverb) as have other software (i.e. Hush), «Studio Sound» can also make dynamic microphones sound much more like condenser mics. In fact, «Studio Sound» can even make poor recordings from POTS (plain old telephone service) sound like a studio too, with a single click. Ahead I’ll explain and demonstrate how and why, and then discuss how this can affect our microphone choices, as long as we are not broadcasting live and can process the recordings with Descript’s «Studio Sound» in post.
How can Descript’s «Studio Sound» make a dynamic mic or POTS recording sound much more like a studio condenser?
As described by Descript, its «Studio Sound» uses AI (artificial intelligence) to add missing frequencies to the original voice recording, with a single click. This is much more than standard EQ (equalization) and is what —in essence— makes a dynamic mic or poor POTS recording sound much more like a studio condenser microphone. Here are some examples of that, all normalized:
Above is the raw sound of a FiFine K699 ≈U$73 dynamic microphone with shockmount I recently reviewed, excluding the cost of the superior windscreen.
Above is the same FiFine K688, processed by Descript’s «Studio Sound» at 100%.
Above is a very poor POTS (plain old telephone service) recording of a listener who recently left a voicemail comment to my CapicúaFM show.
Above is the same POTS recording, processed by «Studio Sound» at 100%.
How much does Descript’s «Studio Sound» cost?
As of publication date of this article, «Studio Sound» is included with the Descript free plan for up to 10 minutes per file. The Descript Creator plan includes up to 60 minutes per file for U$12 per month or U$144 per year. The Descript Pro plan includes unlimited minutes per file for U$24 per month or U$288 per year. For the latest pricing, click here. (I currently have a Pro plan and paid the normal price of U$288 per year.) If you have never used Descript before, use this link to get a free month of Descript Pro with unlimited «Studio Sound».
Please note that «Studio Sound» is just one of many value-added features included in Descript, as covered in my prior articles. This article is about «Studio Sound». In past articles, I have covered Descript’s editing of audio/video by editing text in 2018, its transcription in 22 languages including Castilian and Catalán, and more recently AI-Eye Contact killed the teleprompter? Almost!
What does this mean to our microphone selection process, in the era of Descript’s «Studio Sound»?
- Keep in mind that Descript’s «Studio Sound» is still for post-processed/edited material, not when broadcasting live (aka streaming live). For those truly live situations, the same traditional rule applies: only consider using a condenser microphone if your environment is very quiet and free of reverb.
- If you must have multiple microphones in the same room, I still recommend dynamic mics very close to each person speaking, together with very careful positioning to reduce the amount of spill (i.e. crosstalk) from each person speaking into another person’s microphone.
- For productions that can be post-processed/edited (especially when there is a single microphone per location, not multiple mics per location), you can now favor your aesthetic taste and budget, and don’t necessarily have to choose a dynamic microphone. However, the same rules apply regarding shock absorption, if appropriate to your situation.
Here are a few takeaways from that:
- If you already own a condenser mic you previously used in a studio, you can now use it at home in a more noisy and reverberant environment, as long as you can process it with Descript’s «Studio Sound» after recording.
- If you purchase a dynamic mic like the FiFine K699 ≈U$73 dynamic microphone with shockmount, excluding the cost of the superior windscreen, you can use it to broadcast live in its native mode, and in other cases, you can process it with Descript’s «Studio Sound» to make it sound crispier later.
- If you purchase one or more dynamic mics like the RØDE PodMic USB (review pending), you can even connect multiple ones to your computer and record multitrack to have isolated tracks using the free RØDE Connect software. You can broadcast live with its native sound (or enhanced sound via its internal DSP). For prerecorded projects, you can have your choice of further enhancing it.
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FTC disclosure
No company mentioned in this article is paying for this article. Allan Tépper has (to date) paid for a full yearly price of U$288 for Descript Pro. Some of the companies listed above have contracted Tépper and/or TecnoTur LLC to carry out consulting and/or translations/localizations/transcreations. Some links to third parties listed in this article and/or on this web page may indirectly benefit TecnoTur LLC via affiliate programs. Allan Tépper’s opinions are his own. Allan Tépper is not liable for misuse or misunderstanding of information he shares.