Gerhart Boré / Stephan Peus

Microphones
Methods of Operation and Type Examples
Microphones for Studio and Home-Recording Applications

Operation Principles and Type Examples

by Dr.-Ing. Gerhart Boré and Dipl.-Ing. Stephan Peus

An Engineering Service of
For the information contained in this book, no responsibility is undertaken
with regard to exemption from industrial rights (patents, registered designs,
trade marks). Trade names, commercial names and merchandise appella-
tions reproduced in this book may likewise not be regarded as free for gen-
eral use in the spirit of the laws for the protection of trademarks and brand
names. Any infringement of these rights is an offence under existing laws,
with consequent liability for damages.

Fourth Edition: 1999

Revised and expanded version of a contribution to the
“Taschenbuch der Unterhaltungs-Elektronik 1973”
All rights reserved
Printed by Druck-Centrum Fürst GmbH, Berlin
Printed in Germany

4
Preface to the fourth edition

The microphone is the first link in every chain of electroacoustic transmis-

sion. Problems caused by poor inherent characteristics or unfavorable mi-
crophone placement can seldom be corrected by subsequent processing
equipment. Thus it is worth learning about the properties and quality at-
tributes of the various types of microphones available.
This work was originally written as a contribution to the German book
“Taschenbuch der Unterhaltungs-Elektronik” (“Handbook of Entertainment
Electronics”). Its purpose is to convey some basic knowledge about micro-
phones and the way in which they work, to all who are professionally or
privately involved or interested in the recording and transmission of sound,
and to help them use microphones effectively. No specialized knowledge is
required. Readers will learn about to the various types of microphones in
existence and the characteristic features of those most commonly in use.
Following a resume of some of the aspects common to all types, condenser
and dynamic microphones are described in somewhat more detail.
Above all, this fourth edition has been revised to reflect newer develop-
ments in microphones and updated standards. On the whole, however, the
character and style of the “Boré booklet” has been preserved. This small
compendium has served as companion and tutorial guideline for generations
of sound engineering students and other persons interested in audio engi-
neering. We hope that it will continue to provide guidance and inspiration
to microphone users everywhere.
The author thanks Mr. M. Schneider for valuable comments and additions.
S. Peus

Dr.-Ing. Gerhart Boré studied electrical engineering in Munich and Aachen,

and specialized in microphone development at Georg Neumann GmbH from
1956 to 1982.
Dipl.-Ing. Stephan Peus studied electrical engineering and acoustics at TU
Berlin. He has been with Georg Neumann GmbH since 1971 and has been
director of microphone development there for many years.

5
6
Contents

Chapter Page
1. Terminology of microphone characteristics ......................................... 9
2. Classification ........................................................................................ 9
3. Microphone fundamentals .................................................................. 11
3.1 Pressure transducers ................................................................ 11
3.2 Pressure gradient transducers .................................................. 11
3.2.1 Behavior in a plane sound field ................................................ 12
3.2.2 Behavior in a spherical sound field ........................................... 14
3.2.3 Cardioid characteristic ............................................................. 16
3.2.4 Hyper-, super- and subcardioid characteristic ......................... 18
3.3 Influence of microphone dimensions ....................................... 20
3.3.1 Pressure microphones .............................................................. 20
3.3.2 Pressure gradient microphones ................................................ 21
3.3.3 Free-field and diffuse-field frequency response ...................... 22
4. Dynamic microphones ........................................................................ 26
4.1 Ribbon microphones with figure-8 characteristic .................... 28
4.2 Ribbon microphones as pressure transducers ........................... 29
4.3 Ribbon microphones with cardioid characteristic .................... 29
4.4 Moving coil microphones as pressure transducers ................... 29
4.5 Moving coil microphones with cardioid characteristic ............. 30
5. Condenser microphones ..................................................................... 32
5.1 Pressure condenser microphones ............................................. 32
5.2 Pressure gradient condenser microphones ............................... 33
5.3 Cardioid condenser microphones ............................................ 33
5.4 Condenser microphones with symmetrical capsules ............... 34
5.5 Dc polarizing method .............................................................. 36
5.5.1 The selection of various polar patterns .................................... 37
5.6 Electret microphone capsules .................................................. 38
5.7 The microphone amplifier ....................................................... 39

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Chapter Page
5.7.1 Transformerless microphones .................................................. 42
5.8 The RF circuit method ............................................................ 43
5.9 Power supplies and connections .............................................. 45
5.9.1 A-B powering ........................................................................... 45
5.9.2 Phantom powering ................................................................... 46
6. Microphone types used in recording practice .................................... 49
6.1 Miniature microphones ............................................................ 49
6.2 Microphones of larger size ....................................................... 49
6.3 Hand-held and soloist’s microphones ...................................... 49
6.4 Noise-suppressing microphones ............................................... 50
6.5 Flexible or fixed capsule extensions,
active capsules .......................................................................... 50
6.6 Microphones for room-oriented stereophony .......................... 51
6.7 Microphones for head-oriented stereophony ........................... 54
6.8 Ultra-directional microphones (shotgun microphones) ........... 56
6.9 Lavalier and clip-on microphones ............................................ 60
6.10 Wireless microphones .............................................................. 61
6.11 Boundary-layer microphones ................................................... 62
7. Some criteria for assessing sensitivity and
operating characteristics ..................................................................... 65
Appendix ................................................................................................. 68

8
1. Terminology of microphone characteristics

Terms defining the characteristics of microphones are laid down in IEC

60268-4. A glossary of these terms, which are essential for understanding
microphone specifications, is provided in the Appendix, together with brief
explanations of their meanings.

2. Classification

Microphones can be classified according to various criteria:

Passive transducers*) convert acoustical energy directly into electrical en-
ergy (and vice-versa) without the need for any external power feed. This
group includes dynamic, magnetic and piezoelectric microphones, as well
as condenser microphones using dc polarization.
Active transducers*) convert electrical energy from an external source syn-
chronously with the sound vibrations they receive. Carbon microphones and
RF-condenser microphones make use of this principle.
Microphones which operate as displacement-controlled transducers gen-
erate a voltage output which is proportional to the displacement of the dia-
phragm. This applies to all capacitive and piezoelectric microphones. The
ohmic resistance of carbon microphones likewise varies in proportion to the
diaphragm displacement.
Velocity transducers is a term applied to all magnetic microphones operat-
ing on the basis of the law of induction. Their output voltage is proportion-
al not to the extent, but to the velocity of the diaphragm displacement.
Almost all microphone types are manufactured according to their applica-
tion: 1. as ‘pressure transducers’ (predominantly omnidirectional) or 2. as
‘pressure gradient transducers’ with special directional properties.

*) These definitions are taken from IEC Publication 50-08, Section 15. They appear to be some-
what less logical than the formerly recognized classifications as “pure transducers” and “control
voltage transducers”, although based apparently on terms used in studio technology, in which,
for example, an “active” equalizing network must have an electrical power source, while a “pas-
sive” equalizing network manages without one. – With measured-variable transducers, the dis-
tinction between “active” and “passive” is mostly in the exact opposite sense.

9
All microphones will show a special response when their dimensions ap-
proach or become greater than the wavelength of the impinging sound. This
effect is at first disregarded in the following, since it is discussed later in a
special section.
Table 1 offers an overview of the most important microphone classes and
types used in practice. For professionals and home-recording hobbyists, con-
denser and dynamic types have become the microphones of choice.

Table 1 Classification of microphone types

10
3. Microphone fundamentals

3.1 Pressure transducers

Only the front face of a pressure transducer is exposed to the sound field.
The diaphragm responds equally to all sound pressure fluctuations occur-
ring at its surface, regardless of the direction from which the sound waves
emanate. Pressure transducers thus have no directional characteristic, and
are by nature “omnidirectional”.
3.2 Pressure gradient transducers
These microphones have a figure-8 directional pattern along the longitudi-
nal axis. They respond to the momentary sound pressure difference occur-
ring between two points A and B, which are a slight distance apart in the
sound field.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, sound waves from 0° and 180° produce
the largest difference in sound pressure and are received most strongly. By
contrast, the sound arriving from 90° is received simultaneously and at the
same strength at A and B, and thus produces no pressure difference. The
field transmission factor TF or sensitivity of such microphones conforms to
the rule:
TF = TFo · cos TFo = field transmission factor (sensitivity) with
sound arriving perpendicularly to the dia-
phragm.
= angle between the perpendicular to the dia-
phragm and the direction of sound incidence.

Fig. 1 Figure-8 characteristic

11
The sound pressures occurring at points A and B are compared either elec-
trically or mechanically by the microphone.
In the first case the output voltages of two identical, closely adjacent mi-
crophone units are connected in antiphase. In the second case both the front
and rear of the diaphragm are exposed to the sound field, so that only the
momentary difference between the forces acting at the front and the back
results in a movement of the diaphragm. The difference between points A
and B is determined by the path that sound impinging at 0° or 180° must
travel from one side of the diaphragm and its mounting around to the other
diaphragm face.
Since every pressure difference occurring in the sound field immediately
gives rise to a sound particle velocity in the direction of this pressure differ-
ence or gradient, the voltage output of pressure gradient microphones is
always proportional to the sound particle velocity.
Sometimes, these microphones are also referred to as “velocity micro-
phones”. However, it would be preferable to confine this term to micro-
phones with compliant diaphragms, i.e. possessing little acoustic impedance,
and thus largely following the movement of the air particles.
3.2.1 Behavior in a plane sound field
In an approximately plane sound field, a pressure difference between points
A and B occurs only because sound impinges on both points at equal strength
but with a phase difference. Since the distance between points A and B is
often no more than a few centimeters, the phase angle and the resultant
pressure difference p are very small for long wavelengths ( = 1° ... 3° at
40 Hz). At constant sound pressure, they increase with rising frequency,
that is to say the pressure gradient, in contrast to the sound pressure, repre-
sents a driving force which increases as the frequency rises.
This behavior is illustrated in Fig. 2:

12
Fig. 2 Occurrence of sound pressure differences p1 ... p3 between two points separated
by the distance A–B at three different frequencies (in plane sound waves moving from
left to right).

The amplitude distribution of three sound pressure waves travelling in di-

rection x is represented at a particular instant in time, all three waves having
the same amplitude but different frequencies f1 ... f3. At the points x = A
and x = B, the three waves give rise to three different momentary sound
pressure values: in Fig. 2 b, the double frequency f2 results also in approxi-
mately twice the p value (and thus twice the displacement force applied
to the diaphragm) as compared with f1. In practice, the distance A–B can-
not be made so small that it is smaller than the half-wavelength /2 for all
frequencies of the response range. A certain frequency ft is characteristic
for each microphone type. At frequency ft, the the half-wavelength /2
equals the path A–B, so that = 180°. Above ft the sound pressure differ-
ence p, which is decisive for the diaphragm movement, becomes smaller
again (Fig. 2c and Fig. 3).

13
Fig. 3 Frequency response of the pressure gradient, i.e. the pressure difference p between
two points in a plane wave sound field. Separation of points 25 mm (ft = transition
frequency).

Microphones designed to work satisfactorily above the frequency ft must

therefore make use of another principle when this frequency (between 4
and 10 kHz, depending on the size of the microphone) is approached. At
the highest frequencies, they must operate as pressure or interference trans-
ducers.
3.2.2 Behavior in a spherical sound field
When a point source of sound is approached, the sound pressure rises at a
ratio of 1/r (r = distance). Therefore in a spherical sound field, there is at
the two sampling points A and B of a pressure gradient microphone a
distance-related as well as a phase-related pressure difference (Fig. 4). This
distance-related pressure difference results from the difference in the dis-
tances r1 and r2 of the two points A and B from the sound source Q. This
distance-related sound pressure difference is of equal magnitude for all fre-
quencies, and unlike the phase-related difference of section 3.2.1, is not
frequency dependent.

