MICROPHONE BASICSBY ARTUR SHAMSUTDINOV

WEEK 1 OF INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC PRODUCTION AT COURSERA.ORG

HI!

My name is Artur Shamsutdinov. This lesson is for week 1 of Introduction To Music Production at Coursera.org. Today I want to talk to you about Microphone Basics.

WHAT IS A MICROPHONE?

Microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal

MICROPHONE TYPES

DYNAMIC MICROPHONEDynamic microphones (also known as magneto-dynamic microphones) work via electromagnetic induction. They are robust, relatively inexpensive and resistant to moisture. This, coupled with their potentially high gain before feedback, makes them ideal for on-stage use.

MICROPHONE TYPESCONDENSER MICROPHONEA condenser microphone is a microphone that uses a capacitor to convert the compression and rarefaction of sound waves into electrical energy.Condenser microphones require power (voltage) in order to operate. This voltage is know throughout the recording industry as “phantom power”, and is present on most professional mixing boards, recording consoles, and audio interfaces (it may be written as “48V” or “+48”, etc) Because condenser microphones require power, they are generally much more sensitive than dynamic microphones. In addition, they usually have a much broader frequency response, faster transient response, and a hotter output than dynamic microphones.

POLAR PATTERNS

A microphone's directionality or polar pattern indicates how sensitive it is to sounds arriving at different angles about its central axis.

POLAR PATTERNS

Omnidirectional Bi-directional Subcardioid

POLAR PATTERNS

Cardioid Hypercardioid Supercardioid

POLAR PATTERNS

Shotgun

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

A frequency response diagram plots the microphone sensitivity in decibels over a range of frequencies (typically 20 Hz to 20 kHz), generally for perfectly on-axis sound (sound arriving at 0° to the capsule). Frequency response may be less informatively stated textually like so: "30 Hz–16 kHz ±3 dB". This is interpreted as meaning a nearly flat, linear, plot between the stated frequencies, with variations in amplitude of no more than plus or minus 3 dB.

THAT’S ALL!

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