Test your basic knowledge |

Microphones Theory

Subject : engineering
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Basket/grille made out of a specific type of copper wire to block protect the mic from physical damage and to protect the mic from stray RFI






2. Utilized primarily on condenser and ribbon mics to isolate it from vibrations that might otherwise be transmitted to the microphone through the mic stand.






3. Condenser; Cardioid; Side Address; 48V Required; Manufactured by AudioTechnica; Ideal for project/home- studio applications; Low price; Remains the low cost performance standard in side- address condenser mics.






4. Pair of omni mic elements mounted on opposite sides of a spherical shaped capsule.






5. The arm of the mic stand; Includes the angle adjust & telescopic adjust.






6. Tube with ports down the side with the mic capsule at the bottom; Sounds entering the tube from on - axis interact inside the tube with the sounds coming in through the side ports - an interfere with each other in such a way as to partially cancel of






7. The attachment that holds a microphone in place on the mic stand; Comes in various shapes - sizes - and applications.






8. French broadcasting stereo mic technique; An X-Y type with the mics 17cm apart and at a 110






9. Used in adverse conditions to protect from elements like sand - or dust.






10. Developed the condenser microphone in 1916 at Bell Labs.






11. Determined by: Ribbon Thickness (about 3 to 6 microns); Corrugations/Inch; Tension of the Ribbon.






12. Condenser; Cardioid; Side Address; 48V Required; Large Diaphragm; Manufactured by AudioTechnica; Transformerless circuitry virtually eliminates low- frequency distortion.






13. Tough & rugged; Can work in extremely high SPL environments; Less responsive to transient frequencies b/c of diaphragm mass is heavier than sound waves.






14. An electrical device characterized by its capacity to store an electric charge;






15. Big + & - (More front with less opposite rear)






16. Dynamic; Cardioid; End Address; Manufactured by Electro Voice; Large Diaphragm; Humbucking Coil; Bass Roll Off Switch; Minimizes proximity effect; Ideal for broadcasting and sound engineering techniques.






17. Allows all low frequencies to pass; Blocks the higher frequencies from being processed.






18. One of the world's greatest condenser microphones prized for the CK12 capsule.






19. Characterized by a vacuum tube transducer; Heat rises so many are hung upside down to prevent heat from reaching the microphone head; Avoid jostling or shaking these fragile mics.






20. Omnidirectional: 0 - Cardioid: 8 - Supercardioid: 12 dB - Hypercardioid: 6 dB - Bidirectional: 0






21. Used for stereo miking to ensure correct balance and imaging.






22. This is what is measured to produce an electrical signal in condenser mics; This changes as sound waves strike the diaphragm causing the distance to the back plate to change.






23. The first AKG dynamic microphone.






24. Coincident stereo miking techniques that has two microphone diaphragms occupying (as near as possible) the same space; Capsules often on top of each other; Not good for noisy locations.






25. Verify that the boom is placed over a microphone leg prior to use to provide added balance and stability.






26. - Omnidirectional: 100% - Cardioid: 33% - Supercardioid: 27% - Hypercardioid: 25% - Bidirectional: 33%






27. Very robust and durable; Used in telephones until 1990's; Currently finds applications for military use.






28. A flat or roughly flat strip on the neck of a stringed instrument against which the strings are pressed to shorten the vibrating length and produce notes of higher pitches.






29. The first dynamic microphone with changeable polar patterns.






30. Angle of maximum signal rejection in a microphone polar pattern.






31. Reduces the power of a signal used when the trim itself cannot prevent overload in the mic line level signal.






32. + & + (Front & rear in equal positive amounts)






33. The first microphone sold by Shure; Military awarded Shure a contract to build microphones in WWII.






34. Extremely narrow area of sensitivity in front with extended reach; Also has multiple lobes which vary in position with frequency; Not made from combining pure patterns - but created by using an interference tube.






35. One of the oldest mics; Diaphragm mounted on & compresses cup of tiny granules of carbon (100 microns big) that increase current flow when compressed by sound waves and vary electrical current; Also called Resistance Mics;






36. Sounds that may be broadcast over the radio or internet.






37. The method by which microphones are classified.






38. Filters only the bandwidth of frequencies that are supposed to (or allowed) to pass through; High and Low Pass are examples.






39. Part of a mic stand that the mic stands on.






40. Pure polar pattern that receives sound from both the front and back; Also known as a 'Figure 8' pattern; More proximity effect that Cardioid or Hyper Cardioid; Often found in ribbon mics.






41. Solid State and Tube.






42. Overall measurement close to the overall sound level in frequency response charts.






43. The lowest - and usually most intense - frequency of a complex sound; Most often perceived as the sound's basic pitch.






44. Tube manufactured for the new version of the AKG C12 (called the C12-A); Powered by Norelco.






45. Known as 'The Bottle' this was the first mass - produced condenser mic.






46. Shows the max sound pressure level possible with a certain amount of distortion; Measured in dB (decibels).






47. An electromagnetic microphone - in which a thin - corrugated ribbon is suspended within a high magnetic flux field; Excellent transient response due to the small amount of acoustic energy required to move diaphragm.






48. DC Voltage Req'd for capsule polarizing voltage and internal mic preamps; 3 sources: External Power Supply Unit (PSU); Phantom Power; Battery.






49. Fixed plate that is charged with polarized voltage found in condenser mics; Usually constructed of milled brass; Has a number of holes drilled in it to provide damping for diaphragm.






50. 1 Bidirectional & 1 Cardioid placed coincidentally; Bidirectional faces left and right and cardioid faces the sound; Gives control of the focus and size of the stereo image;