14
Fig. 4 Spherical sound field (Q = sound source)

For this reason, its effect is most noticeable in the low frequency range,
where the forces acting on the diaphragm as the result of the phase shift
are weakest (Fig. 3). The practical result is that pressure gradient micro-
phones tend to boost low-frequency components when held close to the
mouth, i.e. when the distance r from the sound source is approximately
equal to the length of the sound wave (Fig. 5).
For small microphones, this is expressed by the function
e8 1 λ 54.14
= , where tan α = =
e0 cos α 2πr f·r

where:
e8 = output voltage of a pressure gradient microphone with figure-8 cha-
racteristic,
e0 = output voltage of an omnidirectional microphone with the same sen-
sitivity at 0°,
r = microphone distance from a point source of sound in meters,
= wavelength in meters,
f = frequency in Hz.
Example:
At a microphone distance r = 10 cm and frequency f = 40 Hz, the boost
amounts to
54.14
tan α = = 13.5; α = 85.77˚; cos α = 0.074
40 · 0.1

e8 1
= = 13.57 20 log 13.57 = 22.65 dB
e0 0.074

15
Fig. 5 Increase of the field transmission factor of pressure gradient microphones when close to
speaker

3.2.3 Cardioid characteristic

Of special interest is the result when an omnidirectional and a figure-8 char-
acteristic are superimposed – namely the so-called cardioid characteristic
as shown in Fig. 6, provided that both components are of equal magnitude
at the zero incidence angle.

Fig. 6 Cardioid characteristic resulting from the superimposition of an omnidirectional and a

figure-8 pattern

Represented in polar coordinates, the rule here is:

TF = TFo · (1 + cos ) = angle of incidence of sound
TF = field transmission factor
TFo= field transmission factor for = 0°, i.e.
sound impinges from the front.

16
The distinguishing feature of a microphone of this type is its unilateral sound
pick-up over a wide angle of aperture. Three different versions are possible:
a) The output voltages from two closely adjacent capsules, one with omni-
directional, the other with figure-8 polar pattern, are coupled together.
b) One part of the diaphragm has only its front face exposed to the sound
field, while another part has both faces exposed to the sound field.
c) A pressure gradient transducer is constructed so that the sound arrives at
the rear face of the diaphragm via an acoustic delay element. Most of to-
day’s cardioid microphones operate on this principle. Sound openings to
the back face are designed as an acoustic low-pass filter, the collective tran-
sit time of which corresponds to the desired sound delay time t1 through
the back face and whose limit frequency ft ensures that the back face is
barred to high frequencies. This turns the microphone into a unidirectional
pressure transducer (comp. Section 3.2.1 and Fig. 3).
The operating principle of c) is depicted in Fig. 7, in which D represents
the diaphragm, M a suitable mounting and L an arrangement through which
sound waves require a specific transit time t1.

Fig. 7 Operating principle of a cardioid microphone with acoustic delay element

If the time t1 is made to be equal to the time ts required for the sound to
traverse the path s, then since ts = t1 for 180° sound incidence, the forces
acting on the front and rear face of the diaphragm will be in phase, and the
diaphragm will remain motionless. Sound arriving at 0° is delayed on its
way to the rear face of the diaphragm by ts + t1, at 90° by t1 i.e. only half

17
as long. The total effect for a microphone with delay element is the same
directional characteristic as that shown in Fig. 6 (omnidirectional and fig-
ure-8 characteristic superimposed).
The accentuation of low frequencies when the microphone is very close to
the speaker commences one octave lower than with pure pressure gradient
transducers with a figure-8 response (Fig. 5). For sound arriving at the front
it can be calculated as

e λ2 732
= 1+ 2 2
= 1+
e0 16 π r f2 · r2

e = output voltage of a cardioid microphone,

e0 = output voltage of an omnidirectional microphone with the same sen-
sitivity at 0°,
r = microphone distance from a point source of sound in meters,
= wavelength in meters,
f = frequency in Hz.
Example:
At a microphone distance r = 10 cm and frequency f = 40 Hz, the boost
amounts to

e 732
= 1+ = 6.84 20 log 6.84 = 16.7 dB
e0 40 2 · 0.1 2

3.2.4 Hyper-, super- and subcardioid characteristic

Microphones as depicted in Fig. 6 or 7 are occasionally dimensioned so as to
prevent sound impinging at the rear from resulting in absolute zero output.
These have asymmetrical figure-8 response patterns as shown in Fig. 8. They
have the advantage of suppressing sounds at 90°, i.e. sounds arriving at the
sides, more effectively than microphones with a cardioid characteristic.
The degree of attenuation is as follows
angle of sub- cardioid super- hyper- figure-8
incidence cardioid cardioid cardioid
90° 2.5 ... 3.5 dB 6 dB 8,7 dB 12 dB
180° 6 ... 10 dB 11,5 dB 6 dB 0 dB

18
Fig. 8 Hypercardioid (left) and supercardioid (right) characteristics

The cardioid characteristic is most advantageous when it is necessary to at-

tenuate sounds emanating from behind the microphone. The hypercardi-
oid accentuates sounds arriving exactly from the front at 0° in preference
to sounds of similar intensity emanating from all around, and is therefore
able, for instance, to give greater prominence to a speaker or solo instru-
mentalist in comparison with reverberation sound. Cardioids and figure-8’s
pick up in diffuse sound fields only a third, hypercardioids only a quarter of
the sound that an omnidirectional microphone having the same sensitivity
for sounds at 0° incidence would register.
The parameters for supercardioids lie somewhere inbetween. If the record-
ing room is imagined as a front and rear half-room divided by a plane in-
cluding the microphone diaphragm, then the supercardioid represents the
one special case in which the difference between the sounds picked up from
the two half-rooms is at its greatest.
The subcardioid (also: hypocardioid, wide cardioid, wide-angle cardioid) lies
halfway between the omnidirectional and the cardioid characteristic. It can
be useful for recording sound sources extended over a wider angle.
For the user, it is often more important that a directional microphone can
be placed further away from the speaker without any significant loss of di-
rect sound, and thus of transparency and presence. The distance for a sub-

19
cardioid may be 1.3 ... 1.4 times, for a cardioid or figure-8 1.7 times, for a
supercardioid 1.9 times and for a hypercardioid 2.0 times that of an omni-
directional microphone.
3.3 lnfluence of microphone dimensions
Whereas the frequency bandwidth of visible light - expressed in the termi-
nology of acoustic - is less than a single octave, audible sound covers the
best part of ten octaves.
Examples of the wavelengths of sound in air are
at 16 000 Hz 2.1 cm
at 3 200 Hz 10.5 cm
at 320 Hz 105 cm = 1.05 m
at 32 Hz 1 050 cm = 10.5 m
Microphones with dimensions similar to or greater than the wavelengths
being picked up present an obstacle for the sound waves: these are either
partially or completely reflected upon reaching the microphone. At the same
time, sound arriving perpendicularly to the diaphragm exerts, depending
on the shape of the microphone, up to 10 dB more force on the diaphragm
as the result of pressure build-up.
With sound from the side or rear bending and shading effects appear. Sound
waves impinging diagonally do not strike all parts of the diaphragm simulta-
neously, giving rise to interference cancellations that are dependent on both
direction and frequency. Microphones that depend chiefly on these effects
for their directional pattern are therefore termed “interference transduc-
ers” (s. Sec. 6.8).
All effects caused by the dimensions of the microphone, particularly the
directional characteristic, are of course frequency-dependent. Nevertheless,
most microphones change to interference transducers at the upper end of
their response range. Otherwise they would have to be no larger than 6 mm
in all three dimensions for a limit frequency of 16 kHz.
3.3.1 Pressure microphones
Pressure microphones are most markedly affected by the fact that at high
frequencies their omnidirectional characteristic gradually changes to a uni-
directional polar pattern – in the case of larger microphones, even to a con-
stantly narrowing lobe shape (Fig. 9). At the same time, sound arriving at
the front builds up pressure and the sensitivity of the microphone to higher
frequencies increases. This is the reason why the specifications of almost all

20
pressure microphones show a frequency response that rises by several de-
cibels at the high end.

Fig. 9 Polar diagram of a pressure microphone mounted on the face of a cylindrical body
21 mm in diameter

3.3.2 Pressure gradient microphones

Microphones with figure-8 or cardioid characteristics can be designed so
that their behavior does not noticeably change to that of an interference
transducer at the frequency at which the force acting on the diaphragm
reaches its maximum as the result of the pressure gradient in accordance
with Fig. 3. This depends on the microphone diameter, the transition
frequency and the delay as the sound travels around the microphone to the
rear face of the diaphragm being closely correlated. Properly dimensioned,
the growing pressure build-up already starts compensating below the tran-
sition frequency ft (Fig. 3) for the gradual decrease in the diaphragm driv-
ing force caused by the pressure gradient; above the transition frequency,
the microphone gains a single- or double-sided directional characteristic sim-
ilar to that of a cardioid or figure-8 as the result of interference and shad-
owing effects. Since the microphones function as interference transducers
only within a relatively narrow frequency band, it matters little that the
directional characteristic is frequency-dependent in that range.

21
3.3.3 Free-field and diffuse-field frequency response
If the sound is being recorded in a room, the sonic impression, even for a
relatively short distance between microphone and sound source, will hardly
be determined only by the 0° free-field frequency response of the micro-
phone, but rather by its diffuse-field frequency response. This applies to
the sound reaching the microphone at more or less the same intensity from
all spatial directions. The distance from the sound source at which the di-
rect and diffuse components are of equal magnitude is referred to as the
“reverberation radius”. The larger the room and the less ‘live’ (reverberant)
it is, the greater will be the reverberation radius. It amounts, with volume
V and reverberation time T, to

1.05 V V
rH = · = 0.057 ·
c T T

c = sound velocity in air = 340 m/s.

At shorter distances than rH, the direct sound predominates. A microphone
located here should have a good free-field frequency response and a suit-
able directional characteristic. At longer distances than rH, the diffuse sound
arriving from all quarters predominates. From here onwards, the sound pres-
sure level remains more or less constant in the whole of the room, and the
quality of the recording is determined only by the diffuse-field frequency
response of the microphone. A directional microphone will only accentuate
to a moderate extent the small percentage of direct sound that arrives in
advance of the reverberation and is, of course, important for directional
orientation in stereo recording.
In connection with sound reinforcement systems, it should be borne in mind
that as soon as the distance from microphone to loudspeaker is made great-
er than the reverberation radius, it is not possible to raise the critical point
of acoustic feedback by employing a directional microphone. This is often
not taken into consideration. With large distances, sound arrives at more or
less equal intensity from all directions. The “effective reverberation radius”
can be increased only by aiming the loudspeakers in directions from which
reflections can be assumed to be at a minimum – the section of the room in
which the audience is seated, for example.
The usual values for the reverberation radius lie between 0.5 and 2.5 m,
depending on room volume and reverberation time.
Good-quality microphones today are expected to have free-field and
diffuse-field frequency responses that run virtually parallel. By changing the

22
distance of the microphone from the sound source, it is possible to alter the
so-called reverberation balance (ratio of direct sound to room reverbera-
tion) without altering the frequency response.
There are only a few pressure gradient microphones that really meet this
requirement well. The diffuse-field sensitivity (measurable in a reverberation
chamber) is 4.8 dB lower than the free-field sensitivity for microphones
with an exact figure-8 or cardioid characteristic and 6 dB lower for hyper-
cardioid microphones. This difference known as the “directivity index” of a
microphone. The German HiFi Standard DIN 45 500 prescribes in Part 5
that the directivity index for all directional microphones must be at least
3 dB between 250 and 8000 Hz. In addition, the frequency response curves
for all sound incidence angles other than 0° must, between 250 Hz and
8 000 Hz, run parallel within ± 4 dB to the frequency response for the 0°
incidence angle, always provided that the field transmission coefficient does
not lie 12 dB or more below the corresponding 0° figure. This is to ensure
that sound sources positioned to the sides will be recorded with the same
frequency response, although more softly.
Fig. 10 shows the polar diagram and frequency responses of a condenser
microphone that meets these requirements perfectly.

