microphone

MICROPHONECharacteristics, Classifications, and Types.

What is a Microphone?

What is a Microphone?A small, portable assembly for the pick-up and conversion of sound into electrical energy.

Sound Waves

Electrical energy

Sound Waves

Sound Generating Elements of a Microphone

Diaphragm, voice-coil, air pressure

Characteristics of Microphones

1- Sound-generating Systems

DYNAMIC Microphone• Most rugged• Can withstand high-sound levels (input overload)• Can withstand fairly extreme temperatures• No battery needed• Good for vocals and music instruments



CONDENSER Microphone

• Sensitive to phyisical shock• Sensitive to input overload• Sensitive to temperature change• Needs small battery• Higher quality sound at greater distances



RIBBON Microphone

• Sensitive to phyisical shock• Sensitive to input overload• Sensitive to temperature change• No battery needed• Higher quality sound at greater distances


Other Types (according to Sound-generating Systems)

CARBON Microphone• oldest and simplest microphone that uses carbon dust. • the technology used in the first telephones and is still used in some telephones today. • The carbon dust has a thin metal or plastic diaphragm on one side. As sound waves hit the diaphragm, they compress the carbon dust, which changes its resistance. By running a current through the carbon, the changing resistance changes the amount of current that flows.



FIBER OPTIC Microphone

• fiber optic microphones can be extremely small, and they can be used in electrically sensitive environments. • They can also be produced with no metal, which makes them very useful in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications and other situations where radio frequency interference is an issue.



LIQUID Microphone

• invented by Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson • a precursor to what would later become the condenser microphone • used a metal cup filled with water and sulfuric acid. A diaphragm was placed over the cup with a needle on the receiving side of the diaphragm. Sound waves would cause the needle to move in the water. A small electrical current ran to the needle, which was modulated by sound vibrations. • The liquid microphone was never a particularly functional device, but it makes a great science experiment



ELECTRET Microphone

• most widely used microphones on Earth • cheap and relatively simple, electret mics are used in cell phones, computers and hands-free headsets • a type of condenser microphone in which the external charge is replaced with an electret material, which by definition is in a permanent state of electric polarization



LASER Microphone

• works by capturing vibrations off of a plane, like a windowpane, for example, and transmitting the signal back to a photo detector, which converts the reflected laser beam into an audio signal.



CRYSTAL Microphone

• By attaching a diaphragm to a crystal, the crystal will create a signal when sound waves hit the diaphragm.


2- Pick-up Patterns

• the territory within which a microphone can hear well.• Omnidirectional, Bidirectional, Unidirectional, and Cardioid


2- Pick-up Patterns

OMNIDIRECTIONAL Microphone

• the microphone hears sounds from all directions EQUALLY well.


2- Pick-up Patterns

BIDIRECTIONAL Microphone

• the microphone hears better in TWO OPPOSITE directions.


2- Pick-up Patterns

UNIDIRECTIONAL Microphone

• the microphone hears better in ONE direction (the front of the microphone than its side or back.


2- Pick-up Patterns

CARDIOID Microphone

• the microphone hears in a HEART-SHAPED pattern but hearing is more concentrated on the front rather than on the side.


o STATIONARYo Desko Stando Hangingo Hiddeno Long distance

3- Physical Forms (Mobile & Stationary)

o MOBILEo Hando Lavaliereo Boomo Wirelesso Headset



HAND Microphone



LAVALIERE Microphone



BOOM Microphone



WIRELESS Microphone



HEADSET Microphone



DESK Microphone



STAND Microphone



HANGING Microphone



HIDDEN Microphone



LONG DISTANCE Microphone

Special Features of Microphones

POP FILTERS

Eliminates breath pops that could occur when someone is speaking into the mic at close distance.

It also reduces distortion when the mic is held close to a very loud sound source.

Special Features of Microphones

WINDSCREEN

It’s made of acoustic foam rubber, is put on the microphone to eliminate, or at least to reduce, the low rumble of wind noise.

When used outside, shotgun mic are entirely covered by windscreen.

USING THE MICROPHONE

How to use a hand microphone:

• CHEST POSITION (ex.: news reporting, hosting)• MOUTH (ex.: outdoor reporting/hosting)• SINGING• INTERVIEWING CHILDREN


CHEST POSITION


MOUTH POSITION


SINGING


INTERVIEWING CHILDREN


Microphone Techniques:

• ON-MIC• OFF-MIC• FADING ON• FADING OFF• BEHIND OBSTRUCTION



ON-MIC• The speaker is closer to the mic• It appears the speaker is at the main scene



• OFF-MIC• The speaker is away from the mic• It appears the speaker is away/far from the main scene



• FADING ON• The speaker is moving closer to the mic• It appears the speaker is moving towards the main scene



• FADING OFF• The speaker is moving farther from the mic• It appears the speaker is moving away from the main scene



• BEHIND OBSTRUCTION• The speaker is talking behind a wall/room.

microphone

Spiritual

microphone characteristics

microphone diaphragm

simplest microphone

systems electret microphone

systems crystal microphone

systems laser microphone

systems liquid microphone

systems dynamic microphone