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. Pair of cardioids facing to the front and rear - plus a sideways - facing figure 8; Mid- sides pair plus another rear- facing cardioid which is combined with the same Figure 8 mic for the surrounds.






2. The head or top of the guitar where the tuning pegs are located.






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






4. The moving plate of a condenser capacitor; Constructed of a thin piece of metal or thin plastic - such as Mylar - coated with gold or nickel; .05 - 10 microns thick.






5. The part of the guitar you turn to tune the strings in order to get the right sound out of the guitar when one plays.






6. The first cardioid pattern dynamic microphone.






7. 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.






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






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






10. Term coined by Sir Charles Wheatstone derived from the Greek words 'micro' (small) & 'phon' (sound).






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






12. French physicist who pioneered piezoelectricity.






13. 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.






14. 4 coincident mics each positioned at 90






15. Quartz; Barium Titaniate - Tourmaline; Rochelle Salt - and even cane sugar.






16. Using omnidirectional as a reference of 1 - this is a measurement of how much farther you can be from a mic to achieve equal output level in other polar pattern microphones.






17. Often look like handheld vocal mics; Talk or sing into the end of the microphone.






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






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






20. Dynamic; Cardioid; End Address; Manufactured by Sennheiser; Very small and compact; Especially suitable for use with drums and brass instruments; Includes a clip to mount directly on drums.






21. Three or more microphones working together to capture a stereo or surround image of the sound source.






22. Phenomenon causing carbon microphones to lose sensitivity as granules become packed together over extended use; To remedy problem mic is gently rapped on hard surface.






23. The graphic representation plot of the sensitivity of a microphone from any direction over a 360






24. The first dynamic microphone with changeable polar patterns.






25. Small coil of wire wrapped around the plastic or aluminum diaphragm of a dynamic microphone.






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






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






28. Radio Frequency Interference






29. Divisions on the fingerboard which represent the position of a specific note or tone.






30. Derived from two words; 'electr' from electrostatic and 'et' from magnet.






31. 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






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






33. Will yield a 6dB increase in output - but will cause a loss of high frequency response.






34. Rotating speaker cabinet design featuring separate treble and bass drivers that can switch speeds; Speaker rotate from front to back creating a Doppler effect; Resulted in new spatial perception for each note. Stereo miked up top and single miked at






35. 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.






36. - Omnidirectional: 1 - Cardioid: 1.7 - Supercardioid: 1.9 - Hypercardioid: 2 - Bidirectional: 1.7






37. Founded AKG at the end of WWII in Austria.






38. Condenser; Cardioid; Side Address; 48V Required; Large Diaphragm; Manufactured by Rode; Widely recognised as the world's quietest studio microphone; Ideal for vocals - voiceover - and acoustic instruments.






39. Shows the level of self- noise from a microphone's internal electronics; Measured in dB (decibels).






40. Raises the body of the microphone increasing height.






41. Condenser; Multiple; Side Address; 48V Required; Manufactured by AKG; Dual Diaphragm; Nine selectable pickup patterns; Peak Hold LED; The reference microphone for almost all comparative microphone tests.






42. 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.






43. Used in production sound for multiple perspectives on the set; Used in Audio Post to record a number of mics into a recorder with minimal set- up & tear down.






44. Mics in which sound waves vibrate a piezoelectric crystal that generates a varying voltage.






45. Condenser; Cardioid; End Address; 48V Required; Manufactured by AudioTechnica; Switchable 80 Hz Hi-Pass Filter; Ideal for professional recording and critical applications in broadcast.






46. Increasing magnetic field strength is the only practical means of increasing output voltage; Conductor movement is limited due to tension of the ribbon; and ribbon length increases lead to a loss of high frequency response.






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






48. Sounds that arrive at the 0






49. E = Blv - e - Electromotive Force (in volts) - B - is the magnetic field strength - l - is the length of the conductor - v - is the velocity of the conductor moving through the magnetic field






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