23
Fig. 10 Frequency responses and polar diagram of a small condenser microphone with cardioid
characteristic (KM 84 i, Neumann)

Free-field and diffuse-field frequency response curves never match in stan-

dard-size pressure microphones with the exception of the pressure-zone
microphones discussed in Section 6.11. These, if realized with a very small
diaphragm diameter, are almost equally sensitive to sound arriving perpen-
dicularly and laterally, even at high frequencies.

24
Most pressure microphones of standard size are built with a relatively flat
diffuse-field frequency response, and the free-field accentuation is tolerat-
ed (Fig. 11). Due to the polar diagram, the diffuse-frequency response should
roll off at high frequencies, as less sound is picked up from the back; how-
ever, this is compensated for by the fact that sensitivity to sound from the
front increases at high frequencies.

Fig. 11 Frequency response of a small pressure microphone in free and diffuse sound field

DIN 45 500, Part 5, specifies that the response of non-directional micro-

phones to sound impinging laterally at 90° may not deviate by more than
2 dB at frequencies below 1 kHz and not by more than 8 dB at frequencies
between 1 and 6.3 kHz from the response to sound arriving exactly from
the front.

25
4. Dynamic microphones

Dynamic microphones are velocity transducers and their mode of opera-

tion is based on the law of induction: a conducting element is induced to
move in a magnetic field by the influence of sound waves. The EMF thus
generated is proportional to the velocity of the moving conductor.
A velocity of motion proportional to the sound pressure is produced in sys-
tems able to follow the movement of the air particles without any variation
in frequency response, i.e. with no constraint except that of friction. The
diaphragm resonance of dynamic pressure microphones is therefore arranged
to be at the middle of the response range and is heavily damped.
Dynamic directional microphones, which respond to pressure gradients or
particle velocity and therefore are subject to increasing forces as frequency
rises (as shown in Fig. 3), must be operated at the top of the downslope of
their resonance curve in order to yield a flat frequency response, i.e. above
their mechanical resonance frequency. This means that they must be
“low-tuned” and predominantly mass-controlled in operation.
Fig. 12 illustrates these relationships and enables a comparison to be made
with the condenser microphone discussed in Section 5.
For the user, it is important to know that microphones with a “low-tuned”
diaphragm system are naturally more susceptible to disturbance by wind
and body noise, footfalls, handling noises, etc. than microphones with mid-
and high-tuned diaphragms.

26
Fig. 12 Comparison of diaphragm resonance and response range of dynamic and condenser
microphones

27
4.1 Ribbon microphones with figure-8 characteristic
In ribbon microphones, the sound field acts directly on the conductor, a
strip of aluminium foil a few µm thick that is suspended so that it vibrates
between the poles of a permanent magnet. The foil is usually 2 to 4 mm
wide and a few centimeters long. Its very low impedance is stepped up to a
conventional value of 200 ohms by a special transformer built into the mi-
crophone.
When both sides of the ribbon are exposed to the sound field, a figure-8
pattern results, and the microphone, because of the high compliance of the
ribbon, may be designated a “velocity transducer”. The necessary low-tuning
usually presents no problem, but it does result in a microphone which is
more sensitive to rapid movements, vibration and wind than other types,
and this sensitivity increases as the response range is extended to lower and
lowest frequencies. On the other hand, ribbon microphones generally have
a flat and resonance-free frequency response. Only the components consti-
tuting the magnetic ring, which starts from the two pole pieces forming the
air gap and closes around the ribbon on the outside, may introduce some
irregularity in the high frequency range.
This disadvantage is largely avoided in the microphone depicted in Fig. 13, in
which the path of the lines of force is closed by the spiral of soft magnetic

Fig. 13 Illustration and schematic diagram of a ribbon microphone with figure-8 characteristic
by E. Beyer (M 130, beyerdynamic)

28
material enclosing the ribbon and pole pieces and causing little or no inter-
ference with the sound field. The transducer system of this microphone is
so small that it can be enclosed in a spherical grill housing only 39 mm in
diameter.
4.2 Ribbon microphones as pressure transducers
If the ribbon is intended to operate as an omnidirectional pressure trans-
ducer, it is terminated at the rear by a tube or cavity lined with acoustically
absorptive material. This also acts as a frictional constraint for the ribbon.
4.3 Ribbon microphones with cardioid characteristic
A cardioid characteristic results if only a portion of the ribbon is terminat-
ed at the rear, while the remainder is exposed to the sound field on both
sides.
In newer microphones, the cardioid characteristic is also produced by an
acoustic delay unit arranged behind the ribbon (see also Section 3.2.3).
4.4 Moving coil microphones as pressure transducers
Moving coil microphones have a small self-supporting coil that is fastened
to a lightweight plastic diaphragm and moves in the air gap of a powerful
permanent magnet in similar manner to the voice coil of a dynamic loud-
speaker. However, the mass of the diaphragm and coil together is many
times greater than the diaphragm mass of a condenser microphone, and to
flatten the frequency response only by damping the vibrating system would
only make the microphone too insensitive.
All moving coil pressure microphones are therefore given a resonance “hump”
in the approximate middle of their response range. This resonance, howev-
er, is scarcely noticeable, if at all, in the output, as the diaphragm is forced
into additional damped resonances by air cavities in front and behind with
communicating holes or slots. These have the effect of flattening and ex-
tending the frequency response upwards and downwards, as indicated in
Fig. 14. Modern moving coil microphones can be designed so that their re-
sponse comes close to that of a condenser microphone, apart from the steep
roll-off at the upper and lower cut-off frequencies.

29
Fig. 14 Schematic frequency response of a moving coil pressure microphone. II = damped reso-
nance of the vibrating system; I, III, IV = resonances of communicating air cavities

Alternating magnetic fields of the kind originating in mains transformers

and in tape recorder motors, can induce interference voltages in the moving
coil. This can be avoided with a counter-wound compensating coil, the so
called “hum-bucking coil”, fitted in the microphone housing tube near to
the moving coil and connected in series with it.
Compared to the abundance of unidirectional dynamic microphones of stu-
dio or HiFi quality only few omnidirectional types are available, even though
pressure microphones are more robust and less sensitive to wind noise and
shock noise. Because of these properties, most lavalier microphones, such
as the one shown in Fig. 37, are made as moving coil pressure microphones.
4.5 Moving coil microphones with cardioid characteristic
Over the years, the design of moving coil directional microphones has be-
come a special science – to a much greater extent than with other types. In
order to lower the self-resonance of the system sufficiently, the moving
coil must be provided with a very compliant suspension. This makes the
microphone sensitive to shocks and wind noise, and the task of keeping the
coil properly placed in the air gap becomes a problem. For this reason the
diaphragm is made less compliant than would be actually necessary for the
required “low-tuning” of the system. Furthermore, provision is made for a
more powerful diaphragm actuating force at low frequencies: for the
low-frequency sound components, special sound ports are provided at the
back of the microphone to give the sound pressure a large phase shift be-
fore it impinges on the back surface of the diaphragm. Because of the di-
verse lengths of sound pressure delay paths within the microphone, acous-
tic means are used to ensure that only sound components of the relevant
frequency range are allowed to pass through. This method is referred to as
the “variable distance principle”.
The so-called “two-way principle” leads to more or less the same result: as
with loudspeakers, two microphone systems are connected via an electrical

30
network. One system with a short acoustic delay transmits the high fre-
quencies. Arranged behind it is a second moving coil system with a large
acoustic delay for the low frequencies. The quality of the microphone is
dependent to a great extent on the dimensioning of the crossover network,
whose function is to ensure that the two frequency responses merge with-
out any discontinuity and that there is no transient distortion along the
roll-off flanks.
In all pressure gradient microphones having a long acoustical delay path to
the rear face of the diaphragm for low-frequency sound, the proximity ef-
fect is considerably less than it is in microphones with a short delay path as
shown in Fig. 5.

31
5. Condenser microphones

The basic construction of a condenser microphone is shown in Fig. 15: a

diaphragm with a thickness of 1 ... 10 µm made of metal or metallized plas-
tic is arranged very close to a perforated, electrically conductive opposite-
ly-charged electrode (backplate). Impinging sound waves move the dia-
phragm and change its distance from the backplate and thus the capacitance
of the air-dielectric capacitor formed by the diaphragm and the backplate.
Due to the close proximity of the diaphragm to the backplate (5...50 µm),
the restoring force and damping of the diaphragm are primarily determined
by the air cushion behind it, and can be adjusted to the required value by a
suitable choice of diaphragm spacing and by holes drilled in the backplate
(but not through it).

Fig. 15 Sectional view of a condenser microphone (pressure transducer): D = diaphragm, I =

insulation, M = backplate

As a displacement-controlled transducer, the condenser microphone must

be dimensioned so that the diaphragm undergoes approximately the same
displacement at all frequencies in its response range, given constant sound
pressure. However, the excursion of the air particles in the sound field de-
creases at constant pressure in inverse proportion to the frequency.
5.1 Pressure condenser microphones
This type is provided with a “high-tuned” diaphragm. The diaphragm mass
(together with the vibrating air mass) is made small, the restoring force
large. Blind holes in the backplate, and sometimes an additional air pocket
diminish the stiffness of the air cushion sufficiently to bring the diaphragm

32
resonance into the region of the microphone’s upper cut-off frequency. In
the rising portion of the resonance curve (below the resonant frequency),
the diaphragm velocity then increases with frequency and ensures the re-
quired constant diaphragm excursion (see Fig. 12).

5.2 Pressure gradient condenser microphones

The backplates of pressure gradient microphones are drilled all the way
through. Since the pressure gradient already constitutes a driving force which
increases proportionally to frequency (Fig. 3), the diaphragm may not be
“high-tuned”, but should have only a (frequency-independent) frictional
constraint over the range of response. In practice, the diaphragm resonance
produced by the diaphragm mass and the restoring force is placed at the
middle of the frequency range in which the microphone is required to func-
tion as a gradient transducer. The resonance is then damped to such an
extent by air friction in the gap between diaphragm and backplate and also
in the backplate itself that it is no longer recognizable as such.
Nowadays only few manufacturers offer condenser figure-8s pure pressure
gradient microphones. A figure-8 characteristic is most often produced by
means of two closely-spaced cardioid characteristic capsules, whose princi-
ple axes are pointed in opposite directions, and which are electrically con-
nected in anti-phase (so called double-diaphragm capsules).

5.3 Cardioid condenser microphones

In order to obtain a cardioid polar pattern, two different principles are ap-
plied, which are referred to as “b” and “c” in Section 3.2.3. In some micro-
phones, one portion of the backplate is provided with through holes, anoth-
er portion with blind holes.
The capsules thus function partially as a pressure gradient transducer and
partially as a pressure transducer, the end product being a cardioid charac-
teristic, as shown in Fig. 6.
In other microphones, the backplate is designed as a time delay component
and provided with holes, slots and pockets which act partly as friction resis-
tances and partly as energy storers (acoustic inductances and capacitances),
lending the backplate the character of an acoustic low-pass network. In the
cut-off range of this lowpass network above the transition frequency ft
(Fig. 3), sound impinges on the diaphragm only from the front, and the
microphone capsule takes on the character of a pressure or interference
transducer.

