Microphones
Microphone Type by Source Chart
Quick answer
A church platform needs four microphone types: dynamic for vocals and loud sources, condenser for choir, piano and gooseneck work, boundary for pulpit surfaces and kick drums, and clip-on condensers for moving instrumentalists. Source level at three feet decides which, not price.
Microphone selection looks like a matter of taste and is mostly a matter of arithmetic. The level a source produces at three feet decides whether it needs a robust dynamic capsule or a sensitive condenser, and how far a player moves while playing decides whether a stand will work at all. Get those two questions right and the tonal preferences that fill discussion forums barely matter.
This chart runs every source a church platform carries, with the level it produces, the microphone type that suits it, the pattern to choose and where to put it. Levels are the same figures used across this site, including in the SPL by instrument chart. Pattern behaviour is in the polar pattern chart.
Which microphone should I use for each source?
Read the level column first. Anything above about 100 dBA at three feet wants a dynamic capsule for headroom and durability; anything below about 85 dBA wants a condenser for sensitivity. The sources in between can go either way, and that is where preference legitimately enters.
An acoustic drum kit at 105 to 120 dBA needs dynamic microphones for headroom, while a 20 voice choir at 80 to 90 dBA needs hanging condensers, and the two are never interchangeable.
| Source | Level at 3 ft | Microphone type | Pattern | Catalog pick | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preaching voice, pulpit | 70 to 80 dBA | Condenser gooseneck | Cardioid | Shure MX418/C Cardioid Condenser Gooseneck Microphone | Capsule 8 to 12 in from the mouth, aimed at the mouth not the chest. |
| Preaching voice, roaming | 70 to 80 dBA | Condenser headset | Cardioid | Shure SM35 Performance Headset Condenser Microphone - TQG | Boom at the corner of the mouth, one finger width out. |
| Preaching voice, discreet | 70 to 80 dBA | Condenser earset | Directional | Countryman E6 Directional Earset Microphone for Vocals with 2mm Cable and TA4F Connector for Shure Wireless - Light Beig | Along the cheek line. The broadcast choice. |
| Seated interview or panel | 60 to 70 dBA | Condenser lavalier | Omnidirectional | Shure Centraverse CVL Lavalier Condenser Microphone | High on the chest, 6 to 8 in below the chin. No wedges nearby. |
| Worship leader vocal | 95 to 105 dBA at the capsule | Dynamic handheld | Supercardioid | Shure BETA 58A Supercardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone | One to two inches from the lips, consistently. |
| Backing vocals | 95 to 105 dBA at the capsule | Dynamic handheld | Hypercardioid | AUDIX OM5 Hypercardioid Handheld Dynamic Vocal Microphone for Stage Singers | On a boom stand, with wedges at 110 degrees. |
| Roaming handheld, guest speaker | 95 to 105 dBA at the capsule | Dynamic handheld | Cardioid | Shure SM58S Pro XLR Dynamic Vocal Microphone with On/Off Switch | The switch matters more than the capsule for a guest. |
| Choir, 20 voices | 80 to 90 dBA | Condenser hanging | Cardioid | Audio-Technica U853R Cardioid Condenser Hanging Microphone 250 Ohms, Low Profile Design | Three across the loft, 2 to 3 ft above and in front of the back row. |
| Choir, small ensemble | 80 to 90 dBA | Condenser overhead | Cardioid | Shure MX202 Overhead Microphone - Black, Cardioid Condenser Mic with 3 Pin XLR Connector, Preamp Included (MX202B/C) | Two microphones, each covering roughly eight singers. |
| Grand piano | 85 to 100 dBA | Condenser pair | Cardioid | Shure MX202 Overhead Microphone - Black, Cardioid Condenser Mic with 3 Pin XLR Connector, Preamp Included (MX202B/C) | Two inside the lid, over the hammers at low and high strings. |
| Digital keyboard | n/a, direct output | Direct box | n/a | Radial ProD2 Passive 2 Channel Direct Box | Stereo DI from the keyboard outputs. No microphone at all. |
| Acoustic guitar with pickup | 75 to 85 dBA | Direct box | n/a | Radial Pro DI Passive Direct Box | Passive DI at the player, not at the console. |
