Capture of Sound · Edexcel 1.2 · A-Level Music Technology
Microphones: how they work, how they hear, and which one to reach for.
Every microphone is a transducer — it converts the acoustic energy of sound into electrical energy. There are three common ways to do that conversion. Each makes different trade-offs around frequency response, loudness handling, and what the mic can survive.
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Faraday's law, 1830s
Electromagnetic induction
Dynamic
No power neededA diaphragm attached to a coil of wire sits inside the field of a permanent magnet. Sound moves the diaphragm, the coil moves with it, and the motion induces a current — that current is the audio signal.
Frequency
Mid-range presence peak; limited above ~10 kHz
Robustness
Robust
SPL handling
Handles very high SPL
Powering
Passive
Good for
- Loud sources (kick, snare, guitar amp)
- Live vocals on a noisy stage
- Rugged everyday use
Bad for
- Distant or quiet sources
- Detailed high-frequency capture (cymbals, acoustic strings)
Real-world. The Shure SM58 has been the live-vocal workhorse for forty years for a reason — it takes a beating, doesn't need power, and still sounds the same.
Example micsShure SM57Shure SM58Sennheiser MD421
At a glance