FAQ´s Microphones.

Please see our overview of the well-established types of microphones.

The difference between the selfnoise of microphone capsule and internal electronics (stated as acoustical level, which would result in the according electrical output level) and a reference level of 94 dB SPL (equivalent to 1 Pa(scal). In case of identical measuring methods, either A weighted (adapted to human hearing) or CCIR, according selfnoise and signal to noise ratio add up to 94 dB.

A pop or wind shield protects microphones against air flows, which occur outside or when speaking mainly with breathed consonants such as “P”, “T”, “S” or “F”.
The materials used are foam or furry covers as well as nylon-mesh screens in studios. In order to protect the diaphragm, many microphones provide a fixed basket made of  metal and gauze, which also protects against wind to a certain extent. With studio microphones the pop shield has to protect the sensitive condenser diaphragm against the humidity and condensate which arise when speaking and singing.

Basically they are the same microphones, but differ in age and connector: the M 201 N provides a three-pin DIN-connector and is the original version of the 60’s of the last century (“N” means low-impedance, at that time this had to be mentioned). Shortly afterwards, the version M 201 N (C) was available, whereas “(C)” stands for “Cannon”, the inventor of the XLR connector. These two versions could be converted into one another. This is the reason why the respective connector was in a screw sleeve which poked out of the microphone shaft a little bit. Over the years the DIN version was discontinued and in the 80’s the so-called “Tour Group” microphone series was introduced, where the microphone was integrated as M 201 TG. Now the XLR connector is flush with the microphone shaft. Apart from that we manufacture the M 201 technically almost unchanged for many years.

The MCE 86 II can only be powered with phantom power. Your camera provides this power; therefore you do not need a battery-powered microphone. The MCE 86 S II is the same microphone, but it can also be powered by a 1.5 V Mignon battery.
The MCE 86 S II CAM is only a version of the MCE 86 S II for cameras (it can also be battery powered) with appropriate accessories such as the EA 86 elastic suspension, an adapter cable with mini jack plug and WS 716 wind shield.

In the voice frequency response the CK 930 can be used as an acoustical boundary microphone and can be placed on the middle of a table. Thus the direct sound and the sound reflected from the table top reach the microphone capsule almost equiphasely, a theoretical level gain of 6 dB (in practice it is approx. 5 dB) results compared to a set-up in the free field. The selected distance between microphone capsule and acoustical boundary of the CK 930 significantly improves the rear attenuation and reduces the risk of feedback, but has been optimised for the voice range. Therefore, the capsule should only point to the sound source in applications with acoustically effective boundary, when placed on a boundary it should be positioned horizontally.

The vibrating unit in a dynamic moving coil microphone (i.e. the diaphragm and the oscillating coil attached to it) has a greater weight than a ribbon or the diaphragm of a condenser microphone. More energy from the sound signal is required to make this greater mass vibrate (which is necessary for sound conversion) than is needed to make the lighter ribbons and diaphragms vibrate. A heavier diaphragm also follows a complex audio signal more lethargically than a lighter diaphragm. What initially sounds like characteristics that would eliminate moving coil microphones from competition with ribbon and condenser microphones can actually be extremely useful in many applications: a well designed moving coil microphone can often suppress interference noise on a stage (other instruments, monitor speakers, etc.) better than a corresponding condenser microphone. Dynamic microphones (with few exceptions) do not need any supply voltage at all and are often mechanically somewhat more robust. It is generally the case that a very good condenser microphone can be constructed so that it is more neutral in sound than a dynamic microphone.

With “pressure” microphones, the back of the microphone diaphragm is isolated from the sound field, they always have an omni-directional polar pattern, i.e. they pick up sound from all directions at almost exactly the same level.

With “pressure gradient” microphones, the pressure difference between the front and back sides of the diaphragm determines the preferred pick-up direction; they are always unidirectional microphones.

Even though many users believe that only the long cylindrical microphones that are seen on television are unidirectional microphones, the reality is that most models used in video, studio and live applications are unidirectional microphones – no matter what they look like.

The name comes from the fact that these microphones transmit the sound only from one direction at the full level (for the most part), while the signals from all other directions are picked up as only attenuated (softer) sounds. The designation “cardioid polar pattern” results from the two-dimensional representation of the corresponding three-dimensional measurement: it has a cardioid-shaped area around the front of the microphone, in which all signals are picked up at approximately the same level (this shape looks something like a heart, which is why the pattern is called “cardioid”). It permits a relatively large range of movement in front of the microphone, while the attenuation of signals coming from behind the microphone (180°) is particularly good. With super- and hyper-cardioid polar patterns, the front pick-up range is increasingly narrowed and the range of strongest attenuation moves toward the diagonal rear (126° – 110° from the microphone axis).

With good designs, the reduced range of movement in front of the microphone (in comparison to the cardioid) is rewarded with low crosstalk with other signals (monitor speakers, instruments, etc.) and greater feedback rejection.
With increasing directivity, i.e. starting with cardioid and continuing to super- and hyper-cardioid and on to lobar, unidirectional microphones must be directed more precisely toward the sound source; signals from the side are increasingly coloured in terms of sound quality and are transmitted at a lower level. For these reasons and others, microphones with a lobar polar pattern are not suitable for applications in front of large sound sources like choirs or orchestras.

This also explains why the question regarding the “range” of a microphone – e.g. in video applications – cannot be answered: Signals that strike the microphone from the side are transmitted more softly than those from the front; a voice from the other side of a busy street cannot be picked up in an intelligible manner even by a good microphone with a lobar polar pattern. Here it is physics that requires the user to either close the street to traffic or cross over to the other side.

Acoustic level at and above which the microphone produces a specified total harmonic distortion, usually 1% at 1 kHz.

This level defines the upper limit of the linear operating range of a microphone. This value is not specified for most dynamic microphones because it is so high that it can no longer be measured accurately.