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Microphones
Microphones are transducers which detect sound signals and produce an
electrical image of the sound, i.e., they produce a voltage or a current which is
proportional to the sound signal. The most common microphones for musical use
are dynamic, ribbon, or condenser microphones. Besides the variety of basic
mechanisms, microphones can be designed with different directional patterns and
different impedances.
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Dynamic Microphones
Principle: sound moves the cone and the attached coil of wire
moves in the field of a magnet. The generator effect produces a
voltage which "images" the sound pressure variation -
characterized as a pressure microphone.
Advantages:
Relatively cheap and
rugged.
Can be easily miniaturized.
Disadvantages:
The uniformity of response
to different frequencies
does not match that of the
ribbon or condenser
microphones.
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The geometry of a dynamic microphone is like that of a tiny loudspeaker, and that is not just a
coincidence. A dynamic microphone is essentially the inverse of a dynamic loudspeaker. In a
dynamic microphone, the sound pressure variations move the cone, which moves the attached coil
of wire in a magnetic field, which generates a voltage. In the loudspeaker, the inverse happens: the
electric current associated with the electrical image of the sound is driven through the coil in the
magnetic field, generating a force on that coil. The coil moves in response to the audio signal,
moving the cone and producing sound in the air.
A small loudspeaker can be used as a dynamic microphone, and this fact is exploited in the
construction of small intercom systems. Depending upon the position of the Talk-Listen switch, the
device on either end of the intercom system can be used as a microphone or a loudspeaker. Of
course, this is not a high fidelity process, and for commercial dynamic microphones, the device is
optimized for use as a microphone, not a loudspeaker.
Microphone discussion
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Ribbon Microphones
Advantages:
Adds "warmth"
to the tone by
accenting lows
when close-
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Principle: the air movement associated with the sound
moves the metallic ribbon in the magnetic field,
generating an imaging voltage between the ends of the
ribbon which is proportional to the velocity of the
ribbon - characterized as a "velocity" microphone.
when close-
miked.
Can be used to
discriminate
against distant
low frequency
noise in its most
common
gradient form.
Disadvantages:
Accenting lows
sometimes
produces
"boomy" bass.
Very
susceptible to
wind noise. Not
suitable for
outside use
unless very well
shielded.
Example of use
Microphone discussion
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Condenser Microphones
Advantages:
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Principle: sound pressure changes the
spacing between a thin metallic membrane
and the stationary back plate. The plates
are charged to a total charge
where C is the capacitance, V the voltage
of the biasing battery, A the area of each
plate and d the separation of the plates.
Best overall frequency
response makes this the
microphone of choice for
many recording
applications.
Disadvantages:
Expensive
May pop and crack when
close miked
Requires a battery or
external power supply to
bias the plates.
A change in plate spacing will
cause a change in charge Q and
force a current through resistance
R. This current "images" the sound
pressure, making this a "pressure"
microphone.
Further discussion
Pressure Zone Microphone Application
Microphone discussion
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