Mic

Mic
Name	Mic
Background	percussion
Classification	Electroacoustic transducer
Developed	19th century

Mic The mic is an electroacoustic transducer used to convert sound waves into electrical signals for recording, amplification, and analysis. It is central to fields such as audio engineering, broadcasting, recording studios, live sound reinforcement, and telephony, and intersects with technologies developed by inventors, companies, and institutions worldwide. Designs vary from early laboratory prototypes to modern condenser, dynamic, ribbon, and MEMS devices used in concert halls, film sets, and mobile electronics.

Etymology

The common name derives from colloquial shortening of terms used by inventors, engineers, and manufacturers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early scientific literature by Alexander Graham Bell, Emile Berliner, Thomas Edison, and researchers at Bell Telephone Laboratories used longer technical names that were gradually truncated in trade journals and manuals produced by firms such as Western Electric, RCA, Shure Incorporated, and Electro-Voice. Popularization in mass media by organizations like the British Broadcasting Corporation and the National Broadcasting Company cemented the shorter form in both English-language trade directories and patent filings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Types and Technology

Microphone types reflect different transduction principles and industrial traditions. The main categories include moving-coil dynamic units developed by engineers at Coles Electroacoustics and Western Electric; condenser designs advanced by E.C. Wente at Bell Labs and commercialized by Neumann (company) and AKG Acoustics; ribbon microphones used in studios by manufacturers like RCA and Beyer Dynamics; and electret condensers mass-produced by firms such as Panasonic and Sony Corporation for consumer electronics. Emerging technologies include microelectromechanical systems pioneered in research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, and digital beamforming arrays used by technology companies like Apple Inc., Google LLC, and Amazon.com, Inc..

Design and Components

Typical construction combines an acoustic diaphragm, a transducer element, a housing, and electrical connectors. Condenser designs feature a thin diaphragm and a backplate with polarization managed by power systems standardized by International Electrotechnical Commission recommendations and phantom power conventions in studio practice by Audio Engineering Society. Dynamic designs use a voice coil attached to a diaphragm moving in a magnetic field produced by magnets from suppliers aligned with standards from Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Ribbon units employ corrugated metal ribbons suspended between magnetic poles, with historic tooling and manufacturing methods described in catalogs from British Audio Engineering Society-era workshops. Accessories such as shock mounts and pop filters were refined by providers including K&M (König & Meyer) and Rycote Limited.

Applications

Microphones serve in recording studios used by artists who worked with labels such as Columbia Records, EMI Records, Universal Music Group, or Warner Music Group. Broadcast applications include studios operated by Radio France, NHK, and CBC/Radio-Canada. Live sound reinforcement at venues like Madison Square Garden, Royal Albert Hall, and Sydney Opera House relies on robust dynamic and wireless systems developed by Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG and Shure Incorporated. Film and television production on sets for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and BBC Studios deploy shotgun microphones and boom poles from manufacturers including Rode Microphones and Sanken. Telecommunications and mobile computing integrate MEMS and electret devices in products from Samsung Electronics, Huawei Technologies, and Apple Inc.. Scientific applications occur in facilities at CERN, NASA, and acoustic laboratories at Acoustical Society of America-affiliated institutions.

Performance and Specifications

Key specifications include frequency response curves measured in anechoic chambers at facilities like Harman International laboratories, sensitivity in millivolts per pascal, equivalent noise level standards evaluated by International Organization for Standardization protocols, and polar patterns such as cardioid, hypercardioid, omnidirectional, and figure-eight described in textbooks used at Juilliard School and engineering curricula at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Signal-to-noise ratio, maximum sound pressure level before clipping, and impedance matching for consoles from Solid State Logic and Yamaha Corporation are critical in system design. Wireless microphone performance is governed by spectrum allocations overseen by agencies including the Federal Communications Commission and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.

History and Development

Origins trace to acoustic experiments in the 19th century by inventors such as Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray, with electromagnetic transduction patents filed by Emile Berliner and electroacoustic research advanced at Bell Telephone Laboratories by engineers like E.C. Wente. The 1920s and 1930s saw studio ribbon and condenser innovations at RCA, Neumann (company), and Beyer Dynamics, revolutionizing broadcasting at organizations like the British Broadcasting Corporation. Postwar developments included robust moving-coil designs by Shure Incorporated used in American popular music, the rise of electret condensers for portable devices by companies such as Sony Corporation, and digital microphone electronics integrated into consumer ecosystems by Apple Inc. and Google LLC in the 21st century.

Notable Manufacturers and Models

Historic and influential manufacturers include RCA, Neumann (company), Shure Incorporated, Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, AKG Acoustics, Beyer Dynamics, Electro-Voice, Coles Electroacoustics, Sony Corporation, and Rode Microphones. Iconic models encompass units such as the Neumann U87, Shure SM57, Shure SM58, RCA 44-BX, RCA 77-DX, AKG C414, Sennheiser MD421, Coles 4038, Beyerdynamic M 160, and consumer devices from Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics that integrated MEMS microphone arrays. Contemporary professional lines from Solid State Logic consoles and field recorders by Sound Devices LLC routinely specify microphones from these makers in studio and location workflows.

Category:Audio equipment