Unit 4 - Task 2 Microphones - Aim B

You must now demonstrate your understanding of microphone types, characteristics, and their suitability for different acoustic environments.

To do this, you will add a new section to your pre-production report that compares different types and construction of microphones, their characteristics and uses in different environments. You must address the following headings in your report:

• types: handheld, lavelier, direct connected, boundary microphone, parabolic, noise cancelling, radio microphones, (transmitter, receiver, interference)
• construction: dynamic, (capacitor, electric, condenser), ribbon
• characteristics: polar response: omni-directional, uni-directional; cardioid, hyper-cardioid (heart-shaped response), bi-directional (figure of eight)
• design limitations: proximity effect (bass tip-up), effect of inverse square law on distance of sound source from microphone
• mounts: stands, tie-clip, rifle, boom, equipment mounted, handheld
• connectors: mono jack, stereo jack, XLR, mini-jack.

You must find examples to illustrate your work.




For my report I will talking about the types and constructions of microphones, their characteristics and the uses in the different environments. To do this I have created my report based off the definitions of each type of microphone, construction and characteristics (shown below), and I will use this understanding to my benefit as it shows that I will understand each specific aspect of the microphones; how they're used & what they're used for and therefore, this has helped me in my own report. So, starting with the types, the hand held up till radio have told me that, specific microphones are set according to what occupations are trying to be recorded; hand held a very usual for events for free movement and they're very strong, Lavieler microphones are very well used for TV/ recording programs etc. and researching radio microphones tell me specifically how they are used. Basically, overall I can understand that the type of microphones such as handheld are different compared to radio, and the constructions for it define how they're constructed teaching me how they are used effectively, and researching further into the characteristics, tell me in detail how they work through scientific purposes. Same for researching into design limitations, I understand the limitations for specific microphones, and how they can determine the end outcome of audio/sound. Also, researching into mount and connectors have told me descriptively how microphones are held down and connected by people, to get the full effective of audio and get the proper sound/acoustics.




Types of Microphone

Handheld:
This image is a handheld microphone, and a handheld microphone is

any microphone held in a hand used to pick up human speech. They are usually used in lived performances or speeches, and they're best for these events because it's easy to move around with, strong and reliable which will still work without a cable, and still would work if dropped.

Lavelier:

This image is of a lavelier microphone, and this lavelier microphone is a small microphone which is used normally for theatre, television and public speaking. This microphone is used for specifically TV/public/theatre because it can be clipped onto a piece of clothing such as a persons collar or tie and it allows the person to freely speak, without any need of hand held operation.

Direct connected:

This image is of a direct connected microphone, this microphone is commonly used for things such as computers for conversations with friends on or for work. And, the direct connected microphone, allows you to speak and hear to the other person, while having one ear opened for any other needs for example, if your on a call and your mom calls you, you can hear her while you are speaking to your friend and listening to them, both at the same time. They are very popular with older gaming consoles such as PS3 & Xbox 360, but they're not really used now a days for gaming consoles.

Boundary microphone:

This image is of a boundary microphone, and this microphone is usually used as a piano mic or for things such as body checks sound effects. Boundary Microphones are usually used in when recording full room sound, and this is recorded by mounting the Boundary microphone to a wall and this specific microphone prevents things such as phase interference to pass between reflected and direct sound, which is then produced into natural sound.

Parabolic:

This image is a parabolic microphone, and this microphone uses something called as 'parabolic reflector', which is used to collet and focus different sound waves onto a receiver (it's pretty much similar to a way satellite dishes do with collecting radio waves).

Noise Cancelling:

This image is a noise cancelling microphone, and this microphone is designed specifically to filter out unwanted noise from the chosen sound, and as it's named 'noise cancelling', it cancels the unwanted noise. These are very useful for recording in public, and is specifically used for these type of situations with noisy environments.

Radio Microphone(wireless):

This is an image of a radio microphone, but it comes under as it's more formal name 'wireless microphone' and this microphone is like any other microphone, but it's wireless meaning it doesn't need a cable to connect to recording or any amplifying editing equipment. But, what makes it a radio microphone is that it has a small battery-powered radio transmitter inside the microphones body, and this microphone transmits the audio signal by radio waves then connected to a nearby receiver unit.