| Acoustic guitar, no pickup | 75 to 85 dBA | Condenser | Cardioid | Audio-Technica PRO 35 Cardioid Condenser Clip-on Instrument Microphone | Clip-on at the body, or a stand aimed at the 12th fret. |
| Electric guitar amplifier | 95 to 110 dBA | Dynamic | Cardioid | Shure SM57 Pro XLR Dynamic Instrument Microphone | On the grille, an inch off, halfway between cone centre and edge. |
| Bass guitar rig | 90 to 105 dBA | Direct box | n/a | Radial Pro DI Passive Direct Box | Direct output. Turn the rig down rather than mic it. |
| Kick drum | 105 to 120 dBA | Dynamic or boundary | Supercardioid or half-cardioid | Shure BETA 52A Kick Drum Microphone - Supercardioid Dynamic Mic with High Output Neodymium Element, Locking Stand Adapter, Durabl Steel Mesh Grille and Shock Mount | Inside the shell, off centre, a few inches from the batter head. |
| Snare drum | 100 to 115 dBA | Dynamic | Supercardioid | Shure BETA 56A Snare and Tom Microphone - Supercardioid Swivel-Mount Dynamic Drum Mic for Close Miking, Equipped with Shock Mount for Sound Isolation, Dynamic Locking Stand Adapter, Steel Mesh Grille | An inch above the rim, angled at the centre of the head. |
| Toms | 100 to 110 dBA | Dynamic | Supercardioid | Shure BETA 56A Snare and Tom Microphone - Supercardioid Swivel-Mount Dynamic Drum Mic for Close Miking, Equipped with Shock Mount for Sound Isolation, Dynamic Locking Stand Adapter, Steel Mesh Grille | One per tom on a swivel mount, or share overheads in a small room. |
| Drum overheads | 105 to 120 dBA | Condenser | Cardioid | Shure PG ALTA 7-Piece Drum Microphone Kit for Performing and Recording Drummers - Includes Mics, Mounts and Cables with options for Kick Drums, Snare, Rack/Floor Toms, Congas and Cymbals (PGADRUMKIT7) | A matched pair, equidistant from the snare to avoid polarity trouble. |
| Full drum kit, small room | 105 to 120 dBA | Dynamic kit | Mixed | Shure PG ALTA 5-Piece Drum Microphone Kit for Performing and Recording Drummers - Includes Mics, Mounts and Cables with Options for Kick Drum, Snare and Tom (PGADRUMKIT5) | Kick, snare and two overheads is enough below 300 seats. |
| Cajon | 90 to 100 dBA | Dynamic or boundary | Cardioid | Shure BETA 91A Half-Cardioid Condenser Kick Drum Microphone | At the rear port, or a boundary inside the box. |
| Hand percussion | 85 to 100 dBA | Condenser | Cardioid | Audio-Technica PRO 35 Cardioid Condenser Clip-on Instrument Microphone | Often needs no microphone at all in a room under 200 seats. |
| Brass section | 90 to 105 dBA | Dynamic or clip-on | Cardioid | Audio-Technica PRO 35 Cardioid Condenser Clip-on Instrument Microphone | Clip-on at the bell rim, aimed slightly off the centre of the bore. |
| Woodwind and flute | 80 to 90 dBA | Condenser clip-on | Cardioid | Audio-Technica PRO 35 Cardioid Condenser Clip-on Instrument Microphone | At the tone holes for flute, not at the bell. |
| Violin and strings | 85 to 95 dBA | Condenser clip-on | Cardioid | Audio-Technica PRO 35 Cardioid Condenser Clip-on Instrument Microphone | Clipped at the bridge. A stand cannot follow a moving player. |
| Pipe organ | 85 to 110 dBA | Usually none | n/a | Not applicable | Reinforcement is rarely needed. Ambience pairs for the stream only. |
| Congregation, for livestream | 75 to 85 dBA | Condenser pair | Cardioid | Shure MX202 Overhead Microphone - Black, Cardioid Condenser Mic with 3 Pin XLR Connector, Preamp Included (MX202B/C) | Two hung facing the congregation, well away from the loudspeakers. |
| Drama and kids ministry | 70 to 80 dBA | Condenser headset | Cardioid | Shure PGA31-TQG Wireless Headworn Condenser Microphone | Headsets survive children. Handhelds do not survive the drop. |
Levels are the same planning figures used throughout this site, measured A-weighted at about three feet from the source. Catalog picks are one reasonable choice for each position rather than the only one. Where a source produces more level at the back row than you want in the mix, the answer is not a microphone at all, and over-miking a small platform costs gain before feedback on every open channel.