33
Although this design enables more exact polar diagrams to be obtained, mi-
crophones which function according to the first-named principle enjoy a
popularity for certain requirements – possibly because their pressure trans-
ducer portions (on which sound impinges only from the front) are able to
handle transients with greater precision.
5.4 Condenser microphones with symmetrical capsules
With the introduction of digital technology in most studios, non-linear dis-
tortion and inherent noise in such equipment has become negligible, and
nowadays these two parameters are more dependent on the specifications
of the microphones used. In the case of condenser microphones, both types
of interference could be further reduced by the use of symmetrically ar-
ranged capsules, whereby both sides of the diaphragm are opposed by a
fixed but acoustically transparent counter-electrode.
Because these two counter-electrodes are at the same voltage and their elec-
trical forces of attraction acting on the diaphragm cancel each other out,
the diaphragm is not unilaterally biased, and the (admittedly already small)
2nd order harmonic distortion caused chiefly by this initial tension is re-
duced. Furthermore, distortion due to a non-linear behavior of the air in-
side the drilling and slots of the backplate at high sound pressure levels is
reduced because they are compensating each other by using two identical
counter-electrodes at both sides of the membrane. Since the movement of
the electrically biased diaphragm gives rise to alternating voltages in both
counter-electrodes, the output voltage of the microphone is, with appro-
priate circuitry, doubled and its signal-to-noise ratio correspondingly im-
proved.

34
Fig. 16 shows the design principle, Fig. 17 a condenser microphone with
cardioid characteristic using this principle.

Fig. 16 Design principle of a symmetrical condenser microphone capsule with cardioid charac-
teristic

Fig. 17 Condenser microphone with symmetrically constructed capsule (MKH 40 P48, Sennheiser)

35
5.5 Dc polarizing method
In the dc polarizing method, the capsule of the condenser microphone is
charged via a high-value resistor R to a fixed dc voltage E0 (40 ... 200 V) as
shown in Fig. 18. For the charge Q the expression is:

Q = C0 · E 0 C0 = capsule capacitance
The resistor R is chosen to be sufficiently high so that the charge Q remains
virtually constant in spite of variations in capacity brought about by imping-
ing sound pressures.

Fig. 18 Circuit of a condenser microphone using dc polarization

For the bottom limit frequency fu, for which this condition holds good:

1
R = . R in ohms, C0 in F, fu in Hz.
2 π · fu · C0

Since the values of C0 usually lie between 20 and 100 pF, R must have, for
example, for a bottom limit frequency of 20 Hz, a value between 400 and
80 megohms.
The output voltage e(t) of a condenser microphone using dc polarization is
proportional to the applied dc voltage E0 and – for small diaphragm ampli-
tudes – the relative change in capacity

c(t) c(t)
caused by the sound pressure: e(t) = E0 ·
C0 C0

c(t)= variable component of capsule capacity

t = time

36
5.5.1 The selection of various polar patterns
The dependence of the output voltage e(t) on E0 is also exploited in some
microphone types to control the directional characteristic. To this end, two
capsules with cardioid characteristic are placed back-to-back or they can be
assembled as a unit with a common backplate, as shown in Fig. 19. The
alternating voltages generated on both diaphragms are connected in parallel
via a capacitor C. The ratio of the alternating voltage outputs from the two
capsule halves and their phase relationship are affected by varying the dc
voltage applied to one of them (here the one on the left) either by means of
a switch or steplessly by means of a potentiometer. The directional charac-
teristic of the microphone may thus be changed by remote control via long
extension leads.

Fig. 19 Circuit of a condenser microphone with electrically switchable directional characteristic

With the switch in Fig. 19 in the center position (contact “c”), the left
capsule-half does not contribute any voltage, and the microphone has the
cardioid characteristic of the right capsule-half. In switch position “a”, the
two ac voltages are in parallel, in position “e” they are in counter-phase and
the result is an omnidirectional and a figure-8 pattern, respectively.

37
Fig. 20 Polar patterns (below) obtainable with a microphone as shown in Fig. 19 by superim-
posing two cardioid patterns (above)

The letters “a” to “e” given for the switch positions in Fig. 19, produce the
patterns given the same letters in Fig. 20.
The high impedance of the condenser microphone capsule with dc polar-
ization makes it necessary to locate the first amplifier stage close to the
capsule. The required high input impedance of the amplifier can be achieved
only by the use of field effect transistors (FETs) or vacuum tubes. The term
“condenser microphone” denotes a combination of microphone capsule and
amplifier stage.
5.6 Electret microphone capsules
The transistorized amplifier of a dc-polarized condenser microphone can
be operated by low-voltage dc, for it is only the capsule polarization that
requires a higher voltage (no current being drawn). In order to avoid undue
elaboration, some manufacturers have taken to providing such microphones
with permanently polarized electret foil membranes.
The unordered charge carriers present in foils of poor conductivity are acti-
vated by warmth and aligned by the effect of a powerful electric field in
such a way that they form dipoles. On cooling down again, these are, so to
speak, “frozen” in place, and are capable of retaining a constant charge at
the surface. However, for the longest life, materials are used which do not
tend to form dipoles, but can accept and maintain space charges. A typical
material of this kind is polytetrafluorethylene, also known as “Teflon”.
To incorporate the negative charge carriers, the film is subjected to a so-called
“corona discharge” or to electron bombardment in a vacuum.

38
Although the electret effect has been known for decades, it required a long
time until materials had been found which are capable of permanently main-
taining the “frozen-in” polarization voltage not only at high temperatures,
but also at high humidity levels.
When unilaterally metallized, electret foils can serve directly as microphone
diaphragm. As their acoustic properties are sub-optimal, higher quality mi-
crophones adapt the “back-electret” technique: The foil is mounted on the
surface of the back electrode, and the diapraghm can thus be realized using
the standard materials. This of course has the effect of reducing the basic
capacitance C0 (Section 5.5) of the microphone.
The electret microphone operates on the same general principle as the con-
denser microphones described in the foregoing section with externally sup-
plied polarization voltage, but the latter is now superfluous.
5.7 The microphone amplifier
The dynamic range of many condenser microphones is determined less by
the capsule than by the associated microphone amplifier, in which it is lim-
ited at the bottom end by inherent noise and at the top end by the increase
of non-linear distortion.
Fig. 21 shows the circuitry of a microphone amplifier using a field effect
transistor.
Its noise spectrum at low frequencies is dominated by the noise contribu-
tion of the high-value resistor at the FET gate, which is increasingly shunt-
ed by the capsule capacitance as the frequency rises.
However, in actual practice, this low-frequency noise is not disturbing, as
the human ear is largely unreceptive to low-frequency sound waves.

39
Fig. 21 Simplified circuit diagram of a condenser microphone with 10 dB overload protection
switch (Switch S1)

Above 1 ... 2 kHz, the inherent noise of the field effect transistor itself pre-
dominates. This is the reason why only FETs with particularly low noise
voltage specification in the mid-frequency range are used for condenser mi-
crophones. At the higher end of the response range, the noise components
emanating from the acoustic friction resistance of the microphone capsule
can no longer be ignored.
According to DIN 45 500, the overload limit of the amplifier must, for
semi-professional use, be so high that an overload sound pressure of 10 Pa
(114 dB over 20 µPa) can still be handled at less than 1% distortion. The
overload sound pressure of older studio microphones is 20 ... 30 Pa (120 ...
124 dB), and, with some types, can be raised by e.g. 10 dB through switch-
able preattenuation (overload protection switch) between capsule and am-
plifier.
Newer microphone types can be driven to such an extent that they will
handle sound pressures of 160 Pa (138 dB), and, with preattenuation, even
500 Pa (148 dB), without distortion. At these sound pressure levels,
non-linear distortion in the microphone capsules gradually begins to intrude.
While it is true that such high sound pressures do not occur in musical per-
formances, the high overload stability of the amplifier is nevertheless a very

40
favorable factor, especially in the case of microphones held close to the
mouth of a speaker or singer, or when used to record a loud musical in-
strument.

Fig. 22 Condenser microphone with operational amplifier fed by a 48 V phantom supply (s.
Section 5.9.2). The capsule works into the FET-equipped inverting input. The value of C1
determines the voltage amplification CC/C1. The low-frequency cut-off depends on R2.
T2 stabilizes the operating points of the circuit: The dc voltage at the amplifier output is
compared in T2 with the mid-point voltage between R4 and R5, phase-inverted and
amplified and then fed to the non-inverting input as dc negative feedback. T1 is used as
a filter and electronic resistance (marked R3 in Fig. 27).

Whereas older dc polarized condenser microphones were occasionally sus-

ceptible to interference at high humidities, today’s high quality transistor-
ized microphones are extremely stable even under such conditions, despite
their very high input impedance.
Apart from design measures, this property is attributable mainly to the use
of special insulating materials that do not absorb moisture and also do not
permit surface wetting.

41
5.7.1 Transformerless microphones
Today’s space-saving semiconductor technology has made it possible to re-
place the microphone’s output transformer by semiconductor circuits with-
out sacrificing any of the main advantages of transformer decoupling:
Matching the microphone circuit to the line impedance and symmetry of
the microphone output in relation to 0-volt potential, and thus protection
against interference liable to intrude via the connecting cable.
Over the last years the dynamic range of condenser microphones has been
extended more and more, due to modern circuitry designs, and still main-
taining low current consumption. Not only the maximum signal levels were
increased, but much more the self-noise levels were reduced.
Fig. 23 depicts microphones of this type, with a dynamic range of 131 dB
and self-noise level of only 7 dB (A-weighted) in the case of the TLM 103.

Fig. 23 Transformerless dc polarized condenser microphones (TLM 170 R mt and TLM 103,
Neumann)

42
5.8 The RF circuit method
Before low-noise field effect transistors were available, semiconductor tech-
nology was applied to condenser microphones in the form of the so-called
radio-frequency circuit method, which requires only conventional transis-
tors. With an RF circuit, the microphone capsule operates as an “active trans-
ducer” (see Section 2): It controls the frequency or phase of an RF oscilla-
tor or represents an impedance in an RF circuit that varies in cadence with
the audio frequency.
There are numerous kinds of circuits available for this. In addition to the
microphone capsule, all of these microphones also contain an RF oscillator
and a demodulation circuit. Only the demodulated audio frequency voltage
appears at the microphone output, and the user can therefore seldom tell
whether his microphone is using RF or dc polarization.
The most important attribute of the RF circuit is the fact that the capsule
capacitance has a relatively low RF impedance. As an example, a capsule
capacitance of 50 pF at a frequency of 10 MHz represents only about
300 ohms. The insulation resistances of capsule and circuit are therefore
not subjected to such strict requirements as is the case with dc polariza-
tion. On the other hand, the electronic components must be of the low-loss
type at RF, and the frequency-determining parts, including also the cap-
sule, must be electrically stable, so that the various circuits will not detune
each other.
Further features:
No polarizing or bias voltage is required. In principle, low-frequency com-
ponents down to zero frequency can be transmitted, as long as the capsule
can pick them up. This may cause overloading, because low-frequency noise
components cannot be electrically filtered out ahead of the demodulator
output.
Formerly, microphones were mostly produced with the phase modulation
principle:
The quartz-controlled RF oscillator operates at a fixed frequency (about
8 MHz). The demodulation stage resembles approximately the traditional
ratio detector. The modulation circuit, which includes the capsule, is tuned
exactly to the oscillator frequency (Fig. 24).
When sound waves impinge on the capsule, the phase of the high-frequen-
cy current in the demodulator circuit is shifted in accordance with the sound
pressure variations, so that the two diodes receive unequal RF voltages, with
resultant modulation at the output.

