Which one should you side with? Is one better than the other? Is there something we know and don’t understand about the difference between wired and wireless mics?
A singer will use both types of mics in their career. Depending on the situation and the need of the situation, the hardware used will vary. Wired mics are reserved for precise recording and wireless are mostly there for convenience. That’s why studios use wired mics and while performing live wireless is preferred.
But it goes deeper than that. A lot of things aren’t in our control when we leave our home studio. So, let’s go ahead and read what all of this means.
What Are You Doing?
A lot can be answered just by asking you what you want to achieve. If you want the best quality and you want to hear yourself precisely then a wired mic is your best bet. Especially for recording your voice but if you are thinking about delivering a message to people in a room full of business-oriented people then I think the best thing to do, in this case, is to with a wireless mic.
Major Difference
There are differences between wired and wireless mics.
One of them is they are made for different purposes. A wired mic is made for procession and specific use cases. Wireless mics on the other hand are made for convenience.
A wireless mic is definitely going to be far more expensive than a wired one.
Plus you also have to take into consideration that wireless will usually require batteries on a continuous basis while a wired mic will not. In the long term the more you use something the more expensive it is going to be.
In my personal experience, I would not own anything wireless for my home recording needs but if I was hosting a live event on a stage, then a wireless one.
The distinction and making a choice between them is not that hard. Find the purpose and buy accordingly.
If You’re Performing
If you performing live or anywhere else in front of someone you’re going to see a wireless mic and for the most part you will see great artists not using any wired mic these days for performing live.
What you will also know is that there is at least no lag in these times for wireless mics and the quality is nothing to laugh at and something you will not be disappointed with. So, if you’re taking it to live yourself, you can and should go with a wireless mic.
But you also always have to remember that the amount of setup required for the wireless mic is going to be a bit more complicated than the wired one. As stated above wireless mic also requires a battery to always work which depending on your situation will matter a lot!
Recording
If you find yourself recording in any scenario and you will find that the studios usually are using wired mics. The reason why wired mics are used in this situation is that wired mics come in different shapes and sizes (quite literally) and are much easier for the pocket to afford.
You can buy pencil mics which are amazing to be used for drums overheads recording but won’t work that great on the bass drum. You can use a large diaphragm condenser mic to record your vocals and other instruments.
You can also set up a combination of different mics to record one guitar!
The difference between wired and wireless mic in this scenario may be nominal and negligible to someone who doesn’t do audio production on a daily basis. But when you start to mix and produce music the way that something is captured matters a lot.
All the small flaws can turn out to be big flaws. So to avoid any kind of issues with anything down the production pipeline it is always better to use of wired mic in recording scenarios.
The added benefit of learning how to record yourself is that you can use the same setup, as I do, for online meets and even streaming. Since I assume you are of the creative type and an artist of some sort having a home recording studio setup will benefit you greatly. In all honestly, it’s worth every penny I have ever spent.
Budget
Of course, a lot of it depends on the budget as well but if you’re someone who is just starting out and want to start recording and see how everything works then the way to go is with a wired mic even if used one but it is very easy to setup.
You need a laptop and audio interface a mic and a cable and that’s it. All of these things will last you yours to come if you know how to take care. But if you’re someone who is a professional who starts to get into the whole entertainment scene then, of course, you need to know when to use what and how to properly operate such equipment.
Beyond The Mics
Well, obviously, beyond the hardware needs you ought to know what you’re doing with your voice. Without the skill to sing you would never be able to make sure even if you had the best hardware and that’s where I bring in the importance of online courses.
But I have also made a page where you can learn about all the courses that you can invest in and what they teach you for the price they ask. You can make the choice for yourself.
All the best in your musical journey.