Transmitter:

A transmitter is an electronic device which is used for generating a radio frequency to alternate current. They send data through the use of an attention, which radiates and turns into radio waves, and there's many different type of transmitters such as WIFI, Bluetooth, NFC and cellular.

Receiver:

A receiver is an electronic device which receives radios waves, and converts the information carried by them to a be used in a usable form. It is received and sued by an antenna. The waves rendered are sensed as perceptible as part of a telephone held to the ear/radio receiving set etc.

Interference:

Interference is when in radio frequency the spectrum is known as a disturbance which is generated by an external source (usually things like mobile phones) and this affects an electrical circuit by the use of electromagnetic induction, conduction or electrostatic coupling.

Construction

Dynamic - A dynamic microphone is a very thing diaphragm of Mylar or other material attached to a coil of hair-thin copper wire. This sound in a dynamic microphone is suspended by the coil, from a  magnetic field and when this sound vibrates the diaphragm, the coil moves up and down creating a very small electrical current. The dynamic convert sound into an electrical signal by means of electromagnetism. They fall into two categories, moving coil and ribbon microphones.

Capacitor - A capacitor is basically when you have two electrical conductor and then separate them with an insulator, this basically creates a capacitor, a capacitor which is something that stores electrical energy; adding electricity is called charging and releasing energy is known as discharging.

Electric - Electricity is basically defined as the 'flow of electric charge', these are all created in physics from thing such as; blocks of atoms - protons, neutrons and electrons, flowing charges - negative and positive & electrostatic force -  attract, repel of the positive & negative charges. Electricity is used for everything now a days, so things such as radio, TV, light bulbs, computers, and our mobile phones etc. However, electret microphones use these factors, so things such as electrostatic capacitors, and this eliminates the need for things such as polarizing power supply by using a permanently charged material.

Condenser - Condenser microphones compared to dynamic are much more expensive and more fragile, however condenser microphones are mostly found in studios and they have greater frequency responses and transient responses. Which is used to abilities the reproduction of speed of an instrument or voice. However, alone a condenser is a device which uses vapour and converts it into liquid, usually used in heat transfer.

Ribbon -  A ribbon velocity microphone is a type of microphone which uses a thing duraluminum, aluminium or nanofilm of electricity conductive ribbon placed between the poles of a magnet which is used to produce a voltage by an electromagnetic induction. These type of microphones intend to have darker soundings, have lower outputs but have a smooth & silk characteristic to them. Alone, a ribbon is known as a cable with many different conducting wires used to run parallel together on the same flat plane.

Characteristics

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omni-directional, uni-directional; cardioid, hyper-cardioid (heart-shaped response), bi-directional (figure of eight)

Polar Response :


 Omni-directional - polar response is in when a microphone directionality or polar pattern indicates how sensitive it can be to sounds arriving at different angles around the microphone. So polar patterns refer to the sensitivity and the sound received from all surroundings, it's sent to the central axis. This omnidirectional microphones are ideal for studio recording where the objective is a natural open sound, they're also very useful for acoustic instruments and when recording a wide sound source, such as things like choirs and orchestras.


Uni directional - A unidirectional mic is most sensitive from sound coming from one direction (with one notable exception: the bidirectional mic, but more about that to come). A ‘uni’ mic picks up less ambient noise than an omni type and is less susceptible to feedback when used with a sound system. There's multi polar patterns such as; Sub cardioid polar patterns, cardioid polar pattern, super cardioid and hyper cardioid.


Cardioid - The most common unidirectional pattern is the cardioid. It gets its name from its resemblance to a heart. It is most sensitive to sounds coming from in front of the mic and least sensitive directly behind the mic. A cardioid mic has a useful pickup angle of 131 degrees, so it can accommodate one or two singers and is forgiving enough to still pick up a vocalist with a wandering mic technique. The cardioid pattern offers very good feedback rejection.


Hyper Cardioid - Hyper cardioids feature some of the characteristics of a bidirectional microphone (described below) in that they have more sensitivity to the rear; however, they reject sound well from the sides and are exceptionally good at rejecting feedback. Because they are so directional, they require very precise placement to the source. Like a super cardioid pattern, the hyper cardioid provides extreme rejection of ambient sound sources.


