The technology of laser is quite interesting and a popular one. Laser microphones basically use the same technology while experimenting with the sound. They first of all detect the vibrations in a reflected laser beam and then convert them into audio signal. To say more, with the help of laser light, the laser microphones converts the acoustical sound waves to electrical signal, so that it can be processed and amplified for sound reproduction.

The laser beam that it has must be reflected off a glass window or any rigid surface, which will vibrate corresponding to the nearby sound. This microphone has the ability to turn any vibrating surface into a microphone just by measuring the space between itself and the surface. This is because, while doing so, the little fluctuations in the space become the electrical signal of the sound.

However, these types of microphones are designed in a typical way. The outer housing, which is cylindrical in shape, has spaced opening so that the sound waves can enter. There is also an inner housing, which too is cylindrical in shape and is positioned centrally inside the outer one. Then, to project the laser light into the space between the outer and the inner housing and a detector to receive the laser light that modulates the sound and produce electrical signals out of the waves entering the outer housing.

The laser in the laser microphones is capable of measuring the accurate distance between itself and the surface where it is bouncing off, so in this way it can measure the fluctuation of that surface with the vibration of the sound waves. However, these kinds of microphones are used in movies as spy equipments.

Besides this, there are other types of microphones too. Like, there are lavaliere microphones, contact microphones, parabolic microphones, which are generally used for musical purpose and are in demand. Among all these, the laser microphones are the latest ones but quite expensive and point to be noted is that it is not very portable.

The best feature of the laser microphones is that it provides realistic and distortion free sound that usually was a problem with the older form of mics. Infact, the use of laser beams for sound reproduction has solved many technical problems. In the earlier forms there was only one sound channel that usually received sound from one direction. But the newest forms of microphones like the laser ones have multiple sound channels, which produce sound that are much more realistic and amazing. These types of microphones are even used in movies to give special sound effect.

Microphones vary greatly in quality. A top end recording studio microphone may cost thousands and in many cases they are needed for the very best recordings. A variety of mechanical techniques can be used in building microphones. The two most commonly found in recording studios are the magneto-dynamic and the variable condenser designs.

All microphones convert sound energy into electrical energy, but there are many different ways of doing the job, using electrostatics, electromagnetism, piezo-electric effects, or even through a change in resistance of carbon granules. When it comes to microphones used in recording studios, the vast majority of microphones used are either capacitors, electrostatic, or dynamic.

Both types employ a moving diaphragm to capture the sound, but make use of a different electrical principle for converting mechanical energy into an electrical signal. The efficiency of this conversion is very important, because the amounts of acoustic energy produced by voices and musical instruments are so small.

Different types of microphones used in recording studios

In live sound, nearly all the microphones used are dynamics. In the studio, instruments such as drums, electric guitars, and basses are recorded using dynamic microphones. Dynamic microphones have the advantages of being relatively inexpensive and durable, and they don’t need a power supply or battery to make them operate.

Dynamic microphones are most effective when working with relatively loud sound sources that do not contain a lot of very high-frequency detail. They are also tough instruments which make them good for recording studios. Another type of dynamic microphone is the ribbon microphone, but this is only used in fairly esoteric recording applications by engineers who appreciate the subtleties of the ribbon sound.

These microphones are comprised of a thin metal ribbon suspended in a magnetic field, and when sound energy is encountered, the electrical signal generated is induced in the ribbon itself rather than in a voice coil. The main advantage of ribbon microphones is their smooth, detailed sound which makes them perfect for studio environment.

Capacitor microphones are more expensive than their dynamic counterparts, and they are also much more sensitive, and can capture high-frequency detail much more accurately. Even though they are relatively efficient like dynamic microphones, capacitor microphones produce such a small electrical signal that they require a special type of built-in preamplifier to bring the signal up to usable levels. Thus they are not fit to be used in live concerts or open air concerts. Capacitors are used mostly in recording studios where there is less noise.

Conclusion

The microphone is a ubiquitous piece of equipment. Found in everything from telephones and computers to recording studios, microphones are part of our daily life. A professional studio will accumulate a varied collection of microphones. The top studios use microphones such as Shure SM58s and 57s, AKG D112s, or Sennheiser 421s.

The basic function of a microphone is to capture sound waves and interpret them into electrical signals. The common signal flow is activated through the help of thin membrane producing some proportional electrical signal.

There are different types of microphones. The microphones used for live performances are not the same as those that are used in recording studios. Microphones can be generally divided into two main categories. These are condensers and dynamic. The condenser microphones function when the diaphragm acts as one plate of a capacitor, and the vibrations produce changes in the distance between the plates.

The dynamic microphone, on the other hand, works in the same manner as a loudspeaker but only the principle is reversed. As the diaphragm vibrates, the coil moves in the magnetic field, producing a varying current in the coil through electromagnetic induction.

The bass microphone is a microphone with a very large diaphragm. They usually work on the principle of dynamic microphones. They are usually employed in situations that produce very loud sound pressure levels and they are very sturdy and have lousy high-frequency response. They are typically found inside bass drums of drum sets at rock concerts.

Another microphone is the wireless microphone, which is commonly used in various Karaoke bars and stage performances. These microphones are essentially the same as ordinary microphones, only they also have a transmitter. The transmitter can be in the body of a hand held microphone, which accounts for the larger size of a wireless microphone, or in a separate belt-worn pack. Wireless microphones typically transmit on only one unique frequency per microsecond.

A ‘true diversity’ wireless system will have two antennae on the receiver end, which incidentally, puts out a line-level signal for the mixer instead of a micro signal. When the signal strength between the two antennae varies, the receiver will opt to receive the signal from the stronger antennae. This switching can be very rapid and is usually unnoticeable. True diversity wireless systems are usually far less sensitive to radio interference and blockage than single-antennae systems.

Lavalier microphones are another type of microphone is that is used out-doors during broadcast interviews. The lavalier microphones are the familiar ‘interviewer’s collar pin’, which consists of a small, usually electret microphone worn at the chest, clipped to clothing. This can either be corded or wireless, though the latter is usually preferred.

The wireless version runs into a transmitter, usually worn on the belt. Battery or phantom power, depending on the make of the microphone, can power lavalier microphones. They have also been good for amplifying up wind instruments, clipped to the edge of the ‘bell’.