43
Noise caused by oscillator amplitude fluctuations is nullified by the limit-
ing effect of the ratio detector.
Noise generated by oscillator frequency fluctuations is held to a minimum
by the quartz crystal.
Noise originating in the demodulator circuit and in the effective acoustic
resistance of the capsule result for the microphone in about the same sig-
nal-to-noise ratio as that typical for a dc polarized microphone with FET
transistor.
Fig. 24 shows the basic circuit of a condenser microphone using the radio
frequency system.

Fig. 24 Basic circuit of a condenser microphone using RF system

Modern RF condenser microphones work with amplitude modulation ac-

cording to the push-pull bridge circuit principle. An additional back elec-
trode in front of the diaphragm produces a symmetrical transducer. The
diaphragm moving between the two back electrodes resembles the center
connection of a capacitive potentiometer. The RF voltage is proportional to
the diaphragm excursion and produces, after demodulation, an audio signal
with extremely low distortion.

44
Fig. 25 Basic circuit of an RF microphone with amplitude modulation according to the push-pull
bridge circuit principle. (MK 12, Sennheiser)

5.9 Power supplies and connections

Whereas tube-driven condenser microphones always need multi-conductor
cables with special conductors for heater and anode voltages, transistorized
microphones are usually operated via two-conductor shielded cable.
With microphones for amateur and semi-professional use, one conductor
carries the output voltage and the other the dc feed, the common return
path being formed by the cable shield. In the professional studio, however,
the two AF conductors are required to be at exactly the same potential
difference in relation to the reference potential (housing, cable shield,
ground); these are balanced lines. Two types of powering are standardized:

5.9.1 A-B powering

According to IEC 1938 (Fig. 26), one AF conductor is connected with the
positive pole, the other with the negative pole of the dc voltage source
(12 ± 1 V) via two precisely matched 180-ohm resistors.

Fig. 26 A-B powering

45
Isolating capacitors block the dc from the following amplifier stage. The
microphone circuit need not be balanced, but may not be electrically con-
nected to the case or the cable shield. Only the midpoint between the two
180-ohm resistors – practically speaking, one of the two poles of the power
supply – is connected to the cable shield and the microphone housing, oth-
erwise neither would have any shielding effect, especially in the case of
microphones with dc polarization.
If other types of microphones not requiring a dc supply are to be connect-
ed, both feed lines must be interrupted.
It is not enough just to cut off the dc voltage, since the other microphones
would then be inadmissibly loaded by the two 180-ohm resistors. If the
supply current is not switched off, a dynamic microphone or any micro-
phone using an output transformer will deliver distorted output, and rib-
bon microphones will even sustain damage.
5.9.2 Phantom powering
With phantom powering in accordance with IEC 1938, the dc current is
divided, one half being fed to the microphone through each of the two
AF conductors and returning to the dc voltage source via the cable shield.
Since both the AF conductors are at the same potential, dynamic and other
microphones with balanced and floating output can also be connected to
the terminals for phantom-powered microphones without any need to switch
off the supply voltage. For the same reason, no blocking capacitors are nec-
essary if the following amplifier likewise has a balanced and floating input,
as is usually the case in professional studios.
Fig. 27 shows the circuitry of a condenser microphone designed for phan-
tom powering.

Fig. 27 Phantom powering. The dc could also be fed via the center taps of transformers instead
of via the twin resistors R1 and R2. The power supply is connected to the electrical center
point formed by the resistors R2.

46
The following values for the phantom powering of microphones are stan-
dardized in IEC 1938:
Supply voltage 12 ± 1 V 24 ± 4 V 48 ± 4 V
Supply current max. 15 mA max. 10 mA max. 10 mA
Resistors R2 680 ohms 1200 ohms 6800 ohms
In order to signify which of the three supply systems is provided, the desig-
nations P12, P24 or P48 are recommended.
The cable shield, which carries the dc supply current, may also provide a
path for hum or interference caused by ground loops or multiple ground-
ing. In order to prevent this, a high ac resistance R3 is interpolated in the
supply circuit. Together with the capacitance C1, this constitutes a filter
network for interference voltages superimposed on the supply voltage. In
addition, R3 ensures that only a small fraction of such interference voltages
falls off across the twin resistors R1 and R2 and – should these not be strict-
ly symmetrical – find ingress into the output circuit of the microphone.
Phantom powering at 48 volts (“P48”) permits the construction of particu-
larly simple and reliable dc polarized condenser microphones, and has there-
fore achieved the greatest acceptance in professional recording. The rela-
tively high supply voltage can be utilized directly as capsule bias, and the
high-value ac resistance referred to above as R3 can be an ohmic resistor, as
part of the supply voltage can be dropped across ft.
The capsule bias of dc polarized condenser microphones is also often ob-
tained from an internal dc converter oscillating at a frequency outside the
audible range.
The ac resistance R3 (Fig. 27), which makes the current supply via the ca-
ble shield uncritical, is often omitted in microphones designed for 12-volt
phantom powering. Some microphone amplifiers are designed to operate at
any voltage between 7.5 and 52 volts in phantom powering mode, provided
that one or two resistors are appropriately rated.
All condenser microphones may also be operated from batteries. Some are
provided for internal batteries. This enables them to be connected to any
inputs designed for dynamic microphones without any problems with pow-
er supplies. Some microphones with electret capsules even omit the on-off
switch for the internal battery, for the current drain can be so low that the
battery lasts for over a year anyway. There are a number of studio micro-
phones that may be powered from an external power supply or from inter-
nal batteries.

47
If A-B- or phantom-powered studio microphones are to be connected to
equipment not meant for professional use, the input must always be checked
to ensure that it is balanced and “floating”. If it is not, an isolating trans-
former or other dc-blocking devices must be used.
Phantom powered dc polarized condenser microphones are the ones offer-
ing the widest choice of models.
A-B powering as per IEC 1938 with its relatively low-value supply resistors
affords the audio development engineer less freedom in the design of the
circuitry – apart from various other disadvantages – while radio-frequency
circuitry offers no possibility, for instance, to modify the directional char-
acteristic electrically by simple means.

48
6. Microphone types used in recording practice

The point of this section is not to describe specific examples of the wide
variety of microphones used in regular practice; manufacturers’ catalogs are
readily available and provide all necessary details.
Rather, the aim is to follow the foregoing presentation of a number of prin-
ciples which apply to standard microphones with some details of various
special microphones which play an important part in practice.
6.1 Miniature microphones
with diameters ranging from 18 to 22 mm are especially preferred in situa-
tions where they should be largely hidden from view – in films and televi-
sion, for instance.
6.2 Microphones of larger size
enable the capsule to be more effectively protected from structure-borne
noise and wind; switches can also be incorporated in the microphone body –
for the selection of various polar patterns, e.g., or a multi-stage bass cut-off
(impact sound filter) or switchable overload protection to protect the mi-
crophone amplifier against overload due to very high sound pressure levels.
6.3 Hand-held and soloist’s microphones
are used predominantly for close-talking applications. They allow very high
sound pressure levels, and are provided with a pop screen of fine-mesh wire
gauze or open-cell foam plastic, which is designed to prevent overloading
by explosive consonants, predominantly with condenser microphones.
Hand-held and soloist’s microphones are available both as condenser and
dynamic types.
Although it may appear that pressure transducers would be the first choice
for such applications because of their insensitivity to structure-borne noise
and lack of proximity effect (Section 3.2.2), special pressure gradient trans-
ducers are actually preferred in the majority of cases.
In the case of condenser microphones, their diaphragms are mechanically
tauter and in the case of dynamic microphones they are made less compli-
ant, so that, when measured in a plane sound field, their sensitivity has a
roll-off of 6 dB/octave to lower frequencies. Low-frequency interference is
therefore transmitted only very faintly. At close distances, however, a flat
frequency response is obtained, as the proximity effect typical for pres-
sure-gradient microphones (Fig. 5) compensates for that roll-off.

49
6.4 Noise-suppressing microphones
In microphones intended for speech recording in noisy environments, the
diaphragm is made so taut that this sensitivity roll-off starts to become ef-
fective at about 1000 Hz for all remoter sound sources, and only close talk-
ing at some 2 ... 4 cm distance results in a usable speech frequency response.
These microphones make good speech transmission possible even in very
noisy environments, such as motor vehicles and airplanes, and this is mostly
further improved by a slight boost in the region of 1 ... 3 kHz (so-called
“speech presence”).

Fig. 28 Noise-suppressing dynamic close-talking microphone (MD 425, Sennheiser)

6.5 Flexible or fixed capsule extensions, active capsules

In the case of condenser microphones required to be visually unobtrusive
or light-weight – carried on a fishpole boom, for instance – the capsule can
be physically separated from the amplifier.
Formerly, a coaxial, low-capacity lead was interposed between the capsule
and the amplifier input, which could be made straight or bent. The capaci-

50
tance of this lead, which, of course, is in parallel with that of the capsule
capacitance, is kept low by the fact that the inner conductor has an ex-
tremely small diameter. It must also not be flexible, as any change in capac-
ity brought about by a movement of the microphone will be converted to
electrical voltages in the same way as diaphragm movements.
To avoid this, for the electrical connection between the amplifier section of
the microphone and the capsule, a field effect transistor wired as an imped-
ance converter should be incorporated in the capsule to reduce the high
capsule impedance to a value uncritical for long leads. Today’s circuit to-
pologies furthermore allow the complete circuitry to be fully miniaturized
so as to fit inside the capsule housing, only slightly enlarging it.

6.6 Microphones for room-oriented stereophony

In principle, no special microphones are needed for stereo recordings in-
tended for reproduction through loudspeakers. However, if a two-channel
recording is to give a satisfactory sound when played back through mono-
phonic equipment, it should be made by the “intensity stereophony” meth-
od: not transit time differences (delay time differences), but intensity dif-
ferences between the signals carried by the two channels should hold the
directional information. Delay differences would result in interference be-
tween the signals, and thus to an unsatisfactory mono playback. Such
differences are permissible only when one of the two sound components is
at least 6 dB weaker than the other.
Delay differences are most easily avoided through the use of so-called “Ste-
reo Microphones”. Two directional microphones are arranged closely spaced,
and the sound waves impinge on them practically at the same instant. One
of the microphones is rotated with respect to the other. The directional
characteristics of the two microphones provide the desired intensity differ-
ences.
Some dynamic stereo microphones are made up of two identical cardioid
microphones in close proximity and at right-angles to each other, mounted
on the same stand. In another version, as in most condenser stereo micro-
phones, both capsules are arranged one above the other within a common
housing, the upper capsule being rotatable.
Some stereo microphones can also be switched to different polar patterns,
and their upper capsule can be turned in either direction relative to the
lower (fixed) capsule. This means that the fixed system I can be directed
to the left part, and the rotatable system II to the right part of the sound
source, regardless of whether the microphone is hanging or standing up-

51
right (so called XY-technique). According to German standards, the left
channel should be marked yellow, the right channel red.
Fig. 29 shows a stereo condenser microphone with rotatable upper capsule.
The directional patterns can be switched in the microphone itself. There
are various other types providing remote control of the polar pattern.