Dynamic or condenser? The decision in one table
Two capsule technologies, with genuinely different jobs. The common belief that condensers are the professional choice and dynamics the budget one is wrong in both directions: an SM57 on a guitar cabinet is the professional choice, and a condenser there would distort.
Dynamic microphones handle 150 dB peaks without distortion and need no phantom power, while condensers are far more sensitive and capture detail a dynamic misses at the cost of fragility.
| Property | Dynamic | Condenser | What it means on a platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum level | Very high, 150 dB peaks | Lower, varies by model | Dynamics for drums and guitar cabinets, condensers for quiet sources. |
| Sensitivity | Low | High, 10 to 20 dB more output | A condenser on a distant choir needs far less preamp gain. |
| Phantom power | Not needed | Required | A dynamic still works when somebody switched phantom off. |
| High frequency detail | Rolled off above 10 kHz | Extended and open | Condensers for choir and piano, dynamics for close vocals. |
| Transient response | Slower | Fast | Condensers capture stick attack and string detail more accurately. |
| Durability | Survives being dropped | Often does not | Handhelds passed around a congregation should be dynamic. |
| Humidity tolerance | Excellent | Can crackle when damp | Matters for outdoor services and unheated buildings. |
| Handling noise | Moderate | High on most designs | Condensers belong on stands and hangers, not in hands. |
| Feedback resistance | Better in practice | Worse, being more sensitive | A condenser near a wedge is a harder problem. |
| Cost for equivalent quality | Lower | Higher | A church equips a platform with dynamics and spends on three condensers. |
The honest summary is that neither is better. Dynamics go where things are loud, get handled, or get dropped. Condensers go where things are quiet, distant or detailed, and where a stand or a hanger holds them still. Almost every church needs both, in roughly a three to one ratio.
What usually goes wrong, source by source
The pulpit microphone aimed at a chest. A gooseneck set low looks tidy and captures a voice 10 dB down and tonally wrong, so it gets turned up, and then it feeds back. The capsule belongs 8 to 12 inches from the mouth, aimed at the mouth. Every inch of tidiness costs intelligibility. This single fault is the most common church audio problem there is.
Choir microphones hung too high. Hanging condensers gain nothing by being further away, and a microphone 8 feet above a choir picks up mostly room. Two to three feet above and slightly in front of the back row is the working position, with one microphone per eight to twelve singers. Hung correctly, three microphones cover a typical loft; hung high, twelve will not.
Handheld vocal microphones held at the chest. A dynamic vocal capsule is designed to work at one to two inches. At twelve inches it delivers perhaps 15 dB less, which gets made up with gain that also amplifies the wedge. No microphone solves this and no processor hides it. It is a coaching problem, and it is worth the awkward conversation.
Over-miking a small platform. Every open microphone reduces gain before feedback across the whole system, by roughly 3 dB each time the number of open channels doubles. A 200 seat room with a cajon, a single acoustic guitar and three vocals does not need twelve channels open. The quietest, cleanest church systems are the ones with the fewest microphones live.
