Microphone

A microphone is a transducer that converts sound waves into an electrical signal for recording, amplification, or transmission. Different designs use different physical principles to sense sound pressure or motion.

Diaphragm: A thin, flexible membrane that moves in response to sound pressure. Its motion is the first mechanical response in most microphones.
Sound pressure: The local deviation of air pressure caused by a sound wave. It is the physical quantity most microphones detect directly.
Dynamic microphone: A microphone that generates voltage through motion of a coil in a magnetic field. It is a robust, common alternative to capacitor-based designs.
Studio recording: The capture of sound in a controlled environment for later production or release. Microphone choice and placement strongly influence recorded tone and detail.
Phonautograph: An 1857 device that traced sound vibrations on a surface but could not play them back. It demonstrated visual recording of sound before practical electrical microphones existed.
Electromagnetic induction: The production of voltage when magnetic flux through a conductor changes. Dynamic microphones use relative motion between a coil and magnet to generate a signal.
Sound wave: A propagating disturbance that transfers sound energy through a material medium. A microphone converts this incoming acoustic disturbance into an electrical signal.
Condenser microphone: A microphone that detects diaphragm motion through changes in capacitance. It often offers greater sensitivity and detail than dynamic designs.
Public address system: An electronic system that amplifies sound for an audience in a venue or public space. A microphone supplies the live speech or performance signal to be amplified.
Telephone transmitter: A component that converts speech into electrical variations for transmission through a telephone system. Early telephone transmitters drove the development of practical microphone technologies.

Linked from 27 pages