I recently covered what are dynamic microphones, so I thought I’d give condenser microphones the same treatment and explain what are condenser microphones, how they differ from dynamic microphones, and most importantly what are condenser microphones used for.
What Are Condenser Microphones

As I covered in my comparison of condenser vs dynamic microphones, condenser microphones make use of a diaphragm plus backplate to form a capacitor which convert live sound into electrical signals via changes in capacitance.
Condenser microphones can take many shapes including the cylindrical shape which we typically associate with dynamic microphones.
The Shure SM81 is an example of a very nice condenser microphone I like to use on acoustic guitar and hi-hats (more on that later) which has a sneaky cylindrical shape:

More typically, they have a fatter and clear wire mesh casing around the sensor that you associate more with broadcast or studio microphones like the Audio Technica AT 2035:

With that brief bit of context, let’s get to the more important question of what are condenser microphones used for.
What Are Condenser Microphones Used For
To better illustrate what are condenser microphones used for, here is a snapshot of the major details of condenser microphones:

Let’s take a look at a few of the practical situations when you’d want to use a condenser microphone rather than a dynamic microphone.
Quieter/More Controlled Environments
I mentioned in the aforementioned and linked to overview on dynamic microphones that those microphones are best suited for live situations where everything is louder and less predictable.
Condenser microphones don’t do as well in live settings and are best suited for a comparatively quieter studio setting.
They also historically aren’t made with durability to withstand a lot of movement that you get with a touring life. You can smack dynamic microphones with your instrument, throw them in their bags and have them handle all that transit while still sounding great.
Instruments With More Dynamic Range
This is the major point of condenser microphones. They’re typically better suited to capture a lot more nuance in a performance as the level changes slightly from sample to sample.
Specifically I love and recommend condenser microphones on:
Vocals
Vocals are the classic example of when you want to use a condenser microphone. You can have a vocal line which goes from a whisper to a scream, and a condenser microphone is the best choice for faithfully capturing and reproducing every nuance in the vocal.
Acoustic Guitar
Like vocals, acoustic guitar is capable of a lot of expression and a lot of that comes from its dynamic range, certainly on some performances or parts more than others. I mentioned my SM81 that I love on it typically alongside an AT2035 for some stereo recording (see how to record acoustic guitar).
Piano
Piano is another delicate instrument and one where faithfully reproducing its tone and dynamic range as accurately as possible is essential for making it sound natural.
More Complicated Sources
While dynamic microphones are typically cardioid or hyper cardioid, condenser microphones’ design allows for bidirectional or even omnidirectional/360 degree polar patterns and recording.

This allows you to record configurations you wouldn’t be able to with a dynamic microphone, like organizing a group of singers around a single microphone or recording an entire room either to showcase or blend in to the rest of the mix.
Condenser Microphones Reviewed
- Condenser microphones are typically less durable but more sensitive than their dynamic microphone peers.
- They’re not ideal for live situations but are great in controlled, studio environments.
- Their increased sensitivity makes them better suited for quieter instruments with more nuance in their typically greater dynamic range.
- Depending on the microphone, condenser microphones also typically come in more polar patterns like bidirectional or omnidirectional which allows you to record in more complicated situations or simply better capture an entire room for a number of different uses in the mix.