Fig. 29 Stereo microphone with polar pattern switches (USM 69 i, Neumann)

The stereo microphone shown in Fig. 30 is a combination of a shotgun mi-

crophone (see Section 6.8) for handling the middle signal and a second mi-
crophone system with a figure-8 characteristic at right-angles to the micro-
phone axis, which picks up a side signal (so-called MS-technique). The
microphone signals are converted to left- and right-hand information in a
matrix amplifier. The width of the stereo base can be varied by altering the
amplification of the side signal, so that the directional characteristic and
the pick-up angle can be remote-controlled despite having fixed microphone
systems.

52
Fig. 30 RSM 191 A-System (Neumann)

For stereo recordings that are not required to also provide high-quality mono-
phonic reproduction and in which delay time (phase) differences between
the two channels can be tolerated, two single microphones are set up be-
side each other at a distance of 17 cm to several meters (so-called A-B tech-
nique), occasionally together with a middle microphone arranged to pick
up both channels; or one of the following set-ups might be selected:
With the ORTF-method, two cardioid microphones arranged at a distance
of 17 cm between diaphragm centers are turned by 55° to the right and left
respectively.
The OSS-method according to Jecklin makes use of a 30 cm circular disc
lined with absorbent material between two non-directional pressure transduc-
ers. As frequency rises, this has the effect of increasing channel separation.
Each of these methods is said to offer certain advantages for specific appli-
cations. In general, stereo recordings utilizing both intensity and delay time
differences meet with somewhat higher approval.

53
The user must bear in mind, however, that delay time differences not only
impair the quality of mono reproduction, but also make it necessary for the
listener to take up exactly the same distance from the right and left loud-
speaker.
In the case of pure intensity stereophony, this requirement allows more
latitude: a delay time difference results here only by reason of the fact that
the listener’s position is mostly not equidistant from the two loudspeakers.
It is constant throughout the entire recording, and can to a certain extent
be eliminated by the listener, as it contains no information of any interest.
In conclusion it should be mentioned that additional single microphones
are used in most stereo recordings, as spot microphones; their outputs are
electrically distributed among the channels, either in equal parts or as re-
quired. In order to prevent them from being affected by the localization
transmitted by the more remote main microphone or microphones, they
may be mixed in only at relatively low levels or via a delay network.

6.7 Microphones for head-oriented stereophony

Recordings made by the head-oriented stereophonic technique use two chan-
nels in conjunction with a “dummy head”, which is equipped with micro-
phones in place of normal hearing organs. When listening with a high quality
stereo headphone, a sound impression is produced which is almost identi-
cal to that which the listener would have heard at the location of the dum-
my head, provided he had kept his head still.
Dummy heads are often used at considerably long distances from the sound
source. It has been found that the best results are obtained when they are
equalized in such a way that their frequency response is more or less flat in
the diffuse, and not in the free sound field. Accordingly, the headphone re-
production is most pleasing when the stereo headphone has a flat diffuse-field
transmission factor in accordance with IEC 60268-4.
When listening through loudspeakers, the sound impression largely corre-
sponds to that which a conventional stereo microphone at the location of
the dummy head would convey, but with a differentiated image of the depth
of the room.
In the case of the dummy head depicted in Fig. 31, a special adapter has
been inserted between the 4 mm long auditory canals and the condenser
microphone assigned to each ear to adapt the small diameter of the audito-
ry canal to the larger one of the microphone. This adapter also contains

54
acoustic networks for the desired diffuse-field equalization, and renders fur-
ther equalization measures superfluous.

Fig. 31 Dummy Head (KU 100, Neumann)

With earlier real-head stereo microphones for amateurs, the person making
the recording used his own head instead of a dummy head. It has been shown
that also the placement of miniature microphones a few millimeters before
the entrance to the auditory canal results in acceptable transmission of di-
rectional information by headphone playback. The real-head microphone
(Fig. 32) consisted of a chin yoke with two extensions which were sus-
pended from the ears and carried two miniature condenser electret micro-
phones, the diaphragms of which faced upwards and, when carried in this
way, were held about 10 mm in front of the entrance to the auditory canal.
The associated battery power supply unit was carried in the pocket.

55
Fig. 32 Real-head stereo microphone (MKE 2002, Sennheiser)

6.8 Ultra-directional microphones (shot-gun microphones)

In this type of microphone, the interference effect is utilized over a wide
frequency range (to frequencies below 500 Hz, depending on the tube
length).
In front of the diaphragm of the microphone is a tube that has an axial slit
or numerous openings cut in the wall. Sound impinging on the tube at an
angle changes its direction of propagation after entering either the slit or
the openings. It is not in phase with the sound components entering at oth-
er points and is therefore attenuated (Fig. 33): the path sections a and b are
of different length.

56
Fig. 33 Operating principle of the single-tube (shot gun) directional microphone (D = diaphragm)

Only for sound impinging parallel to the tube axis the sound components
are in phase and are not attenuated by interference. The result is a lobe-
shaped directional characteristic.
For the polar diagram to be of similar shape for all frequencies within the
response range, the effective tube length must become shorter with rising
frequency. To this end the slit is covered with fine gauze, which causes the
acoustic flow resistance inside the tube to increase with rising frequency,
so that the tube effectively becomes shorter. At the same time the gauze
prevents resonances from occurring in the tube.
To compensate for the increasing damping effect at high frequencies, the
affected sound components are appropriately boosted by the amplifier. At
lower frequencies the tube length is no longer great when compared with
the sound wavelength, therefore an approximately lobe-shaped directional
characteristic is retained in this range by arranging the microphone system
to operate as a pressure gradient transducer with cardioid or hypercardioid
characteristic at low frequencies.
Most interference-tube microphones also have perforations at the front of
the tube. This has the effect of raising the sensitivity by some 6 dB, espe-
cially to sound waves impinging from the front, down to relatively low fre-
quencies, as the result of pressure build-up on the diaphragm (s. Section 3.3).
Interference-tube microphones are almost exclusively designed as condens-
er microphones.
Fig. 34 shows an interference-tube microphone with a total length of
39.5 cm and a polar diagram as depicted in Fig. 35.

57
Fig. 34 Single-tube (shotgun) directional microphone (KMR 82 i, Neumann)

Fig. 35 Polar diagram of the microphone shown in Fig. 34

58
Since the microphone has to function as a pressure gradient transducer only
at low frequencies (longer wavelengths), the sound detour to the rear of
the diaphragm can be longer than it is with other pressure gradient micro-
phones (cp. Section 3.2.1). This gives rise to wider pressure differences
and thus to more powerful driving forces for the diaphragm, and the latter
does not have to be so extremely compliant as it must be in microphones
which also have to function as pressure gradient transducers at higher fre-
quencies. The microphone is therefore less susceptible to shocks and vibra-
tions, handling noise, etc.
In order to also exploit these advantages for more handy microphones, mod-
els were developed with a short interference tube which are especially suit-
able for recordings in unsettled surroundings, but are also popular as hand,
desk or podium microphones. Their lobe pattern is somewhat broader than
that of longer interference-tube microphones, but still narrower than a car-
dioid or hypercardioid, and is occasionally very useful for sound reinforce-
ment.
A microphone of this type is shown in Fig. 36.

Fig. 36 Condenser microphone with short interference tube (KMR 81 i, Neumann)

59
6.9 Lavalier and clip-on microphones
Singers and speakers who must be free to move around in the course of
their performance are often provided with so-called “Lavalier” microphones.
These microphones – mostly pressure transducers – are worn on the chest,
suspended from a cord worn round the neck. Their transducer system is
protected against solid-borne noise picked up via the case, so that, for in-
stance, noise caused by friction against the wearer’s clothing remains inau-
dible. The response of the microphone is boosted by some 8 to 10 dB to-
wards the upper end of the frequency scale, as higher-frequency voice
components are radiated in the direction of speech, and not towards the
chest. In addition, there is a resonance ‘hump’ in the voices of male speak-
ers at about 700 Hz and of female speakers at about 800 Hz, which is the
result of sound radiated from the chest cavity. Some Lavalier microphones,
equalize this resonance either acoustically or electrically.
Fig. 37 illustrates a dynamic Lavalier microphone.

Fig. 37 Dynamic Lavalier microphone (M 111 N, beyerdynamic)

In television studios, a small “clip-on” microphone is preferred over a Lava-

lier; it looks like a badge or a piece of jewelry worn on the clothing (on a
lapel, for instance), and is hardly noticeable on the TV screen. What is stat-

60
ed above regarding the frequency response applies likewise to these micro-
phones; however, a resonance ‘hump’ at 700 or 800 Hz is found only in
isolated cases, owing to the different way in which it is worn.
The output of both microphone types is transmitted via a flexible cable
and, in the case of condenser microphones also via a small adapter. Very
often the link is wireless, being provided by a battery-powered pocket trans-
mitter.
Fig. 38 shows a capacitive lapel microphone, which contains only an inte-
grated field effect transistor and very high impedance resistor, apart from
the microphone capsule.

Fig. 38 Capacitive lapel microphone (MKE 2, Sennheiser)

6.10 Wireless microphones

Complete independence of microphone cables is afforded by microphones
containing in the case a small transmitter and the batteries needed to pow-
er it. Sometimes these are integrated with the microphone itself. A small
piece of wire is all that is required for the transmitter antenna. In the case
of more recent types operating in the centimeter wave band (500 to 1000
MHz), only a short metal rod serving as antenna is attached to the rear of
the microphone or integrated in the microphone housing.
With wireless transmission in enclosed rooms, pronounced standing waves
can always be anticipated, especially when using such short waves. Move-
ments of the microphone cause the incoming signal level to fluctuate strongly,
and there are many places at which it falls to zero. To compensate for such

61
fluctuations, frequency modulation is used for transmission, with severe
amplitude limitation. In addition, provision is made for diversity reception:
an automatic circuit switches the receiver always to the one receiving an-
tenna of several which happens to be delivering the RF signal at the highest
voltage at any particular moment. This action is inaudible for the listener.
Newer transmission systems of this kind are provided in addition with a
compander circuit to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, with the result that
cordless microphones are often used today in place of cable-attached mi-
crophones for high-quality applications without any appreciable loss of fi-
delity.
Fig. 39 depicts a cordless microphone for announcers and vocalists. It can be
equipped with electret condenser or dynamic capsules and its transmitter op-
erates at a frequency between 450 and 960 MHz at a power of some 60 mW.

Fig. 39 Cordless electret microphone for announcers and vocalists with integrated antenna
(SKM 5000, Sennheiser)

6.11 Boundary-layer microphones

These microphones, also knows as PZM (pressure zone microphones), are
small condenser pressure transducers which are built flush into a rigid plate
so that their diaphragm is (almost) at the level of the surface. The plate of
the microphone can be placed on a larger surface, such as the floor, or at-

62
tached to a wall, etc. This kind of arrangement approximates to some ex-
tent the conditions of the “infinite baffle”, which acts as a reflector down
to the lowest frequencies.
Whereas in the sound field of a room standing waves invariably develop,
and with them frequency- and location-dependent sound pressure maxima
and minima, a microphone mounted in a boundary surface is in a sound
pressure maximum all the time. As a result, fluctuations in the frequency
response of the impinging sound pressure play no part, and the useful volt-
age is doubled. It should be mentioned that when sound arrives obliquely,
the high-frequency components undergo some attenuation through inter-
ference, as not all parts of the diaphragm receive the sound waves at the
same time. A flat frequency response for sound impinging from the side
can only be obtained when the diameter of the diaphragm is less than
5 mm.
Some boundary-layer microphones are produced with very small diaphragm
diameters, which enable them to handle sound signals arriving from the side
without high-frequency loss. They also transmit indirect sounds that reach
the microphone via wall, floor and ceiling reflections with a high degree of
fidelity, and these are the sounds that convey to the listener important infor-
mation on the size and nature of the recording room. Transients and im-
pulse sounds retain their original sound character. The free-field and
diffuse-field frequency response of the microphone are identical. The lis-
tener has the impression – more than with conventional microphones – of
being in the recording room, and can identify remote sources quite well, as
would a person actually in the room. Also the positioning of the micro-
phone is much less critical. However, boundary-layer microphones can only
pick up acoustical waves in half of a room because they are built into plates.
It must be said, however, that the conventional methods of giving a micro-
phone a desired directional characteristic cannot be applied here. Both the
pressure gradient and the interference principle make use of transit time
delays, which would nullify the desired effects. Still, some microphones
are produced with pressure-gradient capsules mounted close to the ground
plate, to attenuate the rear “quarter-space”. The proximity to the ground
plate excludes any interference arising between direct sound and ground
reflections, as can happen with microphones on a table mount.
Fig. 40 shows a boundary-layer microphone with the associated rigid plate.
Its aperture is a mere 12 mm in diameter. A removable gauze grille attenu-
ates air noises. With its non-central position of the capsule on this ground

63
plate without any axis of symmetry, interferences between direct and re-
flected sound impinging on the diaphragm are avoided. Reflected compo-
nents arise at all boundary layers, when the sound waves hit the rims of the
ground plate.
Since directional microphones, as indicated in the foregoing, cannot be man-
ufactured on this basis, stereo recordings can be made only by so-called
A-B method, using the principle of phase differences.