A condenser where a dynamic belongs. A condenser in front of a guitar cabinet or over a snare in a small room distorts at the capsule, which no gain adjustment repairs because the damage happens before the preamp. If a channel sounds harsh and nothing at the console helps, check what is in front of it.
Where this chart does not apply
It assumes a typical room and a typical platform. A 100 seat chapel with an acoustic ensemble and a 1,200 seat auditorium with a full band need different answers for the same instrument. The level figures hold; the decision about whether to mic something at all does not.
Wireless changes the termination, not the choice. A headset for a bodypack must be bought terminated for that transmitter, and the same capsule in a wired version will not simply plug in. Decide the microphone first from this chart, then buy the correct termination for the system you own.
It says nothing about how many channels your console has. A 32 channel input list is easy to write and needs a console, a stage box and a volunteer who can mix it. Check the count against the mixer channel count chart before committing to a microphone plan.
Livestream wants different microphones from the room. A congregation that sounds present in the building can sound thin on a stream, because the stream hears only what the microphones hear. Ambience pairs exist for the broadcast rather than for the room, and they are the single most effective addition to a church stream.
Budget order matters more than model choice. A church with limited money should buy one excellent pulpit microphone before four mediocre vocal microphones, because the spoken word is what most of the congregation came for. See church AV upgrade priorities.
Sources
- Source sound pressure level figures at three feet, as used throughout this site’s calculators and specification pages
- Published polar pattern, sensitivity and maximum SPL specifications from manufacturer data sheets for the microphones listed
- The approximately 3 dB loss of gain before feedback per doubling of open microphones, from sound system design practice
Frequently asked questions
What microphone should a church use for preaching?
A cardioid condenser gooseneck at a fixed pulpit, positioned 8 to 12 inches from the mouth and aimed at the mouth. For a pastor who moves, a cardioid condenser headset on a wireless bodypack, with the boom at the corner of the mouth. Headsets deliver noticeably more gain before feedback than lavaliers because they stay close and on axis.
What is the difference between a dynamic and a condenser microphone?
A dynamic handles very high levels, needs no phantom power and survives being dropped, but rolls off above 10 kHz and has low output. A condenser is far more sensitive with extended high frequency detail, and requires 48 volt phantom power. Dynamics go where things are loud or handled; condensers go where things are quiet, distant or detailed.
How many microphones does a church choir need?
One hanging cardioid condenser per eight to twelve singers, so three across a typical loft. Height matters more than count: two to three feet above and slightly in front of the back row. Hung too high, a microphone picks up mostly room reverberation, and adding more microphones at the wrong height makes the problem worse rather than better.
Do I need a microphone on the acoustic drum kit?
In a room under about 300 seats, often not, or only a kick and a pair of overheads. A kit produces 105 to 120 dBA at three feet and is already audible at the back row unamplified. Miking it fully in a small room adds level you did not want and reduces gain before feedback on every open vocal channel.
Should I use a lavalier or a headset for the pastor?
A headset, in almost every case. A lavalier sits six to eight inches below the chin and off axis, which costs both level and tone, so it needs more gain and feeds back sooner. A headset stays an inch from the corner of the mouth regardless of head movement. Lavaliers make sense for seated interviews and for video where visibility matters.
Why does adding more microphones make feedback worse?
Every open microphone hears the loudspeakers, so gain before feedback drops by roughly 3 dB each time the number of open channels doubles. Sixteen open microphones give about 6 dB less usable gain than four. This is why the cleanest church systems are the ones with the fewest channels live, and why muting unused channels is a real technique rather than tidiness.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, operator manuals, FCC rules, published standards and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Sound system design, rigging loudspeakers overhead, and any electrical work are jobs for a qualified professional: have flown loudspeakers and their attachment points signed off by a structural engineer or a certified rigger, and have all wiring done by a licensed electrician to your local code. Wireless microphone rules change, so confirm the current FCC position before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.