When learning to properly use microphones, it's very useful to simultaneously learn the lingo that musicians, technicians, engineers, and producers use when referring to the tools of their (and your) trade.
Note that this multipage glossary is by no means an exhaustive list of audio terms and that the definitions of these terms will be short and sweet (trying for under 300 characters). I figured I should put together a solid resource that quickly defines the terminology (both technical and otherwise) that surrounds microphones and the industry in which they are used. I've added jump links to related terms and to more in-depth articles when describing terms that warrant deeper explanations.
Please click one of the following alphanumerics or microphone terms to jump to the terminology definitions!
Quick Jump To Alphabetical Microphone Terminology Pages:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9
List Of Microphone Terms
- A-Format
- A-B Powering
- AB miking technique
- ABC Stereo Miking Technique
- Absorption
- Accent-Miking
- Acceptance Angle
- Acoustic Labyrinth
- Acoustic Screen
- Acoustic Shield
- Acoustics
- Active Microphone
- Alternating Current (AC)
- Ambient Microphone
- Ambisonic Array
- Ambisonic Microphone
- Ampere (Amp)
- Amplification
- Amplitude
- Analog
- Analog Distortion
- Analog-Digital (A/D) Converter
- Anechoic Chamber
- Angle Of Maximum Rejection
- Antenna
- Antenna Diversity
- Artificial Head Technique
- Asterisk Array
- Attenuation
- Audio
- Audio Engineering Society (AES)
- Audio Interface
- Audio Mixer
- Axis
- Axis Angle
- B-Format
- Back Electret Condenser Microphone
- Backplate
- Baffle
- Baffled Miking Technique
- Balanced Audio
- Ball Boundary Technique
- Beltpack
- Bias Voltage
- Bidirectional Polar Pattern
- Binaural
- Bit Depth
- Bleed
- Blimp
- Blumlein Array
- Blumlein Pair
- Bob Fine Triad
- Bodypack
- Boom Arm
- Boom Microphone
- Boom Operator
- Boom Pole
- Boom Stand
- Boundary Microphone
- Bright
- Button Microphone
- Cable Shield
- Calibration Microphone
- Capacitance
- Capacitor
- Capacitor Microphone
- Capsule
- Carbon Microphone
- Cardioid Polar Pattern
- Cardioid Trapezium
- Cardioid Trapezoid
- Carrier Signal
- Case
- Cat's Cradle Shock Mount
- Centre-Terminated Capsule
- Channel
- Classic Electret Microphone
- Clip-On Miking
- Clipping
- Clone
- Close-Miking
- Coincident Figure-Eights
- Coincident Pair
- Coloured
- Common-Mode Rejection
- Companding
- Condenser
- Condenser Microphone
- Conductance
- Constructive Interference
- Contact Microphone
- Control Room
- Controlled Magnetic Microphone
- Controlled Reluctance Microphone
- Corey/Martin Tree Technique
- Coverage Angle
- Critical Distance
- Crystal Microphone
- Current
- Current Consumption
- Data Sheet
- DC-Bias
- Dead
- Dead Cat
- Decca Tree
- Decibel (dB)
- Decibels A-weighted (dBA)
- Decibels Full Scale (dBFS)
- Decibels Relative To 1 Volt (dBV)
- Decibels Relative To 0.775 Volts (dBu)
- Decibels Sound Pressure Level (dB SPL)
- Delay
- Desktop Stand
- Destructive Interference
- Detailed
- Diaphragm
- Diaphragm Electret Microphone
- Differential Amplifier
- Differential Microphone
- Differential Signal
- Diffuse-Field Microphone
- Digital Audio Workstation
- Digital
- Digital-Analog (D/A) Converter
- Digital Distortion
- Digital Microphone
- DIN Connector
- DIN Pair
- Direct Current (DC)
- Direct Sound
- Directional Microphone
- Directionality
- Distortion
- Diversity
