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| Converts energy from one medium to another |
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| Electricity caused by pressure. Low cost. High SPL. Poor freq response. Low noise. |
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| Omni-directional microphone |
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| A microphone that captures a whole room |
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| A figure 8 microphone. Only catches 180 degrees |
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| Created with capacitor mics with duals. Helps fix the off axis coloration |
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| One or two step volume control |
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| Almost invisible mics used for news, broadway, and general broadcasting. |
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The general X-Y technique uses two uni- directional mics angled to cover the sound source left and right
A very specific X-Y technique is the Blumlein pair (named after Alan Blumlein) which uses two bi-directional mics set at 90 degrees from each other
• The Blumlein techniques works well in good acoustic spaces |
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A very specific X-Y technique is the Blumlein pair (named after Alan Blumlein) which uses two bi-directional mics set at 90 degrees from each other
• The Blumlein techniques works well in good acoustic spaces |
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sensitivity Sometimes called Output Sensitivity this is a measurement of how well the mic converts sound pressure into electrical pressure (voltage
Typically stated as "X" number of milli Volts (V) per 1 Pascal (Pa) of pressure
The larger the number the more sensitive the mic
for ex. the moving coil uni Sure SM57 has a sensitivity of 23mV/Pa
This means that the 103 will put out a signal 21 dB higher than the 571 |
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| The process of generating an electric current from the motion of a conductor through a magnetic field |
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| A contact microphone, also known as a pickup or a piezo, is a form of microphone that senses audio vibrations through contact with solid objects. Unlike normal air microphones, contact mics are almost completely insensitive to air vibrations but transduce only structure-borne sound. Often used as acoustic leakage probes, they also enjoy wide usage by noise music artists experimenting with sound. Contact microphones based on piezo materials are passive and high-impedance, which can make them sound 'tinny' without a matching preamp. |
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pick-up patterns Polar patters or polar response
␣ The way in which mics respond to sound coming from different directions
␣ Pattern often changes with frequency (off- axis coloration)
Omni-directional ␣ Uni-directional ␣ Bi-directional ␣ Switchable |
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| microphones that pick up sound from the front and sides |
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| Uni - Pickup created by allowing sound to the back of the diaphragm through acoustic ports in case (destructive interference) |
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| effect occurs when a sound source is very close to a directional microphone; it overemphasizes low frequencies making microphone less linear. |
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or PZM (pressure zone mic)
to be used on floor, wall or other large flat surfaces
alway capacitor type pick up
pick pattern half normal |
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Definition
Uses a parabolic reflector
Used in sports, spying, and nature recording |
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| Coincident techniques have two microphone diaphragms occupying (as near as possible) the same space |
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M-S matrix The M-S or middle side technique uses a bi- directional mic to pick up the side information and a uni-directional mic to pickup the middle information
• The mic outputs must be run through a matrix to extract left and right information |
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| NOS (Nederlandache Omroep Sticting) is an X-Y type with the mics 12 inches (30 cm) apart and at a 90 degree angle |
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The Decca tree departs from the usual 2 mic systems by using three omni directional mics in a spaced apart arrangement
• Left and Right mics are spaced about three feet apart while the center mic is placed in the middle but spaced about 1.5 feet in front of the side mics |
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Definition
Measurement of the noise generated by the mic
Stated as the "equivalent" noise in dB SPL
This means the mic produces, without any acoustical pressure field of "X' db SPL. "X" being the self noise
The smaller the number the better
There are two ways of measuring the self noise
DIN which is given dB A SPL(weighted)
CCIR which is stated in dB (SPL)
Self Noise for moving coil mics is rarely given as it is usually very low
however it can be estimated using the mic's impedance and this graph
Ipmedance/Noise(dBu A-weighted):
50/-141
100/-138
150/-136
200/-135
250/-134
300/-133
350/-132
400/-132
450/-131
500/-131
550/-130
600/-130
The Neumann TLM103 has a DIN self noise of 7dB A or about -119 dBu
The Shure SM 57 has a self noise that is about -128 dBu |
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when coil moves through the magnetic field in response to the sound waves hitting diaphragm
-use magnetic induction |
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ribbon mics Relatively high cost, Not rugged, Not for high SPL, Good frequency response,Works on electro-magnetism principal
␣ Aconductiveribbon(thediaphragm)is placed in a permanent magnetic field
␣ Sound pressure moves the diaphragm voltage is induced in the ribbon |
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Also called condenser ␣ Relatively high cost ␣ Excellent frequency response ␣ High output ␣ Requires power source,Works on electro-static principal
␣ Acapacitorwithafixedplateanda movable plate (the diaphragm) is charged
␣ Asthemovableplatechangesdistancefrom the fixed plate the charge varies
␣ The varying charge produces a varying voltage which is the audio signal |
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Definition
| 48 volt phantom power switch on an A.P.I. microphone preampilifier |
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| a device that controls electric current between electrodes in an evacuated container. |
