Microphone Adapter

All About Microphones   by Steven Andrews

Microphones, colloquially known as mics or mikes, is basically an acoustic to electric sensor or transducer, capable of converting analog sound signals into electric signals. The first microphones came into being in 1876, when Emile Berliner used it as a equipment to transmit telephone voice. Nowadays, the utility of mics has spread far and wide, and is used in almost all modern communicating devices and field of engineering, like tape recorders, telephones and mobile phones, hearing aids, karaoke systems, megaphones, production of motion picture, recorded and live audio engineering, recording voice in computers, television and radio broadcasting, FRS radios, VoIP, speech recognition, and so on. Non-acoustic application of microphones includes knock sensors, and ultrasonic checking.

The basic components of a microphone comprises of a sensitive transducer element, which is called the capsule or the element. While a component microphone will also include a housing, which is needed to carry the signal from the capsule, to other devices of equipments, wireless microphones has a radio transmitter fitted into it. Often, an electronic circuit can also be present, so as to help in adapting the output of the element of the capsule, into the device or equipment, which is being driven. Modern day microphones use capacitance change, electromagnetic induction, light modulation or piezoelectric generation to facilitate conversion of mechanical vibration into electrical voltage signals.

Various types of microphones are available in the market, suiting the needs and specifications of different users. Basically, microphones are subdivided into four discrete types: dynamic, condenser, USB and tube. Out of these four, dynamic mics are the widely used ones. Tailor made for live or studio settings, these are available in various variants