- Double Carbon Microphone
- Double Mid-Side Array
- Double ORTF Array
- Double Spiral Shield
- Dropout
- Drum Booth
- Dynamic Microphone
- Dynamic Range
- Early Reflections
- EBS Pair
- Echo
- Echo Chamber
- Edge-Terminated Capsule
- Electret Condenser Microphone
- Electrical Recording
- Electrodynamic Microphone
- Electromagnetic Induction
- Electromagnetic Interference
- Electrostatic Microphone
- Electrostatic Principle
- Element
- Equivocal Noise Level
- Farad
- Faulkner Array
- Faulkner Pair
- Feedback
- Fibre Optic Microphone
- Field-Effect Transistor (FET)
- Figure-8 Polar Pattern
- Fish Pole
- First-Order Ambisonics
- Flat
- Fletcher-Munson Curve
- Foil Electret Condenser Microphone
- Form Factor
- Formant
- Free-Field Microphone
- Frequency
- Frequency Range
- Frequency Response
- Frequency Response Curve
- Frequency Search
- Front Electret Condenser Microphone
- Frontal Incidence Microphone
- Fukada Tree
- Gain
- Gain-Before-Feedback
- Gallium Arsenide Field-Effect Transistor (GaAsFET)
- Giraffe
- Glyn Johns Method
- Gobo
- God Microphone
- Gooseneck
- Grille
- Hamasaki Square
- Hamasaki Surround System
- Handheld Microphone
- Handling Noise
- Hansa Reverb
- Harsh
- Head Basket
- Headset Microphone
- Hertz (Hz)
- High-End Frequencies
- High-End Roll-Off
- High-Impedance Microphone
- High-Pass Filter
- Higher-Order Ambisonics
- Hirose Connector
- Hole-In-The-Middle Effect
- HRS Connector
- Hum
- Hum Pickup Level
- Humbucking Coil
- Hypercardioid Polar Pattern
- Ideal Cardioid Arrangement
- Impedance
- Impedance Bridging
- Impedance Matching
- In-And-Out Kick Drum Technique
- In-Line
- In-Phase
- INA-3
- INA-5
- Incident Sound
- Incident Wave
- Inductance
- Induction
- Inductor
- Initial Reflection
- Instrument Level
- Interference Tube
- Internal Microphone
- International System Of Units
- Interruptible Foldback
- Inverse-Square Law
- IRT Cross
- Iso-Booth
- Isolation Cabinet
- Jack
- Jecklin Disc Technique
- Junction Gate Field-Effect Transistor (JFET)
- Kathodophone
- Kick Drum Tunnel
- Lapel Microphone
- Large Diaphragm Condenser
- Laser Microphone
- Late Reflections
- Latency
- Lavalier Microphone
- LEMO Connector
- Liquid Microphone
- Line-Of-Sight
- Line Input
- Line Level
- Live Room
- Live Side
- Lively
- Load
- Load Impedance
- Lobar Polar Pattern
- Lobe
- Longest Dimension Rule
- Loudness
- Low-End Frequencies
- Low-End Roll-Off
- Low-Impedance Microphone
- Low-Pass Filter
- Magnet
- Matched Pair
- Maximum Output Voltage
- Maximum Sound Pressure Level
- Measurement Microphone
- Mechanical Isolation
- Mechanical Noise
- MEMS Microphone
- Mercury Triad
- Mic Cable
- Mic Level
- Mic Signal
- Microdot Connector
- Microphone
- Microphone Array
- Microphone Chip
- Microphone Clip
- Microphone Input
- Microphone Placement
- Microphone Stand
- Mid Frequencies
- Mid-Side Technique
- Middle Electret Microphone
- Mini XLR Connector
- Mix
- Mixing Console
- Mod
- Mono
- Monophonic Audio
- Motown Drum Technique
- Movable Panel
- Moving-Coil Dynamic Microphone
- Multicore Cable
- Multipath Interference
- Multipattern Microphone
- Multiple-Distance
- Mutual Angle
- Near-Coincident Pair
- Near Field
- NHK Surround System
- Noise
- Noise-Cancelling Microphone
- Nominal Impedance
- NOS Pair
- Null Point
- OCT-Hamasaki
- OCT-IRT
- OCT Surround
- Off-Axis
- Off-Axis Rejection
- Offset Angle
- Ohm
- Olsen Stereo 180 Microphone System
- Olson Wing
- Omni Triad
- Omni+8 Array
- Omni+8 Surround
