Mic Archive
Compare frequency responses and polar patterns, at any angle and distance.
All curves are from the manufacturers' own published graphs: read out exactly where the PDF manual has them as vector data, otherwise traced (to about 0.5 dB; polar plots to about 1 dB). Tap a mic's name under On the chart for the original graphs.
- Brands measure differently (distance, room, smoothing): take small differences between them lightly.
- A curve's transparency follows the sound's amplitude: where the mic hardly picks anything up, its curve almost disappears. You can turn this off with Curve transparency.
- Dashed: outside the mic's rated range, or simulated (other angles and distances).
- Faded: outside the mic's rated range, or simulated (other angles and distances).
- Hover or tap a control's label (Angle and Distance under the chart, Smoothing under Settings, …) for more information.
Mic placement
Instruments
Curves are shifted so that 1 kHz sits at the mic's published sensitivity: higher = more output for the same sound. Mics without a published sensitivity are hidden.
Library
TapClick a mic to add it to the graph, hold it for details.
+ Your own curve
Two columns: frequency (Hz) and level (dB). Commas, tabs, semicolons, or spaces all work; header and comment lines are skipped. REW exports, .frd files, and WebPlotDigitizer CSVs load as-is. Nothing is uploaded; it all stays in your browser.
Where to get data
From a spec sheet graph: screenshot the manufacturer's curve, open it in WebPlotDigitizer, set a log X axis, trace the line, and export CSV.
Measure it yourself: put a calibrated measurement mic in front of a speaker and run a sweep in REW (with the mic's calibration file loaded). Then put each of your mics in exactly the same spot and sweep again. In REW, divide each mic's sweep by the measurement-mic one (All SPL → Trace arithmetic → A / B): the speaker and the room are the same in both, so they cancel out and only the mic's own response is left. Export that as text and drop it here.
About the built-in mics
Mics added here stay in your browser. The built-in mics come from the Mic Archive research: every curve and spec is read from the manufacturer's own documents, with the page it's on. Curves are read from the PDF's vector graphics where possible, else traced from the image. Each mic's card says how exactly, what the manufacturer doesn't state, and which readings are uncertain.