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| a circular graph that shows how sensitive a microphone is in different directions. Each “circular” division represents 5dB of sensitivity, so you can see where the microphone picks up the strongest to the weakest sounds at different points. |
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| heart-shaped pickup pattern. Mic can be aimed specifically at source of audio, which minimizes extraneous noise, but still provides ambient feel. |
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| microphones have two separate diaphragms. This term is usually used to describe condenser (including electret) designs in which a single mic capsule has two separate vibrating diaphragms mounted parallel to one another, with either a single backplate or two backplates (mounted back-to-back). |
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| An electrical network bilt into some microphones to reduce the amount of output at bass frequencies when close micing and neutrilizes unwanted proximity effect |
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| Super Cardioid. Uses an interference tube to create a narrow pickup pattern. All modern shotgun mics are capacitor type |
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| (Universal Serial Bus) microphones are designed to interface directly to computers and portable digital recording devices with USB interfaces•These may be dynamic or capacitor type•Capacitor types use the USB power (5 Volts) as a power source |
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| Mics set up to where they can be panned hard left or hard right. Used commonly in broadcasting |
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Near coincidence techniques have the mics close but not on top of one another
• There are 3 very specific near coincidence techniques |
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| ORTF (Office de Radiodiffusion - Television Francaise) is an X-Y type with the mics 7 inches (17 cm) apart and at a 110 degree angle |
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| Microphones that are used to get a crowd noise using a head shaped microphone |
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| equalization, the electronic balancing of sound frequencies on audio recording equipment or hi-fi to reduce distortion or achieve a specific effect |
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| Attenuates all frequencies below a certain frequency (cutoff frequency) |
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| It is usual to measure roll-off as a function of logarithmic frequency, consequently, the units of roll-off are either decibels per decade (dB/decade), where a decade is a 10-times increase in frequency, or decibels per octave (dB/8ve), where an octave is 2-times increase in frequency. |
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| 10Boost & Cut•The number of dB above or below the normal (flat) level•Typically variable from 0 to +/-15 dB•Range increases on digital unitsTurnover Frequency•Typically the turnover frequency is fixed in Bass & Treble controls•Variable on professional units |
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| All analog equalizers cause phase shift•The amount of phase shift varies with the equalizer design the amount of boost or cut, filter slope and/or Q •The phase shift varies with frequency and is usually greatest around the Eqedor filtered frequency |
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| All parameters variable•Variable level, variable frequency and variable Q•Offers the most EQ control over a signa |
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| Outboard Equsually comes in one of two types–Graphic Equalizers–Parametric Equalizers•They may be mono or stereo unit |
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| the frequency at which the signal is attenuated by exactly 3db; is used to name the filter frequency |
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| a peak-shaped bell curve that can either boost or cut around a selected center freqency |
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| q or "space" between cut off frequencies |
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| Point of a broad bandwidth |
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| a type of outboard; provides boost and cut level control over a series of center frequencies that are equally spaced |
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Definition
-Used primarily for aesthetic purposes.
-Onboard Eq built into console I/O modules; May have simple or complex controls
-Outboard Eq usually patching using insert points
-Plug-In Eq selected in DAW and mimic all of the hardware types
-Simple controls will be bass and treble shelving Eq
-Complex Eq may include multiple bands with complete control over frequency, boost/cut, and bandwidth (parametric) |
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Term
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Definition
-Used primarily for aesthetic purposes.
-Onboard Eq built into console I/O modules; May have simple or complex controls
-Outboard Eq usually patching using insert points
-Plug-In Eq selected in DAW and mimic all of the hardware types
-Simple controls will be bass and treble shelving Eq
-Complex Eq may include multiple bands with complete control over frequency, boost/cut, and bandwidth (parametric) |
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Definition
| Attenuates all frequencies above a certain frequency (cutoff frequency |
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| Slope–Measured in dB per octave–Minimum 6dB per octave•The rate at which frequencies are reduced•Usually 6 dB, 12 dB, 18 dB, and 24 dB•Brick wall filters have slopes of 48 dB per octave•Slope may be fixed or variable |
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Term
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Definition
| Slope–Measured in dB per octave–Minimum 6dB per octave•The rate at which frequencies are reduced•Usually 6 dB, 12 dB, 18 dB, and 24 dB•Brick wall filters have slopes of 48 dB per octave•Slope may be fixed or variable |
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Simplest Eqs that boost and attenuate
Found at low and high end of frequency
spectrum |
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| Location of maximum boost or cut |
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Location of bandwidth in the frequency
spectrum |
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| Symmetrical or reciprocal boosting and cutting curves are mirror images of other |
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| A Notch filter is a “peaking” type which only cuts (no boost) and has a very high Q factor, very narrow bandwidth |
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