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The Way a Condenser Microphone Works

If you are like a lot of consumers in today’s world, you probably find a need for a condenser microphone as part of communicating. This is the type of mic used in recording studios due to their ability to pick up subtle nuances in a performance. If you have ever wondered what a condenser mic is, you will find out by reading this today.

What is a condenser?

A condenser is an electronic component that will store energy in the form of what is called an electrostatic field. A condenser microphone

Shure KSM27 Condenser Microphone uses a capacitor to convert the acoustical energy from the microphone itself into electrical energy.

The word condenser is actually obsolete and is only around because the word has stuck. Condenser mics work only with the power of something like a battery or another external source. These microphones are not the most ideal if you are performing high volume work because they are very sensitive which makes them prone to distortion.

This is the way a condenser microphone works. The capacitor has two plates which has a certain amount of voltage between them. One of the plates in the microphone is made up from light material which acts as a diaphragm. The diaphragm then will vibrate when it is struck by sound waves, which changes the distance between the two different plates which in turn changes the capacitance.

When the plates are closer together, capacitance increases which is when the charge currents occur. When the plates are split farther apart, capacitance decreases which is when the discharge currents occur. So that, ladies and gentlemen is how a condenser microphone works in a nutshell.

  • How does a microphone work?
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