- Omnidirectional Polar Pattern
- On-Axis
- Opening Angle
- Operating Frequency
- Optimized Cardioid Triangle
- Optimum Stereo Signal Technique
- ORTF Pair
- Out-Of-Phase
- Output Connection
- Output Impedance
- Output Sensitivity
- Overhead Microphone
- Pad (Passive Attenuation Device)
- Pan
- Pan Pot
- Path Length
- Path Length Difference
- Parabolic Disc
- Parabolic Microphone
- Pascal
- Passive Microphone
- Pencil Microphone
- Phantom Power
- Phase
- Phase Cancellation
- Phase Flip
- Phase Coherent Cardioid
- Phasey
- Pickup Pattern
- Pickup Angle
- Piezoelectric Microphone
- Pin 1 “Ground”
- Pin 2 “Hot”
- Pin 3 “Cold”
- Plosives
- Plug
- Plug-In Power
- Polar Pattern
- Polarity
- Polarizing Voltage
- Pole Piece
- Polyhymnia Pentagon
- Pop Filter
- Power Supply
- Preamplifier
- Presence
- Presence Boost
- Pressure Microphone
- Pressure-Gradient Microphone
- Pressure Response Microphone
- Pressure Zone Microphone (PZM)
- Proximity Effect
- Quantum Microphone
- Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)
- RAI Pair
- Random Incidence Microphone
- Rated Load Impedance
- Reach
- Real Stereo
- Rear Ports
- Receiver
- Receiving Angle
- Recorderman Technique
- Reflection
- Reflection Shield
- Rejection
- Resistance
- Resistor
- Reussen Shield
- Reverberation
- Reverberation Chamber
- Reverb Tail
- RF Capacitor Microphone
- RF Condenser Microphone
- RF Impedance
- Ribbon
- Ribbon Microphone
- Ribbon Motor
- Ringo Starr Drum-Miking Technique
- Room Microphone
- Room Tone
- S-50 Connector
- Sample Rate
- Schneider Disc Technique
- Sealed Diaphragm
- Self-Noise
- Sensitivity
- Separation
- Shock Mount
- Shootout
- Shotgun Microphone
- Shotgun Polar Pattern
- Sibilance
- Side-Address
- Siemens
- Signal-To-Noise Ratio
- Silicon Microphone
- Slate
- Small Diaphragm Condenser
- Smeared
- Smooth
- Snake
- Solid-State Electronics
- Sound Incidence Angle
- Sound Pressure Level
- Sound Reinforcement
- Sound Wave
- Soundproof
- Source Impedance
- Spaced Cardioids
- Spaced Omnis
- Spaced Pair
- Spatial Diversity
- Specification Sheet
- Spherical Microphone Array
- Spill
- Splitter
- Spot-Miking
- Sputtering
- Squeeze Microphone
- Squelch
- Stage Box
- Step-Up Transformer
- Stereo
- Stereo Ambient Sampling System
- Stereo Bar
- Stereo Microphone
- Stereo Miking
- Subcardioid Polar Pattern
- Supercardioid Polar Pattern
- Supply Voltage
- Surround Sound
- Surround Sound Miking
- Suspension
- Swan neck
- Sweet Spot
- T-Power
- Take
- Talent
- Talkback Microphone
- Tech
- Tetrahedral Microphone
- Thiele Trapezoid
- Thread Adapter
- Threaded Connector
- Throw
- Tip-Sleeve
- Tip-Ring-Sleeve
- Top-Address
- Total Harmonic Distortion
- Transducer
- Transduction
- Transformer
- Transient
- Transient Response
- Transistor
- Transmission Loss
- Transmitter
- Triangle Method
- True Condenser Microphone
- True Diversity
- True Stereo
- Tube Microphone
- Tuchel Connector
- Ultra High Frequencies (UHF)
- Unbalanced Audio
- Unidirectional Microphone
- USB Microphone
- Vacuum Tube
- Valve
- Variable Input Impedance
- Variable-D™
- Velocity Microphone
- Very High Frequencies (VHF)
- Very Low Mass™ (VLM)
- Vintage Microphone
- Voice Coil
- Volt
- Voltage
- Warm
- Wavelength
- Wedge Technique
- Wide Cardioid Surround Array (WCSA)
- Windscreen
- Wireless Microphone
- Wireless Microphone System
- XLR
- XY Pair
- Zeppelin
- Zoom Microphone
- 2:1 Rule Of Ambience
- 3:1 Rule
- 10 dB Rule
- 12th Fret-12 Inch Rule
- 94 dB SPL