Fig. 40 Boundary-layer microphone (GFM 132, Neumann)

64
7. Some criteria for assessing sensitivity and operating
characteristics

The information that should be contained in a microphone specification is

laid down in the IEC 60268 standard, Part 4. For the relevant part of the
information, limits are stated or tolerance curves are shown, to which all
microphones purporting to be of “home studio” or “HiFi” standard and
marked as such must conform.
These refer to (among other requirements):
the frequency response, the polar pattern and the directivity index, the
total harmonic distortion at 10 Pa sound pressure and the difference in
sensitivity of the two channels of stereo microphones.
Stricter measurement standards apply to studio microphones and these are
to be found in the standard operating procedures of national radio and TV
administrations, or are mutually agreed upon between the user and the
manufacturer. When assessing the transducing properties of microphones,
there must be considered, in addition to the frequency response, the direc-
tional characteristic as well as the harmonic distortion, which for studio
quality microphones is expressed as “sound pressure level limit for less than
0.5% total harmonic distortion” and also the weighted self-noise level, which
is an important factor (for definition, see Appendix).
In dynamic microphones, the self-noise level is usually determined by the
free-field voltage response and the ohmic resistance which can be meas-
ured at the microphone output, and which is practically the noise source of
the microphone.
For 1 mV/Pa (= 0.1 mV/µbar) and 200 ohms, the weighted self-noise level
is about 32 dB. Microphones for general use therefore should not have a
free-field voltage response lower than that, since otherwise the noise con-
tributed by the following amplifier can no longer be considered negligible.
Excellent condenser microphones achieve values of 24 dB and less. Since
they deliver 5 to 10 times the useful output voltage, the noise contribution
of the following amplifier may be disregarded. Microphones with almost
ideal characteristics – a flat frequency response over the audible range and
a directional characteristic which is nearly identical at all frequencies – find
their application throughout the audio field. However, there are other mi-
crophones which display certain unique acoustical behavior patterns, and
these are at times preferred for specific applications.

65
It is difficult to establish clear reasons for choosing condenser microphones
over good moving coil ones solely from their technical specifications. Mi-
crophones having identical frequency responses, when reproduced through
first rate systems do give distinctly different acoustical results. This is un-
derstandable, at least to some extent, if the impulse behavior of the micro-
phone is examined.
Fig. 41 shows the output voltage of two cardioid microphones, placed at a
distance of 20 cm in front of a spark gap. A capacitor discharging across the
spark gap produces an extremely short pressure impulse. The voltages put
out by the two microphones show great differences between them.

Fig. 41 Output voltages of two cardioid pattern studio microphones when stimulated by an
electrical spark discharge (above: moving coil microphone, below: condenser microphone)

Even taking into account the fact that human hearing does not respond to
phase shift of individual components in the pulse spectrum, one must note

66
that the moving coil microphone’s output shows damped oscillations oc-
curring within the audible range, which without a doubt, produce sound
coloration and may mask the directly following sound signals.
Differences in the acoustical patterns of two seemingly identically speci-
fied microphones can be caused by a differing curve for the diffuse-field
frequency response. Regrettably, this is omitted from most specifications.
In addition to the parameters determining response quality, the operational
characteristics play a great role in judging the performance of a microphone.
Enthusiastic HiFi fans are ready to take the greatest pains when using their
highly valued microphones, and, when necessary, will operate each micro-
phone through its own dedicated cable. In professional studio environments,
the technicians demand microphones that are more rugged and capable of
being operated dependably even under changing conditions and over many
years. In addition all cables must operate with all microphones in a studio
complex and plug into any microphone outlet available. This presupposes
use of a uniform powering system.
Although outdoor pickups used to often be done with dynamic microphones
recently top quality condenser microphones have taken over. These con-
denser microphones operate highly reliably when used under field condi-
tions and their operation is not degraded either by high relative humidity or
temperature. The high temperatures in motion picture and television stu-
dios, when numerous spotlights are on, present no problem to studio conden-
ser microphones.

67
Appendix

Typical technical Specification

Sensitivity 1) ....................................................................................... 21 mV/Pa – 33.5 dBV re. 1V/Pa
Max. SPL 2) ........................................................................................................................................... 138 dB SPL
Maximum output level 2) .................................................................................................. 3.5 V 13 dBu
Equivalent self-noise level CCIR 468-3 ....................................................................................... 17.5 dB
Equivalent self-noise level DIN/IEC 651 ....................................................................................... 7 dB-A
S/N ratio CCIR 468-3 ............................................................................................................................ 76.5 dB
S/N ratio DIN/IEC 651 ............................................................................................................................. 87 dB
Dynamic range DIN/IEC 651 ............................................................................................................ 131 dB
with: 0 dBu 0,775 V
0 dBV = 2.2 dBu
1 Pa 94 dB SPL
20 µPa 0 dB SPL
1)
at 1 kHz into 1 kOhm rated load impedance
2)
for 0.5 % THD

Some important characteristics of microphones can be illustrated as shown

in Fig. 42. Data taken from the technical specification is marked “bold”.
The axes for output level (dBu), output voltage (V), sound pressure level
(dB SPL) and sound pressure (Pa) are put into relation with the aid of the
free-field sensitivity.
The following steps have to be performed:
• Mark the value for “sensitivity” on the volt axis. This value corresponds
to the output at 94 dB sound pressure level.
• Draw a reference line from the above value to the value of “94 dB” on
the dB SPL axis.
• Mark the values for “max. SPL” and “equivalent self-noise level” on the
dB SPL axis
• Through these values draw lines in parallel to the reference line.
The equivalent values can now be determined in dBu, volts, dB SPL and Pa.
• The S/N ratio is defined as the difference of 94 dB SPL minus equiva-
lent self-noise level.
• The dynamic range is defined as the difference of max. SPL minus equiv-
alent self-noise level DIN/IEC 651.

68
 20 7,75 138 140 200 158
13 3.3

0 775 m 120 20

-20 77,5 m 100 2

94 1
-31 21 m
-40 7,75 m 80 0,2
131
-60 775 µ 76.5 60 20 m

-80 77,5 µ 87 40 2m

-100 7,75 µ 17.5 20 200 µ 150 µ

-107.5 3.3 µ
7 45 µ
-118 -120 775 n 1µ 0 20 µ

dBu V dB SPL Pa

Fig. 42 Illustration of some important technical data

Glossary of terms used for designating microphone characteristics

The free-field sensitivity or the transmission factor is defined as the mag-
nitude of rms voltage output from a microphone exposed to a sound pres-
sure of 1 Pa. This characteristic is usually given for 1 kHz (1 Pa = 1 Pascal
= 10 µbar).
The overload sound pressure level is the max. sound pressure level (SPL)
for which the total harmonic distortion reaches a defined value (usually a
THD of 0.5%).
The unweighted self-noise level is the voltage level output from a micro-
phone in the absence of a sound pressure stimulation. This self-noise, also
known as inherent noise, is mainly caused by thermal agitation within the
electrical and acoustical resistances.
The weighted self-noise level should be measured as a quasi-peak value,
using a psophometer via a special auditory weighting network with a fre-
quency curve that takes into account the greater burden imposed by com-
ponents over 1 kHz. Set into relation with the free-field sensitivity, the
equivalent self-noise level can be calculated.

69
The S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio) is the relationship expressed in dB of
the voltage delivered by the microphone at 1 Pa ( 94 dB SPL) sound pres-
sure and 1 kHz frequency to its self-noise voltage.
It must be noted that some specifications are not based on the weighted
self-noise level as per CCIR 468-3 (quasi-peak value, special filter network),
but on the rms value measured via the A-filter of the sound level meter
standardized in DIN/IEC 651 (Equivalent SPL and S/N ratio DIN/IEC 651).
This method of measurement yields values for the inherent S/N ratio that
may be up to 13 dB higher, and thus appear to be substantially better. This
should be borne in mind when comparing specifications.
As is usual in audio engineering, all absolute values can also be expressed in
decibels by stating their logarithmic relationship to a reference value, which
in this case is defined as “level”.
The reference value for sound pressure level is the sound pressure p0 = 20 µPa
(threshold of hearing at 1 kHz).
The sound pressure level L for a sound pressure p is

p
L = 20 log dB
p0

70
Subject Index
Pages
A-B powering ..................................................................................... 45, 48
Active transducer ....................................................................................... 9
Air cushion stiffness ........................................................................... 32, 33
Balanced output ................................................................................. 42, 46
Battery power supply ......................................................................... 47, 48
Blind holes .......................................................................................... 32, 33
Boundary-layer microphones .............................................................. 62-64
Capsule extension .................................................................................... 50
Cardioid characteristic ..................................................... 16, 18-19, 21-23,
35, 38, 51
Clip-on microphones .......................................................................... 60-61
Close talking ................................................................... 15, 18, 31, 49, 50
Compensating coil in dynamic microphones ............................................ 30
Condenser microphones .................................................... 9, 27, 29, 32-48,
57, 65, 67
Corona discharge ...................................................................................... 39
Counter-electrode of condenser microphones ....................... 32-34, 37, 44
Cut-off frequency, bottom ......................................................... 29, 36, 41
Dc converters ........................................................................................... 47
Dc polarization ...................................................... 9, 36, 38, 41, 42, 44, 48
Delay element, acoustic ........................................................ 17, 18, 29, 33
Delay, acoustic ......................................................................................... 31
Diaphragm ............................................................ 9, 11-13, 17, 19, 20, 21,
24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32-34
Diaphragm resonance .................................................................. 26, 27, 33
Diffuse field equalization ......................................................................... 55
Diffuse field frequency response ........................................... 22-24, 63, 67
Diffuse field sensitivity ............................................................................ 23
Diffuse sound field, behavior in ............................................................... 19
Directional characteristic, selection of ............................................... 37, 38

