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. Tube microphone capable of SPL's over 140dB.






2. 4 to 6 ft. from the player; Mic should be placed below the line of sight of the bell - rotated at about 40 degrees off- axis - and tilted upward.






3. Consumers can listen to live broadcasts over telephone lines; Individual one- way experience that required a subscription service to listen to performances.






4. Microphone with 4 large diaphragm condenser capsules; 3 bidirectional and 1 omni; Can be combined to make any polar pattern.






5. Captures sounds arriving 90






6. 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






7. An instrument for detecting sound transmitted through water commonly manufactured using ceramic piezoelectric material.






8. Dynamic; Cardioid; End Address; Manufactured by Shure; Considered the industry standard for live vocal performance microphones; One of the best- selling microphones in the world.






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






10. Sounds that arrive at the 0






11. Considered to be the best mic ever made; VF14 Tube.






12. Mics placed in front of an instrument or ensemble (in a left/right fashion) to obtain an overall stereo image; Sound more open and natural; Weaker center image than X/Y; Great for creating background sounds that will blend in with foreground sounds.






13. The tuning machines of a guitar; Part of the tuning key that strings are threaded through and twisted.






14. Vintage Tube Mics hold voltage after being unplugged; Be sure grounds are connected to power cord and that the charge has left microphone prior to striking.






15. To break down or disassemble any portion of a set or stage set- up.






16. A 3- mic array using omni mics with left - right and center placement; Center is placed about 5 ft. closer to the source to eliminate 'holes' in the middle and the center levels are reduced for an even sound; Forms a triangle.






17. 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.






18. 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.






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






20. Pair of omni mic separated by a circular absorptive baffle.






21. Best signal- to- noise ratio; Minimal phase cancellation; Quality representation of what is being recorded; Attempt to ignore unwanted external noise.






22. German broadcasting stereo mic technique; An X-Y type with the mics 20cm apart and at a 90






23. 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.






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






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






26. Changes in air pressure from the front or the back can cause polarity cancellation; Sides have good rejection; Natural polar pattern is bidirectional.






27. Tough & rugged microphone that contains an element consisting of a dome- shaped diaphragm and a moving 'voice coil'; Operates on principles of magnetic induction.






28. Small Diaphragm Electret condensers; Extremely flat frequency response; Omnidirectional pattern.






29. The measuring device used for loudspeaker room response testing.






30. Early example of switchable polar patterns; Had both a dynamic and a ribbon capsule inside of it which when combined produced other polar patterns.






31. The outer covering of a microphone.






32. Carbon; Ceramic/Crystal; Magnetic/Dynamic; Ribbon; Condenser






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






34. Modern drummer who has created a large kit and innovated several ways of capturing the sound from his massive kit.






35. Big + & + (More front with less positive rear)






36. 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.






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






38. Built by AKG for Telefunken and regarded as one of the best vintage condenser microphones ever.






39. The combination of the ribbon and magnet in a ribbon microphone.






40. Condenser; Cardioid/Hypercardioid; End Address; 48V Required; Manufactured by AKG; Can be powered by internal 9 V battery for field recording; Improves clarity of speech with the PB 1000 Presence Boost Adapter.






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






42. Keep in proper case; Never disassemble shockmounts






43. Stereo configuration using a spaced pair 3-10 feet apart.






44. Close mic placement can help guard again bleed from other instruments and takes advantage of proximity effect; Center of cone = Brighter; Outside of cone = Darker; Reflections can create phase issues (can be reduced by putting the cabinet at an angle






45. The first phantom powered condenser microphone designed for use by Georg Neumann for Norwegian State Television.






46. Measurement of the mic's sensitivity; Measured in mV/Pa (millivolts per Pascal).






47. Coincident pairing of two bidirectional mics that make a pattern of crossing Figure 8's.






48. Most sensitive to sounds arriving from the front while rejecting sounds from rear; Shaped like a heart; Rejects most signals from 180






49. 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;






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