Bi-directional - A bidirectional mic, sometimes called a figure-of-eight, is equally sensitive to sounds coming from the front and rear of the mic and least sensitive to sounds coming from the sides. Bidirectional mics have a very narrow pickup angle, which makes them useful for isolating one voice, or instruments that are surrounded by other sound sources, as long as there is nothing directly behind the mic. They are useful for picking up two sources that are positioned side by side. The deep null rejects everything else.

Design limitations - proximity effect (bass tip-up), effect of inverse square law on distance of sound source from microphone


Proximity - The proximity effect in audio is known as the increase in bass or low frequency response when a sound source is close to a directional or cardioid microphone. It is caused by the use of ports to create directional polar pickup patterns, so omnidirectional microphones do not exhibit the effect depending on the microphone design, proximity effect may result in a boost of up to 16 dB or more at lower frequencies, depending on the size of the microphone's diaphragm and the distance of the source.



Inverse square law - Inverse square law is the law which states that in  free field the intensity of sound drops down by 6DB (decibel) for each of the doubling dependent on the distance from the source. The intensity of the sound is inversely the same to the previous square of the distance, produced from the wave front from the main signals source. It's useful when setting up a microphone or speaker.

Mounts


Stand - A stand is so a person can have free hands while speaking into a microphone or singing, and it allows a person to not have to hold a mic up to their mouth for so long, because the stand allows a person to place a mic in the holder and have it at their fit persons level of size, making it free handed for them to sing/talk, without any hassle. These stands can be used for microphones or cameras, so stands for microphone are called ' Vocal Microphone with Boom Stand and Cable' and the stand for cameras are known as ' Tripods'.

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Tie Clip -  A tie clip microphone is basically as it says, a microphone which can be clipped to your tie, but it this microphone can also be clipped (normally is) to your collar, so it's near your mouth and it's not that visible because it's small. These are normally used for television shows; interviews without having hand held mics.

Rifle - A rifle microphone is a microphone mount which is highly directional, meaning this microphone must be always pointed directly at the target otherwise the sound recorded will not come out as expected. Rifle microphones used unidirectional microphones, this is because they wish to achieve high beams of focus on the sounds source, to get that perfect recorded  sound.

Boom - The boom microphone mount is very well known in T.V and it's a very long extendable stick, where a microphone sits at the end of it  and the microphone usually has a pop filter on it such as a noise canceller because it's mainly used outside. They use is when a persons holding a microphone and is talking into it, but they also hold the microphone above a persons head; this is very well sued in movies so the microphone is not visible in the camera frame (tie clips/ rifle/ handheld would all be visible to viewers at home).

Equipment mounted - The equipment mounted stand is a stand which allows any user to keep any microphone equipment mounted steady on it's mount, making it more convenient. So things as having a stand, they will have microphone holders on them, to allow them to be fitted in place well, and also things such as table mounts. Extended bars which you mount to your table and you can place your microphone on top, and move it out, up, down, all around, to fit your perfect position.

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Handheld - A handheld mount is quite explanatory, it's a hand held mount where you can place your device on and easily hold it by hand, without no other mounts. So things such as selfie sticks or steadicams, and these mounts keep the device steady and straight, perfect for recording and taking videos.

Connectors


Mono Jack - A mono jack is probably the most common jack used for all inputs of musical equipment's, the mono jack is a quarter inch jack and it's known as the type of connection which is used for specific devices such as electrical guitars or AMPs (amplifiers). This jack has 1 stripe line and is fatter than most jacks.

Stereo Jack - Stereo is similar to mono but since mono only uses one, stereo is used for more than one and is usually used in cars for audio; it's self explanatory because it's labelled stereo, stereo is known as speakers and therefore, define that the jack connects to speakers to play audio. It's also used for colouring and audio for televisions.

XLR - XLR, short for Extreme Luxury Roadster is a connector which is an electrical connector, which is usually found used  for professional audio stage lighting, and video equipment. This connector has a circular design, with 7 - 3 pins.

 

 

 

Mini Jack - A mini jack is a 3.5mm jack used for socket devices on your computer, mobile phone, laptops, stereos etc. The stereo jack is usually used for the headphones to allow you to listen to the audio coming from your device (phone, computer) and this jack has two stripe lines.