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. The measuring device used for loudspeaker room response testing.






2. 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.






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






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






5. French physicist who pioneered piezoelectricity.






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






7. Device or transducer used for converting sound waves or acoustical energy into electrical energy






8. 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






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






10. 2 - 4 ft. from player; Placed below the line of sight of the bell - rotated at about 30 degrees off axis - and tilted upward.






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






12. Sensitive in a slightly narrower pattern in the front than cardioid and has a small lobe at rear; Rejects most signals arriving from 125






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






14. Coincident pairing that is at 90






15. Method of creating low end effects from a bass drum by creating a tunnel at the mic end thus trapping sound and amplifying low end boost.






16. 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;






17. Commonly utilize large diaphragm dynamic mics.






18. Omnidirectional: 360






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






20. 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.






21. Solid state version of the U67.






22. Omnidirectional: N/ - Cardioid: 180






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






24. Never store mic in a damp place; Keep dirt & dust away from the mic; Never 'pop' test the mic; Check if a mic is working by lightly scratching the grill.






25. 4800 ft/sec






26. 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.






27. The world's first single element cardioid mics.






28. 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.






29. 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.






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






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






32. 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.






33. First to mass produce the condenser microphone in 1929; Improved cutting lathe technology by developing direct drive turntables; Invents 48V Phantom Power to power the new condenser microphone for Norwegian State Television.






34. 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






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






36. Allows all high frequencies to pass; Blocks the lower frequencies from being processed.






37. 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.






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






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






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






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






42. Allow sound to reach the rear of the capsule/diaphragm - to create cardioid - supercardioid - and hypercardioid patterns In single capsule pressure gradient microphones.






43. Sub- frequency (below 100Hz) capture device designed for use with kick drums and floor toms as an alternative or supplement to a traditional microphone.






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






45. The first dynamic microphone with changeable polar patterns.






46. 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.






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






48. 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.






49. Microphone consisting of two parallel metal plates - each holding an opposing charge (+ or -) and thus creating a capacitor to induce an electrical charge as sound waves move the diaphragm; Require a solid- state or tube preamplifier.






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