71
 Pages
Directivity index ................................................................................ 23, 65
Direct sound field, behavior in .......................................................... 19, 22
Displacement-controlled transducer .................................................... 9, 32
Distance (of microphone) ..................................................... 15, 18, 19, 20
Distortion, non-linear ............................................................................... 34
Distortion, permissible .......................................................... 40, 65, 68, 69
Distributor network ................................................................................. 31
Dummy head ..................................................................................... 54, 55
Dynamic microphones .......................................................... 26, 27, 47, 49
Dynamic range ................................................................................... 39, 42
Electret microphone capsules ............................................... 38, 39, 47, 62
Feedback, acoustic ................................................................................... 22
Field transmission factor (sensitivity) ................................... 11, 16, 65, 68
Figure-8 characteristic ..................................................... 11, 18, 21, 33, 52
Footfall sensitivity .................................................................................... 26
Free field frequency response ............................................................ 22-25
Frequency range ....................................................................................... 20
Handling noises .................................................................................. 26, 59
Hand microphones ................................................................................... 49
Head-oriented stereophony, microphones for ......................................... 54
HiFi Standard, German ........................................................................... 23
High tuning of diaphragm .................................................................. 27, 32
Humidity .................................................................................... 39, 41, 67
Hypercardioid characteristic .............................................................. 18-20
Hypercardioids ................................................................. 18-20, 23, 57, 59
Inherent noise ....................................................................... 34, 39, 40, 69
Intensity stereophony ........................................................................ 51, 54
Interference cancellation .................................................................... 20, 21
Interference transducers ....................................................... 14, 20, 21, 33
Interference tube microphones .................................................... 52, 56-59

72
 Pages
Jecklin disc ............................................................................................... 53
Lavalier microphone ........................................................................... 30, 60
Limit sound pressure ............................................................. 40, 65, 68, 69
Lobe-shaped characteristic .................................................... 21, 56, 57, 59
Low frequency attenuation ...................................................................... 15
Low frequency emphasis ............................................................. 15, 18, 31
Low-pass filter, acoustic ..................................................................... 17, 33
Low-tuning of diaphragm ............................................................ 27, 28, 30
Microphone dimensions, influence of ................................................ 10, 20
Microphone distance ............................................................. 15, 18, 20, 23
Mid-band diaphragm tuning ..................................................................... 27
Miniature condenser microphones ........................................................... 49
Moving coil microphones ....................................................... 29-31, 66, 67
Noise-compensated microphones ............................................................ 50
Noise spectrum of the microphone ............................................. 39, 43, 44
Omnidirectional characteristic .............................................. 11, 16, 20, 37
Operational amplifiers, microphone circuitry with ............................ 39-41
ORTF method .......................................................................................... 53
OSS method ............................................................................................ 53
Overload limit .......................................................................................... 40
Overload sound pressure level .................................................... 40, 49, 69
Passive transducers ..................................................................................... 9
Phantom powering ....................................................................... 41, 46-48
Plane sound field, behavior in .................................................................. 12
Polar diagram .................................................................. 21, 23, 38, 57, 58
Pop screen ................................................................................................ 49
Pre-attenuation, switchable ................................................................ 40, 49
Presence ................................................................................................. 19
Presence accentuation .............................................................................. 50
Pressure build-up ........................................................................ 20, 21, 57

73
 Pages
Pressure gradient transducers ...................................... 9, 11, 14-18, 27, 33
Pressure transducers ........................................................ 9, 11, 17, 20, 24,
27, 28, 30, 32
Pressure-zone microphones ...................................................................... 62
Proximity effect .......................................................................... 14, 15, 49
Radio-frequency circuitry ....................................................... 9, 43, 44, 48
Real-head stereo microphones ........................................................... 55, 56
Reverberation balance .............................................................................. 23
Reverberation radius ................................................................................ 22
Reverberation sound ................................................................................ 19
Reverberation time, effect on reverberation radius ................................. 22
Ribbon impedance .................................................................................... 28
Ribbon microphones .......................................................................... 28-29
Room-oriented stereophony, microphones for ......................................... 51
Self-resonance of diaphragm .................................................................... 30
Self-noise level ...................................................................... 42, 65, 68, 69
Sensitivity ....................................................................... 11, 19, 20, 50, 65
Sensitivity to wind ............................................................................. 26, 31
Shadowing effect ............................................................................... 20, 21
Signal-to-noise ratio ........................................................ 34, 44, 61, 68, 70
Solid-borne noise sensitivity ................................................. 26, 30, 49, 60
Soloist’s microphone ................................................................................ 49
Sound openings in fixed electrode (backplate) ........................................ 17
Sound particle velocity ...................................................................... 12, 28
Sound pressure differences, origination of ............................................... 13
Sound wavelengths in air .......................................................................... 20
Speaking distance, short ..................................................................... 16, 50
Spherical sound field, behavior in ...................................................... 14, 15
Spot microphones .................................................................................... 54
Stereo microphones ..................................................................... 51, 54-56
Supercardioid characteristic ............................................................... 18, 19

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 Pages
Supercardioids ................................................................................... 18, 19
Supply currents ........................................................................................ 47
Supply voltages ........................................................................................ 47
Susceptibility to shock ................................................................ 28, 30, 59
Symmetrically assembled condenser microphone capsules ..................... 34
Teflon film ............................................................................................... 38
Transient behavior .................................................................................... 66
Transition frequency ................................................................... 14, 21, 33
Transit time difference, effect of ................................................ 51, 53, 54
Transmission factor ......................................................... 11, 19, 20, 50, 65
Transparency ............................................................................................ 19
Two-way principle ................................................................................... 31
Universal phantom powering ................................................................... 47
Variable distance principle ....................................................................... 31
Velocity transducers ............................................................................ 9, 26
Wireless microphones ........................................................................ 61-62

75
Literature
(Each title is prefixed by the number of the chapter of reference).
3. H. Grosskopf: Die Mikrophonentwicklung der letzten Jahre.
E.T.Z.-B. 1953, No 10, p. 337 ... 341, No 11, p. 369 ... 374, No 12,
p. 402 ... 407.
3.2 H. Grosskopf: Gerichtete Mikrophone mit phasendrehenden Glie-
dern. Fernmeldetechn. Z. 1950, No 7, P. 248 ... 253.
3.3 H. Grosskopf: Über Methoden zur Erzielung eines gerichteten Schall-
empfangs. Techn. Hausmitt. NWDR 1952, No 11 and 12.
3.2.4 Richtmikrophone: “Nieren und Supernieren”.
Grundig Techn. Inf. 1/1971, p. 189...191.
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Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., New York 1955, p. 42.
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letzten 25 Jahren. Funktechnik 1970, No 11, p. 413 ... 416.
4.5 H. Grosskopf: Dynamische Mikrophone mit einseitiger Richtwirkung.
Kinotechnik 1963, p. 321 ... 328.
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zip und seine Entwicklung. Funktechnik 1967, No 15, p. 551 ...553.
4.5 E. Werner: Ein neues dynamisches Richtmikrophon.
Fernseh- und Kinotechnik 1971, No 4, p. 127 ... 129.
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Fernseh- und Kinotechnik 1970, No 10, p. 369 ... 372.
5.5 G. Boré: Transistorbestückte Kondensatormikrophone in Niederfre-
quenzschaltung. radio mentor electronic 1967, No 7, p. 528 ... 532.
5.5 S. Peus and 0. Kern: TLM 170 Design (TransformerLess Micropho-
ne), Studio Sound, p. 72 ... 74, March 1986.
5.6 G.M. Sessler and J.E. West: Electret Transducers, a Review,
J.A.S.A. 53 (1973), No 6, S. 1589 ... 1600 (with 90 bibliographical
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5.6 R.B. Schulein: Elektrete und Kondensatormilkrophone.
Studio 1978, No 10, p. 19 ... 22.

76
5.8 H. Hirsch: Kondensatormikrophone in Hochfrequenzschaltung.
Funkschau 1966, No 17, p. 547 ... 548.
5.9 G. Boré: Anschlußtechnik der Transistormikrophone.
Elektronorm 1969, No 7, p. 299 ... 301.
6.2 S. Peus: Mikrophon mit neuer Doppelmembrankapsel.
radio mentor electronic 1980, H. 6, S. 167 ... 169.
6.6 K. Bertram: Über den Umgang mit Stereo-Koinzidenz-Mikrophonen.
Telefunken-Zeitung, Jahrgang 38 (1965), No 3/4, p. 338 ... 347.
6.7 W. Kuhl und R. Plantz: Kopfbezogene Stereophonie und andere Ar-
ten der Schallübertragung im Vergleich mit dem natürlichen Hören.
Rundfunktechnische Mitteilungen 19 (1975), No 3, p. 120 ... 132
(with 37 further literature references).
6.7 J. Blauert et al.: Wissenschaftliche Grundlagen der kopfbezogenen
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218 (with 86 further literature references).
6.7 Der Kunstkopf – Theorie und Praxis.
Georg Neumann GmbH Berlin, 1992
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selektivität. Acustica 4 (1954), Beiheft 1, p. 469 ... 470.
6.8 H.J. Griese: Das Telemikrophon.
radio mentor 1956, No 11, p. 702 ... 704.
6.8 H.J. Griese: Ein neues Fernsehmikrophon.
Internationale Elektronische Rundschau 1965, No 2, p. 68-70.
6.9 R. Plantz: Elektroakustische Anforderungen an Lavalier- Mikrophone.
Rundfunktechnische Mitt. 9 (1965), No 3, p. 166 ... 169.
6.10 Sennheiser Revue, with Planning Brochure, Practical Applications in
RF Technology, Part 3, Sennheiser Technical Info, March 1999.
6.11 Lipshitz and Vandercooy: The Acoustical Behaviour of Pressure-
responding Microphones Positioned on Rigid Boundaries – a Review
and Critique. AES preprint No 1976, Los Angeles 1981.
6.11 B. Müller: Ein neuer Typ von Grenzflächenmikrophon.
Lecture at 88. AES Convention, Montreux 1990.
7. S. Peus: Impulsverhalten von Mikrophonen.
radio mentor electronic 42 (1976), No 5, p. 180 ... 183.

77
Furthermore:
L.L. Beranek: Acoustics,
Chapter 6, Mc Graw Hill, New York et al., 1954.
G. Boré: Grundlagen und Probleme der stereophonen Aufnahmetechnik.
Georg Neumann Laboratorium für Elektroakustik GmbH, Berlin, Dez. 1956.
L. Burroughs: Microphones: Design and Application.
Edited and with an introduction by J. Woram. Sagamore Publishing Com-
pany, Inc., Plainview, New York 11803, 1974.
M. Dickreiter (editor): Handbuch der Tonstudiotechnik,
edited by the Schule für Rundfunktechnik. Verlag Dokumentation Saur KG,
München, 1997.
J. Eargle: The Microphone Handbook.
Elar Publishing Co., Plainview, New York. I.D. Groves (editor): Acoustic
transducers. Benchmark Papers in Acoustics, Vol. 14. Hutchinson Ross Pu-
blishing Company, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, 1981.
IEC 60268-4: Sound System Equipment: Microphones, 1997.
IEC 1938: Sound System Equipment: Interconnections and Matching Va-
lues – Preferred Matching Values of Analogue Signals, 1987.
H.F. Olson: Acoustical Engineering.
D. van Nostrand Comp. Inc., Princeton, New York 1957.
W. Reichert: Grundlagen der Technischen Akustik.
Akadem. Verlagsges., Leipzig 1968.
J. Webers: Tonstudiotechnik,
Handbuch der Schallaufnahme und -wiedergabe bei Rundfunk, Fernsehen,
Film und Schallplatte, Franzis-Verlag GmbH, München 1974.
J.M. Woram: The Recording Studio Handbook.
Associate editor: db magazine, Segamore Publishing Company, Inc., Plain-
view, New York 11803, 1976.
T. Görne: Mikrofone in Theorie und Praxis.
Elektor-Verlag, Aachen, 1994.
R. Steicher and F. A. Everest: The New Stereo Soundbook.
AES, Pasadena 1998.

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