Top Address Vs. Side Address Designs; Microphone Electronics - M-Audio Microphone User Manual

signal through headphones.That's because one side of the mic is in phase with the performer (and therefore
reinforcing their perception of their own sound) while the other side is not. Addressing the in-phase side
while monitoring produces optimal monitoring results.

Top Address vs. Side Address Designs

The orientation of the diaphragm within the head of the
microphone determines if the microphone is addressed
from the top or the side. While not an absolute rule,
medium diaphragms are typically top-address while large
diaphragms are usually side-address.
surmise from the previous discussion about design
considerations in attaining various polar patterns,
top-address mics typically have single pattern (at least
without physically changing the capsule) while side-
address mics lend themselves to the possibility of back-to-
back capsules for switchable patterns. Note that on side-
address mics, the side with the logo is usually the primary
or cardioid side.
Polar patterns aside, the practicality of side-address versus top-address designs also has to do with
logistics. Top-address microphones can usually fit into tighter spots than can side-address mics
(between drums, for example).This is yet another reason why pro engineers keep a variety of mics
in their arsenal.

Microphone Electronics

As we ve seen, the microphone capsule is responsible for translating sound waves into electrical
signals. The other important part of the microphone is the head amp that conditions the sound
coming from the capsule so that it can be transmitted through a length of cable to an external
preamp or console.
Part of a head amp s job is impedance conversion. (See A Word About Impedance for more
information on impedance.) The average line-matching transformer found in dynamic or ribbon
microphones has to convert on the order of several thousand ohms down to around 200 ohms
(or from half an ohm up to about 200 ohms). The condenser microphone presents a challenge of
a different magnitude converting a signal in the range of two billion ohms down to 200 ohms.This
incredible leap is beyond the scope of most output transformers, requiring the addition of a
specialized amplifier.
Impedance essentially describes the resistance in a circuit. Water flowing through a pipe is a good analogy to electrons
flowing through a wire. Let s say you ve got a pump designed to put 100 pounds of pressure into an eight-inch pipe. If you
double the size of the pipe to 16 inches, you get half the pressure.While the pressure is now only 50 lbs, there is no damage
to the system. Halving the size of the pipe, on the other hand, yields twice the pressure that the system was designed for.
As a result, back-pressure affects the pump, further reducing its efficiency and increasing the potential of an explosion.
In terms of audio electronics, the pipe scenario is analagous to inputting the output from a 100-watt amp into 8-ohm
speakers. While using 16-ohm speakers is safe (though it reduces output power), switching to 4-ohm speakers will
almost certainly blow up the amp. That s why guitar amps designed to run into different speaker ratings often have
output transformers with 4-, 8- and 16-ohm taps which appropriately condition the output signal.
Guitar pickups and most dynamic mics are considered to be high impedance , meaning that they exhibit an
impedance of many thousands of ohms. Low-impedance signals are generally around 200 ohms or less. While the
high-impedance signals typically exhibit greater voltage, they can only be run through about 20 feet of cable before
they begin to lose high frequencies (or require additonal amplification in order not to). Low-impedance signals can
typically be run much further without detriment.
top address
As you might
A Word About Impedance
Choosing & Using Microphones
side address
Side address and top address
microphone designs
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