Microphone
The microphone is the front-end of almost all sound engineering activities and, as the interface between
real acoustic sound traveling in air and the sound engineering medium of electronics, receives an
immense amount of attention
Different makes and types of microphones sound different to each other, but the differences don’t make
or break the end product, at least as far as the listener is concerned.
There are two ways we can consider microphones, by construction and by directional properties.
Basic 3 types of Microphones
• Dynamic
• Capacitor or Condenser
• Ribbon
• Lapel Mics
Dynamic Mic
This is ‘dynamic’ as in ‘dynamo’. The dynamo is a device
for converting rotational motion into an electric current
and consists of a coil of wire that rotates inside the field
of a magnet. Re-configure these components and you
have a coil of wire attached to a thin, lightweight diaphragm
that vibrates in response to sound. The coil in turn vibrates
within the field of the magnet and a signal is generated in
proportion to the acoustic vibration the mic receives.
The dynamic mic is also sometimes known as the moving
coil mic,
Capacitor or Condenser Mic
The great advantage of the capacitor mic
is that the diaphragm is unburdened by a coil
of any sort. It is light and very responsive to the
most delicate sound. The capacitor mic is
therefore much more accurate and faithful to
the original sound than the dynamic.
Ribbon Mic
Ribbon technology dates back to the earliest
days of microphones. Photos from the golden
age of broadcasting are filled with presenters
speaking into classic ribbon mics.
use an ultra-thin (wait for it) ribbon of electro-
conductive material suspended between the
poles of a magnet to generate their signal.
Early ribbon designs were incredibly fragile.
Moving them improperly, or even subjecting
them to high SPL could cause the ribbon to
break.
But their sound was worth the trade off in
durability. Ribbon mics are prized for their
warm, vintage tone.
Polar Patterns of a Microphone
Audio Equalization
Equalization, or EQ for short, means boosting or reducing (attenuating) the levels of different frequencies
in a signal.
2 basic type of EQ that home audio systems have is Treble & Bass, which controls the entire frequency
spectrum
Advanced equalization systems provide a fine level of frequency control. The key is to be able to adjust
a narrower range of frequencies without affecting neighbouring frequencies.
Example : If a sound was recorded in a room which accentuates high frequencies, an equalizer can reduce
those frequencies to a more normal level. Equalization can also be used for applications such as making
sounds more intelligible and reducing feedbacks.
Types of EQ
Shelving EQ
In shelving equalization, all frequencies above or below a certain point are boosted or attenuated the
same amount. This creates a "shelf" in the frequency spectrum.
There are 2 types of shelves – the high shelf and low shelf, High shelf can be applied to the trembly high
end of sound frequency, while low shelf to the bass bottoms .
Low shelf is good for cuts and boosts on bass, solo acoustic guitar, strings, piano, and anything that needs
more low end taming or power . High shelf boosts can be used to add crispness to hats, cymbals, shakes
and vocals
Bell EQ
Bell equalization boosts or attenuates a range of frequencies centred around a certain point. The specified
point is affected the most, frequencies further from the point are affected less.
Graphic EQ
Graphic equalizers provide a very intuitive way to work — separate slider controls for different frequencies
are laid out in a way which represents the frequency spectrum. Each slider adjusts one frequency band so
the more sliders you have, the more control.
Parametric EQ
Parametric equalizers use bell equalization, usually with knobs for different frequencies, but have the
significant advantage of being able to select which frequency is being adjusted. Parametric are found
on sound mixing consoles and some amplifier units (guitar amps, small PA amps, etc).
A parametric EQ has 3 basic controls, Level, Frequency, and “Q”, or width of the section of the spectrum
you are adjusting
Audio Spectrum
Frequency Range Frequency Values
Sub-bass 20 to 60 Hz
Bass 60 to 250 Hz
Low midrange 250 to 500 Hz
Midrange 500 Hz to 2 kHz
Upper midrange 2 to 4 kHz
Presence 4 to 6 kHz
Brilliance 6 to 20 kHz
Filters
The filter is the simplest form of equalizer.
A filter removes bands of frequencies. It never
boosts. There are five principal types of filter
Types of Filters
Low Pass Filter: where low frequencies are allowed to pass through but high frequencies are reduced in
level (‘attenuated’).
High Pass
High-pass, where high frequencies are allowed to pass through but low frequencies are reduced in level.
Band Pass
Band-pass, where both low and high frequencies are attenuated; mid frequencies are allowed through.
Band Stop Filter or Notch filter
Band-stop, where both low and high frequencies are allowed to pass, but a region in the mid-band is
attenuated.
